show training

[coopermini]

We have a colt that will finally stand when asked to but setting his feet is still a work in progress with not much progress. We have tried picking and placing his feet which is not very effective as he doesn't want to set them down where you try to place them. If we get the back set when we touch a front foot he moves a back foot. You set the front and move to reset the back and you guessed it he will move one front. Seems like he is making a game out of it. Have tried to set him with halter which works only slightly better as he always wants to keep one back foot out of postion and usually in a horrible position but not the same place or same foot even.

Any ideas?

Mark

 

[Meadow]

Mark - the only thing that worked for me this year with my two yearling fillies, is to back them up each time they move a foot, either back or front foot. They finally got it

It took about a week of working with them after work or on my days off, as much as possible. Good Luck

Val

Meadowbrook Miniatures

 

[Bailey@SmallWonders]

We have a colt that had the same problem. What I did with him was I would set one back foot, then set the other, but before placing it down on the ground, get ready to lift up a front leg, so that as soon as that back foot is down the other is up. That should keep him from moving his back feet. Then you should be able to set the front foot down and say "whoa" in a strict, stern voice. That is what I did with our colt. You have to practice a lot too, that also helped our colt. How much are you practicing with him? Make sure when they are young you only do about 10-15 minutes at a time, they cant focus for much loger than that and you want tp end on a good note.

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

Great thread. I have a weanling filly I will use these tips with. What bait do you use to get them to give you that cute little curiosity look and to get their head up and neck stretched?

 

[wildoak]

Practice, practice, practice LOL but just a few minutes at a time. I love a horse who will set up from the halter and save you all the so attractive bending over that we all seem to do

but babies are usually not there yet. Watch the showmanship kids set up, they really have it down pat.

Jan

 

[Leeana]

Okay, here is what i do. Really, i might do this for a week and then i dont set them agian until maybe day or two before the show. I dont practice it everyday as i dont want them to get sick of working their neck and body for me, so teach them how (they wont forget) and then let it go until a day or two pre show and i go back over it agian.

I work from the back of the horse to the front. Hint: when you set the back legs dont step them back and then set their legs, when you back them up and set them it normally makes them look sickle hocked, always step them back up agian to set. Anyway, i gentle poke their chest and put pressure on the noseband of the halter until i get their feet set as i went them in the back (dont worry about the front yet), practice this and then when you touch their chest, they will set their back feet automatically.

Then, i ask them to set their front feet. I show them a bit of grain (or just my hand) and give a gentle yank on the halter and ask them to step up a step wth their front feet, IF and AS SOON as they move a hind foot BACK them up about 10 steps (i normally give a few good yanks on the lead too), walk them back up and start over agian. Set the back feet, then show your hand or grain and ask them to step up with the front feet ONLY, if they step up with the back feet back them up another 10 feet agian. They will learn that if they move their back feet that they will get "punished". It works for me, really ..normally after about 10 minutes they understand this, but i will do it normally about 3-5 days. Its a simple concept for the horses

.

Oh, and once they learn to step up when you ask them to with the front feet, after you get ALL their feet set, i normally give a gentle yank on the lead to say "Stay" and now show your neck. If they step up when im infront of them and baiting them, then i yank the lead. Sounds confusing but really its not

.

 

[maestoso]

I agree with Val, that's what I do. Horses hate to back up. They are also smart, and they realize quickly that if they don't move they won't have to back. Also, if they are anticipating the backing up part, they aren't thinking about moving their feet, so you kind of distract them at the same time. What has also been successful for me is that when the horse does get it right, reward them with a treat immediately. First treat them when they have made progress, then as they get better, you get pickier and pickier about when you treat them, so they learn that it has to be perfect to get the treat. This is a better process to use during the off-season, as I take some time to wean my horses off the treats a bit before show season or they will constantly be looking for them.

I have a mare that I am working with right now that knows her stuff except she has made a new game of refusing to place the foot down exactly where I am trying to set it. So I take a deep breath, get comfortable, and hold the leg until she puts it down where I want. She gets tired of the game before I do and gives in. Once, this meant I held her leg up for about ten minutes without putting it down, but she did put it down where I wanted eventually and she got a treat. She has figured it out, it is pointless to "argue".

 

[Fred]

Mark, you and Gaylene are welcome to come down tomorrow and I can show you what we do. Beside you haven't seen the little land shark we have yet. Linda

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

I have a couple more ? Do you just use grain for bait or something special? Do you use a curb chain when training or just a halter?

What do you do to get them to stretch their neck without moving?

I can't wait until it stops raining to get out there and try this stuff.

 

[Charlotte]

If the horse is moving his feet he isn't sufficiently trained on 'whoa'. Before feet placing ever comes about whoa training has to be set in stone. You say whoa, horse doesn't move ANYTHING until you tell him to! (well, maybe ears & tail)

So go back to ground '0'. And work on his whoa. When you can whoa him anywhere, any time and walk all around him at the end of his lead and he stays planted then you are ready to start with the foot placing, either by halter or hand. And start in his stall or another small confined area where he feels secure and comfortable.

It sounds like your guy doesn't understand what you're asking of him.

Good luck!

Charlotte

 

[coopermini]

Thanks everyone for the input. We are still working on him. He just has been very frustrating with the feet. Especially the back ones as he just can't seem to keep them set where they belong. We are continuing to work on whoa which he finally does seem to understand except when we try setting feet where they should be. He is not fond of backing which he has had a fair amount of practice doing.

Mark

 

[Bailey@SmallWonders]

I have a couple more ? Do you just use grain for bait or something special? Do you use a curb chain when training or just a halter?

What do you do to get them to stretch their neck without moving?

I can't wait until it stops raining to get out there and try this stuff.

I use different things for different horses. Different horses react to different things. With my senior gelding, all i have to do is stand in front of him and bite on a carrot and his ears go right up. But, with my yearling colt he doesnt care about a carrot. With him, I drop oats in front of him and thats when he puts his ears up and stretches his neck out.

To get them to stretch out their neck without moving, they have to know whoa perfectly.

Go in this order when training them to set up:

1. Teach "Whoa" so that they know it very well
2. Set either the front or back feet, once they have that down, set the others
3. Last thing to do is try to get ears and neck, and if they really know whoa, they shouldnt move

 

[Lightning crest farm]

what i do is say up(when i pick the hoof up) and down(when i put the hoof down) soon ur horse will colt will understand what he is supposed to do learned that from a person that has national champion horses.