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07/27/05: "Do you ever have a horse that does not respond to your methods?"

07/20/05: "Why does my horse perform perfectly at home, but when I take him to a big show he 'chokes'?"

07/13/05: "My horse bobs his head when I ask him to tuck or collect his stride. Can you explain this?"

07/06/05: "Monty - I have a 12 month old filly that is unhandled and may have had a traumatic experience when (along with her mother) she was caught at 8 months to be weaned and purchased by us. She's been with us since January 2004, will eat from our hand, will stand very, very close but will not allow us to touch her. I have read everything I can get my hands on but cannot find any advice on our next move. The filly has very, very overgrown feet and we HAVE to get hold of her for the farrier in the immediate future. There is quite an urgency regarding this problem.

I'm grateful for your time if you could help this little girl out.

Thank you,
Gina W."

Question: "Do you ever have a horse that does not respond to your methods?"

Answer: No. However, I believe it is fair to say that they are not really my methods. They are methods that I have observed in nature. It is probably fairer to say that they are the methods of the horses themselves and so, properly executed, there is no way to fail. Should the horseman experience negative results, it is important to look inward. It is undoubtedly not the fault of the horse.

- Monty

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Question: "Why does my horse perform perfectly at home, but when I take him to a big show he 'chokes'?"

Answer: It seems to me that you have a very clever horse. In fact, it almost seems as though he can read the newspaper, or the horse magazine that lists the upcoming horse events! Obviously, you know that this is not true, so let’s investigate how this phenomenon occurs.

‘Choking’ is reserved for human beings with performance anxiety. It is not within the make-up of a horse to view any special occasion as more important than another and perform badly.

The neocortex, the part of the brain that controls logical emotions such as planning, thinking, and imagining is half the size in the horse’s brain compared to the brain of the human. Horses simply do not have the mental capacity to be capable of experiencing these feelings of performance anxiety.

As we negotiate the calendar of events we plan for ourselves and our horses, we should be well aware of our own mental state working up to, and experiencing, performances away from home. Whether it is a trail ride or a high-level horse show, these are circumstances where we tend to get our own adrenalin up and our pulse rate higher than normal.

The one thing that horses can do far better than any human being is to read the psychological and physiological state of the individuals around them. Mother Nature has provided them with incredible skills to identify potentially dangerous predators in their environment.

Given these conditions, it becomes incumbent upon every horseperson to learn to control their own responses to the stress inherent in big shows, little shows, trail rides, and even a visit from someone they admire. Our horses will respond to our body conditions far more quickly than we ever dreamed possible.

Whether it is for your horse or yourself, it is good to take trips to large events primarily to expose you both rather than for competition, so you can change the environment both physical and psychological. This will assist the horseperson in the area of controlling themselves, and give the horse a chance to experience new territories without a request for high-level performance.

-Monty

For more ideas regarding Creating a Willing Partner, see chapter 11 of Monty’s book From My Hands To Yours, page 188.

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Question: "My horse bobs his head when I ask him to tuck or collect his stride. Can you explain this?"

Answer: Virtually every time a horse misbehaves from the standpoint of head carriage, it is caused by the rider’s hands. Whether we realize it or not, horses can only react to our signals; they just don’t continue without cause. I suggest the following mouthing procedure be employed.

I have found the use of side reins to be the most effective treatment for the behavior you describe. Attach a pair of elastic and leather side reins to a breastcollar, and allow the horse to toss his head, simply meeting the side reins and stretching the elastics. Normally, horses will stop the head tossing after four or five sessions as recommended here. I have used this method of mouthing a horse for well over 50 years now and have found it to be the most effective.

To learn more about side reins and how to effectively use them, I encourage you to visit my book, From My Hands To Yours. Page 33 describes the causes and curses of bad manners related to head bobbing.

-Monty

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Question: "Monty - I have a 12 month old filly that is unhandled and may have had a traumatic experience when (along with her mother) she was caught at 8 months to be weaned and purchased by us. She's been with us since January 2004, will eat from our hand, will stand very, very close but will not allow us to touch her. I have read everything I can get my hands on but cannot find any advice on our next move. The filly has very, very overgrown feet and we HAVE to get hold of her for the farrier in the immediate future. There is quite an urgency regarding this problem.

I'm grateful for your time if you could help this little girl out.

Thank you,
Gina W."

Answer: Any person preparing a horse to be trimmed or shod by the farrier should take this responsibility seriously. I have seen extremely wild and fractious horses that require a week or more to be prepared for the farrier’s visit. During this training period the sessions might take up to an hour a day. Half-hour sessions twice a day are not a bad idea.

In every country I have visited, I have found that some people believe that the farrier can educate the horse himself when it comes to standing and behaving while the footwork is done. This is an unacceptable mind-set. A farrier is a professional and should be treated as such. His expertise is to care for your horse’s feet, not to train him. While it is true that some farriers are also good horsemen and quite capable of doing the training, most horse owners do not plan to pay the farrier for training services. The farrier often feels that he is being taken advantage of and should not be required to take the time necessary to train. This can result in short tempers, and horses dealt with in an inappropriate way. While farriers are generally physically fit, muscular and capable of administering harsh treatment, should something like this occur, the blame should rest with the people securing their services, and not the farrier.

Starting to prepare your horse to meet the farrier should preferably be done just after weaning, but you might inherit an older horse that has not had this education. So I’m outlining the following procedure for yearlings and older horses.

I would suggest that your student be introduced to the round pen and go through one, two or three Join-Ups on successive days. Once Join-Up has been achieved and your horse is perfectly willing to follow you with his adrenaline down and volunteers to stay with you comfortably, I suggest that you put your student though two or three daily sessions with the Dually Halter.

Once that has been accomplished, you are well on your way to having your horse stand comfortably while you pick up and deal with his feet. To begin the farrier-schooling process, you should first rub your horse over, or spray him, with insect repellent. He finds it disconcerting if he has to stand on three legs and can’t stomp one to remove an insect. Once the repellent is applied, you can begin to pick each foot up repeatedly. If, at this juncture, your horse is perfectly willing to give you one foot at a time and stand on the other three while you tap on the lifted foot and run a rasp over it, you are probably ready to give your farrier a call. If your student is reluctant, offers to kick, or refuses to allow you to tap or rasp the lifted foot, I suggest that you fabricate an “artificial arm,” which I’ll discuss later.

At this point, the good horseman should reflect on why a horse might react in this fashion. Each of us should quickly remember that the flight animal relies upon his legs to carry him to flee for survival. We should immediately understand that acting out violently toward the horse does nothing but convince him that we are predators and out to cause him harm. Delivering pain to your student is absolutely inappropriate.

To make an artificial arm like the one I use to train horses that are difficult for the farrier, you will need the following items:

1. An old rake or broom handle, cut 3 feet (approx. 1 meter) long, or a hardwood cane with a straight-handle grip, not curved grip.
2. One heavy-duty work glove.
3. One sleeve of a discarded sweatshirt or heavy work shirt.
4. One roll of electrical, gaffer or duct tape.

Place the glove over one end of the pole and fill it with straw or shavings. Slide the sleeve into place so that the cuff can be taped at the wrist portion of the work glove. Fill the sleeve with sponge, straw or shavings, and tape the upper end of the sleeve to secure the material inside. You should have approximately one foot (30 cm) of uncovered pole for easy handling.

If your equine student wants to kick the artificial arm, do not discourage him. Return the arm to the position that bothered the horse until the horse accepts it anywhere you want to put it. Begin using the arm by massaging the body, shoulders and hips of the horse before proceeding to his legs. You can even rub the belly, and up between the hind legs. Spend considerable time in the area of the flank, as it will be often touched by the farrier’s shoulder. Bad habits can get started if the horse is still sensitive in the flank area before the leg-lifting procedures begin. Use the arm to massage all four legs until the horse is perfectly happy dealing with the procedure.

Excerpt taken from From My Hands To Yours. See more in Chapter 7 page 127.

-Monty

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