Time, Timing, & Toilet Paper
Time, Timing and Toilet Paper
Stuck at home with your horse? Would you like some ideas of things to do around the barn that may improve your relationship with your horse?
When working with horses one of the most difficult things to perfect is timing. Timing in horsemanship is a very important skill that needs constant tuning and refining. I’ll share a few ways I work on timing on a daily basis.
When do I catch my horse? Often times, I see people trying to catch a horse way before the horse or the person is ready. This often results in frustration and the potential for a bad habit to develop. Things to keep in mind when catching;
Do I have my halter ready and in position in my hand?
Is the horse in an area that I can control once I start this process? It doesn’t have to be a small pen, but a 40-acre pasture is probably not a good place to pick your battle.
Can you get 2 eyes on you before you approach?
Do you have the time to commit if it takes a while?
When teaching a horse to bridle:
Can I rub all over my horse’s head?
Can I slip my thumb into his mouth?
Will he lower his head?
When teaching a horse to guide at a walk:
When do I use the direct rein? Is it when his inside front leg is leaving the ground, going to the ground, or in mid-air?
When do I bump my outside leg?
When is there too much life in the feet, when is there not enough?
When teaching a horse to back:
Are you connecting the reins to the back feet or the front feet?
When stopping a horse.
Are the hind feet coming forward when you ask or are they stretching out behind?
When introducing a new exercise?
Did you introduce when he is in a good frame of mind to learn?
Did you quit him at the right time to keep his mind willing?
Start by just walking around on your horse and try counting the front feet when they hit the ground. If you can start to feel when the front feet are leaving the ground, you can better prepare for when to ask for a slight change in direction with the inside rein. Remember, for a horse to efficiently change directions it has to start with the inside front foot. If you can get in timing with that inside front foot then the horse will learn to guide much quicker. You will be helping him more than just getting in his way.
For those who would like to work on their timing from the ground, try sending your horse at a walk between you and the fence without ever moving your feet. Try doing it with only your lead rope and keeping slack in the rope. For this to take place, the horse has to develop a soft feel. If that’s accomplished, it is often a result of excellent timing.
Due to the current circumstances, many of us have been forced to slow down our busy lives. It’s sure made me look at how busy we all have gotten in this fast pace world.
Sometimes we forget to slow down in life and enjoy friends, family and the journey. I remember as a young man growing up with my great grandfather, I always asked him about “the good ole days”. He would tell me stories of the era before automobiles and electricity, when they plowed the garden with horses and had no bathroom in the house. I always attentively listened to his stories, trying to envision a time so different from my own. It wasn’t long before I also asked my own mother about “the good ole days”. I’ll never forget her response, she said “These are the good ole days”. I never realized the significance until I had my own daughters. These are those days for us now; it’s important that we cherish them. It just took a virus and the fear of running out of toilet paper to slow us down! Take a day this week and go out, even it’s with just a rope halter and 12ft lead and make some “good ole days”.