trainability

In working with some new colts over the past week the difference in trainability between horses was huge. Let's start by looking at some of the differences between trainable horses and horses that are not so trainable. We all want a horse that we can lay off for a bit and when we need them just be able to jump on and go. We often spend so much time and money on horses that don't and won't work for our program. Whether it is the horse or us it just doesn't work very often. Let me say that most of the problems are people problems, not horse problems. But back to trainability.
What are some of the attributes of a trainable horse?
1. They show a willingness to find and accomplish what you are asking.
2. They don't overreact when asked to perform a task.
3. They retain the lessons learned (thinks about what he's learned)
4. They are better after having time for the lesson to sink in.
5. They want to please.

What are some of the attributes of a less than trainable horse? Let me first say that all horses are trainable to some extent but some are much tougher than others. I am talking here about those horses that just don't want to work.
1. They overreact and use the reacting side of their brain.
2. They resent being asked to do anything.
3. They don't retain the lessons learned.
4. They are like starting fresh after they have had a day off.
5. They just don't like or respect you and they don't want to do anything with you.

Many times I've had gentle horses who were the most dangerous because of a lack of respect, and they would resent having to do anything other than stand at the feed trough. People think their horse is so gentle and when they don't give them their apple treat the horse will bite or kick at them.
A trainable horse is a pleasure to be around and train, they are repectful of your space they try to find what you are asking them to do. They can learn more in a week than the other kind can in a month. I've seen 60 day horses that I wouldn't want to climb on, and I've seen horses with 2 rides that I would feel comfortable just getting on and heading down the trail.
I should probably say that horses react differently to different people according to the persons leadership abilities. A trainable horse will take a green rider and often will try to listen to the rider in spite of the riders poor leadership abilities. A tougher horse will exploit every weakness of the rider and they will often have serious problems.
Finally a green rider can often mistake a good trainable horse for an ignorant jerk because they just aren't a good leader and they aren't consistent with their cues. I know a man who is fairly green in handling horses but he has some pretty good horses. He has one horse who has had reining training and he is just a really nice horse, but the man has had some struggles with this horse. I told the man that he could tell how good of a horseman he was becoming by how well his horse was doing. The horse has all the parts, I've rode him and he did excellent. The horse knows more than the rider, this is often the case. The horse is just waiting for the rider to give him correct cues and be consistent. This man also has a horse that had reining training from the same trainer and this horse today has a number of problems (bucking, hanging back, etc) if you work this horse hard and consistent (everyday) then he is ok but you lay him off and look out, he's like bringing in a horse off the desert and trying to get a saddle on him.
When looking for a horse these things are so important, find a horse that will help you learn. You learn a lot working with problem horses but it is often dangerous for a green rider and it can be the end of your riding career.

Time

We all have the same amount of hours in the day, it's what we do with that time that makes the difference. Yesterday I was watching some horse training videos and looking at horse information online. I was sitting there thinking about how I'd like to go riding and tune up some of my older horses. The weather was cold and nasty and I kept finding myself making excuses to not go out in the cold. I finally went riding. What I realized was that it doesn't matter what you know, if you don't apply it daily. I had a frustrating ride, partially because of the cold, snow and ice but also because I realized that it was my fault that the horse was stiff and didn't want to do anything. I haven't ridden this horse more than a couple of times in the last couple months and I go out and expect her to be in peak condition ready for anything. It is funny that it is frustrating when it doesn't work out that way. The responsibility falls back to me, the rider. I'm convinced that the majority of horse problems are actually people problems. I have plenty of time in a day. It comes down to what I place as a priority. I can go riding everyday, it may take getting out of bed earlier or forgoing the latest TV show but it comes down to what I do with my time. I've heard people make excuses year round and I've caught myself making excuses. In the spring it's too muddy, in the summer it's too hot and there's mosquitoes, in the fall it's turning cold and it could snow, and in the winter it's too cold. No more excuses, get out and put in the time it takes to make a horse and to become a horseman.

Flawed logic

I had the opportunity to help a man find a horse a while back. I listened to what he wanted and evaluated what he said and what his skill level was. I looked for a suitable horse and after locating some we went to test ride a few.
We pulled up to a ranch and they had three horses to try. One was a nice really stout buckskin mare, one was a nice big strawberry roan gelding and the other a big paint horse. We went for a ride and got a look at what they were. The paint was definitely not finished enough for this man. The roan gelding would have definitely worked but there was a concern with a leg injury he had previously (would he hold up over time?) The buckskin mare was also very nice. The man decided to try and make an offer on the gelding. The man had a budget of $2500. I talked to the rancher who quoted me $4500 for the gelding and $4000 for the mare. This was outrageous. They weren't worth it and so I (with the customer) went and found another horse that was $2500 (a nice ranch gelding).
Here's where the logic gets confusing. The rancher called me shortly after that incident and asked me if I'd put some riding on those three horses and take them to the horse sale in Billings, MT. I agreed and I put some rides on them and they were doing pretty good. At the sale they acted good but they didn't sell well. OK, the papered driftwood bred roan gelding brought $1200, the papered buckskin mare brought $1400, the big paint horse brought $900. I felt pretty bad that they sold so low but as I thought more about this situation I was baffled.
Here it was, a man comes to the ranch and offers you money for your horses. You want to get a little greedy and hold out for the maximum amount. They offer you a good amount and you turn it down. Then you just take and dump them for half of what they're worth. Here's what I think. It's absolutely absurd! Be honest and reasonable, come up with a fair price for what the horse is. By the time this man payed to put his horses in the sale, payed to have them ridden, payed for fuel for 10 hours in a big dually truck with a huge horse trailer behind, payed for two hotel rooms for two nights, and when you figure all of the lost time, it just doesn't make any sense.
I could go on with this exact scenario so many times but I won't. In the last couple days I talked to a man who took some of his horses to the killer pens because he couldn't sell them. Well he could sell them if he would have been fair on a price.
Be honest, be fair, and with a little luck you'll come out ahead.

It's all about consistency

Well it's putting down the snow and I was thinking about some of my opinions on horses and people and the idea that came to mind was consistency or the lack thereof. I've heard many people say my horse won't do that or I don't know how to do that with my horse. I have also found myself thinking that same thing on occasion.
The thing I realized is I had failed mentally. I had tried a couple times and it didn't work so I decided in my mind that I just can't do it. I gave up mentally. But why couldn't I do it? Was it because I just wasn't a good horseman? Was it the horses problem? I believe I failed in the moment I said "I just can't do it". The fact is I may not have been able to do it at that moment. But had I really put in the time?
Say I gallop three circles and my horse won't rate it's speed. I might say, well I don't know how to train my horse to rate his speed. When the reason my horse won't rate is because I haven't galloped enough circles. I look at reining horses with their heads low and galloping so slow and it can get discouraging. The fact is, many of those reining horses have hundreds of rides and thousands of circles. They probably didn't look like that at thirty rides. They have been ridden most likely six days a week for an extended period of time. If I ride a couple times a month and my horse is fat and out of shape he will not perform like he could.
If I want a good relationship with my horse I have to spend the time with them. If I spent time with my wife once a month or once in a while the result would not be good. Likewise if I never give my horse the time to create a relationship, then we will never develop a relationship and it can be frustrating when I expect to have a relationship. What it comes down to is time and consistency. If I want to be successful I can't give up. I can't say, "I can't do it". I must keep trying until I get it right. It might not happen today, it might not happen tomorrow. The cues must be correct and consistent. Horses are very forgiving and once they know I'm serious and I'm not going to go away, they will often give the desired results.
I remember thinking how hard flying lead changes seemed to me. I analyzed and studied how to accomplish the flying lead change. I got control of each body part, I could move the hips either direction I had control of the shoulders and I could shape the horses head and neck perfectly. The problem was that I spent so much time analyzing that I never got started. I tried a couple and it didn't work like it did on TV so I said "I just can't do it". What it comes down to is just doing it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. They're going to miss some leads, but remember that's part of the whole process. If you try flying lead changes ten times it won't work, it might work some of the time but they won't be consistent. You have to repeat the cues consistenly and try lead changes hundreds of times. As you get more consistent in preparing the horse and asking for the lead change consistently you will find success. It takes time, if you don't have it don't expect your horse to do everything right. Be consistent and don't be afraid to fail. Never say, "I just can't do it".

Those problem spots

The reason I am creating this blog is to keep track of my horse training business. I will also be writing about the things I learn as ride and train horses. It may be a little longer than usual blogs because I will try to explain the events in a way that is very clear and easy to understand.
I have a 10 year old percheron thoroughbred cross named "Sonora", she is very athletic and soft and handles very well. However when laid off for an extended period, it is a guarantee that she will be cold backed and most likely try to buck when being mounted the first time. I have dealt with this for years and I knew her so I would just warm her up good and once I got her through it she was fine. I took her out the other day when the temperature was around 0 degrees and the ground covered in snow. I had saddled and hauled her out to the desert, when I went to mount I knew what she had up her sleeve so I didn't swing my leg over and sure enough she blew up and I stepped down and pulled her around. I worked her around in a circle disengaging her hind quarters and making her work. I remounted and stepped on, she was really tight and I finally got her lined out and we jogged for a while. I started making circles on her in a flat area and I decided to do some one rein stops. This is where I noticed something I never had before. When I flexed her she did great, as far as being light to the touch and she gave great. The problem came when I tried to rub her on the face, she was really nervous about me rubbing across her eye. I worked with her for a while on both sides and she really struggled. I believe she is struggling with claustrophobia. Each time I would rub across her face I would feel her get tight and nervous and she really wanted me to stop. I realized that this was a problem and I knew I had to stick with it and not allow her to be relieved of the pressure until she stood still and relaxed. I kept flexing her and rubbing on her face until I felt her body begin to relax and she stood still. I found that spot, you know, the one where they tell you that you need to spend more time working on that spot. Our horses will tell us what we need to work on, all we need to do is listen. This coming week I will be focusing on desensitizing exercises that will help her overcome these fears