How To Handle A Difficult Horse Who Keeps Rushing Backwards Or Forwards

 

How To Handle A Difficult Horse Who Keeps Rushing Backwards Or Forwards

This is a good way for a horse to get out of things such as having their teeth done by a dentist etc. Once a horse learns to do this it can become a reoccurring problem.

A common way to stop a horse going backwards is to back them up to a fence or wall etc. I don’t like either of these ways as I’ve seen a horse rear up and go over a fence and also a horse rear up and cut their eye on a shed roof. And please, please don’t ever back a horse up to a fence with stakes. Unfortunately I’ve also seen the repercussions of a horse being impaled on a stake and it’s a very sad thing.

I use a whip and an open space. I’ve got an old lunge whip that’s lost it’s tassel part and it works very well as it’s nice and long to reach the horse’s thigh. A dressage whip would also work well or twist the tassel part of a lunge whip around the base so it doesn’t fly around.

This is one of the rare occasions that I’ll use a little force with a whip. Basically every time the horse attempts to go backwards I’ll smack them on the bum/thigh with the whip. If the horse keeps trying I’ll increase the smack. It is very important not to keep smacking the horse as they’re travelling backwards as not to upset them further and to give them time to digest the information of backwards = a sting. One good smack on the bum at a time, wait for the horse to stop and if they attempt it again, smack again. Before too long the horse will figure out that it’s their backwards movement that’s causing the sting on their thigh/bum and they’ll soon learn that going backwards isn’t such a good idea and should stop attempting it.

Getting a smack on the bum can very quickly make a horse change direction and go forwards so please keep to the side of the shoulder of the horse. This can also work on horses that lunge/rush forwards. Smacking them on the chest with a whip can soon stop them in their tracks. A crop is good for this as it’s much shorter.

I learnt to do this with horses as it was my horse that reared up against the shed. A dentist was trying to do her teeth and she kept going backwards at a hundred miles per hour! So he put her in a yard against a shed wall. She reared sky high and cut her eye brow only an inch from her eye and it was that day I decided there had to be another way, a safer way to get horses to stand still. So I came up with this way and it’s always worked. I also used to handle a horse that would barge through a gate the moment you tried to open it and he soon learnt that barging meant a sting on his chest and he soon gave up and walked through like a gentleman.

I have issues with telling people to smack their horses with a whip. I am talking about one swift smack only when necessary not belting them ok. Horses are living and feeling creatures and should be treated with great respect.

Thanks for reading,

Elizabeth

Tip 3

When handling bales of hay, always pull, tip the bale towards you, not away. If by chance there was a snake curled up underneath, the bale acts as a barrier and may save you from getting bitten.

Tip 2

For a tasty snack and also a great way to prevent colic by flushing the digestive system, approx once a month mix some molasses (approx 1 soup ladel full) into water (approx 1 litre) and then mix that into some bran or pollard (approx 2 litre ice cream tub) until it’s a nice moist consistency and feed it to your horse for a treat. They love the taste and as bran and pollard are full of fibre it will give their bowels a good clean out and help prevent sand build up (a huge cause of colic).

Important: This is a prevention, not a cure. If a horse has colic it’s not a good idea to feed them as if there’s a blockage, feed may compound on top and make matters worse. Walking the horse around may help promote the blockage to free it’s self, don’t let the horse roll as this may cause a the gut or bowel to twist and seek a vet asap.

 

Tip 1

When feeding horses out in a paddock, double or triple the amount of piles of feed/hay per horse. eg: If your feeding three horses have 6 to 9 piles of hay, if four horses have 8 to 12 piles etc and leave good gaps in between. As horses have a natural pecking order, the bossier horse/s will hog the food so having numerous piles of feed ensures all horses get a good feed. Also placing the piles in a circle means the weaker horses don’t have so far to travel for their food and will have a little longer to get their share.

 

 

How To Handle A Difficult Horse With A Farrier

How To Handle A Difficult Horse With A Farrier

This gets a bit harder since there’s a third party involved. You can handle a horse on your own and stroke them all over and down their legs and ask them to lift their feet regularly . This may help greatly as they’re getting used to their legs being handled.

But, no offence to farriers, as I have met some beautiful good natured ones but also some aggressive ones. Time is money and some people have a short wick and will become angry with a horse quickly. Don’t ever feel bad about swapping or trying a new farrier if your not happy. It’s your safety and your horses that may be jeopardized if an aggressive person in handling your horse, whether it be a farrier, dentist, vet etc.

I had a farrier once that held my horse’s legs out to the side too far and the horses became unbalanced very quickly but if they dared react he’d become aggressive. It‘s a hard situation to be in as you don‘t want to offend someone but at the same time you need to explain they‘re not handling your horses correctly. I swapped farriers and had no more problems with any my horses standing still. Funny that!

My first horse who I still have is fine to handle if she remains relaxed but in the early days the second she started to feel uncomfortable, like leading her away from her friends or tugging on her lead rope etc she’d become a wild child! She’d kick, rear, pull backwards and do just about anything else to get away. I had a farrier once who said he wouldn’t handle her again, yet I could pick her hooves up and handle her all I liked and so could the next farrier I used. Why? Aggression.

The first farrier expected her to keep her leg up no matter what. It didn’t occur to him that she may be becoming unbalanced or sore and may need a moment on all fours to rebalance etc. He reacted by growling and grabbing at her lead rope. This upset her to no end and it became a vicious circle. He reacted, she reacted, he reacted, she reacted and on it went. So pretty much at the same time as he was telling me he wouldn’t handle her again, I was telling him not to bother.

The next farrier I used was a very pleasant and relaxed person. He’d put her leg down and give her a rest. He’d keep his cool and not react if she did. For years he did all of my horses feet with no problems or fights.

We have since moved and I’ve been lucky enough to find another good natured farrier who is very calm and respectful with the horses.

As mentioned above most farriers are professionals and will be very good at handling horses. But, as with us humans, sometimes personalities clash. So if your horse is repeatedly bad for the farrier please consider changing farriers, even just once to see the difference. Horses deserve to be treated with respect and kindness even if time and tempers are short.

It is also very important that you remain calm as the horse will quickly pick up on your vibes as well as the farriers. For safety you should stand to the side of the shoulder the same side as the farrier. Then if the horse was to react one side is clear for them to move to. Also having your arm out straight with your hand on their neck or shoulder ready to push the horse away if they react is a good idea.

Cheers Elizabeth

How To Catch A Difficult Horse

How To Catch A Difficult Horse

There’s a few different factors that may vary the way you go about catching a horse. Such as the size of the paddock, the age and size of the horse and how much time you have to spend etc

One way is to section off their water with a temporary yard and when the horse is thirsty it has no choice but to go into the yard. This requires fencing and a lot of time on your hands.

Another way, especially with a young or small horse, such as a pony or foal, is to crouch down as you approach and offer feed. Horses being prey animals have the natural instinct of flight so by making yourself small you may eliminate some of their fear.

Also using reverse psychology by getting the horse interested enough to come forward and you backing off. The more you move away the more curious, especially if you have food, the horse may become and may follow you.

My way that I’ve used a number of times is to out do the horse. If it’s a large paddock you might need a motorbike/quad or a horse to ride to follow the other one. The other way is to do it on foot (and get fit ha ha!). The idea is to not give up. No matter how long it takes. If you give in, the horse has won and knows they can get away with running off. I will not give in and will keep following the horse until they finally give in. Each time you do this and persist, the horse soon realizes that they can’t win and soon learns just to stand there.

Sometimes it’s good to go out catch the horse even when you don’t need them just so they get used to being caught. Once you’ve got them give them a pat and carrot etc then let them go. Also, as when lunging, raising your hand and saying whoa or whey can teach the horse to obey that command and stop.

By continually following the horse and every time they stop you are still there approaching them is my proven way of catching any horse. It takes a little patience but is well worth it in the long run. It’s almost a game of who can out last the other! Don’t give in and soon you will have a horse who is easy to approach as they know better than to run away.

Cheers Elizabeth

 

Prof Jesse Beery

 

Prof Jesse Beery………….

Jesse Beery was born on the 13^th June 1861 in Pleasant Hill, Miami County. Ohio, USA. He grew up on his parents farm along with his five siblings and developed a passion for horses as a young boy. His talents soon became well known and he started traveling ,training horses and showing his skills.

In 1889 he married and had four children of his own and by 1905 he had so many horses to train that he returned back home to open his own school and teach people. He had many unique ways and used science with his natural talent. He could tell by looking at a horse’s head what type of the four dispositions it may have.

Still today he is internationally recognized as being one of the greatest horse masters and renowned for his own made tack, such as the pulley bridle. He developed many an invention to help with handling horses. He also developed an eight part training manual that, although made many a year ago, is still a much sort after addition to any horse lovers/trainers library today.

Jesse Beery knew how to handle these huge creatures in a kind and gentle manner and no horse was too hard for him to train. Over the years he studied and figured out methods and ways of getting as close as a human can into a horse’s mind and had some remarkable results.

For more information on Prof Jesse Beery please visit : www.theoutbackhoof.com

How To Float A Difficult Horse

Floating

The first thing I do when trying to float a difficult horse is lunge them. Now you may ask what lunging has to do with floating a horse? It’s a way of building an instant relationship and a little communication, especially if you‘ve never met before. All you need is a few laps in either direction so the horse is listening and understanding your commands. If you don’t have a lunge rope and/or yard then just walking the horse along and asking them to trot on then walk a few times with you is enough to build a little trust and understanding.

To float a horse it’s good to have a lead rope, halter and whip with you. A dressage whip is the best as it’s a good length. If you don’t have a whip and halter etc then a piece of rope tied around the horses neck, coming down their cheek and put around their muzzle and tied under their chin makes a great make shift halter and lead. A smooth branch approx one metre would do for a whip. A huge rule in this process is that the whip is only an extension of your arm and is only to be used as an annoyance to the horse, as I’ll explain. In no way is it to be used as a punishment etc.

So when you’ve finished lunging the horse walk them up to the side of the float where the wheel arch is and give them a good pat and maybe a treat, carrot etc. The reason behind this is that the horse is now standing right at the float without realizing it. From there walk the horse down the side of the float to the rear and turn them to face the opening. (For safety always check that the small door at the front of the float is open ready for you to exit and that the tow bar of the float is properly attached to the car).

Once at the rear of the float give the horse a good pat and let them have a look at the ramp etc. Then ask them to walk on. Use soft intermittent pulls on the lead rope and make a clicking sound. Tugging hard or continuously pulling on the lead rope will probably upset the horse. Once they  move forward stop any pressure on the lead rope. If the horse stops give them a stroke as they have taken a few steps for you and they may want to further investigate the float. If they go backwards just go with them. Once they’ve stopped place your hand on their neck to reassure them and then ask for forward movement again.

The whip only comes in when the horse refuses to move forward. If your whip is long enough gently place it on the horses bum and slowly move it down their leg to their thigh and start tapping. If no response occurs increase the pressure of the tapping. Once the horse moves forward stop the whip. The philosophy behind this is that the whip is some annoying thing like a fly that the horse will want to move away from. Your standing there very calmly talking to the horse so your not the baddy! Depending on the horse they may start to kick and strike out at the whip. If they do, stop until the horse is calm again and repeat asking them to go forward with the gentle tugs. If they don’t respond start with tapping of the whip again. Soon the horse will get very fed up of this annoyance and will react. (The safest spot to stand near a horse is at the side near their shoulder. This gets you out of the way of striking, kicking, rearing etc).

Besides kicking out the horse may pull backwards, try to spin around etc. What ever the horse throws at you, ignore it. This is the most critical time where a lot of people get frustrated and loose their cool. DON‘T. If you do it right now, future floating will become much easier and quicker. So the horse may be getting a little upset but ignore everything. A great trick is that if the horse insists on going backwards, keep pushing them backwards and turn them around and push them backwards up the float. Most horses will stop as soon as their hooves hit the ramp. Place your hand on the horse’s neck to calm them and gently turn them around. Also if the horse tries to go off the side of the ramp turn them so their head is still over the ramp and tap them with the whip on the side you want straightened. Don’t lead them away from the float to turn them around, make them turn around where they are. A lot of people make the mistake of walking the horse away from the float to turn them, this is only teaching the horse it can get away. My rule is that no matter what they try, the horse can not escape being right back at the float where they started from.

Hopefully if you remain calm then the horse will but due to previous experiences the horse may react regardless. I’ve floated a horse that would rear sky high at any given moment but after no reaction from me and the same annoying tapping on her leg, she soon gave up playing games and no longer rears and carries on. This is why I can’t stress enough the importance of not reacting back ( even if you have to count to ten ha ha!).

The final rule and one of the biggest is this is between you and the horse and no one else. Don’t let a third party come up behind and try and help usher the horse on board. This is a trying enough time for the horse without any other distractions. The only time another person should come any where near is to help lift the tailgate once the horse is on board properly. (For safety you should stand to the side of the tail gate while lifting and lowering it just in case the horse decides to try and come off before you !). Also don’t use a tail, bum rope ( where a rope goes around the rump of the horse). Once again the horse has enough to deal with without this upset. If a horse reacts to the tapping of a whip you can just stop but it’s much harder to try and get a rope from around the horse and off.

I’ve met some horses who would just about kill the float and anyone around them! This includes my first horse. It took 5 so called horse people 7 hours to float her. It took me 10 minutes on my own. Why? …………Aggression …………and possibly no brains ha ha!!!

Cheers Elizabeth

How To Worm A Difficult Horse

Worming

I have devised a little trick that even the toughest of horses who people claim cannot be wormed can be very quickly and calmly. All you need is a carrot, apple etc and the wormer. No halter and lead rope and no yard is needed. My philosophy behind this is not to restrain or make the horse feel stuck in any way. A wide open space is also a safer place to work with a horse that has tendencies to become upset and fight.

So to begin walk out into the paddock and feed the horse a couple of carrots and give them a pat as you normally would. Then run your hand down their face and place your finger inside the corner of their mouth. (Horses have a gap from their front teeth to their back, this is the bars of the mouth where the bit sits, so you can’t get bitten there). If the horse reacts and pulls back stop immediately and wait until they stop then start again by running your hand down their face and once more place your finger gently inside the corner of their mouth. Repeat this until the horse is used to it. Then repeat the process but this time have your other hand gently holding their nose.

Then show the horse a carrot/ piece of apple and repeat the steps of running your hand down their face but this time placing the carrot inside their mouth. Once again any reaction then stop straight away. Show the horse the carrot again and repeat the process. Once the horse realizes that it’s a juicy carrot going in the corner of their mouth they will probably be happy to except it. Repeat this a couple of times. Then on the final time instead of letting the horse eat the carrot pull it back out. Now you have the horse anticipating another treat.

Now the trick is to have the wormer hidden from the horse in your hand and as you reach the corner of their mouth instead of a carrot going in, place the wormer inside and depress the plunger. (Always make sure that the wormer goes onto the rear of the tongue and not on the inside of their cheeks. Wormers have active ingredients in them that can irritate a horse’s mouth. Also depress reasonably quickly, ensuing the marker on the worming paste is at the approx weight setting for your horse). Before the horse realizes what’s happened and even thinks about reacting, the jobs done. However this is the time the horse may pull away, let them and then reproach them and give them a pat. As wormers are not the most pleasant tasting things the horse may not be interested in any more treats for awhile.

Even when not worming a horse this method can be used so they’re used to having their mouths handled. Then when worming time comes the job is already easy to do.

It seems a bit mean, considering your trying to build trust with a horse, to use black mail like this but it is such an easy and non aggressive way to worm a horse. And I can honestly say I’ve never come across a horse that I couldn’t worm using this method. It is also a safer way as the horse has no time to get worked up and put up a fight.

It is also recommended that horses not be worked the next day after worming as the ingredients in the wormer may upset the horses stomach and may make being ridden uncomfortable for them. Especially to avoid the risk of colic it’s a good idea to give them a day off.

Another good plan is to worm all horses on the same property at the same time. Then hopefully all worms will be expelled at the same time and there’s less chance that the horses will pick up each others worms as the ingredients in the wormer should stay active for a couple of days until the worms in the manure die.

Cheers Elizabeth

Horses Are

Horses are one of the most magnificent and graceful of all the animals. They have been a friend and fellow work companion to man for many years. Their history spans back millions of years and let’s hope they’ll be around for millions more.

So here’s to “The Horse“…………………..

A horse can be a very loyal and loving friend and many a bond has been formed between a human and a horse. But all to often horses are misunderstood and as a result can be mistreated. So the reason I’ve created this blog is to share some of my own philosophies and ways and to build a resource full of information and facts to help horses and horse lovers out there get a better understanding of each other and hopefully to see a lot more horses treated with the respect they deserve.

As horses can’t speak to us we seem to forget that they are living, breathing creatures with thoughts and feelings both physical and mental. Studies have proven that the majority of animals have nervous systems similar to ours therefore they feel physical pain similar to us. Also it’s proven that animals have emotions and are effected by their surroundings and experiences just like us.

However it is a mistake to put human mental traits on to an animal. An animal will never think like a human so a human has got to try and think like an animal. For example if your trying to get a horse on a float quickly, the horse will not recognize your haste and think “I’d better hurry up and get on board we must be running late!”, your haste will probably unsettle the horse and make the job a lot harder and longer. If you stay calm and repeat your requests in a cool manner there’s a far better chance the horse will remain calm and give in and go on board for you.

Studies have also proven that horse’s seem to learn from memory and association. They remember you trying to get them on a float and depending on whether the experience was calm and easy or aggressive and hard, they may react accordingly. Also it can depend on a horse’s personality, some horses are submissive and wont put up a fight while others can become aggressive if pushed.

Another fact about the horse is it is an animal of prey and has the natural instinct of flight. That is why horses often sleep on their feet, It stems back from their beginnings of being able to take flight easily if danger approached. The average horse, being close to half a ton, has a fair amount of weight to move off the ground. So as big as they are, horses can get scared quite easily if you make a sudden movement or if something suddenly catches their eye or makes a noise while your riding or leading them.

Being around horses can be a life changing experience. Having these huge animals respond to you and letting you into their lives is something more than words can describe.

So thanks for reading and I hope you really enjoy The Outback Hoof blog,

Elizabeth