Training Tips
FROM FOALING TO KINDERGARTEN by Jay Mele
Not everyone will be lucky enough to experience the joy of bringing their new horse into the world. Some will have to settle for bringing home baby as a weanling. Others will start their relationship with a yea rling or two year old. But no matter what age your youngster enters your life remember this goal.
"Acceptance, Willingness and Respect" NOT Submission, Intimidation and Fear.
The methods that I utilize in my training of young horses come out of practicing that goal EVERY DAY. As you read this article some of you may think to yourselves, "But he starts his young ones as foals! My baby is already a weanling, or yearling! What do I do now?" The same thing. You may have a later start, but the fundamentals are the same. Memorize your goal and go to work.
Our foals have a lot to learn those first few weeks of life. One, humans are good things. Two, halters are good things. Three, I can follow my mom around all by myself unless we are going from the stall to the paddock or back again. Then, I have to have a human with me. Four, the human isn't trying to take me away from my mom, and I shouldn't run over them to get to her. Five, picking up my feet, having my ears/tummy/back/tail scratched is a good thing (brushes feel good too!). But remember, this is nursery school for the new foal. A couple of minutes a day is enough. When the foal looses patience, back off. Stand at the stall door and wait for the foal to come to you, curiosity will eventually overcome fear. If the foal doesn't want to be scratched today, that's OK. Try again tomorrow. Your aren't following a train schedule.
Once baby is weaned, it's time to start kindergarten. This is the time I bring the foals into the round pen. I free lunge them and get them to gain confidence in humans. To look to a human as a security blanket. I don't ever force them to do anything. I expose them to what I want, and gain acceptance one step at a time. If today is not a good day for them, that's OK. I back off, because nothing HAS to be done today. As time progresses we work on leading, backing up, more brushing and foot work. They learn to tie but I don't ever crosstie them. If you don't know the proper way to tie a quick release knot, LEARN, but I don't ever crosstie a young horse. Exposure to blankets, saddle pads, hoof picks, trail objects, going over obstacles in hand, clipping and trailering begins now. I work with a rope, a flag. The lariat is put over their body, around their rump and over their head. None of this is done because the horse is submitting to me, they ACCEPT it. They are willing to do it because they're not afraid of the consequences. During this time I allow the horse to respect human space while I respect theirs. If a horse is looking for a way out of the round pen, I back away. This is not a time to approach the horse, it is a time to gain trust. If a horse turns his head, not his entire body, toward you, you are invading his space. Back off. These sessions only take 5 to 15 minutes at a time but no matter how long we have been working, at the first indication of stress, we stop.
Remember also that this period of time is kindergarten not college. It is playtime, recess, discovery and time spent learning how to learn. The round pen shouldn't always represent work, it needs to be fun too. Some days I bring them into the pen just to frolic with a friend or roll and kick up their heels.
Keep it simple, make it fun and have patience. Pretty soon that baby will think you\rquote re great and look forward to your time together.
WESTERN RIDING by Jay Mele
I am often asked to explain what Western Riding is, and how and why it came into existence. Basically, Western Riding was derived from the need to perform work off the back of a horse. Ranc h work, cattle work, and travel were the primary motivation for the development of this riding technique.
Western saddles were developed to carry tools and enable the rider to rope, herd and work with a level of security and comfort that the English type saddle couldn't provide. These saddles started out as a modified version of the saddle of the Spanish Conquistadores. The riders, performing different types of work, made them to suit their individual needs. The stirrups are large, the broad fenders pr otect the riders legs from chafing and the horn was introduced to act as a post for roping. Rider comfort was achieved by providing a broad deep seat and long stirrups for a relaxed leg.
The clothing developed to become very specialized and practical. Hats, denim trousers, chaps, spurs, boots and bandanas provided protection, performance and comfort.
The horses used for Western Riding were bred to be a modified version of the horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish explorers and to the colonies by the English settlers. These horses needed to be shorter coupled, agile and strong enough to perform cattle and ranch work all day, take the family to church on Sunday and then on to the races. The foundation quarter horse developed from the breeding go al to produce speed, balance, agility, intelligence and an uncanny instinct for cow work. The American Quarter Horse was designed to do work and lots of it.
The preferred gaits of these working horses are the lope, a relaxed loose-rein canter, and the jog, a slow trot, also executed on a loose rein. A rider can cover about 5 miles an hour at the jog and 6-8 miles an hour at the lope.
Today, plenty of these hardy horses are found on ranches all over the world, doing their cow and ranch work. But as our society has changed, and people began to have more recreational time, another "job" for these fine animals started to emerge. Western competition riding developed and is growing in leaps and bounds. Rodeo, Reining, Working Cow Horse, Heading and Healing, Barrel Racing, Cutting and Western Pleasure, among other disciplines, are becoming increasingly popular. A new industry based on competition. A new job for the foundation quarter horse. And, a renewed interest in preserving the breeding that brought a bout the most popular horse in the world, the American Quarter Horse.