Things you've taught your horse for safety?

Sol

Sol

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Random thought, is there anything in particular that you've taught your horse(s) so that in a dangerous event - of any sort - you have control or you/the horse/both/other people are less likely to be injured?

Sort of sparked by the person who posted the other day saying her horse was wonderfully behaved when there was a fire, she was able to keep control of her horse despite the other horses running around, as the horse had been taught to drop it's head & stand on command. Also people who teach their horses to stand when the rider comes off, can see this preventing a lot of potential disasters!


If so, how did you go about it?


:)
 
My boy responds to my voice very well, if i say woah he will stand and he will stay there untill i move him. However if i was in the position of the poster the other day i dont think this would have worked atall everything else would have just been too scary.

Have also trained him to lower his head when loading though as i feel it is safer this way

The post the other day has made me realise just how important ground work with our horses is and have been practicing certain things in the past few days
 
Don't know if this counts but I've taught my div Tb to stay behind my shoulder at all times and to follow behind me on the ground even without a leadrope or reins. She also knows stop behind me immediately I stop walking - basic manners to stop her barging me and acting like I'm invisible when she's in season as she was quite dangerous when I first had her, that's all.
 
i think the main thing that all horses should respond to instantly is 'whoa.'

if they can be taught that you are 99% of the way there in any situation.
 
Sol said:
Random thought, is there anything in particular that you've taught your horse(s) so that in a dangerous event - of any sort - you have control or you/the horse/both/other people are less likely to be injured?

Sort of sparked by the person who posted the other day saying her horse was wonderfully behaved when there was a fire, she was able to keep control of her horse despite the other horses running around, as the horse had been taught to drop it's head & stand on command. Also people who teach their horses to stand when the rider comes off, can see this preventing a lot of potential disasters!


If so, how did you go about it?


:)
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How do you teach them to not run away when you fall off? Surely it's a bit difficult when you're lying in a heap!

The only thing we did with ponies was to ride a bike around the paddock as one was particularly scared and we have lots of cycle paths around us.
 
All mine have been schooled to learn that when at speed (think XC) If I sit up, loosen the reins and scratch the neck, this means slow down to stop. I taught my mare this as she was incredibly strong and there is nothing funny about fighting with a strong horse to pull up at the end of an XC course - particulary as she would show no signs of wanting to stop when she hit the finish line. This was a lot safer - no fights and a quicker return - also funny though it might seem, there is also a danger of unbalancing a horse by trying to pull up so this way my horses transition with less stress to all. Goose is so keen to stop that just a scratch on the neck will suffice! but he does know how to transition correctly as we enjoy stressage as well.
 
Rotchana said:
Don't know if this counts but I've taught my div Tb to stay behind my shoulder at all times and to follow behind me on the ground even without a leadrope or reins. She also knows stop behind me immediately I stop walking - basic manners to stop her barging me and acting like I'm invisible when she's in season as she was quite dangerous when I first had her, that's all.
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Glad I have got you all thinking lol this is coming from one who was always "Groundwork pah".

Rotchana one comment and please do not take this the wrong way.

When I moved Vardi to the Western Stal Jan was horrified that I used to lead him with him walking behind me. I thought in all honestly this was teaching him to Follow his leader. I have now had it drilled into me that the horse should walk at all times just slightly in front of your shoulder so you can see his eye at all times and tell immediatly if anything is scaring the horse or it is about to have a stomp.

Jan's point was that horse following you is great if all is going well, however if one day horse is scared out of its wits and runs you run the risk of being totally oblivious until you are run over, and therefore leading so you can see the face and expression you will never be surprised and you are also in an immediate position to check and stop the behaviour (normally backup).

Of course if you working loose or lunging and you want the horse to come in then showing your back as a "follow me" is correct.

Sorry just thought I ought to mention it as I too had spent ages teaching him to walk behind me and stop as soon as he saw me stop, then I had to unlearn it all but actually it does make more sense......I hate my YO he has a horrible way of normally being right!
 
Double_choc_lab said:
How do you teach them to not run away when you fall off? Surely it's a bit difficult when you're lying in a heap!

The only thing we did with ponies was to ride a bike around the paddock as one was particularly scared and we have lots of cycle paths around us.
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Kelly Marks did a really good article on this in Your Horse last Year.

You apparantly start by using a Dummy at walk and let it fall off to the sides over the back etc then work your way up to a willing Crash Test Dummy, who is happy to do controlled falls off the horse in Walk and Trot (not my idea of fun but never mind!).

The idea is to get the horse to the stage where if the rider comes off it is not scared at the act of the rider departing and therefore stands still.
 
ooh, we're still learning, we haven't progressed to outside the menage/field yet with this. This is to instil manners and stop her barging me in the stable and field which has served its purpose beautifully.

She'll learn new rules as she progresses, of course but the first one is to get her to listen to me.
 
Chavhorse said:
Kelly Marks did a really good article on this in Your Horse last Year.

You apparantly start by using a Dummy at walk and let it fall off to the sides over the back etc then work your way up to a willing Crash Test Dummy, who is happy to do controlled falls off the horse in Walk and Trot (not my idea of fun but never mind!).

The idea is to get the horse to the stage where if the rider comes off it is not scared at the act of the rider departing and therefore stands still.
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Great idea. Can't think of anyone who loves me enough to play crash test dummy! and the dummy reminds of the old story (or old wives tale - still good though) or a trainer who resorted to using a blow up doll as a dummy for a particular difficult horse.. horse went ape and broke out of the school. Trainer got a call from the local vicar who said a horse had been seen "going at speed through the village with a rather suprised rider on it"

who cares if its true or not.. love the story!
 
Interesting, thanks for all the replies so far! Hoping to hear from a few more of you yet though :)

I also read the Kelly marks stuff about teaching horses not to freak when you come off, basically you work on it in a controlled manner first, not advisable to try and teach your horse anything during the event of whatever 'disaster' I think :p
I think it's a really good idea, I'm just not sure I have the guts to become the eventual tester... :o

Luci07 - I think this is a really good idea :) I guess there's always the chance it would also have a similar effect if the horse was spooked and ran, rather than pulling at it's mouth (likely to wind it up further) you'd have a better chance of the horse recognising the command and stopping? No idea, there's always the fact if the horse is going, it's just going! Wouldn't want you to be trying it out though!

Obviously having general control of your horses feet is always going to be helpful, though I think I need to work on this some more, especially with the stubborn welsh A who would happily walk all over you... shame everyone thinks he's adorable!

Chavhorse - you do make a good point, especially helpful when leading more than one horse! Dan likes to fuss over Dimples, Dimp dislikes the fuss... resulting in much awkwardness that can be avoided if both walk alongside me where I can see them!
 
Rotchana said:
ooh, we're still learning, we haven't progressed to outside the menage/field yet with this. This is to instil manners and stop her barging me in the stable and field which has served its purpose beautifully.

She'll learn new rules as she progresses, of course but the first one is to get her to listen to me.
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Sounds good! I remember bargy, infact my first month with Jan I actually had entire lessons based on the art of leading, backing, and when I say whoa you bloody well whoa.

From the day he arrived at the yard he was put on a regime of "when I enter your stable you move back" I can leave your stable door open and it will not enter your head to walk outside until I tell you to Stap up. I can then if I want to ask you to then back back into your stable or if I am feeling particulary evil put one leg out of the door then put it back, when I lead you towards your stable I will tell you to whoa at the door and you will, you will then enter calmly if you do not you will be backed straight out again.

OH who is a complete and total novice had a couple of sessions with Jan and now he two can make Vardi do all of the above and I feel totally confident that he can manage the horse.

I know there are a lot of people on here who will say "waste of time how anal" but not only is my once bargy pain the backside easier to handle but also he has grown in confidence because he knows the ground rules, exactly what is expected and everyone who handles him does it with consistancy.

I used to think that groundwork was time taken away from riding but it is interesting that now Vardi is back under saddle I am doing leg yield excercises that I used to do on the ground with a rope and a lunge wihp and you can see the little brain whirring "I remember this easy easy".

It has been a very interesting journey!
 
Does it count that I have "taught" my horses that whenever they see or hear or imagine something scarey and likely to kill or eat both of us that they run off as fast as they possibly can? No? Oh....

:D
 
I have done the falling off training. On the lunge at halt then walk then trot then (eek) canter. No stirrups cos they just make it harder. Had a trusted handler who started off at the horse's head then slowly stood back and evtualy left the ring and the horse loose. Every time I plopped off we both said WOAH and praised her if she did. Not too safe to train but preferable to being kicked/stood on/ left to walk home if one of us slid off on a hack and she paniced.
 
mine both stop at junctions! they stop on the roads at the tiniest hint of a whoa or if i squeeze my knees into the saddle, the mare will halt when i take my feet out the stirrups and they will both follow me unmounted when i have hopped off.
i enjoy having polite ponies.
 
Toto has been taught very good manners on the ground, and he also knows to stand if he is untied on the yard, so if he pulls back and the twine snaps, he won't run off! But kinda had to teach him that anyway, as he is always untying himself! So he never goes anywhere when he's not tied up :)

When he's ridden, he's more in tune to my voice than to other aids, he responds very well to my voice, so a 'steady' in a low voice slows him down in the same gait, a 'whoa' brings him down a gait and 'stand' stops him :) He's a very polite pony :)
 
I always insist mine slows down to walk when we are hacking through field gates, so that if I ever fell off he would hopefully not tank all the way home!

I have always insisted whichever horse I am riding stands still on demand out hacking, and will go away from the others if necessary: so many people omit really simple things like this from their training.

I would really appreciate a "how to" from those who do nice, light things to slow their horses at full gallop. Ours is always a bit of an argument (we don't "do" XC, we do hacking with some relatively short gallops, which he usually tries to insist isn't long enough :rolleyes:)
 
My horse knows to do a downwards transition when I whistle. Learnt it off friends and it saves me pulling him up. I don't have to put any pressure on the reins at all, I literally just whistle and sit up and he stops himself!
 
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