No matter what approaches you use, you need to always consider four important elements: Safety First Safety may seem trite but an accident can derail your entire gentling project. If you get hurt you're not going to be able to do much gentling and you may lose much needed confidence in the process. If the horse gets hurt, you may find yourself in a nearly impossible situation of trying to get veterinary attention for a wild horse which many veterinarians will not do. Use an Appropriate Facility BLM establishes specific enclosure requirements for good reasons. Until gentled these horses can and will crash and jump inadequate fences. Do not try gentling your horse in a substandard enclosure. We recommend the standard 20x20 pen as a good size for working a wild horse. If you are going to use a round pen, make sure you have secure aisleways between the horse's paddock and the round pen. Inspect the training enclosure for dangerous conditions such as loose panels and sharp edges prior to training in it. Use Appropriate Equipment Only use equipment that you understand. Use only equipment that is intended for your purpose. Make sure all equipment is in good condition and is operating properly. Make sure that if you are putting something on the horse, you have the ability to safely get it off of the horse no matter what happens without you or the horse getting hurt. View the Big Picture Many trainers blow it because they get too narrowly focused on their objectives and fail to look at the total situation. You need to learn to read the horse, observe the entire training process and environment. Notice dangerous and/or compromising situations. Notice when the horse is losing attention, is fatigued, is getting upset, agitated or otherwise is disconnecting from the training process. If you don't keep an eye on the big picture you may be unpleasantly surprised when things go wrong, the horse tries to jump the fence, kicks you, etc. Nearly all training accidents and "disasters" are avoidable. The trainer just didn't notice the signs. You can avoid such problems by reminding yourself to always view the big picture. Always wear a helmet when working a new or ungentled horse A mustang pen needn't be fancy but should be strong and practical Use good equipment and make sure you can work at a safe distance (This is too close!) It doesn't have to be fancy. It does have to be strong & safe. Watch for changing conditions. The horse may have his own agenda   SPECIFIC GENTLING APPROACHES The Bamboo Pole Method Clicker Training Rope Halters and Leads Open Training & Learn-Learn Situations   OTHER USEFUL LINKS Importance of Ground Schooling Working With a Flag Filly's First Saddle Wild Horse Case Studies Wild Horse Mentors Return to Part Three Return to LRTC Help Desk Important Note: If you take on the project of developing an untrained horse, everybody will want to give you advice. Don't act on any advice, including the ideas offered in this site, unless it makes sense to you and fits your individual situation. Your abilities and the sensitivities of your horse(s) may differ from the examples given. Be alert and rational with your actions so neither you nor your horse will get hurt. This information is offered as illustrations of what we do and the reader must apply common sense since he or she is solely responsible for his or her actions. Happy trails! Press Back to return to the page which brought you here Go to KBR Training Section Go to LRTC Wild Horse Mentors Go to KBR World of Wild Horses & Burros Go to other Wild Horse Links Go To KBR Horse Net KBR Horse Training Information, © 2000 Lamm's Kickin' Back Ranch and Willis & Sharon Lamm. All rights reserved. Duplication of any of this material for commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. This prohibition is not intended to extend to personal non-commercial use, including sharing with others for safety and learning purposes, provided this copyright notice is attached. Email us to submit comments or request reproduction permission.