The Vienna Line

Red and Snip did really good with the leg leading and having the saddle thrown up on them.  I put the bridle on Red and introduced him to lunging with the line from my hand, through the bit to the saddle. Known as a Vienna line, this encourages the horse to bend and lower the head.  I started by using my body to move him around while he got used to feeling the bit then gradually used contact with the bit to initiate the direction. I was really pleased with how quiet he kept his mouth.  I thought he might be fussier as he's the one who's mouth smells like he has something going on.
Snip was a little fussier with his mouth, trying to figure out whether his tongue should go over or under it.  I moved him around with my body and tried to keep the line really quiet.  It took a little longer but he figured out to follow the feel and not need to play with his tongue.
With Cocoa I was a little more careful putting the saddle on but he stood pretty good.  His leg leading on the front legs was good.  On the hind legs all I asked him to do was stand still while I put the rope around his leg and moved the rope.  On the left he was really good.  On the right he tried to pivot away from me a little but not as much as the day before.  Getting the bridle on him was difficult as he still doesn't like his nose touched but I got it on and lunged him with it.  He was a little heavy at first, as he was in the halter, but was really good at keeping his mouth shut.

Leg Leading

6" of snow today and cold on the fingers.  While I worked the 3 older horses 2" of snow accumulated on the backs of the younger ones. Because they were damp I didn't saddle them.  Instead I worked on leg leading.  This is similar to halter breaking. I put a rope around a fetlock and then held on to both ends, that way I could let it go if they panicked. I kept a halter and lunge line on them in case they bolted but did not use the halter to lead.  Initially I put a little feel on the rope and as soon as the horse noticed (looked, shifted weight, moved a foot) I released pressure. After a few repetitions and the horse giving to the pressure easily, I increased the difficulty by moving the foot forward with the rope and not allowing him to put it back. The horse feels pressure when he tries to take the leg away and must feel a release of pressure when he relaxes. What I am looking for is that the horse figures out to move any one of the other legs forward in an attempt to release pressure. Today I worked Red and Snip to this point with all four legs.  The front legs can be worked forward, sideways and back.  The back legs should only be worked forward and sideways otherwise your farrier will not be happy when he draws the hind leg back and the horse backs up.  Snip was pretty good and I worked a little on picking his feet up as well, releasing as soon as he gave to the pressure.  Red was a little concerned that I was going to tie his back feet together but got over it fairly quickly.  Cocoa was the one I expected to be difficult.  He was pretty good with his front feet but didn't like the rope touching his hind legs below the hocks.  I just stayed as close to his shoulder as I could while rubbing his hind leg with the coil of rope until he stopped pivoting and stood still, then I put the rope around the leg and followed him for a few more pivots without any pressure on the leg rope, working on having him accept it moving on him.  A couple of times he got scared and left.  I didn't try and hold him, just drew him back and put the rope back on the leg.  He surprised me that he didn't kick at it but I worked at it a while before I put any pressure on the rope. I didn't try and lead him with it, just used the rope to lift the foot then held it long enough to remove the rope and be the one that saved him.
"So you may be asking yourself at this point, why would you need to lead a horse by the leg?"
At the very least I use the initial giving to pressure to teach them to pick up their feet, especially the hind ones.  It keeps you at a safe distance if a horse might be kicky and allows you to keep your back straight and strong while you practice lots.
The next step of teaching them to move other feet when they feel the pressure teaches a horse to reason and untangle himself.  I carry this one step further, once they follow the pressure any direction the next step would be to lunge them, apply pressure to the leg rope and bring them to a stop.
These particular horses will need to be hobble broke and also tethered by a front foot in the mountains.  This is a good way to prepare them to not rope burn themselves.
I believe Leg Leading has saved my horses 3 times that I know about.  One time the horse had his foot over the barb of a loose wire and stayed there without making a mark on himself.  Another time a horse pawed at a bayco wire fence and got it stuck between his hoof and shoe.  The person who found him had to walk away from him and get wire cutters to cut the fence.  The horse waited patiently.  The third horse I was leading through a creek while riding another horse and it stopped. When I got off to check why I found her foot stuck between the bank and a 1/2" cedar root. It felt like it took me 20 minutes to cut through it. I was all wet but she stood and waited beautifully.
So I would ask you at this point, "Why wouldn't you teach your horse to leg lead?"

Tarps and Saddles

Friday and Monday I concentrated on the older horses.  On friday Cocoa, Snip and Red all were saddled with the pony saddle.  It fell off Cocoa once, that's why I use a little saddle, easier to put on multiple times. I worked on preparing Cocoa for the bridle by getting him to accept my finger going in his mouth without him taking his head away.  The other two I put the bridle right on.  I spent a few minutes lunging and getting them to come in and follow me.  Next I started lunging them over a pole and around a tarp until they started showing an interest in the tarp.  I let them stop and look.  I stayed on the far side and treated it like I was trailer loading in to a straight haul trailer.  While staying out of their way and not looking at their heads I used my whip to point at the flanks and suggest forward movement.  The lunge line was only to block them from turning away, never to pull them forward.  It's risky standing in front of a horse stepping on to a scary item.  To the horse, where you're standing is probably the safe place as you're not scared and horses can make an amazing leap and land precisely where you were before they sent you flying (or running). You hope the first time that you prepared them well enough that they respect your position and will jump around you.  All 3 of these guys surprised me.  With very tiny steps they carefully crossed the tarp the first time without jumping. Yay!  Next came lunging and then driving.  You know it's really hard to walk, film and drive a horse all at the same time, but here it is.

Oreo and I also did the tarp walk. Initially he didn't want to follow me at all, remember I lost some trust with the rope issue.  Once he decided it was okay to follow me again he also crossed the tarp without issue.  I spent the rest of the time deburring his forelock and mane.

Today I worked Cocoa, Snip and Red with a full size saddle. These guys are at least 15 hands and my saddle is at least 50 pounds. First was Red who I saddled from the right side. That way I don't have to throw all my cinches over the horse and I can make adjustments while I'm there and then change sides just once and do everything up.  Red did really good till I retightened the back cinch then he went cantering and bucking around the ring about five times.  After he settled I put driving lines on the sidepull which has a little more feel to it than the halter and drove him at the walk and trot.  He was turning well so I did roll backs in to the wall to teach him to respond to the word whoa.  He caught on really quick.

Snip was really good with the saddle and in addition to whoa worked a little on backing up.

Cocoa was not pleased with the saddle.  I pack it around a bit and have them follow me to build their confidence. He was okay with that but wasn't sure I should touch him with it. He was better on the left so with difficulty and lots of muscle I slid it up on his back and asked him to not move and make it fall off 'cause I didn't want to have to do it again.  He was really good packing it so I added the driving lines. He's the one who's not turning great. Bit of a stubborn streak. He was turning much better at the end and was sweaty but so was I. Hopefully I'll be able to get a bridle on him soon, I think it will help him a lot to work in the Vienna rein.

Successful Ground Work Clinic AND a Beautiful Sunny Day

 Last Sunday I did a Demo with Pal and Papa talking about horse/human communication through body language. The demo showed how to control a horses mind through his body with work free in the round pen and in the halter with in hand leading. There were a dozen people and lots of great questions.

Pal starts out high headed and distracted.  His tail, while relaxed is starting to elevate to a yee haw, game on position.  With correct body position and awareness of the challenges presented the horse starts to relax.

His head is lower and so is his tail which is now in a soft curled frame. When the horse lowers his head towards the ground he is showing submission by presenting a vulnerable area, his poll. Frame of mind is frame of body, when a horse is relaxed and submissive it will show in the way he carries himself. Frame of body is also frame of mind.  If we put his body in to a head down, correctly bent position, he will relax.

Today we had a ground work clinic and 5 participants each worked with 2 horse to learn basic groundwork and communication. Some people had prior experience and so in addition to everyone learning round penning, some people also started on lunging and in hand leading. Everyone got to observe everyone else's position and corrections which helped them understand their errors before they had their second lesson.

You can see Partner is relaxed and starting to show submission while his ears are happy and he has one focused on Molly in case she wants something.

Everyone bundled up to stay warm and occasionally stood out in the sun which was warm if you stayed out of the wind.

The next demo is March 6 which will be a short refresher of round penning and body language then we will have a look at lunging and ground driving, discussing the benefits to be obtained and the pitfalls to avoid.

A follow-up clinic on March 13 will give participants a chance to try these techniques for themselves.  There are still 2 spots available. I hope you will consider joining us.

Grooming and Pre-tieing

Although not yet broke to tie, I semi-secured Snip to a post by threading rope around then hanging on to the end of it. I used a lunge line so there was lots of length if the horse fidgeted to lay along his side and be behind his girth area to move him over or forward.  The previous work on a line in the round pen helped the horses to understand to give to pressure.  The trick is when a horse feels the need to spook away from you, don't resist until the horse gets to the point where he's about to stop leaving, then you can stop (turn) him easier.  You don't want to try and hold the horse when he's under full power because you can't and he's just learning he can out pull you.  The second trick is to resist in time with the near front foot coming off the ground.  Snip was understanding he needed to listen to the feel on his rope so I worked on deburring his mane, then forelock, then tail.  He was a pretty good boy.

I also started doing Red's mane and he was being good so I let Tanza take over.  She got the burrs out of the  mane and forelock and most of the tail but there was a huge mat. I ended up pulling hairs up out of it 5 or 10 at a time till they were all out and I was left with a rock hard chunk of tail in my hand and sore fingers.  His tail was so much lighter it was floating. Snip and Red took 2 1/2 hours and showed tremendous patience. Every time Tanza went to grab something Red tried to follow her.

 After lunch I worked on Blue.  You'll remember he didn't like his face handled and I'd only got a halter on him once. I got the rope around his neck and with some difficulty the loop over the nose but he was not going to have a halter.  I worked on deburring him with just the rope on.  He had lots on the left side and in his forelock then I discovered his hair is even longer on the right.  I did loop his rope around a post while I worked on his tail.  For a horse that didn't want to be touched he relaxed really well. Altogether it took 3 1/2 hours but was well worth it.

After I introduced Cocoa to the concept of being handled outside the round pen and staying semi attached to a post I let Tanza take over.  Cocoa is very sensitive and so she sang to him.  He really liked it. I told her he wouldn't like it so much if I sang to him. He did get a little impatient. He pawed a bit and when he was told not to do that he threatened to kick and was told not to do that either.  He was deburred faster than Blue so Tanza used the extra time to rub on him and handle his head as much as he'd let her.  I was very pleased with all of them.

The next day Tanza groomed and led Snip, Red and Cocoa and spent more time putting heads down.  I worked on deburring Burr who has a really long mane.  If you're looking to untangle and remove burrs baby oil works great, it seems to take the stickiness out of the burrs. Today I had to untwist his mane a little as he was getting fairy stirrups.  That's when the fairy's tie the mane together for stirrups when they ride.  I spent lots of time working on rubbing his head on both sides and with two hands and then slipping the rope over his nose and off his nose with his nose on the ground.  Giving him lots of endorphins while preparing him for the feeling of a rope (halter) coming up over his nose without turning his head away and putting me in front of him. Even though I had haltered him before (see Happy Burr's Day) he's had 3 years practice at not being haltered so it will take a lot of repetition.

Blue let me catch and halter him pretty good, he stood his ground but tried really hard to hide his nose.  I worked him on come forward to release the feel on the halter.  I'd have to send him from behind then he'd go forward about 30 feet, then I would walk up and pet him and then put a little feel on his head and try again.  He started out leaving with a yee haw tail but eventually figured out he only needed to come forward a step or two then wait for his rub.

Video of Cocoa

I concentrated on handling Cocoa's head.  It's still a challenge just getting the rope over his nose but at least he's good about me touching his body.    You'll see I'm using the rope to try and block unwanted movement while my other hand is at his girth working on his bending button.  This is a 6 year old wild horse and I'm not going to force his head anywhere.  I have to work on building trust and relaxing the muscles.  You'll notice I keep my belly pulled away trying to be respectful and not put a lot of pressure on him.  At the end you'll see that as he softens and drops his head I bow out and take the remaining pressure off him.

Video of Red

Red was really good to catch.  I put the bridle on, bit under the jaw, headstall over the ears.  He was good with his ears so while it sat there I started working on sliding my finger in his mouth, from each side.  He finally relaxed and started opening his mouth. I smelled my fingers and they smelled like dead deer.  I knew their teeth needed doing as when they put pressure on the halter they would make ouchie faces. This guy however either has ulceration on his cheeks full of rotting food or an abscessing tooth. I used a straight bar happy mouth bit.  Usually I use a black (sweet) iron full cheek snaffle.  A full cheek is nice when turning to give added feel to the outside of the head but will annoy the mouth more when there are sharp points on the teeth.  You would think a horse would turn well then but instead they turn in to the pain trying to push it out of the way.  I chose the straight bar because a horse with wolf teeth is bothered more by a snaffle that breaks in   the middle.  I don't like a rubber mouth because it can stick on a horse with a dry mouth but the plastic ones don't seem to do that and if the horse moves quick while unbridling it doesn't bump the teeth the way a steel bit would.

Next I added the pony saddle because it's easier for me.  He had already had the surcingle once.  The stirrups hanging down didn't seem to bother him at all.  A lot of times when you add tack a horse forgets what you had previously taught him.  Red was a little sticky but knew what I wanted.  He was still bracy so I worked his head back and forth to help him relax and drop it down.

Video of Oreo

Oreo was really good at being haltered and accepting of the surcingle.  He was a little mouthy and so I added the bridle which I will describe later with Red.  He was lunging well and pretty relaxed about the tack. The next step is the rope around the hindquarters to prepare the horse for driving lines.  I've mentioned these horses are afraid of the rope on the ground and described how some have handled it being around the rear.  The video will show you Oreo's reaction.  This is after he had kicked the gate of the round pen open.  What I need the horse to do is follow the feel of the rope on the left and turn towards it but every time he feels it he panics and runs.  When he stops I go up and rub on him but he does not want me on the left.  He has lost confidence and trust on the left side and keeps trying to put me back on his right side.  Even though I had been able to rub the rope all over him, once it went behind his legs he was scared.  These horse were basically untouched, however, they had been gelded.  I guarantee you they were roped and tied down. One of the ways to get them laid down is to pull the rope around their butt and take their legs out.  Tie the head to the hind legs and ...  you get the idea.  I spent another 30 minutes after the video working on touching him all over again.

Week Two Begins

Snip had a review of yesterdays lesson and remembered everything. In addition to walk and spiral into stop on the driving lines, I added some trot and rollbacks. The increased speed didn't seem to bother him. Afterwards he hung out over the fence and let Barry scratch his head for a long time.

Red let me catch him right away and put on the surcingle.  I laid the rope over his back to drag and he thought it was going to eat his butt.  Almost sitting down while moving forward, finally he remembered his lesson with the blanket falling off him and spun around to face it. Smart boy.  A few minutes later I put the driving lines on the halter and worked on direction changes and breathing out to stop.

The plan was for Cocoa  to have the same lesson but first I had to spend about 15 minutes getting the halter up over the nose.  The horse is just a little taller than me.  He wasn't really trying to leave, just keep his nose protected.  Once I got the halter on I followed the same procedure with laying the rope over his back to drag.  He had been the one that was the most afraid of the rope so I took a little extra time and threw it across him and dragged it back a few times. When I asked him to lunge and pack it I had to remind him he could move.  He was smart enough to know if he didn't move, it wouldn't chase him.  After awhile I got him going and making direction changes dragging it, he took it better than the other two.  Next I did the rope around the butt turns, he never scooted his butt down at all.  When I put the driving lines on his halter I learned that when he is wearing a surcingle and has lines around his butt, he forgets how to steer.  I just let him pack the lines a little and then undressed him.  Will work more on steering next time.

Blue had a little longer session today.  It took a few minutes to get a rope around his neck so I could work on handling his face.  He also kept trying to lift it away but he's not as tall as Cocoa.  Once the halter was on I added the surcingle and lunged him a little. He needs more work on turning in from the feel on the halter and coming in when I call him. I let him drag a rope across his back while I lunged him.  He was the worst so far for thinking it was going to eat his butt and trying to sit and walk at the same time when it touched his legs, but none of them kicked at it.  Imagine if a person skipped this step and just put the driving lines straight on.  They'd be running away from the back end and getting bumped in the front, no fun.  I had to talk to someone for awhile so I took the ropes off.  When I came back I had to catch him again to take off the surcingle and halter. It took awhile.  I was going to work on the turns with the rope around the butt but was happy at that point with just getting him caught.

For The Boomer Fans

I have been taking part in Al Dunning's Protege program.  I work my horses and video them then edit it down to a 1 minute clip working on a specific topic and he critiques it and suggests exercises to work on.  If you're interested in the program you can sign up through this link which keeps track of who found him through my referral.  Sign up soon as there is a draw for a saddle for people signing up in Jan/Feb/Mar.  You learn a lot watching and re-watching your own video while you're editing it.

http://www.teamadinternational.com/general/register_start.asp?ref=89DFD538-887B-41B9-B790-D29BF6B1F52B 

3 Wild Ones Progress

Well Burr's definitely got it figured out. He had a short lesson today. He stood his ground right away and let me put his halter on and rub on him. Yay!
Sampson on the other hand was just like Burr had been. He had 1 hour before lunch and 2 hours after lunch. He was slightly different than Burr in that he did not want me to touch him with my hand, just the whip.  I could however rub the whip anywhere on his head, between his eyes around his ears... I used the same technique of laying the whip across him and then working my way up it to touch him.  I also went with the rope around the neck to suggest he not leave. By the time I stopped for lunch I could rub his wither area, briefly, which was an improvement but still a long way to go.
After lunch I had to start all over again.  I put the rope around his neck again and worked at approaching him, trying to get him to approach me, wrapping my whip lash all around his head, making him work when he left, drawing him back in...  Sometimes he would let me rub more of him, other times he would snort and leave.  One step forward and two steps back.  Then gradually he let me touch him without jumping, let me start rubbing him with the rope too. Then the big step, two hands. Rubbing from halfway up his neck to his loins and down his shoulder.  I changed sides and we started again, but it went so much faster.  He finally figured out that it was nicer to be with me than to leave.  I didn't try and halter him yet, still have to be able to touch him with a hand on each side of the neck, but major progress was made.
Snip was a star.  I hadn't worked him since friday. I walked up and put his halter right on and lunged him a little each way.  I laid the line across his back, dragging and worked him loose to see how he handled it touching and chasing him.  His ears are definitely flatter when he concentrates. I then put on a surcingle, no reaction whatsoever, well his ears were a little flatter. I lunged him a little more each way then worked at putting the line around behind his butt and getting him to turn away from me.  The first time he said "NO, NO, I'm not allowed to turn my butt to you but he got it and didn't kick and only scooted a little.  I worked on both sides till he was quiet with it then I went one step further. I put the driving lines on his halter and through the surcingle.  He was so good. I used my body a lot to set him up for direction changes but he was getting the concept of turning to the feel of the rein.  What a Good Boy!

Finally Haltered Burr

For the first few minutes I thought I must not have worked this horse yesterday.  Burr seemed to have forgot our lessons.  I tossed the rope over him then he remembered how to stand still and be rubbed. He even let me change sides fairly easily. His face was another matter.  He still didn't want me to touch it. He kept trying to hide it in the fence panels. I worked at it and was able to rub a halter all around it but he wasn't sure I should put it on. I didn't want to rush and have him bolt away so I just kept working at it.  He would drop his head right to the ground which was great for him to show submission and get lots of endorphins but not great for getting a halter up over the nose. Finally it slipped in to place. He moved his feet forward a little as I did up the buckle but very carefully.  I attached a lunge line in case he bolted, not to stop him with but to suggest he give to light pressure and find his own stop. Then I went back to rubbing on him.  I made a point of moving the halter around on his nose so he knew it was there and lots of massage which he was really beginning to like. He let me rub both sides but was still trying to hide.  I decided to work on bending him at the ribs to bring his nose around.  I found, just like Blue, he was very thick skinned.  It took a lot of pressure to get a response. I would release at the slightest try.  Eventually he gave to a lighter signal and finally turned his head to me and held it there himself.  On the left side he would step towards me when I asked.  On the right side he thought he was supposed to move away from the pressure.  I rewarded that the first few times by removing the pressure.  Then I went to just lightening the pressure if the feet were moving away and removing it when the  nose came towards me. I worked at that until he looked at me on the right then I took the halter off and called him to follow me out of the pen.  I will try and work everyone tomorrow and Sampson is going to need this same lesson.

Happy Burr's Day

Today was Burr's day.  Burr and I did 1 hour this morning. I got the rope over his neck, tied a big loop in one end and threaded the other end through so I had lots of length and he couldn't duck his head out of it. We worked at standing still while I rubbed him with the whip. He was very suspicious of me touching him with my hand.  When he would leave I would put just enough pressure on the rope around his neck that he knew I was there and wait for him to look in and immediately slack it.  There was no point in putting more pressure, he's too big to pull around, there's no sense teaching him he can out pull me and pulling does not create trust.  I'm working at having him make choices that he believes are in his best interest and accomplish what I need at the same time.  This will build both trust and confidence. I firmly believe as a trainer you should never ask a horse for something you're not going to get. Re-read that last sentence it's an important one.
I got Burr to where he would let me rub his neck on the left side and he would yield his hindquarters but would not step towards me yet.  I pulled the rope off him and left him in the pen during lunch.
After lunch we spent a couple more hours together. I repeated the morning lesson and he was much better and standing still. I rubbed and rubbed him on the left side of the neck, then through approach and retreat was able to rub the left side of his face.  He allowed me to put my arm across his neck and rub the other side.  It's too bad no one was there to take a picture.  I had my right arm around his neck, rocking his neck back and forth while rubbing his right cheek with my right hand and his left cheek with my left hand.  When I quit and stepped back he stepped sideways with his front feet to come have more. Yay! We repeated this many times.
Next I tried to get to his right side and show him how good it would feel there.  He was very good at blocking me. When I would get to his right side he would leave and then instead of stopping he would turn in, changing sides and we'd have to start again.  Finally by rubbing the whip all over his face I was able to get it to the far side as a block. When he tried to leave I backed off. When he tried to turn in, I blocked. He finally figured out to stand still and then he let me do all the same rubbing on that side.  The only thing he didn't do was step towards me on his own on the right side but it was feeding time so I pulled the rope off him and called him and he followed me out of that pen and through the next two to go have dinner.  He was standing well enough I could have flipped a loop of rope over his nose and caught him but I felt this would scare him and it was worth it to take the extra time and earn the right to have him give me his head.

The day I took pictures I only got one of Burr, he's very good at hiding in the crowd.
Look at the burrs in his mane!

The Younger Wild Bunch - Week 1

After reviewing Oreo's round penning I worked on getting him to give his hips better. He was sticky on the right side.  He did not want me to touch him so I spent time pushing him around the arena and laying the whip across his back waiting for him to stop, it took awhile but by the end of the session I was able to rub him with my hand and brush him a little with a curry comb. The next day he was quicker to stand.
The following day even though it was windy he let me touch him right away. Oreo is part of the younger bunch but don't tell him that.  He stood good and let me sack him out with the blanket and rope and work on moving his hindquarters with the rope around his neck.
On the final day of the week he did not want to be herded away from his two buddies and in to the training area so I worked him in the pen he was in, disengaging hindquarters, facing up, following, but he did not want to follow me through the muddy gate. I tried the rope around the neck which helped but when he bobbed his head to show submission it would come off.  As I had the halter in my hand I decided to see if he'd let me put it on, he did.  After another 10 minutes of work I was able to get him to the round pen where we worked on packing the blanket and letting it fall off.  He would disengage his hindquarters and sniff the blanket.  He is very curious and progressing quickly.

Oreo

Blue was much better the second day with allowing me to touch him with the whip and rub on him. He would give his hindquarters and pivot around really well but not really step forward.

On the windy day we had to re-establish the previous lessons but on the last day he was once again good about facing up and being rubbed.  In order to help him come forward I put the rope around his neck so as he rotated he could feel a little pressure and figure out how to relieve it. I use about 30' of rope and just lay it over the neck and hold both ends that way it can come off if it needs to and not chase the horse.

Blue

Sampson let me touch him with the whip then the hand a little on the second day then he would leave, but only as far as he wanted to go so I had to work on GO. Each time he left on his own I made him go a little further than the last time until he figured out to stand still.
Of course the next day was the windy day and Sampson was acting scared and jumpy. I could rub his butt with the whip and a little with my hand but nothing further ahead of that.
The following day he still preferred not to be touched so I worked on disengaging his hips and getting him to follow me.

The last day I worked with a rope around his neck and following me, he's still not comfortable with touch and even though I can scrub vigorously with the whip he feels my hand like it's a branding iron.

Sampson has a letter S on his forehead.

Burr started out with suspicion and fear. Day 2 was an improvement. I was able to touch him with the whip and my hand and even rub his face a little.  It was interesting using the whip with this bunch. Sometimes it was on the same side as me, many times across their back and touching the opposite side.  This can be very disconcerting to most horses.  They don't do well with stuff touching on both sides and it is common for them to move away from the whip and run over people.  These guys are very respectful, choosing if needed to go straight forward rather than over me.  Horses can have varying degrees of connection between the two halves of their brain.  This is why it's important to teach everything to both sides.  This bunch all seems to have good connective tissue if not good memories.
Poor Burr did not appreciate the windy day and we spent the time re-establishing facing up, standing still, giving hip and following me. The next day wasn't a whole lot better.  Oh well, not everyone improves every day.  This next week we will do better.

The gang is much braver as a group and very curious.

The Older Wild Bunch Week 1

Reviewed yesterdays lesson with Red, still not showing submission in his loose work. Put on a halter and reviewed round penning and introduced the concept of lunging. This horse was supposed to have had halter work and been ready to ride.  It took me 10 minutes to convince him he could back up.  It didn't help that he wants to be braced up as soon as he feels pressure on the halter.  I spent some time with my hands on his head showing him how to drop down away from pressure. He would drop to level, but no lower.
The next day Red was good on the things we'd already done. He understood backing and started to drop his head a foot lower and get the endorphins he needed. I alternated between sacking him out with a blanket and putting his head down and disengaging hindquarters and putting his head down and leading forward and putting his head down...  he wasn't nearly as good on the right side.
The last day of the week Red made a lot of progress. I walked up and haltered him, lead him around, loose lead, and backed lightly.  I put the saddle blanket on so it would fall off to the inside and lunged him, disengaging him as it fell off. I want the horse to know to stop and wait when something's falling off you and not panic.  I also want to see what his reaction is, does he bolt, kick, stomp it with his front feet, I've seen it all. Red was good at disengaging and coming back towards it when asked.

Red

Snip was the other horse in the bunch that had "previous work". I round penned and reviewed yesterdays lesson. Then I put a halter on him and tried to lunge.  Snip had his ears pinned.  I checked his mane hair was comfortable and I handled his ears, they seemed fine and yet they were pinned, especially the left one.  I asked him to move, he refused.  The more I insisted, the madder he got. He would not move and was threatening to attack.  I took the line off him and although still hesitant I did get him moving and round penning as he did without the halter. I put the lunge line back on and carefully helped him find a way to move his feet with only slightly pinned ears. We stopped and I worked with him on head down and backing.  He also had no idea what backing was.  

The next day was really windy. Snip still wasn't happy with the pressure of the halter but he did move his feet.  I feel someone has probably tied this horse up and he's learned he can't get loose and he better not move.

Snip with Oreo peeking around behind.

Snips last day of the week was much better. He lunged with the blanket on like Red did and was good about it falling off.  Both Red and Snip were good about having the rope tightened around their girth area and with difficulty, figuring out they could walk with it there.

Cocoa hadn't been worked before.  He remembered his round penning from the day before but he definitely never had a halter on.  He was very protective of his nose.  I put a rope over his neck and used it to desensitize his face. Once I could wrap it around his nose I was able to put a halter on him and help him learn to put his head down. He also backed easier than the two other horses. He is sensitive and smart. A little too sensitive in the hindquarters. He kept disengaging himself.

On the windy day Cocoa was still a little protective of his nose but did let me get his halter on. I worked him with a rope around the neck, moving his hindquarter and used the rope to sack him out.  He doesn't like ropes dragging on the ground, especially coming towards him. He was good at being rubbed by the blanket.

The last day of the  week i was able to carefully halter Cocoa without first catching him with a rope. He was good about the rope around the girth but still didn't like seeing it on the ground. When I lunged him with the blanket on and it fell off he made a mightly leap forward.  I repeated on both sides until he figured out how to stop himself and face up to it.

Cocoa

The Wild Bunch - Day 1

What an interesting week.  I started 7 horses this past week. For all intents and purposes they were wild.  2 of the six year olds had a little halter work, but that's another story. The other one and the 4 three year olds hadn't been touched and they all were running in a large herd on an Indian reserve at Pemberton. The horses were herded in to a trailer and hauled to my place to begin their education.

Task # 1, name them, so when I write down each day what they've worked on I know which one I'm talking about.  I ended up with Red, Snip, Cocoa as the older ones and  the younger ones who are pintos are Blue, Oreo, Burr and Sampson.

Cocoa, Blue, Snip, Red, Sampson

Task #2, assess and get to know them.  Thank goodness for round-pens. Actually I've got a really neat pen arrangement for sorting and working these guys until I can halter and lead them all.  The first thing I do is herd the group from their night pen in to the riding area so they can have a good look around.  While they're exploring I begin moving panels to shrink it into a round pen.  They are very curious and brave. After a while I herd them in to their day pen to look around there and then I herd one of them back in to the round pen to begin working. I'm pleased with how quietly they're willing to be moved.

The first day everyone learned how to give me an inside turn. They were all focused on me which was great. Often horses are busy looking for their friends and not really paying attention.  Everyone showed me respect and all showed submission by dropping or bowing their heads, except Red, one of the two who had already been worked with by someone else, interesting...

Red, Day 1

The next thing I wanted was for them to give their hip to my body pressure and face up to me.  Until they are willing to face me they're not going to follow me and if I can't walk up to them I need them to walk up to me.
The first day everyone learned how to give their hips but Oreo was the stickiest.  I called him Oreo because two of them were brown and white but he was Chocolate on both sides and Vanilla down the middle like the cookie.  I would step around to the side of Oreo, facing his hip and he would face me with his head, big bend in his neck and stare at me, or his own hip for minutes at a time, then he would leave.  He finally figured out he only had to move his hip away and I would back off and release any pressure.

Oreo, Day 1

The only horse to show a little aggression was Cocoa.  He lightly struck the ground a couple of times while I was pushing him but nothing major.  

Cocoa, Day 1

Snip was the other one who had, we were told, been worked with a bit.  I was able to touch him, Red and Cocoa.  

Snip, Day 1

Burr let me touch him with the whip and eventually work my way up the whip and barely touch his shoulder.  When he first came in his tail showed suspicion and fear but only for the first few minutes.

Burr, Day 1

Blue was the same. I could touch him with the whip and barely with my hand. 

Blue, Day 1

Sampson and Oreo were harder. With them I only got as far as touching with the whip.  I was working in a 40' round pen which allowed me to repeatedly, lightly lay the whip across their back.  If they stopped I took it off. If they ran away I pushed them forward then worked at laying it across them again.  They caught on that it was easier to stand and be stroked with the whip than it was to move. They are very smart.

Sampson, Day 1

I discovered lots of things about these guys the first day and about myself. Apparently I'm not in as good a shape as I thought I was. 5-7 hours a day in the round pen is hard on the body, mostly back and hips.  Oreo was really cute, he wouldn't let me near him and yet twice as I bent over and hung upside down stretching my back he came and had a sniff.  These guys got worked 4 or 5 times this past week.  Stay tuned for more updates as time allows.