KBR Horse Training Information Exercising Body AND Mind "Gentling Wild Horses- 101" Part Five

PREPARING LUCKY FOR THIS SEQUENCE

We found out early on that Lucky was not an ordinary horse to gentle. His experiences prior to being gathered made him extremely volatile. He would literally destroy any confined space he was placed in. When put in the round corral he would run blindly, crashing the boards and running extended periods, fueled only by his own flight response. In one instance when he was provoked by a larger gelding Lucky swung around, and from the side got both hind feet under the gelding's belly and literally pitched the larger horse over and onto the other side of a pasture fence. ("Spirit," the larger gelding was stunned but not seriously hurt.) Before he was emotionally equipped to handle the interaction that was recorded in this feature, we used "clicker training" until he would "target" objects that we were using instead of running away in a blind panic. Once he would respond reliably to clicker work, we were able to accomplish what we have shown here in about an hour. The reader should note that we did not use the clicker at all in the actual sequence of events depicted in this feature. We chose to demonstrate a horse responding to straight "quiet hour" approaches. The "operant conditioning" derived out of the previous clicker training held Lucky's emotions to the point that he could be worked without losing his mind. Lucky has been since been saddle trained and lives comfortably in a "herd" of domesticated formerly-wild horses. Here is a link to the Clicker Training Section which includes a number of wild horse case studies.   IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUES We have found the methods we show to be safe, however the responsibility of using any methods or approaches lies with the handler. You need to understand your capabilities and the capabilities of the horse. You should first practice any approach that is new to you on a tame horse. You need to always observe and assess any horse you are working for signs that he has reached his stress limit. You should always leave the horse a safe "escape route" in the event he reaches that stress limit. While we try to discourage the horse from leaving through our body position or use of aids, we will not create a situation where the horse feels absolutely trapped. We want him to be able to leave the encounter rather than fight the predator who is approaching, touching or restraining him. The idea behind the Least Resistance approach is to minimize the restraint applied to the horse which in most horses will reduce volatility and increase learning capacity. But the best approach in the world may not preclude a horse from "blowing up" for reasons that aren't apparent to the handler. Such stimulus could occur outside the pen. It is critical for any handler to consider his/her safety first, then the safety of the horse, then the rate of progress last. There's an old saying, "If you take three steps toward the horse and he leaves, then only take two." The point here is to always read the horse, try not to stress him to the point of leaving, and if he does leave, push a wee bit less the next time. Also don't wear a rut in a dead end road. If an approach is not working, don't sour the horse on it. The horse is a horse and he knows how to be a horse. We as handlers have to learn and adjust our approaches in order to get the response we want from the horse. If you get stuck, ask for help. On-line support is available from the LRTC Wild Horse Mentors.   SO HOW IS LUCKY DOING? Lucky and his adopter, Betty Retzer Refinements using the Safe Squeeze Lucky in the Horse Course Lucky's Case Study Betty's first time up Tony gives Lucky a real test Printed copies of this information are available in the LRTC Wild Horse Store For a related feature, see Gentling Wild Horses - Personal Approaches that Work Return to Part Four Important Note! Some of these sequences were photographed decades ago before we participated in a helmet safety study. The results of the study were impressively conclusive. Since 1998 we always wear approved helmets when training and handling horses. Press "Back" to return to the page which brought you here Return to KBR Training Section Return to KBR World of Wild Horses & Burros Return to LRTC Wild Horse Mentors Go To KBR Horse Net KBR Horse Training Information, © 1997 Lamm's Kickin' Back Ranch and Willis & Sharon Lamm. All rights reserved. Duplication of any of this material for commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. This prohibition is not intended to extend to personal non-commercial use, including sharing with others for safety and learning purposes, provided this copyright notice is attached. Email us to submit comments or request reproduction permission.