INSTALLING
THE EMERGENCY BRAKES
(part 1)
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
Recently
I was at an event where a young rider’s horse took off
racing across the arena. Of course, someone from the sidelines
kept shouting, “Turn him! Turn him!” The rider was
pulling back with all her might but the horse kept charging
till he ran into the fence. Unfortunately this same scenario
takes place everyday as riders try to use brute force to stop
their horse. They usually follow the same pattern, the horse
starts to speed up so the rider pulls back on the reins, horse
goes faster, rider pulls harder. After several seconds, rider
tries to change tactics and begins see-sawing on the reins,
horse tucks head and keeps going. Finally rider tries to turn
horse in circle. But by now, so much time has passed, horse
has been able to brace his head and neck and all the rider can
do is hang on or bale out.
The idea
of turning a runaway horse into a tight circle sounds good in
theory, and actually works, but only if the rider is able to
turn him in the first stride or two and, here’s the important
part, the horse has been taught to give his head, to respond
to a pull on the rein. Notice I said rein, not reins. Most of
us have been taught to stop a horse by pulling back on the reins.
This is great for one that’s under control, but when things
get hairy, you need to get back in control, NOW!
In this
article, we’re going to discuss how to begin installing
an emergency brake on your horse and, like always, it begins
on the ground, back to basics. All you need is a halter and
long leadrope. You can work in a corral or the barn aisle, just
be sure there’s enough room for your horse to safely turn
all the way around. Before you can begin this exercise, your
horse must be tolerant of having a rope draped over his rump
and touching his rear between the rump and hocks. If he won’t
tolerate this, you need to spend time handling him in this area
and getting him accustom to the rope. If he kicks, get professional
help to solve the problem before going on. Your horse should
never raise a leg to you for any reason! Don’t tolerate
this behavior, get help and get the problem solved now! This
is vital because in this exercise, to do it correctly your horse
will be passing his rump right in front of you.
If your
horse will tolerate the rope, proceed by attaching the leadrope
to the bottom ring of your halter. Then, standing on his left
side, drape the rope around his right side and bring it around
his rump just above the hocks as in photo #1. Now stand about
two or three feet away from your horse’s shoulder and pull.
Your horse should calmly follow the rope around and face you.
But be ready for any reaction. I’ve had seasoned show horses
panic and try to run forward, rear up or fight the rope. Just
because your horse will spin with you on him doesn’t mean
he will give his head in this situation. If he does any of the
above, you’ve found a hole in your training program that
needs attention. Of course, if you have been following this
series and have done your groundwork, you should have no problems.
At first
some horses will fly around while others will move like an old
snail. The goal is to have your horse come around at a nice
even pace. Some may brace their neck and fight your pull. If
this happens, make the rope a bit shorter and give short quick
tugs until your horse turns his head then pull him around. Be
sure to lengthen the rope as your horse comes toward you so
he doesn’t bump you as he’s turning.
If your
horse rears or braces his neck against you, go to the right
side, stand in your safety zone by his shoulder and give a short
quick tug on the rope. When he turns to you, praise him. Keep
trying until he will actually hug you with his head. Then go
to the other side and repeat the exercise. You want your horse
to become light to your pull on the rope. You can also use a
verbal cue like “Come around.” This may take several
days to accomplish. Don’t rush it and remember to work
both sides.
When your
horse will give his head with you at his shoulder, try stepping
farther back. Be careful he doesn’t kick at you since you
will now be out of your safety zone. Pull on the rope and your
horse should turn his head toward you. He may also start moving
his rump away from you. This is what you want. At first he will
probably walk in a circle around you which is fine. When he
will consistently come around on a light tug, put the rope around
his rump, move to the other side and pull. By now your horse
is getting the idea and should only move his hind hooves a few
steps as he comes around. Before long, your horse will simply
plant the hind leg nearest you and pivot around to face you.
Surprise, he’s just done an inhand 180- degree turn.
To better
understand this exercise, let’s look at the photos. In
photo # 2, I am doing the same exercise with Lou but I have
the rope behind the saddle and she is wearing a bridle and snaffle
bit. This is because she has progressed to doing the emergency
stop from the saddle. This photo was taken just before her first
spring ride and I like to “spin her out” just as a
reminder. After a winter of loafing, she’s a bit resentful
about having to give her head. Notice how her head is up, the
front legs are stiff, the neck braced and her weight is on the
back leg near me. She’s got her whole body braced away
from my pull. But, with her, I just need to give a few tugs
and she will give in. Still with her personality, I like to
remind her that I’m in control before I get on.
In photo
# 3, Johnnie is just the opposite of Lou, he hasn’t been
“spun out” in about 4 years but he willingly turns
his head and comes around. Notice his weight is planted on the
left rear leg, his neck is soft and his head and nose follows
the rope. These two horses are as different as day and night
personality-wise. Johnny will do pretty much what you want,
no questions asked. Lou on the other hand is a worrier and needs
lots of reassuring.
This may
seem like a simple exercise, but it is a very effective one.
It has a very psychologically dominate effect on your horse
because no matter how much he resists, you can calmly bring
him around. It might take time to get the head around at first,
but with perseverance, it will work. And he always ends up facing
you!
I’ve
found this exercise to be a real life-saver and now whenever
I’m asked to ride a strange horse, I take a few seconds
and do this first. Then I know what kind of control I really
have if I need it.
In the
next article, I’ll discuss how to transfer this exercise
to the saddle so you too can install a set of emergency brakes
on your horse. But first, you need to get back to basics and
do the groundwork.
archives
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
