| I received a letter from a reader who is back into | | | | 1. One of those issues is that training horses require a |
| horses after many years away and has purchased a | | | | thinker, and neither requires you to necessarily be a |
| young, green broke horse. Her question was about | | | | rocket scientist but, you are required to be smarter |
| biting. She mentioned in her note that the horse is | | | | and be able to out think the horse in your charge and |
| grabby with its mouth and has started to nip her. Her | | | | as any non-pro who has worked with green stock |
| choice of discipline included slapping him in the face, | | | | can attest, there are days when it is hard to tell who |
| and she mentioned that afterwards she always felt | | | | is smarter and who is out thinking whom! |
| guilty so she would go over to make nice/nice with | | | | 2. If you choose to work with green horses |
| the horse because she didn't want him to be mad at | | | | (youngsters) you have to recognize that you are |
| her. I want to address this letter in the column for a | | | | taking on the role of teacher/parent/disciplinarian and |
| couple of reasons that have nothing to do with biting: | | | | in that role, anytime you lose your temper you cause |
| 1. There are a lot of similarities between training | | | | more work for yourself down the road and you |
| young horses and young children; the fundamental | | | | confuse the horse. It is specifically for this reason |
| difference is about 1200 pounds. As anyone who has | | | | that I don't recommend HOT clubbers purchase |
| raised young children can attest, a 30 pound child can | | | | green stock. If you are coming back to horses |
| drive an adult out of their minds on a bad day and | | | | looking for some fun and a relaxing outlet that you |
| factor in the additional size of a young horse and you | | | | can enjoy when you can find free time in your |
| will have a sense of the challenges that can arise | | | | schedule, buy a finished, older horse. |
| when working young, green-broke stock. | | | | 3. The other issue that I thought was important |
| 2. As with raising your children, it is critical to love | | | | about the letter was the idea that the horse owner |
| them enough to be consistent, set boundaries and | | | | didn't want to hurt the horse's feelings so after |
| stick to your guns. Otherwise, you are doing them a | | | | disciplining the animal, she would go over and make a |
| disservice in the long haul. I want horsemen to get a | | | | fuss over him. Trust me, in the wild, if the alpha |
| sense of the amount of mental and physical work | | | | horse reprimands an animal lower on the pecking |
| that is involved in training young horses so that you | | | | order for getting cheeky, he/she won't be going |
| can make an intelligent decision when looking for your | | | | over to make nice/nice afterwards. Horses |
| next horse. If you are coming back to ride and have | | | | understand that there are boundaries and that is part |
| fun, buy a well trained, finished horse and have the | | | | of normal herd behavior. There are plenty of fad |
| time of your life. There are plenty of fad trainers on | | | | trainers on the market today talking about bonding |
| the market today claiming that they can train a horse | | | | with your horse, making friends, and becoming part |
| in 30 minutes. If you have raised children, you know | | | | of the herd, but at the end of the day, it is your job |
| how impossible that statement is and while you can | | | | to teach and educate and that is best accomplished |
| get a horse to do certain things in a short amount of | | | | when you operate from the position of head of the |
| time, it will always take hundreds of hours to season | | | | herd, not just one of the boys. In the case of the |
| a young horse properly so they end up as a reliable, | | | | reader with the biting horse, it is equally counter |
| trustworthy, steady mount and that is a lot of work. | | | | productive and confusing to sock a horse in the |
| My rule of thumb is this; the real difference between | | | | mouth for biting and then, for no apparent reason, |
| green broke and seasoned is 400 hours of your time! | | | | fawn all over him two minutes later. When working |
| There was one point about biting that I did want to | | | | with green stock, it is all about consistency. |
| address here. I don't want people slapping their horse | | | | A parent who says they never discipline their child |
| in the face when it is the face that caused the | | | | and only wants to be their friend is a parent who is |
| problem. There is a school of thought that suggests | | | | headed for disaster because a child who operates in |
| that you should hit whatever part of the body | | | | a world without any boundaries is a child who will |
| committed the transgression. While I understand the | | | | drive you, the neighbors, all the school teachers and |
| logic, I don't agree with it. I live by the same logic | | | | the rest of the civilized world- nutty! |
| that engineers live by (do it once, do it well and don't | | | | If your kids are raised and you loved the process, |
| make more work for yourself along the way). My | | | | buy a green broke horse because it will be very |
| version of that rule is this, "never fix one problem by | | | | similar to your experience rearing kids. However, if |
| causing three new problems." Slapping a horse in the | | | | you have raised your children and while you don't |
| face for biting may or may not stop the biting | | | | regret doing it, you wouldn't want to go there again, |
| problem, but I guarantee it will create all kinds of | | | | bear that in mind when you are out shopping for |
| head shy problems. If you teach your horse that | | | | your next horse. If you are a HOT clubber, you have |
| your hand is a potential weapon, each time your hand | | | | earned the right to have fun. Buying a seasoned, well |
| approaches his face, don't be surprised when your | | | | trained, finished horse is like spending time with your |
| horse jerks his head away. This boo boo is sure to | | | | adult kids. Buying a green broke horse is like spending |
| bite you when you try to bridle, groom the face, clip | | | | time with a toddler! In the case of my reader, the |
| the face, put on halters, float teeth, treat medical | | | | biting issue is the first of dozens of other challenges |
| issues or pet your horse. Teaching your horse to be | | | | she is going to be facing in the months and years to |
| head shy is counter productive and makes more | | | | come while working with a green broke animal. The |
| work in the long haul. | | | | value of her letter is that it brings up the ultimate |
| By the way, I sent our reader a long, detailed blue | | | | question: Do you want to spend hundreds of hours |
| print for fixing the biting problem without causing | | | | teaching and training a horse to ride - or hundreds of |
| more problems in the process. However, in this | | | | hours riding a horse that is already trained? Food for |
| column, I really want to focus on the underlying | | | | thought when you get ready to shop for your next |
| issues in her letter and those have little to do with | | | | horse! |
| biting. | | | | |