Endurance Horse Training Basics: Saddle Slipping

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One of the scariest things to have happen at an endurance ride, is to have a panicky horse galloping towards you with it’s saddle underneath it’s belly.

This has happened to me. More than once.  Not to my own horses, mind you; I’ve been in the path of other horses as they run in fear usually back towards camp.

It’s not a fun thing to experience for anyone, least of all the horse or the owner of the horse that is panicking. Even worse is when the horse that had his saddle slip manages to get a hind hoof and leg through the stirrup on the saddle.  I’ve seen that happen twice and can say that it is a pretty ugly injury.  The hide is pretty much stripped right off of the leg.

I’ve seen these kinds of saddle-under-belly wrecks happen often enough to feel that it’s important enough for me to train my horse’s to deal with having their own tack slip and fall.

I’ve done this training with every single endurance horse that I have ever had.  For all of my horses this has been a part of their basic training that starts with hobble training, tying, ropes and groundwork.

Usually that training happens prior to the horse being ridden but not always.  It does always happen prior to me taking them to a public event.

The only time that hasn’t happened was when I first tried Bo on a ride prior to purchasing him.  Fortunately his previous owner had also done a lot of groundwork and rope work with him so that anything I did in addition was just to reinforce what he’d already been taught – which is one of the most important lessons a horse can know:  when you get in a bind, wait to be rescued!

At the bottom of this post I’ll show a video or two with Bo and his reaction to having his saddle slide down on his side.  I also will include a few still photos.  My horse’s are both used to me doing this kind of work with them so I had no problem having them stand a bit longer in an uncomfortable position to get the photos.  I wouldn’t recommend doing that with a horse that is experiencing this kind of thing for the first time.

Having a saddle slip or fall under a horse can be a really scary thing for a horse, especially the first time.  It can be just as scary for the rider if the rider happens to still be attached in some way to the saddle.  Perhaps that is one other very good reason for doing this kind of work with a horse – so that if a rider ever does happen to get tangled up or caught up underneath a horse in some way, the horse will freeze and stand still.  Less chance of an injury to the rider, the horse, or the tack that way.

For doing this lesson you’ll need the following: 

1)  A horse that has already done the basic rope and hobble training (see my previous blog posts).

2)  A horse that has also learned how to tie and stand quietly.

3)  The horses needs to have handled both item #1 and item #2 above in a calm manner.  It’s okay if it took two or more lessons to achieve that, so long as the horse now understands the importance of remaining calm and waiting to be rescued should he get tangled or caught in something.

4)  A safe area to work that has good footing, no obstacles and no way for the horse to escape.

5)  A halter and longe line.  I used a collar on Bo; he is very well trained in it.  I would recommend anybody else stick with a regular halter unless their horse is already VERY well trained in a neck collar.

6)  An old saddle is preferable to use.  It’s also a good idea to remove the stirrups, or tie them up.

7)  At this stage in your horse’s training, he should already be responding to voice cues (trot, ho/stop, reverse, etc.) while on a longe line or while being free-longed.

Always keep these safety tips in mind when doing this kind of real life experience training with your horse: 

1) Take things slowly and include every step for safety and acceptance.

2) Stay alert and out of harm’s way, no matter how experienced you are horses can be unpredictable.

3)  Keep a pocket knife handy in case of emergency; use it only if you can do so without endangering yourself.

4)  Ask another person to keep an eye on you.

5)  Some horses may respond better if this particular lesson is done after a workout and is not fresh.

6)  Wear gloves, good shoes or boots and consider using a helmet.

I start with longing the horse first with the saddle and girth on snugly.  I have also done this lesson minus the longe line in an open field (I don’t have a “round pen”).

I don’t like working horses in a lot of real small circles; however for this particular lesson having a smaller enclosed area is going to be safer.

After I have longed the horse in a circle both directions for a few minutes with the saddle on, I will then ask the horse to stop and loosen the girth.

Do some reinforcement on the voice commands with your horse.  Make sure he is listening and will stop when asked.  I haven’t done a blog post specifically on longe line training.  I’m trying to target most of these basic endurance horse training lessons towards riders who are already riding their horses.  I know that just because *I* consider longing and free-longing a horse in an enclosed area and having it obey voice commands a basic part of training that is done prior to riding doesn’t mean that everybody does.   Please take the time to work on longe lining or free longe training prior to doing this particular lesson.  It is just as important as the basic hobble, rope, and tying lessons that I have covered.

If your horse has withers, like Bo does – you’ll have to give the saddle a little bit of help or else it won’t fall to the side on it’s own.  I start by pushing the saddle over just an inch or two and then asking the horse to walk or trot again in a circle.  Usually the saddle will move over more on it’s own.  Reassure your horse and praise him if he should stop once he knows the saddle is moving.  Great!  Keep the girth fairly snug at this point.

While having the saddle slip over a few inches and having your horse stop and not move is a good start, I find that it is important to keep up the work until your horse can handle having the saddle completely over on the side or under the belly.  Keep working slowly and getting the horse used to going both directions and having the saddle slip on both sides.  You may need to loosen the girth another hole or two in order to give the saddle the freedom to slip all of the way over.

Remain calm and reassuring to your horse during these sessions.  I like to sometimes lift the saddle back up onto the horse’s back and tighten the girth.  I also like to release the girth, allowing the saddle to completely fall to the ground underneath the horse.  It’s good for your horse to be able to deal with both situations.

It can be frightening to do this the first time, especially with a horse that may have a tendency to panic or over-react.  Be sure to get extra help on hand to help.  Most horses that have been through the other basic training that I’ve covered by this point will handle this well.  I have had horses take to bucking and jumping about – that usually lasts for about thirty seconds (though at the time, it seems like a LONG thirty seconds).  STAY CALM if your horse is one of the ones that reacts strongly.  Every horse I’ve done this with has figured it out and the lesson stayed with them.

Why is this training important?

By doing this training in advance at home, in a safe and controlled environment you are giving your horse the education he needs to go to an endurance ride or other public event.  Trust me, you don’t want to be the person walking back to camp following the trail of dust and broken tack or blood that was left behind by your horse.  Worrying about how badly injured your horse might be but also worrying about what kind of chaos and damage or additional injuries that your horse could be causing to other riders and their mounts.

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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Endurance Rider Basics: What to do when….

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Endurance Horse Training Basics: More on Tying

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For the start of this lesson, I have tied Chief to a hitching post with a cotton lead rope in a quick release knot. The snap cannot touch the ground.

I want to start to get into more advanced ‘basic training’, but before I do I want to go over the basics of tying and emphasis again how important it is to have a horse that is trained to tie well.  This is something that can’t be practiced enough.  Endurance horses need to be able to stand tied to numerous different objects and be able to do it without panicking, pulling back or digging holes, pawing, chewing or screaming their heads off.  The only way to achieve this is by practice, practice, practice!

My horses are so used to the things I do with and to them that very little ever surprises or frightens them.  Different animals respond to different techniques.  For example, one horse may react to something new by a quick startle and then lets out a sigh of relief when they realize what it was that got their attention (such as a flag waving).  Another horse my try and bolt, while another one spins around, snorts and then needs ten minutes to come down from the adrenalin high.

Now the slack in the rope has been taken up. Horse's do this on their own all of the time. For training purposes, it should only be done after a horse ties well and gives to pressure. Start by tying shorter and shorter.

Something to keep in mind when working with any horse is that they all have it in them to react in ways that can lead to a wreck.  I have often been teased over having Arabs (some call them Airheads, etc.).  I like working with Arabs – they are intelligent and usually very quick to learn.  The problem arises when they learn what you don’t want them to.  This is why it is so important to start with the basics and spend as much time as you need before progressing to the next step.  Trying to rush through things and go too fast may result in a horse having issues that could last for years or for the rest of the horse’s life.  If working with another breed, remember that any breed is capable of having a ‘flight response’.  Sometimes it’s non Arabians that I have seen do some of the goofiest and unpredictable things ever.  It’s not fair to blame the horse when sometimes it’s a matter of training.

Chief knows he is 'stuck' and has no more slack in the rope, so lowers his head and waits for me to release him.

Each time I take a horse out, it’s a training experience for them.  I think this is a good approach and am always looking for ways to do something ‘new’ that hasn’t been done with them before.  Once you do enough of those ‘new things’ with them, they usually are not terribly amused and don’t put out a lot of effort reacting.  These things include shaking out trash bags in their vicinity, turning on a power tool, throwing a ball over or under them – the basic things you would normally do to desensitize or sack a horse out.

Many horses will wrap their ropes around buckets, feed bags, etc. It's good to know that they won't panic if that happens.

On the long XP this summer, many horses early on would jump and pull back whenever somebody got on top of their horse trailer.  Obviously, many of these horses had never experienced that before.  Nor had they experienced bales of hay being thrown down onto the ground around them.  Most of these horses learned that this was no big deal and stopped panicking over it.  There were times that horses broke loose and went running amock through camp due to some of these new experiences.  All things that could have been taught ahead of time.  This is where it pays to think outside the box and try to expose your horse to as many types of situations as you can think up.  Me?  Prior to the ride I got on top of my trailer with both horses tied to it and waved my flag over their heads.  The first time they had a “whoa, what is that?” reaction and had a quick startle, but then it was like “that’s just our mom trying to entertain us”.

Today I took a few photos of Chief tied to a hitching post.  Right now, we have a big storm or two coming in and it’s really windy so we had the added fun of the wind blowing things around while we were working.  This is another great training opportunity for a green or new horse;  even if you just tie the horse while it’s windy it gives them the experience of being tied in the wind.

The first thing I did was tie Chief up with a quick release knot on the hitching post.  Then I moved him over to one end of the post and asked him to lower his head so that I had enough slack to wrap his rope over the end of the hitching post.  This took up all of the slack in the lead.  He simply kept his head down in response to the pressure when he realized what had just happened.  This is the kind of thing that needs to be worked up to slowly and should only be done after the other basics such as hobbling and rope work on the legs has been done.  Start by tieing your horse shorter and shorter.  Horses are notorious for getting their lead ropes wrapped around objects and becoming ‘stuck’.  Once a horse learns to give to pressure they will wait to be rescued, or whenever possible will often learn how to untangle themselves.

After doing that exercise with Chief, I went and got a bucket and clipped it onto the snap that is on the hitching post.  I often feed the horses this way especially when I want to feed separately, or after returning from a ride.  Horse’s that are hot and itchy will often rub their faces and heads on their buckets which can lead to having their rope getting wrapped or caught up in the bucket.  In this case, I had to help Chief out so that I could get a photo showing the bucket being supported by the rope.  This is another great exercise once the horse is handling the other training well.  I’ve seen horse’s get wrapped up in their buckets at rides more times than I can count.  Having your horse do that and not panic, is great.

Sometimes a hay bag or bucket will get stuck on their nose. Looks like Chief was so worried he went to sleep(ha)!

Next I got out a hay bag and hung it up on the noseband of Chief’s halter.  He stood quietly so I could take photos.  Over the years I have looked outside to see a horse with a hay bag over the top of their heads.  Next I pulled the bag all the way up over his head.  I think Chief just thought I was putting a really poorly designed fly mask on him.  He stood for that while I took a couple of photos.  The hardest part was keeping it from blowing away in the wind!

I've had this happen before - this time I did it on purpose. Chief just thought it was a fly mask!

Being able to do some of these things with your horse will take some time. Don’t expect to be able to go out and do it all in one session.  It may take weeks, or even months to work up to being able to have your horse stand quietly and calmly while you do some of these exercises.  This is the kind of training that enable you to take your horse to an endurance ride and be confident that he is not going to panic or get into a huge wreck or cause a bad accident because he got tangled in a rope, or got caught in something on the trail or in camp.

For safety purposes, always use a cotton rope, wear gloves and have a sharp knife handy.  Don’t push your horse beyond what he is comfortable handling.  Take your time and make sure your horse stays calm during this type of work.   Different horses will progress at different rates.  This is the type of work you can do in addition to everything else – riding lessons, conditioning rides, etc.  Treat each time out as a learning experience and before you know it your horse will have enough of the basics down to be considered safe to take out in public.

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, and at your own risk.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment in my blog.   Happy trails, Karen

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Useful Android Phone Apps for Trail and Endurance Riders

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It seems like a lot of riders these days have smart phones.  I resisted for a long time, but then when my phone started to die on the XP this summer I ended up getting a new Android phone while we were in Wyoming.  By that point I had already seen how useful they could be from other riders.  I’ve added a lot of apps to the phone that are fun, but there are also many that are practical and that I find useful.  Many of these apps are also available for iPhone.  For this post, I’m going to list my favorite FREE Andoid apps.

Before I get to the list I should mention that  many of the favorite apps that I use regularly came installed on the phone.  I’m not going to include those but will mention them briefly.  I simply love the voice activated navigation.  The camera and video are both easy and quick to use as is sending messages and images out to contacts, FB, Twitter, etc.  That all came set up on the phone.

1.  Life 360 Ultimate Safety App.  There is more than one variation of this app.  One of the ones I used also included the Sex Offender Search, just in case you want to see if any of your neighbors are in the sex offender registry.  The reason why I like these apps is because I can use it both for checking in, and also for sending for help.  Granted, if the phone works I can also call for help – however, this app will send the GPS coordinates with a link to a map that the recipient can click on and see exactly where you are.  I’ve not actually needed it for sending an emergency signal but I have often used it for ‘checking in’.  This way I can let others know where I am, either while traveling to a ride or while riding.  Should something actually happen where I can’t call for help, or end up needing help but have no signal later on somebody will at least have an idea of my whereabouts based upon my last check in point.

2.  Color Flashlight.  This is great for finding your way in the dark.  It works as a flashlight, can also do strobe and colors or flash a help text message.  I find it amazing how many things these phones can do.

3.  GPS Essentials.    This lets you navigate, manage waypoints, tracks and routes.  It is basically like having a dedicated GPS.  Only recommended to use for short periods unless you have a way to recharge your phone.  You could also use this app to find your coordinates in the event of an emergency – you could call for help the old fashioned way by dialing 911 and then reading them the waypoint information.

4.  Gas Buddy.  This is a great way to find the closest and least expensive fuel.  It also shows additional details like including details on which stations also have propane.  Very handy when traveling with horses in an unfamiliar area.  Hint:  When traveling with horses and you can’t find a fuel station that refills propane bottles, most Wal Mart’s do tank exchanges, so use your phone’s navigation to find the nearest Wally World.

5.  Scanner Radio.  In case something happens while you are traveling either at home, or where you are (if away at a ride) – you can now tune into the local police and/or fire radio and listen.  If you happen to get stuck in traffic you can tune in to see what the problem is and perhaps find out how long your delay might be.  With this app, you can listen to police and fire departments from all over the world.

6.  Knots Guide.  Ever forget how to tie a particular knot?  You just never know when something like that could come in handy; such as if you decide to tie up a high-line for your horse.  I know I need a refresher once in awhile on some types of knots.

7.  Simple Weather Alert.  I’m not sure I would have wanted to have had my Android phone and this app when we were in the tornado shelter in Oak, Nebraska this past May, or for the first two weeks of the XP ride.  Now though, I like that I get alerts for severe weather based upon my GPS location.  It’s been pretty accurate so far.  Right  now it’s telling me that storms are heading out way! (finally)

8.  iTriage.  I haven’t needed to use this app, but if I ever do it could be a lifesaver.   Here is a list of features, from the app page:

* Proprietary Symptom to ProviderTM pathway: search symptoms, learn about potential causes, and then be directed to the most appropriate treatment facility or doctor
* Find the closest facilities and doctors from your location
* Maps and turn-by-turn directions to all provider facilities
* Thousands of medical symptoms, diseases, procedures, and medications
* Clear, concise, and useful information
* The most updated and comprehensive national directory of hospitals, urgent cares, pharmacies, physicians, outpatient clinics, and community health clinics
* Wait times for select Hospital Emergency Rooms and Urgent Care facilities
* Pre-registration feature for select Hospital Emergency Rooms
* Emergency hotlines, and physician and nurse advice lines
* Save your personal healthcare facilities, doctors, diseases, procedures, medications, and health plan advice lines

9.  VETFINDER.    Try this out beforehand, as the reviews are only so-so and there aren’t that many of them.   More:  VETFINDER locates your position and finds veterinarians and veterinary hospitals near you.  Using the integrated filter tool, you‘re able to refine your search at any time.
Through that, VETFINDER locates experts and specialists, gives information on accepted payment methods, available parking and provided treatment options. Do you have an emergency? VETFINDER’s option will only show on-duty veterinarians in your area.

10  CRADAR.  This is another app that I haven’t yet actually used but if I ever need it, could come in handy.  This app will detect if you have fallen from your horse and will send a text message to an emergency contact.   More:  CRADAR (CRAsh Detection And Response) is a man-down application that uses the accelerometer to detect a fall and sends a text message alert to a specified emergency contact, using the GPS to include a link to a map with your exact location.

11.  Where’s My Droid.   If you are riding and traveling with horses, then this app is a good one to have.  You never know when you might drop or set down your phone and forget where.  Usually in the past when I haven’t been able to find my phone I’ve been able to call it from another line and listen for the ring.  Where’s My Droid will show you on a map where the phone is, and can also send a message to your phone that will cause it to set off loud alarm.  If you think your phone has been stolen this app also has a wipe feature to erase all of your personal information.

12.  Zedge.  If you’ve got a Droid, you need Zedge!  Pick your ringtones, alert sounds and wallpapers.  LOTS to choose from, including many really good horse related ringtones.  Most of my regular contacts all have their own dedicated ringtone.  When somebody calls that isn’t in my contact list I hear The Who singing “Who Are You?”, and sometimes change it to “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” — because it’s sure to be one of those! 

13.  Google Sky Map.  This one is just for fun.  Ever sit outside looking up at the stars and wondering what you were looking at?  I like this app because I no longer look like a dunce when I’m sitting in the hot tub with my husband at night and he asks me if I know what the brightest object is in the sky right then.  Just so long as I’ve cheated by checking my phone first, I can usually get it right and look somewhat intelligent.  Now he’ll read this and know my secret – oh well!

There are many, many more apps for both Androids and iPhones that endurance riders may find useful.  I haven’t installed very many of them – such as the one that helps you calculate your horse’s height and weight (because I’ve had all of my horses on scales, so know their weights) — or the one for tracking their health care (because I use Google Calendar for that stuff).   There are also fun games and even a really cool talking horse.   I have talking Tom Cat already, but may have to get the horse.

Most of my apps tend to be more useful to use while traveling and if others are interested I can do a post on some of those apps.  I try hard to keep battery useage down, and some apps are really hard on battery life.  Yes, there are apps for managing battery life.  Usually I find that if there is an app that I haven’t used and doesn’t appear that I ever will I’ll uninstall it.  I’ve been through a lot of different weather apps, as well as apps for finding local restaurants and other businesses.  The plain old voice navigation that came with the phone (that also does Google Search) is usually plenty sufficient.

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Endurance Basics: Training your horse to deal with a vet check

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They say that practice makes perfect, and in this case it certainly can’t hurt! The more you can do to prepare your horse ahead of time for what they are going to experience at an endurance ride, the better.

There are a lot of great books and websites that cover the basics for endurance riders.  There aren’t a lot of things (that I could find) that deal specifically with the finer points of exposing your horse to a real life simulation in advance of attending a ride. I can easily find a lot of information online that tells me what to expect, and that my horse must pass a pre-ride vet check, ect.

Let’s start with a horse that hasn’t been to an endurance ride before.  What does that horse need to be able to do in order to pass a vet check?  First off, he needs to be able to deal with standing in a line of horses.  Then, he needs to stand quietly and squarely in order to have his pulse and gut sounds taken.  He needs to be able to tolerate a vet opening up his mouth and pressing on his gums, and also doing a skin pinch test on his shoulder. Some vets do a much more thorough physical exam and may feel all four legs and pick up all four feet.  In addition to that, your horse needs to be able to trot out and back, stopping a safe distance from the vet and/or vet secretary.  Finally, if the horse passes he needs to be able to stand still long enough to have a grease number placed on his rump on either one or both sides.

I know it doesn’t sound all that difficult, and for those that have been doing it awhile – it’s second nature.  Yet, for a young, new or excited horse all of those things can be enough to cause the horse to get out of control, kick, bite, rear…..you name it.  Horse’s that riders can’t control in hand and that exhibit dangerous behavior are not ready to attend a public event.

The best place to start practicing vet check simulation training is after returning from a conditioning ride.  This way the horse learns that after you have finished riding, he is not yet done.  Here are some steps to practice:

1)  Pull tack (unless you ride in a region where that is seldom or never done).

2)  Check pulse rate.  You want your horse to be down to 60.  Some regions use a higher #, like 64.   If you are riding LD then stick with 60.

3)  Listen to gut sounds in more than one quadrant.  This is good to do anyway as you’ll learn what is ‘normal’ for your horse – something you should know about each horse prior to attending an endurance ride.  Here is a video showing how to check for gut sounds.

4)  Open your horse’s mouth and check for capillary refill.  Press your thumb into your horse’s gums and hold for a couple of seconds or until the skin turns pale.  Now count how long it takes for the color to come back.  It should come back quickly, in around 2 seconds or less.

5) Pinch your horse’s skin on the point of the shoulder.  Again, count how long it takes for it to go back.  It should be fairly elastic and snap back within 2 seconds.  If it takes 3, 4 or more seconds that could be a sign of dehydration.  In some older horses it  may take longer and that might be what is ‘normal’ for that horse.

6)  Start the physical exam now – use your hands to feel all four legs.  Pick up each hoof.  Use both hands to palpate your horse’s back and hindquarters.  Check both armpits and the girth area thoroughly.  Feel and look for any dings, rubs or wounds anywhere on the horse’s body paying particularly close attention to where tack goes.  Lift up your horse’s tail dock and check anal tone (or for any signs of rubbing or soreness if you ride with a crupper).  Check the back of the pasterns for signs of scratches of cracking.  This is a good way to get really acquainted with your horse’s body and to learn what is ‘normal’.

7)  Trot your horse out and back.  Work on a signal with your horse so he knows when you tug on the lead rope that it’s time to trot.  Practice stopping and standing quietly when you get back from the trot out.  Here is a previous post I did about teaching a horse how to trot out and back.

8)  Now check your horse’s pulse rate again with a stethoscope.  Even if you have a HRM of some sort, practice this part with a stethoscope.

9)  Use a carrot or something similar to simulate writing a number on both sides of your horse’s rump.

10)  Repeat having a friend do all of the above so your horse is used to being handled by somebody else.

For more details on what to expect at a ride, click here for a copy of the AERC Rider Handbook.

For those that want to cover all of the bases, also check your horse’s temperature.  This is seldom done at rides.  However, in light of the EHV-1 outbreak last summer we were required to log our horse’s temperatures twice a day while on the long XP ride.  While tedious to do that often for two months, it provided us with a good baseline of what ‘normal’ temperatures are pre and post ride both for the horse being ridden and the one being hauled in the trailer.

You can use a spreadsheet to write down all of your horse’s normal parameters.  While in the barn or out on the trail, index cards work really well.

When you are at an actual ride you’ll want to do a quick check over of your horse prior to presenting to the vet.   Remember that you, the rider are the one responsible for your horse.  If there is something wrong or that you notice that is not normal or that concerns you the vet will appreciate having you tell him or her, rather than the other way around.  Most ride vets are very helpful and want to work with you to get you and your horse safely through the ride. They are not the bad guy.

Most horses simply need the repetitiveness of a vet check simulation in order to handle it well when the time comes to do it ‘for real’.  Others may have problems such as trying to kick or bite and in those cases more training is required to work through those issues. Always be firm and consistent when doing this type of work with your horse.  He needs to learn that part of his job of being an endurance horse includes having good ground manners in the vet checks.

The following video was taken at the Tevis Cup one year and is of Suzanne Ford Huff’s horse Chase the Wind.  The vets at Tevis are generally more thorough when vetting horses compared to other rides.   This should give you a good idea though, of what to expect and how to approach the physical vet exam simulation with your own horse.

One other thing that may prove useful for a new horse is to practice what comes next at a vet check – the eating part.  Get together the same buckets and feed pans, crew bag and feed that you plan to use on an actual ride and set it up just like you would at a vet check.  It is best to do this after a ride, or perhaps even during one that way you won’t be feeding your horse more feed than he needs.  This way you and your horse will both get into a routine of sorts.  Learn what your horse’s favorite feeds are – does he like carrots or apples better?  What about mashes – is he a wheat bran kinda guy, or won’t touch it if it’s not rice bran?  My horse’s for example, won’t touch beet pulp at a vet check so I gave up even trying years ago and just pack the feed that I know they’ll eat.  Horse’s are a lot like us in that their preferences change, so prepare to offer an entire smorgasbord of choices.  I like to offer an Omolene 200/wheat bran mash, another feed pan of Strategy Healthy Edge, hay and usually an apple or a couple of carrots.  I add a little salt or electrolyte powder into the mashes as well.  If you choose to provide your electrolytes that way, this pre-practice training will allow your horse to get used to it.  And, if he refuses to eat it you’ll know that ahead of time and won’t be stuck at a vet check with a horse that refuses to eat!  Most horses will learn to eat feed with a little salt or electrolyte powder added if it’s provided that way to them all of the time.

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Endurance Riding: Minimizing Wear and Tear on Your Horse

  Death Valley Encounter, Day 3. Photo by Steve Bradley.

In my last post I talked about trail etiquette on an endurance ride.  Common sense and courtesy towards other riders is very important.   I think that another topic that is also very important is about applying some of that same common sense and courtesy to your horse.  Many of us are interested in longevity for our horses.  We all want our horses to last a long time.

Over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about minimizing wear and tear on my horses.  How to ride in a way that cuts down on the chance of injuries and that helps achieve long term success.  Last year I rode more than I ever had before in a ride season – 3,600 miles.  Bo did roughly 2,100 of that and Chief did roughly 1,500 of that.  Both horses came through the season in pretty good shape and have since completed 150 miles each in the 2012 ride season.

The single most important lesson that I have learned is that my horses stay sound and can do just about anything if I keep them rated and don’t let them trot faster than 10 mph.  Most horses can very easily trot faster than 10 mph so this takes effort.

Using a GPS is very helpful when learning how each gait and speed feels.  Some horses can be very sneaky and are able to inch up their speed.  You may look at the GPS and see you are trotting along at about 8.5 mph, then before you know it your horse has moved up what might feel to be just a hair – yet when you look at the GPS again you are going 13 mph.  That is almost guaranteed to happen if you ride in a group or if your horse sees a horse ahead.  Or sees a horse behind.  I feel that rating a horse consistently is one of the hardest things about this sport.  It’s something that requires focus, determination and doesn’t come easy.

Riders who are more competitive will likely trot much faster than the 10 mph limit that I subscribe to.  As long as a horse has been conditioned to go that speed they can do it and be successful.  I find that it takes my horses two to three years to develop a working trot that allows them to travel even at 10 mph.  It doesn’t happen over night.  Once I started to keep my horse’s speeds toned down and rated them more consistently I found that I had virtually no lameness issues.  Now when I have a lameness with a horse it is generally not a result of how I’ve ridden them.

Death Valley Encounter, day 4. Photo by Steve Bradley.

The next most important thing is to pay attention to the footing and the trail.  Spend some time on foot in each type of terrain that you ride in so that you get a feel for how difficult it is for your horse to get through it.  I find it is often useful for me to get off and lead down anything very steep as it helps loosen up my knees.  Other riders like to tail their horses up anything steep.  Either way is a good opportunity to give your horse a break.

Make an effort to walk your horse through the rocky, muddy or deep sand sections and trot where the footing is good.  It helps to know the course that you are riding so that you can plan how to ride it.  I find when asking other riders what the footing is like, it pays to get two or more opinions.  One persons idea of rocky, deep sand or technnical may be completely different than someone else’s.

We knew at Death Valley a couple of weeks ago that we were going over a big mountain on technical singletrack trail that was VERY rocky.  Once down the other side we knew we’d be down in the flat valley in sand washes and on excellent footing.  By knowing this, I was able to walk over the hard rocky steep stuff and then make up time trotting in the good footing.  Many riders did the opposite of that.  Paying attention and thinking about this kind of thing can make a big difference to your horse.  Think wear and tear on joints, legs, your horse’s whole body and how controlling when and where you move out can bring them through the ride that day as well as through an entire career in the best condition possible.

How you ride your horse through varied terrain on rides affects not only your horse but the others around you.  I mentioned how there were riders at the last ride that weren’t attentive enough to know that they were trotting the hardest parts while walking the easiest (on their horse) parts of the trail.  This can be really irritating to others especially if you trot past them downhill, or uphill, passing them then when the footing becomes good and levels out you slow to a walk.  Now those riders who were walking the steep or rocky sections and want to trot on the good footing have to pass you again.  On a ride with a lot of elevation and footing changes it can become a never ending game of tag.

I’m not sure if riders are not thinking these things through, or if they are letting their horses choose.  Maybe they are so caught up in a conversation with another rider that the thought of considering the trail footing and elevation changes never crosses their mind?

A competitive horse will want to go all of the time, so it’s really up to the rider to stay focused enough on the trail conditions and how rating the horse consistently can minimize the wear and tear.  Our horses can go a long way, literally….if we pay attention to the details.  A thinking rider is perhaps the greatest thing you can do for your horse.

 

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Endurance Etiquette on the Trail

 

From Wikipedia:  Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group.

Trail etiquette during an endurance ride can be extremely important.  It’s a lot like common sense.  There’s also a lot to be said for being polite and courteous to your fellow rider.  I think it’s important to have some patience and some willingness to tolerate other riders that may be clueless on the trail.  I’ve seen many heated exchanges over the years with riders yelling at one another over some sort of etiquette infraction.  That seldom does any good and often results in hard feelings.

Here is an article on the topic that Jackie Bumgardner wrote for Endurance News a while back.  It covers a wide range of etiquette – everything from camping to riding and vet checks.

I think that a lot of times, riders don’t even realize that they are doing something on the trail that is annoying to those around them.  This is why I try to ride my own ride while trying to have as little impact on anybody else.

If you ride a horse that kicks, put a red ribbon in the tail.  Yellow for stallions, and green for a green or new horse.   Kicking and unpredictable horses should be kept away from groups of horses.

I’ve seen lots of wrecks and mishaps occur on the trail due to riders not being more considerate or aware that they are creating dangerous situations.

One should take care never to crowd into groups of horses and should try to move away if they find themselves getting scrunched up into a group.  There are times when this is unavoidable but the majority of the time it’s just plain safer not to crowd horses together.

Water stops.  Again, don’t crowd.  Hang back fifteen or twenty feet and wait for a clear opening before allowing your horse to go in and drink.  If you see a horse with a ribbon on it’s tail, stay back until they are done drinking and have moved a safe distance away.  Once your horse is done drinking, move away from the water so that others can get in.  Pay attention to how your horse is standing next to any type of water – move your horse over to one side so that others can get in if necessary.  Be aware of the situation and pay attention.

It is considered polite to ask other riders whose horses are drinking if it’s okay to go on when your horse has finished drinking.  Usually if there are more than two horses drinking it’s safe to go and most riders will say to go on.  It never hurts to ask.  Personally, I want my horse to know how to drink and take care of himself even if other horses are moving off and leaving him alone at the water.  We can’t all stand around waiting for every horse on the ride to finish drinking – so again, this is another grey area where it’s best to use common sense.

Don’t sponge out of water troughs especially when other horses are drinking!  It may be okay in other regions, but where I mainly ride it doesn’t go over well.  Water on a lot of the rides has to be hauled out and it doesn’t need to be polluted by sponges.  Keep in mind that if you use a scoop that you should only do so when it is okay with ride management – most of the time that water is needed for the horses to drink.  It’s considered rude to use the water on your horse if there are 30 horses behind you that may not have enough to drink.

When your horse is done drinking make sure he isn’t allowed to rub on the trough, or on other horses or riders.  It’s not fun to have another horse slam their head with a bit onto your knee while their rider is oblivious and standing on the other side of their horse talking to somebody else.

Over the years I’ve seen situations where riders misinterpret something another rider did.  For example at Bryce one year a rider on a stallion was drinking from a creek that had a narrow opening to get into it.  Two other riders came up and crowded in, one horse on each side of the stallion that was already in the water drinking.  The rider on the stallion pulled him back and rode off while the other two riders commented about how rude he was to leave while their horses were still drinking.  It never occurred to them that the other rider thought they were as rude as they thought he was.

If you want to pass another rider on the trail then do so – and keep going.  Make a point to be aware enough that if you pass other riders that you aren’t then slowing down to a walk or stopping alltogether.  If you know you may have to make a tack adjustment or some other stop in the next few minutes then try not to play tag with other horses.  On the other hand, if another rider passes you, realize that they are likely riding faster than you and don’t immediately draft off of them or try to keep up.  Let them go, give them a minute or two to get ahead.

When passing, let the riders ahead know “passing on your left”, etc.  If you hear horses approaching from behind and are in a group, then move over so that they can get around.  If the trail is narrow, you may need to move off of the trail to let them go by.  It’s always funny when I ride up on two horses and they both change lanes to let me go by!

When riding with others always have a healthy respect for the other horse’s “space”.  Don’t ride too close behind and if in a group try to keep from getting bunched up.  I saw may kicks this summer on the XP when riders tried to ride more than two abreast on a wide road.  Many horses don’t like being crowded like that.  Usually what happens is one of the horses is attached to his buddy and becomes overly protective of having another horse in their “space”.  Always watch for warning signs from your own horse as well as the other horses around you.  Most horses will offer up a warning of some sort (though some don’t!) — such as laid back ears, a gnarled up facial expression.

It is never okay to use another horse as brakes to slow or rate your own horse!  This shows a total lack of respect and concern for the other rider and their horse.  Plus it can be dangerous for everyone.  If you have to, pull off the trail and dismount.  Give your horse a few minutes to settle down – lead on foot if you have to. But please, don’t keep running up the back of other horses or crowding them if you don’t have control of your horse.

When riding with others, warn them of any dangerous sections of the trail such as holes, or tree branches sticking out.  When slowing down, I like to put my hand up as a signal — of course, that only works if the person behind you is aware that is how you signal that you are going to slow down or stop.  If that person doesn’t know that, then say “slowing down”, or “I’m going to stop”.  I’ve found that when you ride with somebody that puts their hand up to signal a change that their horse quickly learns and they will slow down automatically.  I think my own horses also know the hand signals.  They are creatures of habit and if you do something like that often enough it’s amazing at what they pick up on.

Try and always keep a horse length distance away from horses ahead of you.  More if you don’t know the horse(s) ahead.  When leading a group and going through dips in the trail or technical sections that require walking – keep walking until the last horse in your group has made it through the obstacle.  Then it’s okay to pick up the speed.   Obviously some of these things may not be practical if there are 20 horses behind you on a singletrack trail.  In those cases, just use common sense and do unto others as you’d like done to you.

If I’m riding with somebody else I always like to ask if it’s okay if we canter.  My horses are competitive enough that I need to know that if I am cantering with somebody they won’t accelerate much faster than I am going and take off.  That’s one reason why I often ride alone – I need to rate my horse and find it to be too exhausting to ride with others that allow their horses to go faster than I want to go.  That always results in me having to pull on my horse’s to keep them slowed down while their brain cells are imploding because they want to keep up with the other horse or horses.  I try to avoid that kind of situation as much as possible.  One thing that I really appreciate when riding with a friend is when we both agree that if we need to, we can separate and it won’t hurt the other person’s feelings.

I have written about gate etiquette before.  When opening and closing gates on a ride – try to take turns.  Unless there is somebody in the group that wants to get all of the gates.  Get through the open gate quickly so the other person doesn’t have to stand there waiting for you.  Then, move off to a safe spot and wait for the gate person to close the gate and mount back up.  Allow that person to reposition themselves in the group in the same order that they arrived at the gate.  Some riders like myself will often hold a gate for several riders and tell them all to “go on ahead”.  That’s because I (we) want to get a bit more spread out – so go on ahead.  Always be sure to thank the gate person.  When I say get through the gate quickly I mean at a walk – don’t blast through; be considerate.

On an endurance ride I always try to give other trail users the right of way.  Most often, bike riders will slow down or stop and move off of the trail.  If they aren’t doing that, then I will always move out of their way while saying something friendly.  I try to tell other trail users that by talking to us it makes them seem a lot less scary to the horses.  I also usually try to tell them how many horses may be behind me.  Always move your horse away on the uphill side.

When passing horses on a two way trail, stay to the right.  Horses going uphill should have the right of way over horses going downhill.  When going up steep stuff, allow for some extra space between the horse in front of you so that if need be, your horse can get a little momentum going without worrying about running into the horse in front.

If you need to dismount for some reason, try to do it where there is some grass for your horse to graze on.  That way the horse has something to do while you fix or adjust or do whatever you need to do.  Always move off trail so that you aren’t blocking it for other riders.  If you can’t get off of the trail for some reason and find that you are starting to cause a backup — jog on foot and lead your horse to somewhere that you can get out of the way and let the others go by.  Most riders will be less likely to get irritated if you tell them you are having a problem.

Many times, each situation calls for a different way to handle it.  If riders are dismounted off to the side of the trail to do something obvious like use the restroom, then ride on by.  If it looks like they are having a problem ask if they need anything and/or if they’d like you to wait while they mount back up.

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics: Don’t cut switchbacks — stay on the marked trail. Be aware of any damage to soft ground that your horse may be doing. Be careful not to drop any trash on the trail. Pick up other people’s trash.

Here is a summary of some of the things that riders do that are the most annoying:  Riders getting in front and slowing down or stopping.  If you pass – then keep going.  Don’t let your horse decide he wants to eat grass and turn sideways blocking the trail ten feet ahead of riders you just went by.  If you are having a lameness issue with your horse it never looks good to pass other riders.  Don’t tailgate other horses especially if they have just passed you and are obviously going faster than you are. Most likely, if they caught up to you and you’ve been trotting along for awhile they are going faster than you.  Be considerate – give those other riders a minute or two to spread out from your horse.  That helps keeps the riders and the horses happy.  If you want to ride in a group or ride with another rider it’s polite to ask them if it’s okay.  They may or may not want the company.

I’ve certainly committed more than one of those violations over the years, knowingly or not.  I’ve tried to learn to be more considerate and aware of what is going on, not just so I can make the ride more fun and safe for myself but for others.  It’s not easy having to deal with horses that get more competitive as they get fitter on rides with riders who are unknowingly driving your horse crazy.  I hope this helps both new and experienced riders.  Happy, safe trails!  Karen

 

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Endurance horse training basics: Camping while tied or confined overnight.

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Horses on Trailer Ties - Weaver & Chief

So often we get caught up in the conditioning and riding aspect of our horses that we forget about some of the other things that we should be teaching our horses.  Everything we can do to expose our horses to in advance of attending an endurance ride is going to help them.  Let’s face it, going to an endurance ride for a horse can be a *really* exciting experience.  Starting an endurance ride can be even more exciting still!

There are many different ways to confine a horse at a ride.  The most common method these days is to use a tie-arm of some sort.  That’s the method that I use.   I have two trailer ties on my trailer far enough apart that I can put a line between them and allow one horse to have a quite a bit more freedom.  That works well when I have just one horse at a ride (that horse can be on the line all of the time), or when I have two horses the horse left in camp each day can be on the line all day.

Next common are portable corrals.  There are many different types – some are made out of steel, or aluminum.  Some riders choose to use corrals made out of electric fence tape.  I don’t like electric fences due to the wrecks, accidents and fatalities that I’ve seen occur as a result of them being used.  They are right up there on my list of things I don’t like to see used along with bungee ties .  I’m not here to debate the pros and cons of the various containment systems, just to discuss the whys and ways of training a horse to survive in them without injuring themselves.

Each horse should be treated as an individual and evaluated for their ability to be safely contained in the different types of containment systems.  All horses should be trained and experienced in whatever containment system is being used prior to going to an endurance ride.  Why do I think this is so important?  Because I have seen just as many fatalities in my 30,000+ miles of riding endurance as a direct result to how a horse was contained in camp than I have for any other reason.  If every rider attending an endurance ride took the time to pre-train their horse to be safer when contained at rides, it would do as much or more to reduce fatalities or career ending injuries than anything else.  Traveling and camping with horses can be dangerous; time spent training in advance can go a long way to make things much safer.  Notice I said safer – as I still don’t believe that there is any completely safe way to contain a horse.

Keeping a horse in a temporary containment system is kind of like driving in winter conditions.  You may know how to drive using 4WD in the snow, but there are lots of people that don’t and haven’t yet figured out that 4WD will get them moving and to “go”, it doesn’t do a lot for “stopping”, especially on ice.  Same thing with horses in camp.  Your horse may be perfectly well behaved and respectful of his containment system, but other horses in camp may not have respect for theirs, or for yours either for that matter.

Hearing the sound of horses running about camp in the middle of the night, or even during the day can make your heart skip a beat.  Especially if those loose horses are heading towards your horse.  It’s even worse if they happen to be dragging stuff behind them.  Most of the time if something is being dragged, it is the remnants of an electric corral.  Sometimes, it may be a broken tie-arm, rope, horse blanket or part or all of a metal corral.

One night at a ride many years ago, two horses were camped next to me in an electric corral.  The owners either did not turn it on, or their horses didn’t have any respect for it – they were wearing blankets and likely didn’t feel it ‘zap’.  Their horses went through the fence at 3 a.m., dragging it behind them and right through my two horses.  I got out there as quickly as I could to find electric tape wrapped around my horse’s front legs.   They were standing still, not moving.  Together, my horses and I watched the other two horses disappear from sight into the dark forest.  I cleaned up the mess; the other horses eventually were caught and I went back to bed.

No matter what type of containment method you choose, your horse should still be able to tie to your trailer.  You never know what might happen beyond your control that could require your horse to be tied either temporarily, for several hours, or for even over night.  Practicing this ahead of time as well as practicing containing your horses in any system you have chosen in advance is a good idea.

Start with setting up your system in a safe place at home.  If you have a portable corral system, set it up inside your horses living area or in an area that will keep your horse confined should he get out of your system.  Start with putting your horse in his containment system for a few minutes.  It’s okay to set up hay and water, just as you would at an endurance ride.  Work up to putting your horse inside for longer periods, gradually working up to having your horse contained for two to four hours at a time.  During this time spend doing some additional training with your horse.

If you have a second horse, take that horse out of sight/view from the one that is in the containment system.  Do this briefly at first, to see how your contained horse reacts.  If it looks like your contained horse is acting up and could get into a wreck somehow, then do this lesson when the horse is tied directly to your trailer.  All horses need to learn to be left behind, either in camp, at the start of a ride, or under a variety of circumstances.  This type of training can take some time to establish a consistent calm reaction from the horse being left behind.  Start with short/brief moments of separation with a second horse.  Gradually work up to longer periods.  Your goal is to eventually be able to leave your contained horse while taking the other horse out for a ride (or even just a walk around the neighborhood).  After a certain amount of repetition the horse being left will learn that his buddy is leaving, but will come back.  The separation anxiety that some horses exhibit can be dangerous especially if it results in a loose horse, or an injury of some sort.  Horses can become attached to other horses in record time – often becoming attached to a neighbors horse in camp, or perhaps another horse that you just met and rode with on the trail.  Teaching your horse to handle being separated is also an important lesson and can go a long way to helping you get through vet checks.  You don’t want to have a horse whose pulse won’t come down because his buddy is walking over to a water trough to drink.

Eventually you will want to be able to leave your horse in his containment system at home overnight.  I’m usually pretty comfortable having a horse spend two to three nights that way prior to going to an actual endurance ride.  When I started using the high-line on my trailer ties I did this training again with both Chief and Bo.  I wanted them to learn the restraints of the system.  I also would leave each one on the line when I took the other one out for a ride or walk.  This way they learned how far they could go back and forth while still respecting the limitations of their system.

Then again, when I got the horse’s their neck collars in advance of the long XP ride I spent time tying the horses to the trailer and to the high-line and trailer ties directly for several sessions each before we used the collars while traveling and at an actual ride.  Even with experienced horses, I feel that it is important to spend time training them and getting them used to any changes in equipment.

The nice thing with doing the hobble training, is that if your horse finds a way to get caught or tangled in your containment system –  he should stay put and wait to get rescued.  If you’ve taken the time to pre-train your horse to staying in your containment system then hopefully he will know the limitations and won’t get caught up in anything.

Chief dreams at a ride. It's good if your horse is comfortable enough in his containment system to lie down, and also to roll.

An additional tip for training:  After returning from a ride, or after giving your horse a bath put him into your portable containment system.  Hopefully he will want to roll.  This way he can learn the limitations of rolling – to stay away from the edges of the corral, or how to roll without getting caught in his tie rope.  This means you’ll need to set up your corral or park your trailer on ground that is suitable for your horse to roll on.

In my experience, horses will typically get caught somehow at least once with their containment system.  Either when they roll, or when scratching an ear with a hind foot and getting it over their rope.  Plan on this happening and don’t be surprised and don’t panic.  If it happens, stay calm and quickly release your horse.  It is preferable to have this happen at home, rather than at a ride.

Another tip:  If you witness another horse at a ride caught in something it is important to stay calm.  Don’t run screaming towards the horse; it only freaks the horse out more!  Take a moment to assess the situation.  If the horse is hopping about or still panicking keep your distance.  If the horse has already gone down and the horse is tied look for a quick release snap somewhere along the length of the rope or tie.  If you can reach it safely, then do so.  Be aware enough so that you don’t make a bad situation worse, and always be prepared to move quickly out of the way!

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, and at your own risk.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email
me or comment in my blog.   Happy trails, Karen

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Endurance Horse Training Basics Part 2: Tying

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A quick release knot on a cotton lead rope. Keep in mind that if a horse pulls back, it can put enough tension on the rope that it won't qiuck release.

Watch out for horses that like to play with their ropes! You may need to pull the end of the rope through the last loop in the quick release knot.

If you are going to be traveling with your horse, camping overnight and attending endurance rides or other events it is important that your horse knows how to stand quietly while tied.

To have a horse that ties well he must give to pressure.  That is one of the most important things that you can teach your horse.  It is why I started off with a hobbling lesson, since the lessons learned via hobbling are the basis for everything else.

If you are following my blog posts on these basic endurance horse training lessons your horse should learn and progress well if done in order.  Keep in mind that different horses will respond differently so you may need to spend more time working on one thing than another.  You didn’t learn how to read in a week or even in a few months so be patient with your horse and don’t worry if some of this training takes longer than you want it to.  These lessons are like teaching your horse the alphabet.  They are the base for everything else and just as necessary as the riding and conditioning part of your horse’s education.   Many horses will benefit from these lessons even if they are already trained and experienced.  It never hurts to do some basic reinforcement from time to time.

Most horses at some point will pull back while tied, for whatever reason.  It can become a real problem if the horse manages to get free as they will quickly learn that if they pull, they can get free and in only a couple of instances it has already become a bad habit.  Those horses will need a lot more work with tying and learning to give to pressure than one that progresses through the basics without any mishaps occurring.   Many times it is the human part of the equation that leads to a problem.  This is why it’s so important to pay attention to detail, use proper and safe equipment and always only tie to stationary secure objects that cannot be pulled apart if a horse does pull.

Quick releases should never be attached directly to a horse. Here is one of my favorite ropes, wrapped around the hitching post and clipped with the quick release.

There are many types of tie rings and other items that are marketed and sold to people who have horses that have problems tying.  If it works for a particular horse, then by all means consider using those items.  My feeling is that many of those things are only a substitute for not training a horse; a way to shortcut that ultimately is cheating the horse out of the education that he should have gotten (or is still getting) in the first place.  It can be a frightening thing to have a horse that panics, fights or freaks out when tied.  Taking horses that do that to endurance rides is a wreck waiting to happen as well as a huge liability.  This is why it is so important to spend time doing the basics and taking the time it takes to teach each horse these lessons at a rate that they area comfortable with.

Before you can teach your horse to tie safely, you need to have a horse that will lead and stand.  Take some time to make sure your horse understands giving to the pressure of a lead rope.  Apply pressure by pulling down on the lead rope.  When your horse responds to the pressure immediately release and praise him.  Repeat this exercise many times, pulling down or even sideways on your horse’s lead until he is consistent about giving to the pressure.  If you run into resistance here then go back and do some more rope work around the legs, hobbling, and spend more time working on leading.

Once tied, the clip on the end of the lead should not touch the ground. This is the longest you want to have a rope tied to your horse.

How NOT to tie a horse - this is way too long! A horse can easily get a leg caught if the rope is too long.

Once you have your horse leading and giving to pressure, you can then move on to teaching him to stand.  Lead your horse to a quiet area that is free from distractions and ask him to stand.  Once he is standing, move a couple of steps away.  If your horse tries to follow you, quickly correct him by asking him to back up a few steps, moving forward again to the original spot and asking him to stand.  Repeat this several times until your horse learns to stand quietly while you move away.  An example of when this work will be useful is if you go out into your horses turnout area with a hoof pick and can expect him to stand quietly while you clean out all four feet (without needing to put on a halter or lead rope).  It is also important that your horse knows how to stand, since they will be doing that quite a bit while tied .

You can see that teaching a horse to tie is not as simple as tying your horse up.  I have had a couple of horses that needed some work in this area.  It takes time to resolve those issues to the point of having a horse that is safe enough to take out in public.  Some horses may tie fine for years and then they have some sort of incident that then causes them to panic and pull when tied.  These horses need someone with patience and that will spend the time to develop trust and work through the fear or other issues.

Here is a quick rundown of a list of things that you should do in preparation for tying training your horse:

Hobble and rope train your horse (this sets up the initial lesson of “giving to pressure”)Work on leading, standing and getting your horse to give to the pressure of the lead ropeUse good quality, secure equipment:  Rope halter, cotton lead rope with bullsnapOnly tie to secure, solid objects that cannot be pulled down or apart by a horseDo tie the rope short enough so that a leg cannot get caught, and keep checking on your horse to make sure he hasn’t stretched the rope out or started to untie himself (some horses are Houdini’s when it comes to getting out of being confined!)Use a quick release knot when tying your rope, or use a rope that has a built in quick release snapWear gloves, good boots or shoes and consider wearing a helmetKeep a sharp knife close byBe aware of your surroundings – stay out of your horses way should he decide to pull or dance around while tiedMake every day you see your horse a learning experienceGet help if you are having problems

Here are some things that you should NOT do!

Never clip a quick release snap of any kind to your horse’s halterDo not tie a problem horse without practicing the other lessons firstDo not leave things lying around that your horse could get tangled in – such as water hoses, manure forks, etc.Do not simply tie your horse up to a solid object and leave him, especially if he has had tying issuesNever leave a horse new to tying unattendedNever tie a horse with reins attached to a bit in his mouthDon’t use bungees to tie withDon’t fall for gimmicks;  they are not a substitute for trainingDon’t wait to get help if you are having problems -  you don’t want to turn a minor issue into something serious! Here, i have placed feed in front of Chief after purposely wrapping his lead rope around the end of the hitching post so that he can't possibly reach it. He stood there patiently, perhaps giving me the "evil ear look" and waited for me to adjust the rope so that he could eat. Would your horse panic if his lead rope got wrapped around something like this?

Start with shorter tying sessions of around 15 minutes or less and gradually build up to leaving your horse tied for longer periods.  After your horse is showing that he is comfortable being tied practice tying him to different things.  Tie him to your trailer (if it is a bumper pull, make sure it is attached to your tow vehicle), a hitching post, a sturdy tree, etc.   Practice tying higher up, lower down – just remember to always keep the lead rope short enough so that the snap cannot touch the ground.  It is preferable to have the snap a few inches off of the ground especially if a horse is going to be tied overnight.

Eventually you’ll want to work your horse up to being able to stand quietly while being tied for several hours or even overnight.  All of my horses have spent multiple nights tied on my trailer in advance of going anywhere overnight.  This is important.  You don’t want your horse to go to an endurance ride having never spent any or hardly any time tied to your trailer.  Your horse will be calmer and better adjusted if he is used to experiencing something on a regular basis.  If you are tying for more than an hour or two during training, be sure to offer your horse water and feed -practice just as if you were at a ride or traveling away from home.

My horses view their horse trailer as a “home away from home”.  Even if you plan to use a portable corral system at rides your horse should know how to tie to your trailer, or a tie-arm if that is what you use.  You never know when you may not be able to set up your corral due to limited space, or perhaps your horse or somebody else’s horse has run through your corral and damaged it (this does happen!).  You could get hurt during the ride, leaving others to attend to your horse.   They may have no choice but to tie your horse to something for several hours.

What if you are riding and encounter an obstacle on the trail – you can move it, but first have to tie your horse out of the way.  Having a horse that is difficult to tie could cause all sorts of problems and this is why horses that can’t do this should not be taken out in public and especially not to an endurance ride.  Think of the liability and danger that you could be causing not just for you and your horse, but for others.

One of the things that I like to do with my own horses, is to expose them to as many things as possible at home.  That way, it’s not a big deal if it happens while we are traveling or at an endurance ride.   I purposely set things up so that they can experience a variety of things.  These things are only done after a horse has done all of the basic work and training that I’ve blogged about so far and only after they have proven to be able to tie safely without panicking or pulling back.  I will do another completely separate blog post on some of those things.  I call it accident avoidance training or as my horses might refer to it as “what is she going to do to us next?” 

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, and at your own risk.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email
me or comment in my blog.   Happy trails, Karen

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Endurance Horse Training Basics Part 1: Hobble Training

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BENEFITS OF HOBBLE TRAINING A HORSE

Hobble training teaches a horse to give to pressure, not to freak out when caught/cast/trapped and to wait to be rescued (patience!).   It desensitizes your horses legs to being confined or trapped.

If you’ve ever had a horse get caught up in wire, step into a wooden pallet, roll and get cast under a fence or gate or become entangled in a rope or other containment system you no doubt have seen first hand that horses can and will find ways to get into trouble.  How they handle it can often be attributed to how the horse has been trained.

Hobble training is something that I have done on every single one of my endurance horses before taking them to an endurance ride.  It has really paid off too.  I have posted blog posts on this topic before because I do feel so strongly that hobble training should be included in the basic training for any endurance horse.  If you haven’t already, please read this post on preparing a horse for hobble training, and this post on some personal examples on when hobble training paid off.

JUST WHAT IS HOBBLING, EXACTLY?

Hobbling involves the act of fastening two of your horse’s legs together with a short length of rope, leather or other material in order to contain them.

Hobbles are often used by trail riders and packers who want their horses to stay close to camp as well as by trainers who want their horses to learn to stand without struggling and to learn to not fight against pressure on their legs.

Once a horse learns the ever important lesson of giving to pressure, so many situations that could have turned into a wreck often end up being a non-problem.  Hobble training sets the stage for the rest of the training basics that I’ll be covering.

There is always a chance of an injury occurring during the training process.  I feel that the risk is much higher of having a much more serious injury occur should your horse panic after getting entangled in barbed wire while you are trail riding, should your horse not have any of this training.

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Get an experienced horse person to help you the first few times out.Work on hobble training in a safe space with good footing and no obstacles.Start hobbling lessons when your horse is tired rather than fresh.Take things slowly and include every step for safety and acceptance.Keep your body and face away from the front of your horse when installing or removing hobbles.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).

 HOBBLE INSTALLATION

For the first few sessions, it is best to have an experienced horse person hold your horse for you with a lead-rope while you apply the hobbles.

Begin by applying the first hobble to your horse’s pastern.  At this point you may wish to repeat some of the earlier basic exercises and pick up your horse leg with the hobbles.

Be sure to take time to reassure your horse as you proceed.  Your horse should be calm and not fearful.  If he is, spend more time doing the exercises I mentioned previously.

Now apply the hobble to the second leg.  It is very important that you don’t put your face in front of your horse’s front legs.  Doing so would make you extremely vulnerable to getting a black eye, or worse.  Stay to the side, and if need be walk around to the opposite leg before applying the second hobble.

At this point, I usually like to remove the lead rope from my horse and move out of the area.  If you do choose to leave the lead rope attached, wrap it around your horse’s neck and tie it so that it won’t be dragging on the ground.  I choose to move out of the way rather than hold the horse, since your horse may hop and lose his balance it is much safer not to be close enough to become part of a wreck.  Some may choose to stay and hold the horse – if so, be quick on your toes!

What happens next, is entirely up to your horse.  I have seen some horses stand and not move from the first hobble session, and I have seen horses that hop like a rabbit at high speed around the arena.  Others may fight against the hobbles and appear to be in a panic.  This can be frightening to both your and your horse especially if you  have not experienced this before.  While this may be alarming to experience remember that this reaction is how your horse could have reacted to something in a public place (such as getting caught in something).

For your safety, your horse’s safety as well as the public it is all well and good that your horse is having to deal with this situation NOW, in a safe and controlled environment.  Make sure you are well out of harms way – if possible leave the fenced in area that your horse is in and watch from a safe distance.

Give your horse a couple of minutes to get used to the idea of wearing the hobbles.  Repeat the exercise often enough so that it becomes routine for your horse.  Your horse will in turn, learn to trust you, view you as his leader and become calmer when being handled — all in addition to the valuable lessons of learning not to panic, giving to pressure and waiting to be rescued.

HOBBLE REMOVAL

One you are sure that your horse is going to stay put, return with your assistant and reattach the lead rope.  Now remove the hobbles, undoing one side at a time.  Reassure your horse.  Some horses may be reluctant to move at first after the hobbles have been removed, so lead for a few steps before turning your horse out.

Most horses will stand quietly in hobbles by the third or fourth session.  If a horse is reacting more strongly then keep doing reinforcement lessons every week (or more) until they do accept being hobbled quietly and without any drama.  I like to do a once a  year reinforcement lesson on all of my horses.   Remember to stay calm and reassuring to your horse during this entire process.  Hobbles the way I use them are meant to teach horses important and possibly life saving lessons, not as a way to abuse them.

I have used photos of my own horses – Chief (grey) and Bo (bay) to illustrate how to hobble.  My horses are both very well trained in this regard and that is why you may notice that I don’t follow all of my own recommendations for safety.  Like for example, I’m not wearing gloves, and nobody is holding Bo when I applied his hobbles.  Do as I say, not as I do, okay?  I don’t want anybody getting hurt!

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, and at your own risk.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment in my blog.   Happy trails, Karen

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