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3/25/05: Every time I tie my mare up she sits down until she breaks either the halter or the lead rope.  How can I stop this?  She stands still most of the time for me to groom her but not always. She is a wonderful horse, and very smart.

3/18/05: How do you feel your methods have impacted the dog training world?

3/11/05: What was your proudest moment in the show ring?

3/4/05: Do you think it is beneficial to ride bareback?

February, '05 Ask Monty page >

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Question: Every time I tie my mare up she sits down until she breaks either the halter or the lead rope.  How can I stop this?  She stands still most of the time for me to groom her but not always. She is a wonderful horse, and very smart.

Answer: Virtually everyone who has owned a horse, has, at some time, experienced an episode where the horse pulls back when tied. If your horse successfully breaks free several times, she is likely to develop a phobia where she feels compelled to pull back when tied. Certain activities are more likely to evoke pulling back; loud, sudden noises or movements in the horse’s environment, or tying the horse in the trailer with the back door open.

Horses are naturally into-pressure animals; the behavior your mare is exhibiting is to move into the pressure she feels on her poll. Your goal is to re-train her to yield to pressure without causing unnecessary pain or fear. I would suggest your first step should be to school her with the Dually halter until she is comfortable moving off the pressure.

You will need a solid smooth wall, 8 feet high and 24 feet wide, with a tie ring in the center of the wall approximately 7 feet high. Attached to the tie you will have a thick bungee rope (such as ‘The Leader’, available through www.jedlickas.com). You need to create a D-shaped enclosure with round pen panels attaching to either end of the wall, approximately 10-12 feet from the wall at the center point.

Take your mare into the enclosure; attach her to the bungee rope and exit, closing the round pen panel after you. If your mare chooses to pull back, the bungee rope will stretch approximately 10 feet, at which point she will bump her hindquarters on the panels and be unable to go further back. The bungee rope will continue to exert a gentle pressure on her head until she steps forward, releasing the pressure. She is in a safe environment to be able to experiment with the pressure and learn to move forwards and accept being tied.

The environment I have briefly described for you is depicted in great detail in my book “From My Hands To Yours”. You will find diagrams and photos as well as a detailed explanation, and please also feel free to contact us at 1 888 U2 MONTY for details of training programs that we offer here in California.

Pull-back horses can be extremely dangerous as when they panic, they can hurt themselves and others, so it is imperative to keep yourself safe and create a safe environment for your mare. Good luck, and please contact us with any further questions you may have.

~ Monty

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Question: How do you feel your methods have impacted the dog training world?

Answer: Although dogs and horses are essentially at opposite ends of the biological spectrum as predators and prey animals, there are significant similarities in the way you train behavior in both species and in fact, all species, including humans.

There is a wonderful lady by the name of Jan Fennell who has developed a canine training methodology based on my concepts. She lives in England and has written, amongst others, a book called "The Dog Listener" which I highly recommend. The ideals of learning the animals' natural language and training using trust and positive reinforcement work regardless of the animal you choose to work with.

You can access Jan's website at www.janfennellthedoglistener.co.uk

~ Monty

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Question: What was your proudest moment in the show ring?

Answer:

Showing horses in competition was my entire life for about 30 years. Many victories come to mind when this question is asked. The national championship in horse mastership would certainly be high on the list. I was required to ride western pleasure and reining as well as show jumping and park seat English. These riding competitions were followed by three days of written examinations. It was a great feeling of accomplishment to master the horse mastership competition in 1950.

  The #1 accomplishment on this list however would be the 4th World Championship riding Johnny Tivio. While I give him credit for his incredible achievements, I felt great pride in being his human partner during those years when he sat at the top of the list of Western competition horses. I chose the 4th world championship because I remember so vividly receiving his trophy saddle and blasting around the show ring proclaiming his superiority. This championship came after most people had given up on his chances of winning for the 4th time. He showed us all.

~ Monty

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Question: Do you think it is beneficial to ride bareback?

Answer: The better rider we are, the better chance our horse has to perform the tasks we request. Riding bareback is one very good way to learn to be a better rider. I rode bareback extensively as a child, and feel that it was helpful in training me to be constantly aware of the position of my horse’s body and his movements as he negotiated turns, lead changes and stops.

I am a firm believer that if we are to be a good rider we should learn to ride bareback and with a saddle. I further believe that we should at least know the basic principles for the correct riding of as many saddles as possible…Western, English hunt seat, dressage, park seat, Australian stock saddle or even an Argentinean gaucho saddle. Knowledge is something none of us can have enough of; I even recommend that young riders should use a bareback pad at some stage in their education, as it is quite helpful for leg position.

~ Monty

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