Most Miniature Horse owners will tell you that their horse is perfectly behaved. But, if you question them a bit further, they'll tell you, "Well, he does sometimes bite me, or kick at me, and he's sometimes really hard to catch. He doesn't always want to load on the trailer and sometimes he bumps into me and steps on my toes when I'm leading him. But other than that, he's perfect!"
If you've read my hubpage, Natural Training Methods for the Small Equine (hubpages.com/hub/Natural-Training-Methods-for-Small-Equine) and have put those methods into practice, you've probably already solved all of the above problems. You've probably already gotten your horse respectful and you have his fear under control, all without hurting him or using force. If you haven't started those lessons yet and you're having some serious issues with your little horse (and face the truth – getting bitten or kicked is a serious issue), then this blog will help you.
Let's suppose that you have one or more of the misbehaviors mentioned above to deal with. Or, it's possible that you have another horse that you haven't been training simply because of one of these issues. I'm going to discuss each one in detail and tell you how to teach your horse that such behavior isn't allowed.
In this lesson, we'll deal with the kicking horse. Now, all horses kick. They kick at each other, they kick at dogs that are nipping at their heels, or at things that blow past them in the wind. But no horse should EVER be allowed to kick at people. To do so is disrespect, pure and simple, and it's dangerous to us humans.
If the kicking is totally a matter of disrespect, he needs to go through some thorough round pen training (see my training hubpage at the addy above). But, if he kicks because he's super sensitive or because he's not used to people or to being handled, then here is a quicker way to fix the problem.
The colt in the photo is a weanling Shetland who was raised in a huge pasture and never touched until he was weaned. On that day, he was pulled from his mother, caught and haltered, dragged into a trailer, and then into a stall in a strange barn. From there, he went to a sale ring – another traumatic experience – and from there into yet another trailer and another strange barn. He's frightened, he's hard to catch, he's unused to being handled, and he kicks.
If you have a horse like this, you can help him. To get him used to having his hind legs touched without losing any teeth, you'll use your old standby, the lunge whip. Gently shoo your horse into a corner of the pen. Notice that I didn't tell you to do this in a stall, because the tight quarters might prevent you from staying out of range when he kicks at the whip. And he will, I promise you, kick at the whip.
So, shoo him into a corner and, while his hind end is toward you, simply tickle the outside of his back leg with the lunge whip. He's going to kick, so make sure you're as far away as you can be and still reach him. Also, watch out for any sign that he's going to back up to kick you. Some of them will. Luckily, you can move backwards just as fast as he can, so you can stay out of range. Very few frightened, unhandled horses will back more than a step or two when they're kicking.
When he kicks at the whip, just keep tickling him. If he flinches from it, keep tickling. If he tries to runs to another corner, try to block him and keep him where he is. If you can't, follow him and start tickling him again. Don't stop tickling him with that whip until he stands still for at least a few seconds and doesn't kick.
Then, lower the whip to the ground, tell him that he's a good boy, give him a few moments to think about what's happened then start tickling him again.
Eventually, you'll be able to run that whip up and down that leg without him kicking at you. He may not be happy about it, but he'll tolerate it. Now, move to the outside of the other back leg. Tickle until he can stand there without kicking. Then, move the whip so that it's between his back legs. Run the whip up one leg and down the other. Tickle his belly if you can reach it. Tickle up between his thighs. If he kicks, keep tickling. When he stops kicking, even if he's all hunched up or squashed into the corner, stop, give him a few moments to think, then start again.
This WILL work if you're patient. It might take 10 minutes, it might take 45 minutes, but keep it up until you can't MAKE him kick no matter where you touch him with the lunge whip. You need to make some serious progress with this problem on the first lesson. In other words, if he still kicks at it occasionally, the lesson isn't over.
Some horses are more dominant-minded than others. If you have one of those born fighters who decides that no matter how far away you are, he's going to back up until you're in range, remember that you're holding a lunge whip. Pop him on the butt and change his mind about coming after you. Do not, however, hit him any harder than absolutely necessary to protect yourself, and NEVER hit one for simply being afraid or ticklish and kicking at the whip. Popping him is only to be used if you yourself are being seriously threatened.
When you work with him next time, start off tickling him again, first on the outside of his back legs and then on the inside. When he can tolerate that without kicking, start GENTLY swinging the lash of the whip around his legs. Remember, you don't want to sting him with it, but to prove to him that it won't hurt him. Keep doing it until you can't get him to kick at the whip.
Is he fixed? No, not permanently. He'll probably need this lesson repeated several times to get him comfortable with having his hind legs touched.
Remember that you can do a variation of this lesson while your horse is on a halter. Reach past him (make sure you're standing in a safe spot so he won't run over you or kick you) with the lunge whip and tickle his hind legs. You can also desensitize his front legs the same way. The exception is this: make sure that whatever is in front of him won't catch his feet if he strikes. The fence panels in my photograph could easily trap his front leg if he struck out at the whip. So, don't try to desensitize front legs with the horse facing into a corner. It's better to put his halter on, turn him toward you but a few feet away, and tickle his front legs while you're holding him. That way, if he strikes out with his front foot, he'll hit nothing but air.
Don't try to pick up your horse's feet until you can no longer get him to kick at the whip EVER. Even then, be cautious. Stand beside him and get him used to your hand briefly touching his shoulder or hip, then the upper part of his leg, time after time until he's okay with it. Then you can start briefly sliding your hand down to his knee or hock, time after time, then down to his cannon bone, until he just stands there comfortably. Only then should you attempt to pick up his foot, and then only for a second. Before long, you'll be able to hold his foot up for a few seconds, then for a few minutes, and finally for as long as you need.
Be patient, especially with the fearful horse, and be careful. They might be small, but a Miniature Horse can still pack one whale of a kick when they want to.
NEXT: The hard-to-catch and hard-to-halter horse.
If you've read my hubpage, Natural Training Methods for the Small Equine (hubpages.com/hub/Natural-Training-Methods-for-Small-Equine) and have put those methods into practice, you've probably already solved all of the above problems. You've probably already gotten your horse respectful and you have his fear under control, all without hurting him or using force. If you haven't started those lessons yet and you're having some serious issues with your little horse (and face the truth – getting bitten or kicked is a serious issue), then this blog will help you.
Let's suppose that you have one or more of the misbehaviors mentioned above to deal with. Or, it's possible that you have another horse that you haven't been training simply because of one of these issues. I'm going to discuss each one in detail and tell you how to teach your horse that such behavior isn't allowed.
In this lesson, we'll deal with the kicking horse. Now, all horses kick. They kick at each other, they kick at dogs that are nipping at their heels, or at things that blow past them in the wind. But no horse should EVER be allowed to kick at people. To do so is disrespect, pure and simple, and it's dangerous to us humans.
If the kicking is totally a matter of disrespect, he needs to go through some thorough round pen training (see my training hubpage at the addy above). But, if he kicks because he's super sensitive or because he's not used to people or to being handled, then here is a quicker way to fix the problem.
The colt in the photo is a weanling Shetland who was raised in a huge pasture and never touched until he was weaned. On that day, he was pulled from his mother, caught and haltered, dragged into a trailer, and then into a stall in a strange barn. From there, he went to a sale ring – another traumatic experience – and from there into yet another trailer and another strange barn. He's frightened, he's hard to catch, he's unused to being handled, and he kicks.
If you have a horse like this, you can help him. To get him used to having his hind legs touched without losing any teeth, you'll use your old standby, the lunge whip. Gently shoo your horse into a corner of the pen. Notice that I didn't tell you to do this in a stall, because the tight quarters might prevent you from staying out of range when he kicks at the whip. And he will, I promise you, kick at the whip.
So, shoo him into a corner and, while his hind end is toward you, simply tickle the outside of his back leg with the lunge whip. He's going to kick, so make sure you're as far away as you can be and still reach him. Also, watch out for any sign that he's going to back up to kick you. Some of them will. Luckily, you can move backwards just as fast as he can, so you can stay out of range. Very few frightened, unhandled horses will back more than a step or two when they're kicking.
When he kicks at the whip, just keep tickling him. If he flinches from it, keep tickling. If he tries to runs to another corner, try to block him and keep him where he is. If you can't, follow him and start tickling him again. Don't stop tickling him with that whip until he stands still for at least a few seconds and doesn't kick.
Then, lower the whip to the ground, tell him that he's a good boy, give him a few moments to think about what's happened then start tickling him again.
Eventually, you'll be able to run that whip up and down that leg without him kicking at you. He may not be happy about it, but he'll tolerate it. Now, move to the outside of the other back leg. Tickle until he can stand there without kicking. Then, move the whip so that it's between his back legs. Run the whip up one leg and down the other. Tickle his belly if you can reach it. Tickle up between his thighs. If he kicks, keep tickling. When he stops kicking, even if he's all hunched up or squashed into the corner, stop, give him a few moments to think, then start again.
This WILL work if you're patient. It might take 10 minutes, it might take 45 minutes, but keep it up until you can't MAKE him kick no matter where you touch him with the lunge whip. You need to make some serious progress with this problem on the first lesson. In other words, if he still kicks at it occasionally, the lesson isn't over.
Some horses are more dominant-minded than others. If you have one of those born fighters who decides that no matter how far away you are, he's going to back up until you're in range, remember that you're holding a lunge whip. Pop him on the butt and change his mind about coming after you. Do not, however, hit him any harder than absolutely necessary to protect yourself, and NEVER hit one for simply being afraid or ticklish and kicking at the whip. Popping him is only to be used if you yourself are being seriously threatened.
When you work with him next time, start off tickling him again, first on the outside of his back legs and then on the inside. When he can tolerate that without kicking, start GENTLY swinging the lash of the whip around his legs. Remember, you don't want to sting him with it, but to prove to him that it won't hurt him. Keep doing it until you can't get him to kick at the whip.
Is he fixed? No, not permanently. He'll probably need this lesson repeated several times to get him comfortable with having his hind legs touched.
Remember that you can do a variation of this lesson while your horse is on a halter. Reach past him (make sure you're standing in a safe spot so he won't run over you or kick you) with the lunge whip and tickle his hind legs. You can also desensitize his front legs the same way. The exception is this: make sure that whatever is in front of him won't catch his feet if he strikes. The fence panels in my photograph could easily trap his front leg if he struck out at the whip. So, don't try to desensitize front legs with the horse facing into a corner. It's better to put his halter on, turn him toward you but a few feet away, and tickle his front legs while you're holding him. That way, if he strikes out with his front foot, he'll hit nothing but air.
Don't try to pick up your horse's feet until you can no longer get him to kick at the whip EVER. Even then, be cautious. Stand beside him and get him used to your hand briefly touching his shoulder or hip, then the upper part of his leg, time after time until he's okay with it. Then you can start briefly sliding your hand down to his knee or hock, time after time, then down to his cannon bone, until he just stands there comfortably. Only then should you attempt to pick up his foot, and then only for a second. Before long, you'll be able to hold his foot up for a few seconds, then for a few minutes, and finally for as long as you need.
Be patient, especially with the fearful horse, and be careful. They might be small, but a Miniature Horse can still pack one whale of a kick when they want to.
NEXT: The hard-to-catch and hard-to-halter horse.
No comments:
Post a Comment