KBR Training Case Study:"Chancellor"
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When we are bonding with a horse we try to avoid turning him loose immediately after working with him to gallop back to his "home" pen. If the horse seems emotionally stable, we'll lead him home. This activity takes some pre-planning as to how we handle and lead the horse as we don't want to set up a situation where he simply gallops past and pulls free. The handler needs to watch his/her body position and pace, and be sensitive to the horse's response to all of this.
The up side of this activity is that the horse learns early on to follow his handler. If he has been treated well and is comfortable with his pen, he will want to return there. The handler uses this motivation to avoid a pulling contest when first asking the horse to lead. The touchy point typically comes when we ask the horse to pass through a gate. The confinement makes some horses nervous. A gate that they will freely walk through at liberty takes on new connotations when being led or ridden. Good body position and patience on the part of the handler, and the natural attraction of the horse's "home" pen, will allow the horse to make the right decision and walk quietly through the gate. If the horse will allow it, we like to unhalter the horse in his pen at the end of the session. Not bad for a week's work. Upping the Ante We repeat these basic drills a few times, not so much that we bore the horse, but enough to make sure that we haven't missed anything. At that point the horse should be comfortable enough to walk outside the safety of the corral system and the round pen. The walk "outdoors" is conducted in a relaxed manner, starting with the paths immediately adjacent to the corral system and round pen, then branching out. We often double back to the round pen gate, sometimes entering and exiting the round pen. If something spooks the horse we want him to be able to instinctively find his way "home" should he pull free. During these early walks we try to stay in relatively open areas, exploring as we go, just as a horse would in any new environment. Continue to Part ThreeReturn to Part One |
Being led back "home" the first day
Unhaltering in his pen
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