Today i'm going to give you a great piece of advice and a great training method.

Another new client the other day. Their horse came with a reputation as a KICKER !!  yes in caps cause KICKERS are dangerous. I told the new client i would shoe the horse but if i'm going to do so i'll need to establish myself with the horse so it gets the idea who is running the show so to speak. I told my client what i do with horses like this is to just cut to the chase and put a knotted rope under the lip of the horse accross the upper gums/fasten it to the lead rope so i can give it a tug if necessary. This method was taught me at the Horseshoeing school i attended as we got a lot of real rank horses at the school to shoe.

The response i got from the new client was (No one's going to beat up on my horse). Ok he's sensitive and i don't blame him. I'm firm with animals but i don't abuse them. He was also a bit defensive when i said his horse has a reputation/ he said "What reputation" and went right over to pick up the horses rear foot as if to tell me there's no problem. Of course the horse danced around before it let it's foot be picked up ( was one clue to me the horse might have issues ). Keep in mind at this same ranch a woman had been kicked almost to death several weeks earlier.

The point here is ( and back to dangerous animals and being careful ) the horse may very well know how to pick up it's foot for it's owner - but for ME??? ----- that's another story altogether. I'm a new face to the horse and more apt to be tested by the animal , which i experience "All the time to varying degrees".  So my new client and i agreed he'd let me shoe the horse but instead of me using the knotted rope method he'd already purchased the training/restraint device and wanted me to use it instead and i agreed.  I'm including a picture of the device here for you - because really these tools are phenomenal when used correctly - and i'll explain more.  I have no financial connection so the owner of the patent on this device is getting some free promotion today from me.

Now here's the scenario:

I showed up several days later for the shoeing. My first approach was to see if i could "Buddy Up" with the horse. I sat on the tailgate of my truck and took the halter of the Nice looking Arab ( with reputation ) and held her close. The purpose is if i can keep her head in a fairly confined area and she's "OK" with it then that's points in her favor ( perhaps she's not so Krazy ) - if she can't hold her head still for me for as long as it takes for her to start "Chewing" ( the sign of acceptance ) and she starts demonstrating unusual behaviors i know she's got issues for sure. For some reason holding the head in a certain spot will bring out alot of quirks and clues to the personality .

Well the horse didn't buddy up - she hung her head and slightly pressed into me . No matter what we did - i'd rub her eyes - nose - massage her - she'd invariably hang her head and press into me and "NOT CHEW" - she stayed very tense in the face even after about 20 minutes of me working to calm her.  Sigh !  so now i knew i had my work cut out for me - specially with her tainted reputation.      

So as i hopped off the tailgate and asked her to back - she did a short blow up and STOMPED ON ME !!   right on my pooor ole foot !!!  And it HURT !!             So that was my clue to get the restraining/training device. 
                                                        Quite the tool if i do say so ...

It's a rope setup - with a plastic tubing over a section of the rope that will ride under the horses lip over the gums where a very sensitive nerve resides. The plastic tubing makes the tool "HUMANE" rather than the original lip "CHAIN" where a chain is used on the gums which can sometimes draw a trickle of blood.  The tool worked wonderfully and humanely and left not a mark on the horse .

So - installed the device which loops over the ears in typical fassion and through the mouth under the lip - there's a tensioner to snug up the pressure on the gums as much as you like to get the desired effect on the horse - which is when they start to "Pay attention".   there's also a little handle of rope hanging to pull on which is the tightening device. 

So In with the tool and snug the thing up - now i have her (it's a mare) attention big time . So the method is to back her/ then stop her / then to ask her to come forward / Stop !!!  Basic Ground training.  So horses typically can't stand backing so thats my first command to establish myself with the horse -  so She backs !!  She backs BIG TIME - in fact it's almost as if it's her favorite thing to do. That's just her little "TRICK"- you see backing had been her REPRIMAND by her owner - so in her own way she turned backing into "HER" idea as a way of being able to be the one in charge ...   Sneaky .  don't usually see this ...

Now let me tell you - this horse is TOUGH !!   OK - so fortunately i got her number and figured her out quickly - jusut after a couple backings i knew what she was up to.   So i said " Ah if you want to back cause you think it's your idea i'm going to make it MY IDEA"  - i'm going to back you till you're SICK OF IT and then i'll back you "MORE" so you know it's "MY IDEA"...    So on we go - backing and backing and backing ---------- then more backing - and more - and she's acting like she's having so much fun -  ( The little Brat )... So now i'm making her back farther and faster and she's just finally starting to about have had enough !!!! So she starts to Plant herself and challenge me ....  OK ???    i have the tool in her mouth which she doesn't like the least ( in the first place) and now she's "Planting" and refusing to back and challenging me.   So she's telling me she's not going to back and so now when i ask her to come forward she's planting also - TOTAL DEFIANCE ....     I'm leaning onto the lead rope putting forward pressure on here and she's leaning back ( the struggle ) - course she's too big and strong and i can't win -  

So now i walk up to her - and since i can't get forward motion or back her i decide to push against her chest - And she literally SNORTS at me for doing so as if "HOW DARE I".  OH ! She's Spoiled rotten .   If i wasn't careful i'm sure she would have lashed out with the front legs to kick me .  She is completely in a mood now !   I'm pushing all her buttons. 

Ok - so here is where the tool comes in - since she is Planting and defying me - Grab the handle of the device and give it a tug !!!    it jolts the nerve under the lip at the gums.   Jolting that nerve is what gets the horse to respond - so i tug and command "Back" !  if she doesn't back then i TUG again with the same verbal command "BACK"        Using the Device as a "BACKING TOOL" when they plant like that is how you use it.  The Tugging and jolting of that nerve is just too much for most horses to want to deal with and they start to obey the commands...

So now she's backing !!   Halaluah !!   She's NOT getting her way !   and her "Front's and Walls come tumbling down" and she's realizing she needs to obey the commands or that little nerve and that little device in her mouth is going to send the message home again.      So the compliance is starting to develop now.  However where the real beauty comes is when as i keep backing her and then asking her to come forward - then back and forward / back and forward - Whoa / Back - forward and this routine is going on ( she has to question just "HOW LONG") will this keep up ??  that's usually when they'll start trying to PLANT on you again .  But thanks to that nice humane device a few more taps and she's backing at "Command" again - and now she just has to wait and probably pray alittle bit that soon enough this guy with the tool is going to stop - and finally after enough compliance from her and when it's "MY" idea and not hers i do stop....          

The point is - this tool and this method just "Clears" all the missbehavior patterns right out and for the first time the horse realizes they're going to obey commands whether they like it or not - it's the first time they've had to do things when they really didn't want to -- They realize they're not always going to have it "Their way" and they are learning true obedience and at the same time trust because they have to rely on you to be the one to stop the training and use of the device....         IT's VERY POWERFUL !!     A confused horse is a dangerous horse. A horse with poor ground manners is usually going to have issues when under saddle as well.  A horse that doesn't understand training and how to behave is a horse that's getting into trouble too many times and doesn't kow why ( the horse turns unhappy and worries about when's the next time it'll be getting into trouble ).

Horses like the horse above are the "Kickers" - they're the dangerous ones.   They're afraid and tired of getting into trouble combined with the confusion of not knowing what to do and how to stay out of trouble and their psychology just gets worse - you - the horse - and everyone remains at risk ...

The finished result is - even when the device is tightened up against the nerve the horse has to and learns how to pay attention to you while there's something driving it krazy in it's mouth.  This teaches the animal that if something strange is happening ( like a mountain lion jumping out in the road while you're riding ) to PAY ATTENTION to you in the face of things.    the finished result is when that mountain lion jumps out the horse will "PLANT and LOOK to you" for where and what to do...   that's powerful !  when the horse looks to "YOUR WILL" as the over-riding factor YOU'VE DONE GOOD !!!!           

Anyway - this long story short -   took me about 40 minutes with this horse - time well spent in my opinion - the horse is a safer animal today for it and i came home after the shoeing of her still in one piece , and that's PRICELESS .......

There you have it .........        
another day in the life of a farrier .     or as they say " just another day in paradize "...  (-:   

thanks everyone .   As usual happy and safe riding and remember to always www.Care4Horses.com