Magic headcollars?

ycbm

ycbm

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I teach my horses to have everything done without being tied up. I've noticed something many times over the years with multiple horses. It happened again this morning with Joe. He was being very silly about picking up a hind leg, waving it about so I couldn't hold on to it. So I fetched a headcollar and put it on, with the rope over his neck, so he still wasn't tied up. Then he picked the foot up and held it like a little angel ?

What is it about magic headcollars that change behaviour even though they haven't changed a thing about the as actual situation?
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Associative learning .

No headcollar in the field - and they're out without headcollars doing their own thing for longer than they are without headcollars being asked to pick feet up etc.

You could teach the reverse effect I'm sure if you turned out in fieldsafes and worked them always without one.
Or if you always worked them in an ear bonnet or something you could get the same effect.
 
I've often pondered on a similar theme .. massive hi jinks in the field but angelic (well mostly) in the school / out hacking..
 
Mine doesn't like picking up her front feet and she tends to walk away from me in the stable when she sees the hoofpick if she's in one of those moods. I put a headcollar on, no rope at all, and she stands perfectly and offers her foot. I'll never understand what goes through their brains!
 
It’s funny how they learn things isn’t it? I went in the stable today with my hoof pick and skip. My boy was eating his feed and I put the bucket down and went to do his rug first. Then, I noticed he had his foot up in the air ready and waiting to be picked out ? so I decided to do his feet first instead - so helpful!!
 
Yep noticed this with mine too. It’s very odd or is it they are far smarter than we give credit. With a head collar on there is all the control in their memory that is associated with it.
 
ycbm said:
I teach my horses to have everything done without being tied up. I've noticed something many times over the years with multiple horses. It happened again this morning with Joe. He was being very silly about picking up a hind leg, waving it about so I couldn't hold on to it. So I fetched a headcollar and put it on, with the rope over his neck, so he still wasn't tied up. Then he picked the foot up and held it like a little angel ?

What is it about magic headcollars that change behaviour even though they haven't changed a thing about the as actual situation?
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I frequently ride a horse that is like this, and I've written about him a few times. I rode him again this morning.

Sometimes it can take ten or fifteen minutes for me to be able to place a hand on his flank, work up to his neck and give him a scratch behind the ears. He can seem very intimidating, and I've had to help out younger riders with him dozens of times.

And yet when I get the head collar on him, with no rope, it's like I've flicked a switch in his head and he stands stock still for me, like he did this morning to take off his rug, brush him, comb out the straw from his tail, he lifted his choices for be and practically put his head into the bridle while I held it out for him.

He blew a fuse five times during the lesson, though, and on the fifth time I fell.
 
I can leave the stable door wide open and mine won’t take a single step if wearing a head collar or bridle, yet with nothing on they will both walk out the door. I assume they think they’re tied up when wearing something even though they aren’t ??‍♀️
 
I knew a lady whos horse was difficult to load. She had to use a lunge line round his bum. Once he became good to load she took the lunge line off, he would in. So she attached it to the head collar and placed the lunging on his back. He walked straight in. As long as she put the lunge on he walked on!!
 
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