KBR Training Case Study: "Keno" P.8

KBR Training Case Study:

"Keno"
Part Eight

SADDLE UP!

We were doing some body work with Keno and she was doing really well, not flinching from the rope and really paying attention. Although we weren't going to put weight on her until we were comfortable with how she was walking on her newly leveled feet, Joyce was hoping we could see how Keno handled things on her back.

The weather had finally cleared up and we were having a pretty good day with all the horses so Sharon suggested we try a bareback pad on Keno. I went into the round corral where Keno was with the pad and Sharon went back to the house for the camera.

Keno was in the middle of the round corral, "ground tied." We played "Touch it!" a couple of times with the pad and then "Stand still" while I rubbed her shoulder with the pad. Then I laid it on her back. Next I rubbed her and scratched her with my hands on both sides and under her belly where the cinch strap would go. Then I reached under her, pulled the cinch strap across and tightened it. No big deal.

Keno Just hanging out.
(Note: She is not tied at this point
but the rope is simply hanging over
the round pen wall.)

Seeing if Keno would spook
with a human above her.
I climbed the fence while she
was standing there

She did so well that we decided to bring out the saddle. We played "Touch it!" and "Stand still!" with the saddle pad and saddle just the same as we did with the bareback pad. I rubbed her shoulder with the pad and put it up on her. I gave her more time to explore the saddle pad and swung it up. The saddle didn't settle correctly and I reached across to unfold a twisted skirt. Keno, who was ground tied, squirted forward, I missed grabbing the stirrup and the saddle slid to the ground.

No problem. I gathered up Keno and the equipment, dusted it off and this time kept the lead rope loosely tucked into my belt. (Keno could move if she needed to, but I could more easily make a correction.)

This time I set the saddle on correctly, rubbed her sides before attaching the front and rear cinches, and everything went fine. (I usually saddle these guys with both cinches. They might as well get used to the rear cinch and if they do start bucking, the back of the saddle won't be slapping them on the kidneys.)

Saddle going on.
(She is not restrained.)

Quietly pulling the front cinch up.
(It's important not to let the cinch
slap her belly or catch her hair in
the cinch ring.)

Tightening the rear cinch;
not real tight but not so loose
that she can get a hind hoof
caught in it. Note that
Keno is not really concerned.

Slapping the stirrups.
The idea here is to teach her to
ignore the sound and movement of
the stirrup. We play "Stand still"
and I try not to slap them so much
that she leaves, rewarding her
standing patiently while the stirrups
are in motion. It's important to be
equally solid on both sides.

Keno is more interested in
what might be in my pocket than
the saddle just put on her back.
If the horse is kept curious and
interested in the training process,
it need not be afraid.

Off lead. No explosion.
"Miss Touch-me-not" is packing
the saddle alertly and unafraid.

Maintaining her composure.
As I leave her space, the saddle
on her back is not becoming worrisome.

Hooking on and following. If
I had mistreated or scared Keno, she
wouldn't be following me around

Saddling does not have to be a traumatic experience. By keeping the horse mentally involved in the process, she handled each of the steps and even when I made a blunder, it was passed off for what it was, no big deal, and I could reset the saddle without undue anxiety or suspicion.

Next we will work her in the round corral with the saddle on. When she gets up to speed in the round, she may throw some bucks under the saddle to get a sense of what is going on, but it shouldn't be out of panic. This kind of approach should lend itself to a peaceful situation when we mount up.