One of the things I like to teach
my horses early on is how to move forward. I
teach them that when I say "Get up" that
means move forward.
I like to sometimes train a horse with
a butt rope to teach horses to move. It's a good
horse training tool.
First, I'll put a surcingle on my
horse then hook the lines to his bit. If
you don't have a surcingle you can use a
saddle instead...although I find it easier
to use a surcingle.
Next, stand behind the horse to the
inside so you can see his eye.
The typical way I get them to move forward is a tap on the butt with a tickle stick.
When they feel it they are usually sensitive
enough to move away from it.
Thus, when I say "Get up" then tap them, they move. Pretty soon they anticipate
the tap and all you have to say is "Get up".
BUT....
Once in a while you'll run across a
horse that tapping him on the rear doesn't
make him move.
The tendency is to tap harder to
get his attention. Tapping harder can
sometimes make a non-mover go forward but
not always.
Plus, if you're not careful, you
could find yourself tapping too hard and
problems start there.
So if you ever run across a horse
that won't go forward try a "butt rope".
Tie the butt rope to one side of
the surcingle, bring the rope around his
butt, go thru the other side of the surcingle, then back to you while driving your
horse from the ground.
Timing is crucial here as well as the
order of things said.
I do this. First, I tug on the left
line just enough so he feels it. That way he
knows a command is coming.
In human terms it's like seeing the
yellow light before you see the red one. The
yellow light is warning you that the "stopper"
light is coming.
Next, I say "Get up". Then you tap
the horse's butt with the tickle stick - all
in that order. Normally, the horse will move.
As I said a second ago, if the tapping
doesn't motivate the horse to move you can use
the butt rope instead.
So when it's time to tap, instead I give
a fairly sharp pull on the butt rope. The rope
tightens and puts pressure behind him and he
wants to escape it. Then he moves forward.
I learned this the hard way. I had a
horse that wouldn't budge and after days and
days of frustrating failures of getting the
horse to move, this idea came to me.
And it worked like a charm.
SuperStars of Horse Training
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