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Sample Our Newsletter
"How to Halter a Horse," from my FREE monthly newsletter
From the Basic Horse Training Series:
"Is he head shy? Does he have a cow when you touch his ears or chin or block his vision? Then put the halter down and use your hands to desensitize him to your touch. (Use a dressage whip at first if you feel he might throw his head about and strike you. This would be a silly way to lose your front teeth. Stand at the point of his shoulder if you feel there's any chance he might try to kick or walk into you.) Begin by finding the spots where he doesn't like to be touched and do what any bratty older sister would do: Keep touching him there. If you can't touch his ears, rub the area you can rub, edging ever closer to the ears as the horse grows bored, being careful to only remove our rubs when the horse pauses. There's only one way to screw this up and that is for you to pause when he moves away. If he moves, you move with him. Remember, you "sensitize" the horse (that is, make him more likely to move) when you remove your pressure as he moves; you "desensitize" the horse (dull him to something) when you remove your pressure when he stops doing something.
If you're saying, "Yeah, but he moves his ears the second I touch them," that's fine. If you can bring your hand up and over his ears even for a tenth of a second, you would have accomplished your immediate objective of touching his ears. (Our long term goal is haltering the horse and we never start with our goal, right?) All you need to do is repeat this over and over and over, slowing your hand above his ears as he begins to grow bored. The horse has either grown sensitive to having his ears touched because people backed off as he pitched his head ("sensitizing him") – or no one's ever worked with him period (as in the case of a youngster). Either way, our response is the same."
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From John Lyons Trainer Keith Hosman |
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Stop Bucking Study Course
A Downloadable Book
A sample from Day 4:
"Day 4: “The Crash Taught Me This”
Hello and welcome to our fourth day in this study course “Stop Bucking!”
We discussed the “Calm Down Cue” in yesterday’s segment. By now you might have tried your hand at it.
Here’s a major point I’d like to make about that lesson: The Calm Down Cue is not a magic cure that calms your horse when he’s three feet off the ground. Just as the disengaging of the hip (as described in Day Two) does not provide instant relief once things have gotten out of hand, neither does the Calm Down Cue. For it to work, you must be proactive.
Here’s an example - and it happened to me: Years ago I was riding one of my own horses; we’d just had a terrific session and this green horse had been pretty good. To cool out we took a casual walk around the equestrian center. She caught something out of the corner of her eye and in an instant she shot out from underneath me. In one trillionth of a second she was four feet to the left and I was hanging in the air like Wile E. Coyote holding up a “Help” sign. I’ve never fallen straight down before or since; usually you gets thrown to the left or the right. This happened so fast that I dropped like a freight elevator." - Print out from home
- 5 Days, 5 chapters
- Learn at your own pace
Just $4.99
For more info:
this course | all courses
Available Downloads:
"Stop Bucking"
"Rein/Speed" (for Nervous Horse Owners)
"Round Pen First Steps"
"Trailer Training"
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GUEST AUTHOR ARTICLES
Horse Show Grooming
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"Your Groom—A Key Partnership in Horse Showing Success"
Written by Kathy Keeley
Copyright © 2008 Kathy Keeley
Years ago I ran an advertisement in a show prize list thanking all of the folks who made our horse showing a success. As you might imagine, it takes many people and professionals to make it possible for a rider to win a blue ribbon. It's not a small list, by any means. If you think about all of the checks you write in a month's time, the list grows very quickly.
One check that is easy for me to write is for our groom. The groom is a key behind-the-scenes partner in a successful show career and has his own role to play in making sure horses are well cared for and kept ready to show.
Good grooms are worth their weight in gold at a horse show. They ensure the horses are fed, clean, lunged, and tacked up for the riders. They help out show moms by taking care of all of the "dirty" work of keeping stalls clean, making sure the horse has hay and water, and cleaning and organizing the tack. Some shows even have a contest for the grooms where they compete on how well turned out a horse is for showing. Grooms give the rider the luxury of concentrating on showing and riding and give show moms the ability to be spectators, parents, and supporters.
Working with your groom requires four key skills: organization, communication, delegation, and appreciation. Both show moms and riders need these traits to foster a successful relationship with their grooms. Working partnerships are important for the riders, but the moms need a slightly different set of skills to be effective in working with a groom.
1. Organization. Good strong organization before and during the show is important. Show moms can organize their rider's tack, supplies, and equipment so that everything has a place. Bins for leg wraps, bags for dirty show pads, and grooming boxes for all of the cleaning supplies are important tools. Moms usually have a role in setting up the supplies, especially for younger riders, and have created a system for organizing everything that will make the groom's life much easier.
2. Communication. Communication is a must. No groom is a mind reader, so communicating your expectations, your preferences and any tips for caring for a horse are vital. Make sure they know what time you show, when a horse must be ready, any shampooing or lunging instructions, and other details that are important to caring for your horse. Your trainer may take care of some of these tasks, but they may be busy out in the arena and not see what you see. Your rider needs to see you role model good communication skills. Refrain from demeaning or patronizing behavior and instead use clean and effective communication that regularly incorporates a "please" and a "thank you". If you want your children to treat grooms with respect, then you must model appropriate behavior for them.
3. Delegation. Effective delegation is another skill, like permitting the groom do his job without constant interference, criticism, rolling of the eyes, etc. Just like in your workplace, effective delegation requires that you communicate your expectations, describe the work or the roles and responsibilities, and provide feedback with check-in periods. Sometimes show moms forget to explain their expectations, provide a clear job description, or give feedback if things are not going well. To be an effective delegator, think in terms of roles and responsibilities and who should be taking care of what.
4. Appreciation. Appreciation is a skill that some of us show moms seem to be short on some days. I require my children to use "thank you" with their grooms several times a day. We check with the grooms about food during the day and make sure they are included if we are getting food for ourselves or others. We provide a large cooler filled with drinks in the tack room at every show. Sharing the excitement over ribbons and wins with grooms can be important to them – after all, they set up the horse. Lastly, a monetary reward, like a nice tip at the end of the show and at the end of the season can help you convey your appreciation.
If you're a show mom who also serves as your child's groom, you deserve a medal and a special thank you from your trainer and rider. I spent years being the groom for my daughter when we started horse showing. It was hard work but it saved us lots of money that we invested in more shows, and it forced my daughter to learn some important skills like hard work and responsibility. The ribbons that she won resulted from her hard work, and while she often yearned for a groom, I think these experiences taught her to be much more appreciative and respectful when we did hire grooms.
Kudos and hats off to all the grooms in this industry. Their behind-the-scenes work makes all of us look better.
Veteran show mom Kathy Keeley has six years of horse showing experience from locals to A Circuit to NCCA Varsity Equestrian Shows. Get your free horse show packing list when you subscribe to our newsletter at ShowMom.com , the first online community created especially for horseshow mothers and daughters who want to learn how to successfully navigate the horseshow circuit and maintain a great mother-daughter relationship.
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Disclaimer: Equine training can be a hazardous activity which may subject the participants to possible serious injury. Keith Hosman, Josh Lyons, Patrick Benson, their associates and other trainers listed on this site will not assume any liability for your activities. Our newsletter, books and videos provide general information, instruction and techniques that may not be suitable for everyone. No warranty is given regarding the suitability of this information, the instructions, and techniques to you or other individuals acting under your instructions.
All Rights Reserved (TM) 2009, horsemanship101.com
No part of this website, including newsletter material and photos, may be reproduced without our express written permission.
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Horse Owning: Horse Show Grooming, advice for the horse owner provided by John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman
Bookmark horsemanship101.com for Horse-Keeping Tips
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