Quietly and slowly, the men will
draw the colt to them and begin rubbing the horse around his neck and withers, working their way across his back and rump. Estab- lishing a comfort level with the colt is important before introduc- ing a saddle. “Each horse is different, but if
the colt doesn’t want us to touch him much, we’re going to go ahead and hobble him and tie a hind foot up and get our hands on him,” says Williams. Awkwardness and unpredict-
ability always characterize a colt’s fi rst encounter with the saddle. Before riding the colt, they want the horse to travel without a rider. Stirrups thumping the horse’s sides may cause him to jump or buck, but it’s all a part of becoming ac- customed to the sensation of pack- ing a saddle. Unorthodox strides eventually turn into a smooth gait and when Williams and Smith be- lieve the colt is comfortable with the saddle, they catch him and resume rubbing and stroking his neck and belly and determine if the horse is ready to feel the weight of a rider. “After we have stepped up and
down a time or two, we’re going to take the saddle off instead of run- ning him around until his heart is thumping,” says Williams. “We want the experience to be positive and as short as possible. The next day we’ll go through the same deal and we’ll ride the colt. Hopefully, the saddle is not some piece of dead leather that he’s scared of and he’s okay wearing it. If not, we’ll tie his foot up again and let him wear the saddle until we can walk into the bronc pen with him, saddle him and he’s not trying to buck it off. “When we ride him, he’s just packing us. We don’t
pull on his head for the fi rst 3 or 4 rides. We’re just riding him and trying to get him supple and straight, using the fence and someone on the ground to accom- plish that.” Ideally, the bronc pen phase lasts no more than 3 days.
88 The Cattleman November 2016
Control and correctness With the saddle and rider safely introduced into the
young pupil’s life, Williams and Smith take the horse to a larger, round pen for the next important lessons. While a halter was the headgear of choice in the bronc pen, the men prefer to transition the colt to a ring snaffl e bit. The device is preferable when the next objectives, control and correctness, become important. Knowing they’ll want to begin riding the colt in
the wide-open spaces as soon as possible, achieving control of the colt becomes imperative for Williams and Smith. While they used both hands to stop and turn the colt in the bronc pen, a 1-reined stop is now introduced. Applying pressure with a single rein gives
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