I have finally gotten Lance home (Iknow pictures they are going to have to wait for the weekend) I want to get him settled into the new barn and also have him get used to my commands before I drive him. I am finding that he does not know how to longe or he forgot. He will either trot or canter on the longe line. What ever he feels like doing on the day I longe him. How do you get a horse to obey what you want him to do? I have longed horses before but they alway were trained and I have no problems with voice commands. I have driven him and had no problems with walks, trots and extended trots while hooked. I am really at loss here and any help would be appreciated.
Longing
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JMS Miniatures
Well-Known Member
Well here is the way I do it. First I teach them to pivot and back cause that comes into play when I teach them to lounge. First I back them up to get them out of my personal space. I make them back away from me and I stand still in the middle and I try not to move my feet, thats what your aiming for is not having to move your feet. Then I point to the direction I want to go, if they don't move, then I cluck, if they still don't move I spank the ground and if that doesn't work then I get closer to them spanking the ground and if necessary I will spank it on them just to get them moving. If they go the wrong way just pull them towards the direction you want to go and just spank the ground in front of them til they go the other way. At the beginning I don't care how fast they go as long as its in the trot or canter, I prefer them to trot at the beginning. I make them go around me say at least 3 circles without hesitation then I stop them by shortening up my lead, I look at their hindquarters, and I twirl the whip towards their hind end and if that doesn't work just shorten up the lead and keep trying. You want them to swing their hindquarters away from you as the main goal is they will turn to face you and come up right to you. Once they get good with that instead of turning in by moving their hindquarters if I want them to just turn around I get up in front of the driveline which is near their head, point the other direction and like you were doing by moving their hindquarters this time you want them to move their forequarters to the other direction you want to go, kind of like a rollback.
Of course everyone has a different way of doing it, this is just the way I teach them to do it and I prefer this way.
Of course everyone has a different way of doing it, this is just the way I teach them to do it and I prefer this way.
rabbitsfizz
Well-Known Member
You have just got this boy, who I know is a driving horses, trained, home.
You have said yourself that you want to get him used to your voice and commands before driving him, and this is sensible and sensitive of you to think of him!
So, why are you surprised he is not obeying you?
Think about it- you answered your own question- he does not know you!
He has not forgotten how to do these things, he just does not know your voice and he is in a strange place and he does not know any of it and, by jingo, he odes not see why he should so there!!
Equine equivalent of a (IMO rather justified) cross between a very low key hissy fit and total bewilderment.
Can you round pen, as opposed to lunging?
I ask because I really do like a horse to have a choice in a situation like this, to be able to make up his own mind.
If you cannot round pen him loose, then give him a loose rein and just keep on repeating the command (I would start with him in his free canter and work on bringing him back to a trot as stopping a horse, especially a driving horse, is SO much more use than being able to make it go
) and just keep on until the light dawns- and it will, trust me.
He is probably still a bit disorientated, too, so I can see you are already cutting him some slack- be a bit firmer now, ask nicely, and if that does not work try a hard "Whoa, stop messing me aroundyou'orriblelittle'orsedon'tmakemecomeoutthereandgetafteryou....." (you get the idea-I tend to say silly things to my horses because externalising my feelings helps get the general idea across!
Honestly, I think he is just confuzzled and feeling maybe a bit stroppy, and add a pinch of "let's see how far we can push her" and stir well.
You are on the right track, just keep going a bit further, that's all.
Good Luck....
Where are those flipping pictures?????
You have said yourself that you want to get him used to your voice and commands before driving him, and this is sensible and sensitive of you to think of him!
So, why are you surprised he is not obeying you?
Think about it- you answered your own question- he does not know you!
He has not forgotten how to do these things, he just does not know your voice and he is in a strange place and he does not know any of it and, by jingo, he odes not see why he should so there!!
Equine equivalent of a (IMO rather justified) cross between a very low key hissy fit and total bewilderment.
Can you round pen, as opposed to lunging?
I ask because I really do like a horse to have a choice in a situation like this, to be able to make up his own mind.
If you cannot round pen him loose, then give him a loose rein and just keep on repeating the command (I would start with him in his free canter and work on bringing him back to a trot as stopping a horse, especially a driving horse, is SO much more use than being able to make it go
He is probably still a bit disorientated, too, so I can see you are already cutting him some slack- be a bit firmer now, ask nicely, and if that does not work try a hard "Whoa, stop messing me aroundyou'orriblelittle'orsedon'tmakemecomeoutthereandgetafteryou....." (you get the idea-I tend to say silly things to my horses because externalising my feelings helps get the general idea across!
Honestly, I think he is just confuzzled and feeling maybe a bit stroppy, and add a pinch of "let's see how far we can push her" and stir well.
You are on the right track, just keep going a bit further, that's all.
Good Luck....
Where are those flipping pictures?????
thanks, what concerened me more then him doing what he wants is the fact that he would not stop at the canter. I had to pull him in to get him to stop. So I guess I will just continue to do what I am doing and get his attention. I can not round pen him as there is not a round pen at the barn where he is stabled for the winter. I am also working him on a lead line at the whoa, walk and trot. There he listens to me. I love this guy and he is well trained as you all know. I am not going to drive him until the weekend when I have my husband to walk with me. I trust Lance and have a feeling he will be better when he is hooked. I have all the time in the world to get him used to the barn and used to me so will continue to work and trust he will come around I do not know how to get the pictures from my camera to the computer so have to wait for my husband to come home and more them for me. You will be seeing us hopefully for a long time
Reignmaker Miniatures
Well-Known Member
When any of my horses (when lunging or round penning not in harness) refuse to stop when I suggest they should I do one of 2 things, I either push them into a faster gait and make them maintain it until they are breathing hard and want to slow down or I begin making them change directions. The direction change approach works best in a round pen where they are free lunging and then I just keep turning them back until they 'cry uncle' and slow down. Also be careful you are not giving him mixed signals with your body language/position, if you want him to slow down try to face him squarely rather than leaving a open 'gate' by being angled toward his head. That probably makes no sense at all... lets see if I can clarify. If he is moving to the right you will be the point of a triangle with your left hand/whip pointing at his hip and your right hand leading him in the direction of travel. To do this you will angle your own body slightly so your left hip is closer to him than your right. When you want him to slow turn your body so you are square effectively closing the open door he was traveling thro and at the same time releasing pressure from his hip so he isn't being pushed. Then lower the whip angle and ask for him to slow. Hope that makes sense now, some horses are more sensitive than others and I do find a round pen sure helps while they are learning. I expect my horses to know the verbal cues for walk, trot, extend, canter, reverse and whoa in the round pen and on the lunge line before I will drive them. That includes the ones who come to me already trained. If I can't get them to respond in hand I am not willing to hitch them until they will.
BTW, congratulations on your new guy. I'm looking forward to LOTS of pictures
hobbyhorse23
Well-Known Member
I love Fizz's post!
Sounds to me like your boy has been shipped a long way from home, possibly cooped up in a stall, and when he gets out there he wants to GO and burn off some energy. Let him! It's pointless to try and ask a hot horse to come down before they're ready and you're only setting yourself up for failure. If you don't want him to run for safety reasons or because he hasn't had a proper warmup first or whatever, then keep him on a smaller circle and don't let him go up to a canter until you say so. If he breaks he gets a sharp "Ahht, t-rot!" and a pop of the line until he comes down then gets praise. Just be firm with him.
If you don't mind him burning off energy then let him go until he's ready to come down on his own and ask him right before he would have done it himself. It will only take a couple of times before he remembers his manners. You can ask him for changes of direction and once he's focusing on you the transitions will come more easily.
There's also nothing wrong with reeling in the line as he's cantering around like a maniac until it's too small for him to maintain the gait. That's a good way to get their attention!
The bigger circle is a privilege he earns with good behavior.
I personally HATE having the horse turn to face me when they stop. If I want them to turn in, I'll ask them to. Otherwise they better just whoa when told to and stay out there on the circle!
Leia
Sounds to me like your boy has been shipped a long way from home, possibly cooped up in a stall, and when he gets out there he wants to GO and burn off some energy. Let him! It's pointless to try and ask a hot horse to come down before they're ready and you're only setting yourself up for failure. If you don't want him to run for safety reasons or because he hasn't had a proper warmup first or whatever, then keep him on a smaller circle and don't let him go up to a canter until you say so. If he breaks he gets a sharp "Ahht, t-rot!" and a pop of the line until he comes down then gets praise. Just be firm with him.
If you don't mind him burning off energy then let him go until he's ready to come down on his own and ask him right before he would have done it himself. It will only take a couple of times before he remembers his manners. You can ask him for changes of direction and once he's focusing on you the transitions will come more easily.
There's also nothing wrong with reeling in the line as he's cantering around like a maniac until it's too small for him to maintain the gait. That's a good way to get their attention!
I personally HATE having the horse turn to face me when they stop. If I want them to turn in, I'll ask them to. Otherwise they better just whoa when told to and stay out there on the circle!
Leia
Minimor
Well-Known Member
When I longe, I do NOT want the horse turning to face me. I will pull in on the line to turn them a bit if I have to in order to get them to stop when I'm first starting one on the longe line, but as they learn what it is all about & learn the voice commands I expect them to stay on the circle and stop. When the lesson is finished they stand on the circle and I walk up to them & lead them in to be untacked.
