feesh
Active Member
I'm looking for suggestions for tack to use with a cob type (15hh, probably Canadian x draft) who goes quite well in a lozenge baucher 99% of the time, but who is very herdbound, and will take off back to the barn when he's overwhelmed - not a panicked bolt, but sudden, fast, and strong (I think it's called tanking off over there?). It's his go-to evasive behaviour when he wants to escape a situation on the ground, too, and he knows how to set his neck and catch you unawares. I can do a one-rein stop, but not necessarily in time to avoid a high-speed crossing of an area that often has (slow) people in it.
I'd really like to keep his day-to-day setup as gentle as possible, because he's obviously had a pretty unpleasant past, and has been pretty convinced that human requests will = pain. I've had a huge amount of success with a gentle/consent-based/R+ type approach, and things that are genuinely unpleasant usually result in a setback.
Things I'm considering:
Kineton or Worcester/bit lifter - Kineton would be hard to source, but Worcester I could improvise with a flash strap to try it out. He may already be familiar with this as it's apparently often used in driving? Not sure how successfully it can be adjusted to only come into play if I'm pulling hard on the reins?
German martingale ("Market Harborough," I think?) - would allow him to pull partially against himself (although he doesn't particularly throw his head up/out, just sets his neck in place and GOES)
Standing martingale - I doubt I'd be able to adjust it to be useful without impinging on his beautiful long & low stretch at a relaxed walk. And he's not otherwise fussy with his head.
Kimblewick - possibly a good option? I worry that I don't have the skill to be very gentle with it day-to-day, although it would probably do for stopping him.
Pelham - seems like it would probably be the best solution, except that I have no experience with two reins, and roundings just seem like a Kimblewick with extra steps?
Locking mouthpiece - seems like a possibly good option? Have only just heard about them. They also seem to only be available from $$ manufacturers?
Obviously more training is the ultimate solution, and we're making great progress, but I'd like some backup power to use while we're working on it! Especially since both times it's happened (in the 8+ months I've been working with him), it's been the result of trigger stacking where I didn't know about one of the major triggers until afterwards. His behaviour right before he takes off is almost identical to his behaviour when he's "stressed, but coping well enough that I have time to bring him back to his literal &/or metaphorical comfort zone." And we will, hopefully, eventually manage to hack further than just around the farm buildings (maybe even across a whole field!), and I won't have the option of bringing him back to his literal safe place to calm down.
Feedback on what I should try first? Comments on any misapprehensions I have about how stuff works? Or suggestions of things I haven't considered?
I'd really like to keep his day-to-day setup as gentle as possible, because he's obviously had a pretty unpleasant past, and has been pretty convinced that human requests will = pain. I've had a huge amount of success with a gentle/consent-based/R+ type approach, and things that are genuinely unpleasant usually result in a setback.
Things I'm considering:
Kineton or Worcester/bit lifter - Kineton would be hard to source, but Worcester I could improvise with a flash strap to try it out. He may already be familiar with this as it's apparently often used in driving? Not sure how successfully it can be adjusted to only come into play if I'm pulling hard on the reins?
German martingale ("Market Harborough," I think?) - would allow him to pull partially against himself (although he doesn't particularly throw his head up/out, just sets his neck in place and GOES)
Standing martingale - I doubt I'd be able to adjust it to be useful without impinging on his beautiful long & low stretch at a relaxed walk. And he's not otherwise fussy with his head.
Kimblewick - possibly a good option? I worry that I don't have the skill to be very gentle with it day-to-day, although it would probably do for stopping him.
Pelham - seems like it would probably be the best solution, except that I have no experience with two reins, and roundings just seem like a Kimblewick with extra steps?
Locking mouthpiece - seems like a possibly good option? Have only just heard about them. They also seem to only be available from $$ manufacturers?
Obviously more training is the ultimate solution, and we're making great progress, but I'd like some backup power to use while we're working on it! Especially since both times it's happened (in the 8+ months I've been working with him), it's been the result of trigger stacking where I didn't know about one of the major triggers until afterwards. His behaviour right before he takes off is almost identical to his behaviour when he's "stressed, but coping well enough that I have time to bring him back to his literal &/or metaphorical comfort zone." And we will, hopefully, eventually manage to hack further than just around the farm buildings (maybe even across a whole field!), and I won't have the option of bringing him back to his literal safe place to calm down.
Feedback on what I should try first? Comments on any misapprehensions I have about how stuff works? Or suggestions of things I haven't considered?