KBR Horse Training Information Exercising Body AND Mind Filly's First Saddle Part Two   FIRST RIDE

After the final ground work was complete, it was time to mount up!

In this picture I am comfortably on board. I am moving my arms about and handling the leadrope. Marcy is getting used to the movement and feel of my weight. With a more nervous horse, I would be a little quieter, but not sneaky, reassuring the horse with low voice tones and nice scratches (not pats) on the neck and withers. Marcy was no problem and I got her used to my flipping the leadrope over her nose from left to right. (Remember I'm just using a halter and leadrope. We now use riding halters with side-pull rings so we can have both ends of a braided rein attached and ride in a more conventional fasion.)

Next I want to make sure we have some steering. I bend Marcy from the saddle in a manner similar to my evolution with the leadrope run through the stirrup. Bending is the key to many things. In the picture on the far right, I keep playing with the bend until a few seconds later Marcy steps out. I release her head and we go with the movement for a little bit. I don't ask for forward movement until Marcy can balance herself comfortably in these exercises.

Marcy, being a Belgian, was a little bit mellow. Plus she had no idea what leg contact was and so she tended to stop moving after a few steps. Once she was OK with moving forward, I had to encourage her forward with some gentle taps to the rump with the end of the leadrope. The idea here is to be unemotional with the contact, to try to stay in riding position and just support the squeezes of my calves with a little tap-tap on the rump. This worked her up and she moved nicely. If you notice her ears, she is not stressed by this at all.

Continue to: "More Saddle Maneuvers" 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 that brought you here Go to Case Study Section Return to Training Section Return to Wild Horse Mentors Return to KBR World of Wild Horses and Burros Go To KBR Horse Net KBR Horse Training Information, © 1997 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.