STOPPING
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FULL OF "WHOA!"
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
One of
the simplest things to get a horse to do is go. The hardest
is getting him to properly stop. Most people are happy if their
horse eventually stops moving forward, even though he's dancing
around in circles. In reality, this is a dangerous situation.
"Whoa" isn't just a word. It's a sign of respect.
If your horse is dancing around, running you over or dragging
you around, he's not respecting you and in most cases doesn't
even know you exist. His attention is on something else, not
you! Every horse in every discipline must know that "whoa"
means stop and stay still until told to move. Many riders don't
realize the importance of a proper, straight stop. Teaching
your horse the meaning of whoa not only adds to his training,
but teaches him to respect you. There is no magic way to teach
the whoa, it just takes time, patience, repetition and getting
back on the ground, back to the basics.
For this
you will need a halter and leadrope, don't use a stud chain,
your horse should stop on command, not because of a chain over
his nose. All horses, even studs should know how to stop on
command; the stud chain is only for emergencies. If you need
a stud chain to stop your horse, he has no respect for you and
is dangerous. What if the chain breaks?
Begin by
leading your horse forward, stop and say "Whoa!" The
horse should immediately stop and stand without fussing. If
he doesn't, walk forward again. This time just as you say "whoa,"
give a sharp jerk on the lead. This should get his attention.
He will either stop dead, charge forward or fly backwards. If
he goes forward, jerk his head tightly toward you and force
him to walk in a tight circle around you. Stay close to his
shoulder and keep circling him and saying "whoa,"
until he stops. When he does, praise him and try again. Remember,
you must pull him around instantly after he takes the first
step forward and stay at it until he stops. If he stops for
a split second, praise him but if he takes off again, go back
to circling him. As you are circling, look over his back, not
down at his legs or you will get dizzy. If you are at his shoulder,
there's little chance he can step on you. If need be lean your
shoulder against his for support.
If your
horse flies backward, go with him, don't try and pull him to
a stop. Don't tell him to "whoa" or yell and scream
at him, just calmly walk right straight toward him. Let him
go back as far and as fast as he wants, just keep going with
him. When he starts to slow down, make him back up more then
when you are ready, tell him to "whoa." By now he
will be ready to stop. When he does, act as if nothing happened,
praise him, turn away, look forward and briskly walk forward.
You may have to do this several times. Don't loose your cool.
Remember, his first instinct is to flee. Stay calm and praise
him when he finally does stop. Peek to see if he has moved.
If so, repeat the process. If he's standing there, praise him.
You might also notice at this point he'll start licking his
lips. Good, he's beginning to figure things out. Always look
for this as a sign that he is starting to pay attention and
is trying to understand. Praise him when he's doing this. As
your training progresses, this will be one of your biggest aids.
When your
horse is standing still, increase the distance between you and
him by walking to the end of your leadrope. If he breaks, go
back and put him in the same spot he was standing in. This is
time consuming but he will eventually realize he hasn't gained
anything by inching forward as he has to go right back where
he started from. After your horse is standing still, begin leaving
him from both sides, step to his sides and go around behind
him. This teaches him to stand where ever you put him and not
to follow you. When he is doing that well, start teaching him
to ground tie by dropping the lead, saying "whoa"
and walking about six feet away from him. Stop and count to
five then turn and return. If he moves, calmly go back and work
on the above process. If he stood, praise him. Only when he
is standing calmly should you move to the next exercise. To
complete the ground tying lessons, your horse should stand as
you leave and approach him from both sides and the rear. You
should also be able to skip toward and past him, drag a long
pole near him and be able to stand next to him and take your
jacket on and off.
Never try
the next exercise until he has mastered the current one. Teaching
the whoa and ground tying can take weeks, but once mastered
they are there for life. It is the most important thing you
can teach your horse as some day both of your lives may depend
on his ability to whoa!
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Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
