The Young Horse: Ground Manners

You should not jerk the rope, but use a gentle, steady pressure for a few seconds. Again, we are building toward a goal. The goal is achieved in steps. Don't fight it, if your horse doesn't respond well expect LESS of a turn. See Halter Breaking.

Step 2
When your horse has mastered this lesson, let it have a longer lead before asking for the turn. Do it the same way. Both left and right. If your horse isn't responding well then go back to the first step. Do the first step until mastered, then return to this step.

Step 3
Now your horse is ready to advance to the next lesson - giving to indirect pressure. In this lesson you will bring the rope over your horse's back. You are going to ask the horse to turn into the side the rope is pulling on. You will be on the right, the horse will turn to the left.

Use the same amount of pressure as you did before. It may take a few times before your horse gets the idea. When it does give to the rope, PRAISE IT LAVISHLY. Next, do the reverse - you on the left, the horse turning to the right. Praise it for a job well done.

Step 4
Working on the fence, put the rope around a solid post, don't tie it. Your horse may back up. Let it back some and then hold the rope firmly so it puts pressure on the horse's head. If you did the previous lessons then your horse should stop when it feels the pressure of the rope. If not, return to the previous lesson. If the horse responds well, shorten the rope some. The horse should walk toward the post. If he fights, return to the previous lesson. The idea is that you should work on the lesson until the horse understands it. If it is fighting, it doesn't understand. We use this method to teach out horses to tie, both foals and older, untrained or abused horses. It does work, but it takes time. Your goal is to get your horse to stand tied. You are working toward that without actually tying it.

Step 5
Your horse should be able to stand at the fence with the rope around the post (one time) but not tied. It should have about 18" of slack. Your horse should stand quietly without pulling. If not, go back and work on it. If it does, now you are going to simulate some situations your horse may be in while tied. You need someone to help you with this part. Have your helper walk by the horse. If it pulls, hold firmly and give it a chance to settle down. If it starts to panic, let it have some rope. It will probably want to turn to look at the scary person walking by. When it see the person isn't going to eat it, try again. It helps if the person is making a little noise at first, like quietly talking to you. Repeat this part until the horse doesn't respond to the person walking by at all.