Bo waiting for his rope re-inforcement lesson!Preparations for Hobble Training
Before putting hobbles on a horse, it’s a good idea to do a bit of preparation. Some horses may need more time spent doing this additional groundwork in advance, while others may be fine to hobble right away. It all depends on the horse’s previous training, their temperament and how well the horse and handler get along and work together. If your horse trusts you and looks to you as his leader then all of these lessons will be easy. If you are still developing that relationship of trust then these exercises will be a great way to work on improving your relationship with your horse.
The more time you spend gaining trust and making your horse comfortable the less likely you will be to have a panicky horse, or an accident. Spend time sacking your horse out and getting him comfortable with new objects and situations. The time you spend desensitizing your horse will be hugely beneficial because it’ll allow you to learn how your horse reacts when placed under pressure.
What we are trying to accomplish with these lessons is teaching your horse to give to pressure, not to panic when caught in something or is trapped, and to wait to be rescued. Once a horse knows that lesson then it can greatly reduce the chance of a wreck or injury in many different situations.
Safety Guidelines
Work with your horse in a safe area with good footing and no obstacles.Some horses may respond better if they have already had a workout and are not “fresh”.Take things slowly and include every step for safety and acceptance.Stay alert and out of harm’s way, no matter how experienced you are horses can be unpredictable.Keep a pocket knife handy in case of emergency; use it only if you can do so without endangering yourself.Wear gloves at least for the first few sessions, and consider a helmet as well (you can never be too safe).Let the Lesson Begin!
Our goal here is to get the horse used to having ropes wrapped around his legs. You may wish to have another person hold your horse for you while you do these exercises. You want your horse to stay comfortable and calm during this process. Be sure to stay calm and collected yourself!
Start by folding a cotton rope around your horse’s pastern and ask to pick that leg up. Hold it in a way so that if your horse pulls back, you can release the rope.
Now use the rope to pull the leg forward. You may want to practice doing these exercises first without using a rope so that your horse will get the idea of what it is you are trying to do. Again, fold the rope so that you can release one end quickly should you need to.
Now do these exercises on all four legs, one at a time. I like to hold each leg up for several seconds. Try and work up to being able to hold any leg up for 30 to 60 seconds. Take time to praise your horse as you go, and be patient if it takes awhile for your horse to become comfortable with the idea of having ropes picking up and holding his legs. up.
Now spend some time loosely wrapping the end of your cotton rope around one pastern and slowly pulling it off of your horse. Your horse may tense up if this has never been done before, so be sure to offer reassurance and to stop and allow your horse to realize that everything is allright.
Proceed with caution and go slowly enough with this entire process as to not cause your horse to feel the need to panic or try to escape.
After your horse is comfortable with these first exercises, then proceed to wrapping the cotton rope around more than one leg. You may also want to work on additional sacking out at this time using the rope – putting it over your horse’s back, pulling it down so that it falls on the ground, or even falls down around one of your horse’s legs.
Use extra caution when working with hind legs - you don't want to get kicked!Repeat these sessions often enough so that your horse is staying relaxed and calm throughout the entire process. Once your horse is comfortable with ropes being wrapped around his legs and picking up and holding his legs then it will be time to start the actual hobble training!
The reason why this type of work is so valuable for an endurance horse is because these are the kinds of things that may actually happen to an endurance horse either on the trail or in camp.
Imagine if this were barbed wire? Would your horse stand still while you untangled him?This is the start of a good base for confining a horse safely in camp.
Since we often ride around and through many gates and fences there is a good chance at some point of having a horse step into some sort of wire. If that happens, wouldn’t you want your horse to stand and wait to be untangled and rescued?
In addition, have you ever known somebody to take off a horse blanket and forget a leg strap? Or perhaps they put a blanket on and a strap got attached over something else like a lead rope, corral panel, etc.? This kind of training (including the upcoming lessons) can go a long way to averting a huge wreck when those things happen.
Disclaimer: These lessons I am covering are meant to be for endurance horses or for horses that travel that already have some training and conditioning base on them. They reflect my experience and opinions and are not guaranteed to be effective in the hands of others nor are they meant to be the only method or means of training a horse in order to accomplish the same things. Working with horses can be incredibly risky and dangerous. You should only try these methods with proper supervision or assistance from an experienced trainer or horse person that you trust. If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment in my blog. Happy trails, Karen
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