KBR Horse Training Information Exercising Body AND Mind Retraining Spooky Horses Part Three

Alan and Pequiño Getting started

With the winter rains approaching, local trainer Alan Hight offered to donate some time working with Pequiño. We all agreed that Pequiño's main problem was processing things that he couldn't see and that would suddenly "appear." Alan felt that a combination of saddle work and ground driving would help his confidence. The first step in the process was to see how Pequiño handled saddle work without the introduction of scary things. Pequiño preformed nicely during his initial tryout.
Getting underway	Alan's daughter Katiejane tries him out
SCARY THINGS FROM BEHIND Since the primary issue with Pequiño involved his spooking and bolting. The strategy here was to desensitize him to unexpected stimulus and let him interact with scary objects. While a number of objects were used, one of the more interesting items was a 55 gallon plastic barrel. The way the barrel was used here could apply to the use of a number of different objects. The first step was to set Pequiño up for ground driving. Since the horse would be ridden later in the session, he was ground driven using a saddle. Note that the lines pass through the stirrups and that the stirrups are tied together under the horse's belly so that they stay in alignment as the horse is asked to turn. Also the reins are tied off to the saddle horn similar in fashion to the overcheck for a driving horse. The reins should be slack enough for the horse to have an easy head set and be able to bend, but be tight enough to prevent him from stretching his neck down and hauling on the bit. Proper preparation helps ensure a successful lesson.
The stirrups tied with bailing twine	The reins tied to make an overcheck
After some initial driving around the arena, Pequiño was driven up to and around the barrel. Then he was backed up to the barrel. Then he was asked to move forward and Alan rolled the barrel forward with his boot. The intensity in which Alan moved the barrel increased as Pequiño became used to the motion.
Walking up and inspecting the barrel	Kicking the barrel along

When Pequiño was confident enough, Alan kicked the barrel around him and even underneath him. When he showed he could handle all of this on the ground, Alan attempted similar activities from the saddle. The object here is not to scare the horse but to establish a comfortable behavior in the horse where he feels confident to remain calm when the unexpected happens and he pays attention to the handler to preserve his safety and well being.

Rolling the barrel underneath

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