Voice Commands

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

I'm just beginning to think about restarting my mare driving, going to start doing some ground driving. I was wondering if there are standard voice commands, or if you just make up your own? Like do you say walk, trot, canter or ? Do you say "whoa" for stop, or something else? I generally say, walk, trot, whoa, back (for back-up) and kiss noise to for trot. What about right/left do you use voice commands for turning as well? I've driven horses before, but never competed so don't know anything about what is typical.

Just got me curious about what others say!

 

[RhineStone]

We have a cue for each required gait, which actually came with our "big" horse when we purchased him 16 years ago. They made so much sense to us, we continued to use them for the rest of our horses. I can't stand "random clucking" and kissing for "go forward". I want my horses to know how fast to go, too.

For walk, we use one cluck and the word, "walk".

For trot, we use two clucks and the word that corresponds with the "speed" we want, i.e. "trot" for working trot, "jog" for slow trot (not a true western jog), and "trot up" for a strong trot.

Kiss is for canter.

We also use "come" and "get" for right and left which is beneficial for the tandem. (I have found myself giving my husband directions using "come" and "get", "Come at the next stoplight"

) We also use the term "hard" for sharp, tight turns. (BTW, Gee and Haw are draft terms, not really used in the carriage ring, unless you want to sound like a yahoo.)

"Stand" = don't move a muscle.

"Ho" = stop forward movement, but it is different than "stand".

"Back" for rein back, and "step up" for short movements forward (like in line up).

"Over" for sideways movement.

We use "Foot" with a tap on the ankle for pick up your foot (in the stall). It really saves your back from hauling up on their leg. Our horses learned it quite quickly.

"Through there" is "go through that obstacle". It just helps them focus on where I want them to go.

I have a verbal cue for half-halt, too. "Hep" is a "pay atttention, I'm going to tell you something" cue. It is always used in a down transition to give smoothness to the transition. Before we ask for a "ho" (whoa), we "hep" first. We use "hep" before a hard turn, to give them warning. I also use a drawn out "heeeeepp" for "knock it off and listen, stupid" (Yup, our horses aren't perfect!). There are some people that use "and", such as "and walk", "and whoa", but it don't want them to get it confused with "stand".

Myrna

 

[ThreeCFarm]

My horses are trained like this:

walk=walk

walk on=if the horse is hesitating for whatever reason

cluck=pleasure trot

kiss=working trot

trot on=same as walk on except at trot

back=back

whoa (pronounced as ho)=stop

step up=just a few steps forward, such as in the line up after you back, to return to your place

easy=steady

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I ditto Myrna on just about everything except I say "Come Left" and "Get Right" for turn cues (like in a hazard or cones area, not for simply driving forward in an arena where the rein cue is quite sufficient) and add "Come around HARD!" if they really need to spin it at speed.

There are some people that use "and", such as "and walk", "and whoa", but it don't want them to get it confused with "stand".

It's all in the tone. There's no way my horse is going to confuse a soft, drawn-out "Aaaaand, walk" with a firm "Whoa, STAND."

Tone plays a huge part in my commands anyway. I introduce my horse to all the terms during liberty play so they begin to associate the words and tones with an action and then refine that on the lunge line until the horse knows exactly what each means. By the time they're ground-driving they know all the words so it's an easy transition for them as I'm building on something they already know. For that reason I'm very consistent with the same way I was taught to say the words when first lunging my riding horse as a child. All downward transitions are said with a downward intonation and soothing tone, all upward transitions with a bright voice and shorter, sharper intonation. I preface each command with a word that warns the horse to pay attention because something is coming, usually their name for anything upward or different (a turn or lateral move or backing up) and a warning "aaaand..." for downward stuff. It is traditional in dog training to use the animal's name before a command and I've found that useful for driving in groups as Kody used to freak out over all the other drivers frantically clucking and kissing around him at the breed shows. Now he knows if he doesn't hear his name first he doesn't have to worry. It's kind of funny actually- I can drive with all sorts of physical conditions that would keep me from riding but I can't drive if I have laryngitis without completely retraining my horse!

Leia

 

[Shortpig]

I use stand, walk, trot, trot on, back, whoa, step up, step back, move over.

My favorite of all is "Get out of there or you will be dog food." The last one is for Ariel who can't seem to stay out of anything or any place she isn't supposed to be. Oh and the other one is said very loudly with determination "TOE" and they usually will step off of it. Not always but usually.

I feel that the command Whoa should only be used when trying to catch or when driving or riding which ever the case may be. When in hand I prefer to use stand. I've heard too many people who have their horse in hand saying whoa, whoa, whoa. After awhile the horse just begins to not hear it.

With Ariel and Jimmy both you can be moving at a trot, say whoa and both horses stop right then.

That's important to me so should something spook them they will come to a very fast halt.

Then for Koda I have to say "Let Go" because he seems to think he has to hold the manure fork when I am cleaning. He likes to help but that just doesn't work for me.

The terms Gee and Haw were used with Draft Horses when working the field. They actually meant step over a row left or right. My father used draft horses on a couple farms we lived on when I was a little tyke. I would set up on the horse, holding on to the hames and go for a ride. I was about 4 or 5 at the time and I probably looked like a flea sitting on Marmaduke.

I am not a clucker but will sometimes make the kissy sound.

 

[Kim~Crayonboxminiatures]

Thanks to all who responded! It's fun to learn how others do things.

 

[susanne]

Not too terribly different here, except that every command is preceded with the horse's name, as in "Mingus walk."

We simply use "left" and "right." No come or git. For a tight, immediate turn we use "left-left" or "right right." We say "walk-up" for a strong walk with impulsion, with an inflection that sounds almost like the word hiccup.

Mingus' favorite word is "beautiful." If I say "Mingus, you're beautiful," he responds by showing off with an arched neck and fancier step. As a carryover from halter class, to Mingus "stand" means not only to hold perfectly still, but to do it beautifully. He parks out and arches his neck.

Ahh...life with an ego-driven horse!

 

[RhineStone]

I know of other CDE drivers that also use right and left. My mom was a Kindergarten teacher, but to this day I need to really think about which way is right and which is left! So Come and Get work better for me! I can remember which way come and get is over right and left!

So Susanne, how do you teach "beautiful"? My horse could benefit from more arch in his neck while driving! (Actually, that is what we worked on in my Muffy Seaton clinic on Sunday.)

Myrna

 

[shandoaharabmini]

We teach our horses the following: to walk I will say "walk"; a slow trot I will say "trot easy"; a medium trot I will say "jog"; an extended trot I will say "trot on"; to back I will say "back" (if the mini backs up too quickly I'll say "easy" to slow them down) and to stop I will say "whoa". My tone of voice plays a big part in the commands. If I want my horse to move forward or change into a faster gait, my voice is higher with an up beat tone. When I ask for a slower gait, my voice is lower with a calmer tone. I always will say the word "Okay" before every command to get their attention so they know a command is coming and it helps the changing of gait go smoother too.

Beware of the commands you teach your minis. Several years ago I witnessed an accident do to people having taught their minis the same commands but meant different gaits to the minis. I was at a State Fair show that had the mini horse people stabled by the work horse people. Our driving classes were scheduled in between the work horse classes and the riding horse classes. Some of the work horse people put their driving carts in the main ailes since there wasn't room for them near their stalls. This State Fair always draws numerous spectators but at least the barn had less people in it so it was safer for us to harness in the barn. When the time came for the mini horse people to harness, it was easier for us to harness in ths main aile since the ailes near our stalls had been block off by the work horse people. They were trying to get ready for their driving classes too. Several of us mini people were harnessing our horses at the same time, practically one horse in front of another horse with only a few feet in between horses. The first horse in line was an energetic stallion. The owner of this stallion was having problems getting him harnessed since he was dancing around but she managed to get him ready. As she was lifting her leg over the basket to get in, the driver behind her was in his cart ready to leave the barn. He turned his horse then clucked which meant for him to walk. The stallion the owner was going to drive had been taught clucking meant an extended trot! The stallion bolted forward causing the wheel to hit the owners only leg on the ground, tripping her. She hit the ground, lost a hold of the reins and the cart ran over her legs. As the stallion trotted away, one of the shafts on his cart hit and jammed into a work horse cart wheel. The stallion was knocked off balance sending him crashing to the ground then started thrashing because the harness was tangled around his legs. Thankfully some work horse people grabbed the stallion. They held him down until the harness was untangled. The owner of the stallion had several scrapes and bruises plus twisted her knee. Fortunately, the stallion was not hurt in the accident and no equipment was broken.

I hope this story reminds people to be aware of their surroundings and realize that clucks and even kissing noises can mean a command for different gaits.

Shandoaharabmini

 

[susanne]

Unfortunately, one would have to determine the "correct" command protocol to follow. Who is to say what is standard and correct?

You could follow what you feel are correct and standard commands and still have your horse listen to someone using their own system.

This is why we preface every command with the horse's name: Mingus, walk...Mingus back...etc. Obviously there are no guarantees, but hopefully it will lessen the chances of our horses listening to another driver.

We started doing this at a group drive when Keith was driving Mingus and I drove a friend's horse. Mingus' ears were turned to my channel and he followed what I told the other horse.

BTW, Myrna, he learned "beautiful" by accident. It was just something I started saying when setting him up for halter, and he linked "beautiful" and showing off with getting a treat. But imagine my syrprise when, during free-lunging, I told him he was beautiful and he turned it on...

 

[Kendra]

I tried to respond yesterday, but my connection was being difficult and my reply was lost in cyberspace.

I really believe that horses learn to respond to tone more than words. This spring I watched a clinician who spoke French to the horses, and every one of them responded to the French words just like he wanted, words they'd never heard before. But the tone was the same, so they knew exactly what he wanted.

I thought that I'd taught my horse to shake his head for the cue word "cute", (as in "are you cute?") and nod for the cue word "handsome", (as in "are you handsome?") but it soon became evident that he's responding, not to the word, but the questioning tone. It doesn't matter what I ask him, he says no to the first question and yes to the second! ;-) Which is okay too - all sorts of amusing possibilities ... but I might be a geek.

 

[RhineStone]

The runaway stallion story is one good reason why using specific words is a good idea, vs. just noises. (I can't stand just random clucking and kissing.)

Our horses, especially our big gelding, only respond to our own voices. When we have a new driver or student, one of us needs to ride in the cart with him because he knows that he is only supposed to listen to our commands vs. somebody else's unfamiliar voice. Using his name seems to help him understand that the unfamiliar voice is indeed talking to him.

I knew of a family that imported a Freisian from Holland. They had to retrain the horse because they didn't know any Dutch. It was a mess for a while.

Myrna

 

[Kendra]

The runaway stallion story is one good reason why using specific words is a good idea, vs. just noises. (I can't stand just random clucking and kissing.)

I think the runaway stallion story is a good reason why you should always have a header while getting in/out, or hitching/unhitching, while in an unpredictable environment like the one described.