getting young driving horse to stand still

[MPR]

My mini is 4 1/2 yrs. old and was already trained to drive when we bought him. When we get him in harness and hooked up, he's all ready to go. He doesn't want to stand still while the driver is trying to get in the cart. Then after driving a while and then coming to a stop, he doesn't want to stand. He then tries turning around and is just moving around. He stands fine in halter. Any ideas on how to work on this. I know he's young and impatient, but eventually I would like him to be able to stand quietly when asked to stop.

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We've only driven him 3 times so far. Now, I think winter is here to stay...probably won't drive again until spring. Here's a picture of hubby driving. Then me trying to get him to stand still for a picture.

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[Field-of-Dreams]

The way we get our guys to stand is WORK THEM. If you ask to stop and he doesn't stand still, away we go- work. Then we ask again. Still no? Away we go again!!!

Lucy

 

[ruffian]

My trainer ties them in harness to the wall until they learn to stand. Could take hours, so make sure you have enough things to keep you busy while watching them. My stud will stand while I get in the cart, out of the cart, unhitch the cart, walk the cart away and come back.

Good luck - nothing is more annoying than trying to jump into or out of a moving vehicle!

 

[MPR]

My trainer ties them in harness to the wall until they learn to stand.

He stands fine in harness (hooked to cart), when he's tied. It's once he's untied, he's itchin' to go. I guess we'll have to try the "work him" techninque next year. He's got LOTS of GO, so it may take a lot to tucker him out.

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[rabbitsfizz]

Try working him before you drive him.

I tend to take the line that if he does not stand he is NOT harness trained properly (it is the FIRST thing I teach long before any harness is involved) so maybe he needs to go back to a trainer (or even just to a trainer) before you bring him back into work next spring and before it gets dangerous???

 

[MiLo Minis]

I agree with Rabbit. The first thing a driving horse needs to know and know thoroughly is WHOA. Not knowing whoa is a dangerous thing.

 

[MPR]

He stops fine. We have him walk for a while first to get warmed up. Then we ask him to trot for a minute or so....then back to a walk.....then to trot etc. This is to keep him paying attention and listening to us.

 

[MiLo Minis]

Come spring when you start driving again have someone hold him for you while you get in the cart. Drive him till he is getting tired. Ask him to whoa and count very slowly to 10. If he moves a muscle before you get to 10 immediately ask him to move off at a brisk trot and trot him strongly till he wants to stop then trot for a minute or so more. Ask him to whoa. Repeat as necessary until he stands absolutely still while you count sloooowly to 10. Immediately quit, praise him profusely and put him away. Make sure that you set enough time aside to do this until he stands quietly. You should only have to do this once, maybe twice and he will get the idea. Until you do get that good whoa set please have someone hold this horse until you are seated and prepared to take control of the horse - he is an accident waiting to happen right now.

 

[MPR]

please have someone hold this horse until you are seated and prepared to take control of the horse

Yes, this is what we did.

Thanks for the training tips.

 

[MiLo Minis]

Thanks Lori... I am going to try that this Spring myself with Ghost... :bgrin He is a bad boy too... :bgrin

Perhaps Ghost would enjoy a winter vacation in sunny Southern Ontario and I could talk to the "bad boy" for you! :bgrin

 

[whitney]

I teach mine to tie FIRST. We do a group tie session so they have lots of friends to stand around and be bored with. Make sure you stay close by, in case of tantrums.

 

[Jetiki]

In my mind Whoa means stop and stand there until asked to move. You can also teach this in a halter and lead rope in the barn isle. Walk a bit say Whoa, stand, at first as for only a few seconds and work up to standing for how ever long you want him to stand. Then ground drive ask for the whoa and stand work up to a couple of minutes ground driving then progress to the cart, have a helper once you get to the hitched point in case he does decide to get squirrly once hitched but if you have enforced the stand with a treat from halter to the ground driving during your traning back off the treats and give a pet and verbal reward so that he's not expecting a treat every time. He should remember from the halter and ground driving once hitched that whoa and stand means don't move.

 

[Versatility Farm & Training]

I do not reccomend the tie them in harness &/or cart method. It is very dangerous. You run the risk of your horse getting tangled, breaking the harness, breaking the cart, and even killing itself. I have known another trainer who used this method and had a client horse kill itself while tied in cart and harness. Based on what you are saying the horse has no problems standing unless it has the cart on so you don't need to waste the time getting him to stand in halter first if he already does so. What I recommend is long linning him with the cart on first. Ask him to stop, if he does only make him stand still for a very small amount of time and then ask him to go before he decided to do it on his own. Sometimes you may need to 'fight" with him to make him stand, then as soon as he does let him go forward. This in itself is a reward system. He will learn if he stadns still, then he will get to do something he wants to do, go! Once you can tell he is catching on start asking him to stand longer each time. You can do this in the cart too. Eventually he will learn he has to be patient. I had this problem with a client horse last year only she didn't want to walk either, always had to go go go! But she figured it out and had several AMHR National Top Tens and AMHA World Top Tens.

 

[MiLo Minis]

I do not reccomend the tie them in harness &/or cart method. It is very dangerous. You run the risk of your horse getting tangled, breaking the harness, breaking the cart, and even killing itself. I have known another trainer who used this method and had a client horse kill itself while tied in cart and harness. Based on what you are saying the horse has no problems standing unless it has the cart on so you don't need to waste the time getting him to stand in halter first if he already does so. What I recommend is long linning him with the cart on first. Ask him to stop, if he does only make him stand still for a very small amount of time and then ask him to go before he decided to do it on his own. Sometimes you may need to 'fight" with him to make him stand, then as soon as he does let him go forward. This in itself is a reward system. He will learn if he stadns still, then he will get to do something he wants to do, go! Once you can tell he is catching on start asking him to stand longer each time. You can do this in the cart too. Eventually he will learn he has to be patient. I had this problem with a client horse last year only she didn't want to walk either, always had to go go go! But she figured it out and had several AMHR National Top Tens and AMHA World Top Tens.

I wholeheartedly agree with NOT tieing a horse in harness to teach them patience. It is indeed a dangerous proposition and even if nothing gets hurt you can create a horse that will never drive again.

But I do disagree with this method of teaching a horse to stand quietly. It is of course just my opinion but I don't like to get into a "fight" with any horse if it isn't necessary. If he wants to go why not let him and only let him stop once it becomes his idea to stop? I find any time a horse learns something because it is "his" idea it always sinks in quicker and better rather than me fighting him and forcing it on him.

 

[ckmini]

I teach mine to ground tie first (mine are taught this for halter so most of them know it anyways) but every time you drive, once you are finished, make him stand still (like he would in the line up) before you get out and unhitch. If he wiggles and moves around drive him out of "the line up" and re-position him, and don't stop this untill he hives you a good quiet stand still. But note at fist he might only stand for a few seconds, but praise him and be done with it. To clarify the first few times don't keep repeating this over and over, once he gives you a good stand still reward him by stopping.

 

[Sandee]

Yup, whether you do this in the cart (easier for you but more risky) or on the long lines, work him a walk or trot ask for a whoa but only ask for a short time. If he stands praise him for all he's worth if he moves immediately ask for a brisk trot and work him. Ask for a whoa again and repeat until he's listening and staying put. It probably won't "cure" him in one session but if you do this repeatedly (asking for work and then a solid whoa to let him rest). He'll get the idea that standing is a whole lot better than moving!