HORSEMANSHIP
The wrong solution ... enticing the horse by rattling a bucket of feed.
From page 27
retrain him.
It would be preferable to
practice catching in a smaller
space initially, and then work
on the problem in larger
places.
Start by getting his attention,
and break the problem down
into little pieces. It is impor-
tant for him to understand
and accept every step as you
work to put the pieces back
together.
You want him to stay calm
and thoughtful, rather than
worried, stressed or inatten-
tive.
Try not to use food to catch
him, and don't generally hide
the halter or lead rope,
though you could start the
teaching process without it
and introduce it down the
line.
In most cases it is better to go
about the business of
catching the horse in the way
you ultimately want to do it,
rather than trying to trick the
horse in some way.
You want him to understand
exactly what is going on and
be okay with it.
Also, remember that you get
what you settle for… i f you
really want to change his
behaviour you need to spend
the time necessary with no
short cuts, and no 'But I could
grab him now and go for that
ride.'
Start by observing what the
horse does when you walk
into the paddock. Does he
raise his head and look at
you or keep on grazing?
Maybe he turns his back on
you or starts walking away;
maybe the problem doesn't
arise until the halter or rope
comes into play.
It is desirable for him to flick
an ear in your direction, look
at you, maybe even to turn to
face you or start walking
towards you. If he does any
of these things pause where
you are, and possibly take a
step or two backwards. If
he's been really hard to catch
in the past you might even
turn and walk away, not
expecting him to follow but
rather saying 'Thanks, well
done, that was all I wanted.'
Wait a minute, then turn
back to him and start again.
When you have made your
initial assessment, ignore the
horse but start walking
straight towards him, looking
at the ground in front of you
and not directly at him.
He will probably move
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