Today we are talking about training your horse at a new facility.
Watch the Video Here or continue reading below!
What’s going on guys it’s Michael Gascon the Horse Guru! We are here with Whit who is a Rocky Mountain gelding. He is super gaited, super spooky. We are here to talk about what do you do whenever you go to a new facility. When you go to a show ground a new trailhead and that horse just won’t pay attention.
Everyone Deals With This
Guys, every show trainer, every person that has ever had to perform, they’ve all had to deal with this. That moment when we need you on game day. It’s the exact same thing if you are a trail rider, if you’re going to fun shows, if you’re showing your horses, you have to have a way to reset them. It’s so hard to reset if you don’t know what you’re looking for.
Training Your Horse at a New Facility Can be Made Easier
Everything that you do whenever we’re going through the respect series is to get the horse’s respect. Training your horse at a new facility is no different. You need their undivided attention. When that becomes the norm where that horse is right here looking at you, two eyes, two ears, he’s not looking for other horses. He’s not looking for other people, he’s right here with you paying attention to you. Then whenever he’s not doing that if you get off on the trailhead and he is looking all over the place that’s what you need to fix.
I will get off my horse and have him circle around me as I move the horse’s body. So right there he is looking somewhere else I’m going to go ahead and start picking on that. If I come out of the trailer and this is him on a daily basis, now this is the new him. If he comes out of the trailer and he’s dancing around and he’s screaming for other horses because he’s in a new facility the first thing that I’m going to want to do is back that horse up.
Get Their Attention
Do it big and do it crazy to get his attention because that is what will snap him out of not paying attention to you. When you do this the horse is like, oh my goodness what are you doing! Then from there I want to go to first grade because remember first grade is undivided attention. As I am walking around him in the circle don’t be afraid to touch the horse when they are being sensitive. There we go, I want to be looking right in his eyes and see if he’s looking directly at me.
Every time that he looks away or tries to yell for a friend, pull him inward. You are either going to pull with one hand or pop with the other whenever he thinks about looking outward while walking in the circle around you. If he isn’t paying attention, I slap the saddle and pull him inward.
PRACTICE TRAINING YOUR HORSE AT A NEW FACILITY
Where we mess up a lot of times is we’re not willing to talk through the static. On those days, in that new facility we need to say, hey buddy I need your attention right here. If we have that ability to communicate at that site and say, hey fella pay attention to me, he will calm down more quickly. We need you to be like that mother at Walmart when that the kid acts up a little bit and she just clears her throat and gets that kid’s undivided attention.
That’s the same thing I want to be able to do with this horse. If I can do that, I can feel confident. Then no matter where we go in the world that he’s going to pay attention. That he’s going to be right there listening to me, you see his eyes and his ears. That means he is giving me his undivided attention.
See right there a horse yells for him and he tries to look over the fence. I say, hey, pay attention to me, pay attention to me. I do this as I am walking around the circle with him. Putting pressure on the halter and moving his hips around the circle.
The same way that we were so sporadic, we can come here, we can relax right back down.
Good Horse People are Like Good Mothers
Out of nowhere I will yell and try to scare the bejesus out of them. I will reach up here pop the saddle to desensitize him. I’ll do the same thing on the other side as I change direction. Look how soft he is in the face. As big as he is, if he wasn’t soft and easy, he could drag me all over this place. The fact that he’s giving, I ask him to whoa and back. So that’s just it guys. Whenever you go to that new trail if the horse knows that you have that look outside of you then very quickly, you’ll be able to talk through the static. If you go to a show and they’re having a bad day you can say no, no.
Good horse people, good horsemen are like good mothers. They are bipolar. Your ability to be calm and quiet in general with your horse is only half the battle. You also need the ability to snap out and add energy to them. They need to have a reason to pay attention to you. They need to have a reason to look to you. If all you do is love your horse, give it cookies, and tell them how pretty they are, you will lose their attention. When their attention goes somewhere else because the other horses are more interesting than you are, you’re not going to be able to bring that attention back to you. If you have the ability to put a little pressure, be a little sporadic, you’re going to get their undivided attention.
Take Them Anywhere
This horse is the type of horse that wouldn’t have stood still. This is the type of horse that would have been dancing all over the place looking over the wall. We are in a closed area; he would have been yelling for other horses. If he knows that if he does those things, I will back him up or move him side to side. I know for a fact I can take this horse anywhere on earth and I can get his attention on me. That’s what you want to be able to do with your horse. If you try and act a little wacky and then turn it off and be quiet again. I promise when you go to your trailer, you’re really going to get your horse’s attention.
iN cONCLUSION
Now remember the pro tip. When you want to get them soft and respectful when training your horse at a new facility. They must be normal at their house where they’re comfortable. Get them soft, get them backing up easy. So whenever you do that on the trail or wherever they are going, they know what that means. They will say, yes ma’am and you’ll get to the place where all you have to do is look at them. The yes ma’am, that’s what we’re trying to get. Well guys, thank you so much for watching. I’ll see you on the next video!
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HOW SAFE IS YOUR HORSE?
Can you control every part of his body, even if he’s scared or unsure?
There are some specific things that I believe every horse should be able to do before they are considered completely safe to ride. So that you can see how safe your horse is to ride, I’ve created this FREE Horse Safety Checklist.
