Resources & Related Reading trailBLAZER back issues:
◗ “Pedestal Training: On Your Mark,” March 2012
◗ “Step UP to Pedestal Training,” April 2012
◗ “Take the Trail Survival Challenge,” Robert Eversole, April 2013 and June 2013
◗ “Start Your Young Horse Right,” June 2012 ◗ “Shaping Equine Behaviors,” May 2011
◗ “How Does Your Horse Learn?” September 2011
◗ “Let’s Play Ball!” December 2011
◗ “Overcome Fear by Building Trust, Responsiveness and Predictability,” Sean Patrick, March 2012
Start your horse off in the direction you wish her to travel and ask her to move away from you with a lit le pressure at her hind end with a guider whip.
should have no hesitation in his willingness to move forward at the rider’s request, no mat er what lies ahead.
CONFIDENCE CREATES OBEDIENCE A confi dent horse is generally an obedient horse. An obedient
horse is willing to let you be the leader and does what you ask, when you ask, to the best of his educated ability. In our society of political correctness, obedience has almost become an obscure concept, yet when I tackle a tough mountain trail, I want a horse that is willingly obedient and intelligent. Obedience is the developed habit of compliance to requests and
is achieved with consistent and clear leadership on your part. We want to create an unwaver- ing spirit of compliance on the ground and then transfer the skills to mounted work. Mules that work the Grand Canyon visi- tor concessions pack for three full years before they are deemed ex- perienced enough to carry people down steep, narrow trails to the bot om of the canyon and back. Developing a working dia-
logue through ground exercises will increase mutual confi dence and understanding between you and your horse. If your horse is new to groundwork, start with a working length line of 12 to 16 feet and then move on to a regular longe line. Exercises can include moving forward, stepping back, the halt, yielding the front end or shoulders, yielding the hind end, the two track, side pass, change of
24 | June 2013 •
WWW.TRAILBLAZERMAGAZINE.US
Adult Horsemanship I, downloadable CD avail- able from
www.imagineahorse.com
directions, gait transitions and stepping up on a pedestal, all from the ground on a working length line.
WHOA OR GO? Every saddle horse should give an obedient response to “whoa.”
T e halt or “whoa,” however, will be of lit le value when we need him to move down a narrow trail or through a tight passage or traverse the face of a mountain. Surprisingly, it’s oſt en easier to create a good “whoa” response than a solid “go forward” response. Your horse should move forward, over or through any obstacle or pat ern while maintaining the speed and momentum you request. A
Longe over every type of obstacle and surface you can fi nd. As the horse
develops confi dence and self-carriage, she should be able to work a lit le far- ther from you until she is able to be “sent” over an obstacle from a distance.
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