Real Horse Training using … Real Methods
The equestrian world has lost a great horseman, Jack Hennig. As with many legendary horsemen, their legacy, knowledge and inspiration should be preserved and available to as many of us as possible. For this very reason, we were privileged to have the opportunity to film an interview with Jack in 2018. (Watch full interview)
Thank you Jack for all you have contributed to the equestrian world!
My definition of horsemanship is being able to connect the horse with the human.
I constantly have conversations with many very, very good high-level trainers, clinicians, and equine professionals from all over the world, and yes, even real cowboys! We talk about what tack to use. We talk about methods used by various trainers.
We talk about types of horses and their behavioral aspects. We talk about everything from diagonals, to flying lead changes to counter bending. We talk about Western vs English and barrel racing vs hunter jumper.
I feel I have primarily one mission. That mission is to make sure horses find and keep a good home. To do this, I need to connect the horse with the human so that both stay safe, and hopefully have a great relationship. Once this very basic thing is accomplished, then we can talk about bigger and better things.
I am more than happy to help someone with anything from dressage to mounted shooting however, to me, nothing is more important than establishing that basic connection between the horse and the human, and THIS … is who I am!
Things that concern horses the most are things that move and things that make noise.
During certain holidays, particularly News Years and Independence Day, people may celebrate using fireworks. Many horse owners become very nervous and concerned about their horses when loud noises such as fireworks are active nearby. It is around these holidays I get horse owners asking for advice.
I would argue that unexpected loud noises can occur at anytime and anywhere. I’ve been out working with my horses ten miles south of BFE and had trees suddenly fall, lighting strikes, firearms being discharged nearby by hunters (I assume) etc. I never fear these things, I see them as a training opportunity! So, my best short answer is this……
Train your horse! The more you teach your horse new things, the more they are required to THINK! The more they think, the less reactive they become. There is no such thing as a “bomb proof” horse, however, you can mitigate the horse’ natural reactions to a good manageable level.
Desensitize your horse as much as possible at every opportunity. Never shy away from something that your horse is worried about. Whether it is lawn mowers, bicycles, or anything else, take the time to work with your horse with that object.
Lastly, just as I would during a hurricane, if possible, I leave my horses out in a wide open pasture. Horses feel much safer in the open and not inside a confined area. In the pasture, they also have the freedom to move around.
I could probably write a book on all the things I’ve encountered with my horses. The potential for unexpected noises is endless. I would say, if fireworks are active, go work with your horse during that time, be with them. Train them. Teach them to trust you. Be their safety blanket!
Never waist a good training opportunity!
Are you prepared in case you encounter injury or medical issues such as Colic that requires urgent attention? Remember, you are the first responder to your horse’s medical needs!
First!!! I am not a veterinarian! This article is to increase the awareness and need to prepare for urgent care regarding your horse! I strongly encourage horse owners to consult with your veterinarian and develop plans and materials that fit your program and needs.
If you have been a horse owner for more than ten minutes, you probably understand why we jokingly speak of wrapping our horses in bubble wrap! How many times have you walked out to the pasture and realized your horse looks like the looser at a bar fight! If you’ve decided to be a horse owner, you might as well be prepared.
As with many of you, we, here at Realtime Horsemanship, often deal with these issues not just with our horses but with clients’ horses as well! There seems to be an endless parade of cuts, scrapes, bruises, bites, sore muscles, bruised soles, Laminitis, white line etc. not to mention other medical issues!
I decided a long time ago to prepare a “horsey” first aid kit. Although commercial kits are available, I decided to build my own kit customized with items I feel I need in various circumstances. I actually keep two kits, one small kit I keep in my truck and a larger kit I keep at the barn.
There are too many items to mention here that one could use in a first aid kit, and additionally, each owner will stock their kit with what they prefer. I suggest you research a little, ask your veterinarian for advice on this subject.
Every horse owner, and other professionals who work with horses, should build a kit customized with what works for you and keep it handy!
I met a fellow rider at a competition event one day. This rider made this statement “I paid big money to send my horse to Clinton Anderson.’” “ When I got my horse back, after just a month or two, my horse had the same problems before I sent him to be trained!” As we all know, Clinton is a world class trainer. So my unfiltered response to my disgruntled friend was…”Next time, leave your horse at home and YOU go spend some time with Clinton.”
I my early years of training, I did what most any trainer does and take on the horse for the proverbial thirty, sixty or ninety days, achieve whatever goals were set or fix any issues, return the horse to the owner where occasionally I would get the same response as my aforementioned friend.
I learned that it is not enough to just train the horse. If you don’t train the human, then time and money may be simply wasted. Also, theoretically, If I can get the human to learn a certain skill set, they should never need a trainer again for that level.
I am not a horse trainer. Can I train a horse? … Yes, I can, but I feel that training the horse and, more importantly, training the human to develop good communication skills and a good relationship with their horse is my definition of true horsemanship!
There are three reasons professional horse trainers are hired. Either the owner does not have the time or desire required, the owner does not want to take the inherent risk involved, or the owner does not possess the expertise.
Time – Training horses is “labor intensive” and requires time. Most horse owners have a primary career/job that requires most of their time, not to mention additional social/family time. Just feeding and cleaning stalls can take up what spare time may exist! Professional trainers take the time a horse needs to properly learn without physical or psychological harm to the horse.
Risk – Not everyone wants to (or should) take the risk involved working with untrained horses. The wrong move by that 1200lb cutie can put you in the hospital quickly, or worse. Too much pressure used on a highly reactive horse can cause serious injury to the horse, not to mention the new hole in your fence.
Expertise – Let’s assume you have plenty of time on your hands and you have great medical insurance. Do you have the correct knowledge and experience to reach the goals you want with your horse? Most professional trainers have years upon years of experience working with hundreds, maybe even thousands of horses. These trainers, more than likely, have paid their dues and spent tons of time with more experienced trainers to develop their skill.
What makes up a trainer? – There are many horse trainers out there. Some with familiar names, some relatively unknown. Some have fabulous marketing packages, some are known from television exposure and some are just at the ranch down the street. But I will tell you this, every successful trainer has one thing in common, they possess a keen understanding of the horse and the ability to effectively communicate with the horse!
A good trainer will always keep an open mind and always be willing to listen and entertain new methods and ideas. Personally, I have spent time with many, many trainers, some locally, some known worldwide. As I learn from each of these trainers, I add more tools to my toolbox.
Ultimately, good trainers will become a “conglomerate” of all the trainers who taught them. They will use what works for them and leave behind what does not. They will develop their own style and their own methods and ultimately become their own unique trainer.
There are always many ways to get there, the only question is …. how do you want to get there.
I was watching an NBHA Barrel race when at the first barrel, the rider came off. To everyone’s relief, the rider was ok, but the horse continued to run the barrel pattern. To my amazement, the horse ran the complete pattern pretty dang good…. Without the rider. I’ve seen parents put a small child on a seasoned barrel horse and let go. As the child was screaming and crying, the horse did a decent job at running the pattern.
I hear barrel racers say, “I need a trainer to put “The Pattern” on the horse”. I think, ok…. in barrel racing the pattern is the same (given the left-right-right or right-left-left turns). Sooo, what if I took my mounted shooting horse to a barrel racing trainer and said, “Put the pattern on my horse”. Of course, in mounted shooting, there are 40+ different courses (patterns), at least four of which are used at each competition! I would probably get a strange look from the trainer.
As a trainer, I get problem barrel horses. Without getting in too much detail, I find there are usually two basic issues, 1. The horse is sour (See Performance Horses on this subject), or, 2. The rider has allowed the horse to make all the decisions and the rider basically has lost fundamental control. When I get a problem barrel horse, the first thing I usually must do is get the horse’s focus back on me and not just on the pattern. This way, I decide when and where I want to enter the course, I can make adjustments as needed etc. without the horse balking when I give my cues.
Before I get death threats, I fully understand, and agree, that performance horses should know their job, and I also understand that you want some things to be “automatic”. However, in my opinion, the “automatic” should never override what the rider tells the horse. In other words, the rider can allow the trained horse to perform certain moves on its’ own, but the rider should always be able to shut off the autopilot and guide the horse at any given time.
Just food for thought!
A question that is often asked is…when can training begin with foals? The answer is, the sooner the better! As with most equine subjects, this area is subject to varying opinions. There is a well-known involvement with foals called imprinting. If you have the time, it is well worth spending as much time early with a foal as possible. This will improve the bond you have with your foal. A word of caution, a one-day old foal can put you in the hospital, so treat this young horse with respect at all times!
As far as training goes, the sooner you get busy working with your foal the better! Be sure to have an experienced person handle the mare while initially starting with the foal. Once the mare trusts you, she will allow you more and more latitude with her baby.
All the same training philosophy is valid with a foal or a horse at any age for that matter. The thing you must consider is to temper the activity based on the horses’ age, fitness etc. In this case, obviously, you cannot train with the same intensity as a five-year-old. The corrections must be much softer and the training periods should be very short. Things like desensitizing to water and spray bottles, flexing and pressure and release with a halter can be done with little exertion on the foal. Going for a nice walk around the ranch allowing the foal to experience new things is always good.
So when it comes to begin training with your new foal, get started early. Don’t be afraid to seek out professional or more experienced assistance with a young horse as this is a very important and impressionable time in their life, make sure it is a good impression!
Want to see more? Additional Videos below!
Quite often I am approached by horse owners asking for help to fix a specific issue. Some examples, “My horse spooks on the trail’, “My horse bucks..”, “My horse wants to kick out at other horses..”, “ My horse runs over me..” and list goes on and on. So, we correct that one specific bad behavior only to have another bad behavioral issue surface. More than likely here, the root problem is poor foundation training.
There was a time in my life when everybody was very eager to give me advice on training horses. Being equally eager to learn, I would always listen with intensity and try to absorb as much as could. The problem, I soon discovered, was that every person who, with good intentions, gave me information, was only able to provide a small piece of the big picture. It seems that way too many times, a horse is rushed through training due to time, money or ability constraints or the owner is just in a hurry to do whatever they want with the horse so they figure, if the horse isn’t currently bucking them off, everything is good, maybe !
Training horses is like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. If you get in a hurry and only get a portion of the pieces together, those pieces you left out will more than likely show up at some point down the road.
With all horses, especially young horses, provide them with good solid foundation training with ALL the pieces in the beginning. The extra time, money and effort spent here will save you much more time and more money later…and maybe a trip to the emergency room!
