Page 18 midwest horse digest February 09
~ Softening ~
Building the
Foundation That
Will Keep
You Safe
by Dennis Auslam
become more a barrel to the left you are going to tip his nose
Our January article talked about supple and lis- in with the line, maybe tap him to encourage
how to start building respect on the ground ten to pressure. forward movement if he needs encourage-
with some basic exercises that included One of the things you always want ment. What happens when you do this is that
lungeing, the whoa, turning and keeping the to make sure of when you are working with the shoulders, ribcage and hip will follow.
horse out of our space. your horse is that there is always something in Using the barrels in this manner
When you have practiced, gotten it for him, whether he is in the halter or the takes the question out of what you are asking
the horses attention, have him lungeing nicely bridle. That something is the release of for. He has to make a decision to do what you
and turning nicely on his hindend, he is pressure. If you have not learned correct ask or he will bang into or jump the barrel. It
stopping cleanly and backing with you, staying timing in asking and releasing you are going quickly dawns on him that it is easier and less
out of your space and is responding well, you to build resistance in your horse. These painful to move exactly where you are asking
are ready to move into the next step of getting exercises, on the ground, will help you learn him to move.
control of the horses feet and softening him. correct cues and correct timing in asking and Every excercise you do with your
What is softening and what does it releasing while they are teaching your horse horse increases his knowledge and your
accomplish for both you, the rider and for the what you are asking for and that you expect knowledge, and increases his respect for you.
horse? him to respond. Respect is what will transpire. As you practice and perfect these exercises,
All the exercises we are doing will Your horse will love you for it! perfecting your timing, you build a relationship
help you understand the mechanics of the With the exercise that we are going with your horse and get another step closer to
horse, and in the saddle it helps the horse to move him into we can actually soften the having the horse you want and deserve. You
horse up for the bridle. My goal is to be able to also make your horse happier because he
put the horses feet exactly were I want them. knows that he has a leader, and that is what
So lets go to work on softening! I every horse desires. It is an instinct that is built
like to use a bunch of barrels, laid out random- into the horse.
ly in my arena, but in a group with just enought So keep practicing!
space so you can manuever the horse in and We invite you to visit our website,
out of them. You can use other objects but I we always have an upcoming clinic that can
find barrels work really well. I use plastic bar- help you perfect your horsemanship skills. This
rels spring we are having a Confidence and Self
. The goal is to move him, on a line, Defense on the Trail clinic where Mary
around and through the barrels and not have Hamilton and I will be working together. For
him bumping them or jumping over them. more info keep checking the website:
Start out putting him to work by www.redwoodstables.com
lungeing him. Move him into the barrels,
guiding him with your line and your tap stick,
God Bless and have a safe 2009!
moving him in and out and around the barrels. Dennis Auslam is the owner/operator of
You may find you have to tug a bit Redwood Stables in Morton, MN. He trains
on the line to get him to move were you want both horse and rider through lessons and
him to go, or tapping him, and he may get clinics and runs a regular schedule of clinics in
perturbed a bit also, so stay sharp and pay Confidence Building, Horsemanship and
attention. He will, in the beginning bang him- Cattle Work and has recently added a
self or try to jump over, correct him with a tug Challenge Trail Course to his facility.
on the line and work at getting him to move He is scheduled to be a clinician a number of
exactly where you want him to go. We want Horse Fairs and Expos around the country in
him to pay attention to were he is placing his 2009, hosts clinics at his facility and also does
feet.This exercise works really well to get the outside clincs. If you are interested in hosting
horse off the forehand and lighten him up and a clinic please contact us. I you are interested
it takes a lot of the question out of the horses in attending a clinic you can check out our
mind as to what you want. clinic schedule on the website.
With this exercise you are getting You can set up a clinic at your facility with
your horse supple both laterally and veritcally, Dennis by contacting him at 507-430-0342 or
in the halter and the body, and teaching him to email him at redwoodstables@redred.com.
respond and respect your requests. He is We invite you to visit the website at
learning to follow his bottom jaw. As an www.redwoodstables.com for more
example, if you are asking him to move around information.
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