My Top Five Most Useful Training Tools
by Lauren Wright
At university, I spent three years actively training a young Percheron/Thoroughbred cross as part of a program to take weanlings and turn them into suitable horses for police work. I watched eleven other trainers struggle through the same job I did, and I began to realize that the experienced trainers used some of the same tools and methods. I realized that they did so for a reason… some tools are just too useful not to use! So below, for your convenience, I have listed in no particular order
1. Rope Halter
A rope halter is extremely useful, especially if you find that the horse you are working with is dominant or pushy. The little knots fit right over pressure points on a horse’s nose and make it much easier to get a horse’s attention or get him out of your space. A leather or nylon halter can be nice in some circumstances, but I would wait until you have established a respectful response from your horse using a light pressure from the rope halter before you switch back to the broader pieces of the leather or nylon.
2. Cue Stick
Let me begin by saying that I would not attempt to train a horse without one of these. A cue stick adds at least three or four feet of length to your arm, allowing you to apply pressure from a safe distance if you work with a reactive horse. If your cue stick has a length of rope on the end (which I highly recommend!), your reach is even longer. This tool lets you desensitize your horse’s legs without getting kicked or struck. It may take a little practice before it feels entirely natural in your hand, but spending the time to get familiar with your cue stick can have wonderful results in your training.
3. Long Lead Rope
The right lead rope is a vital tool to have, but it is often overlooked for several reasons. Your lead rope should ideally be between eight and fourteen feet long, and I prefer mine to be at least twelve feet. This gives me enough length to use the rope to desensitize my horse if I need to, and also to make sure that if my horse spooks, I am still holding onto my horse afterwards. With a twelve or fourteen foot lead rope, you can lunge your horse in a small circle or over obstacles. The ideal lead rope should be able to carry energy from your hand all the way to your horse’s halter. A too-light lead rope has no power in it, and I find that a too-heavy rope sits dead in my hand. Look for a lead rope that suits you, not just in color, but in length and weight, too.
4. Obstacles
I know it sounds backward, but the more you scare your horse, the fewer things your horse will find scary. Obstacles can be extremely useful in producing a calm, confident horse, but so many people ignore a bounty of obstacles they have around the barn. A tarp or piece of plywood is a great place to start with your horse. Also, tires or broken mattresses are great. Feel free to be creative with your obstacles: pool noodles, flags, caution tape, PVC poles… all of these are great items to desensitize your horse to. The best way to find obstacles is to find out what scares your horse. Once you know, don’t avoid those things; play with them, around them, over them. Send your horse between you and the obstacle, and make very sure that your horse doesn’t invade your space! Playing with obstacles will build your horse’s confidence like almost nothing else will!
5. A Consistent, Patient Hand
If you struggle with being patient, then training a horse will definitely challenge you. No matter how good a trainer you are, there will be days when nothing goes according to your plans. Your horse might have done everything perfectly the day before, but today, he’s not doing anything right! On those days, this last tool comes into play. Especially when you work with young, green horses, you have to be very calm and consistent in what you’re asking. Being patient will get you farther than rushing through things. Horses learn in cycles, and I have yet to figure out how to predict how my horse will perform on any given day. When your horse is having a great day, wonderful! Feel free to try new things or set new training goals. When your horse is having an off day, work through things calmly and patiently, using a consistent increase of pressure until your horse does what you ask. Always try to find a good note to end on.
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The finalists and the Grand Prize winner of the NickerTown photo contest for July 2011 were put online last week. The winner is Kathy Holl with her photo “KBH_1162”. We asked Kathy to share a little info about her photo and here is what she said.
This photo was taken in early January on one of my outings taking
horse pictures with my new camera. I was leisurely on my way home on
a back road from a local horse training facility when my attention was
drawn to a threesome grazing. Grey horses have a great appeal to me
and this one was grazing alone from its two buddies. I decided to
take a ground level shot through the fence using my 70-300mm lens and
I wanted a subtle hint of the barn in the background. The lighting
was nice giving a soft background. This is one of many I took of this
particular horse, and later with his buddies, including their
interaction with one another. Thank heavens for digital!
Horse photography is one of my favorite subjects. Recently I have
been frequenting local horse events with my camera, including polo
games and horse/pony shows. Horses are amazing and mystical creatures
with a spirit of their own. My dream would be to have one of my own,
or better yet, as many as possible. Since that is not likely, I enjoy
focusing on photographing them and am planning on ways to help support
equine rescue organizations by dedicating proceeds from any horse
photography I do to a local foundation.
The judges added a comment as well.
Keep shooting Kathy. We know that if you continue to take beautiful photos like the one selected as the winner, your dream of owning horses may not be as far out of reach as you imagine.
You can see Kathy’s photo, as well as the other finalists by clicking on the photo below.
Congrats again Kathy!
The NickerTown Staff
We missed putting up a short note about the June photo contest winner.
The winning photo for June 2011 was "Horse Racing 332" by Dori Kais. When asked about her photo, Dori said:
I had spent most of a early summer day at the racetrack, which is one of my guilty pleasures, taking pictures of the horses pounding down the track. As the last race approached and I still hadn't gotten "the shot", I wondered down right along the rail. The bell rang and I started clicking all the way through the finish line. This photo is the result of the last race and shot of the day.
You can see Dori’s photo as well as the other finalists in the June winners album (click on the photo below).
Congrats Dori!
The NickerTown Staff
Wow, it’s that time again… after a short summer break, we’re back and will be announcing the finalists and winner of the July photo contest later tonight and we’ll publish tomorrow morning. There were many great photos entered last month (Thank You to everyone who participated). More later…
John
NickerTown
Sorry for the delay in announcing the Grand Prize winner for the April photo contest. We were out of town for the college graduation of our middle daughter (Congrats Lauren!). In any case, the winner for the April photo contest is the photo “Did I Win That” by Lisa Johnson. Here is the story behind the photo:
“The photo is of my 9 year old daughter (8 then) and her 20ish year old pony Peppermint. 1 year prior to that photo, Peppermint was found in a kill pen at a local horse auction by Mid Atlantic Horse Rescue. We worked with her and the next spring, they came in 2nd place competing Elementary Level at a local Horse Trial. It almost seemed like the pony was just as impressed with the ribbon!!”
For winning the April photo contest, Lisa won a $25 gift card from Amazon. Congrats Lisa!
Don’t forget, the photo contest is always open. The May contest is underway and is open and accepting photos. Just visit the photo contest link above. If you haven’t signed up, create an account and then add your photos to the May 2011 photo contest album. Good Luck!
The NickerTown Staff
The finalists for the April 2011 photo contest have been selected. You can see the selected photo in the winners album (click the link below):
APRIL 2011 FINALISTS
Check them out and then vote for your favorite by selecting them in the poll (top right on the screen). The winner will be chosen by popular vote, so get your friends to visit and vote. Voting starts immediately and will end at midnight US Central time on Sunday May 15th.
Congrats to all of the finalists!
We took a few days to update the software that hosts the NickerTown photo contest and plan on doing a few more updates as the software adds more functionality. Another update will happen over the next few days (minor bug fixes) and then a major update in the June time frame.
Anyways, all that to say that the judging has been a little delayed, but we expect to have the finalists selected today and will turn on the voting as soon as the finalists are selected.
Talk to you soon!