31 Days To Being A Better Rider: Day 4 Take Your Horse For A Walk
Tools You Will Need for Today:
- Clinician Style Rope Halter
- 14-foot lead rope
- Stick and String or lunge whip
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Fly spray (if needed)
Today is going to be a fun day. Today you are going to get off your property, and take your horse for a walk! To get the most from this exercise, you really do need to go away from your normal area of where you work your horse. If there is no safe place for you to go for a walk, then at least go for a walk away from where you normal do your schooling and riding.
The idea behind today’s lesson is to take you and your horse away from the familiarity of what you normally do. We want to do something that is different than what you would normally do. And taking your horse for a walk, yes, like you would walk your dog, IS different.
First Things Next
To get started, run through the grooming routine like you did yesterday. Tie your horse, pick out his hooves, curry him, then brush, and then apply fly spray.
Run through a brief bending exercise of bending his nose to his side, 5 times each side, and then get ready for your walk.
Before you take him out of his comfort zone, make sure the halter is securely tied. And if you have other horses that need to be put away, you will want to do this before you attempt to take your horse out of your enclosed area.
I am planning this like I do with my horses, so I have an enclosed area for them that the need to leave, which is why I am describing it this way. So for this example, I am taking my nervous thoroughbred out for a walk. I am sure to lock his buddy Frisby up before Ethan and I go gallivanting through the neighborhood.
Safety First
Now that it is safe to leave the safe area that your horse has become so accustom too, pay attention to him. How is he responding? Does he act nervous? Is he dancing around you? Could he be more calm? Paying attention to how your horse is reacting is important. You want to be sure to stay safe, and this is why the rope halter is beneficial. If he starts pulling on you, a quick tug of the lead rope will reinforce the pressure, and he should come off the pressure for an immediate release.
Also, pay attention to where his feet are in relation to yourself. You don’t want to get stepped on.
If he is anxious and dancing around, give him a job to do and keep his feet moving. You can work on backing, or stopping, and even bending. He needs to have a job. Something to do and focus on. This way there is less he has to worry about in his new surroundings. And once he settles and realizes when he is quiet he gets to stop working he will pay attention.
Make The Right Thing Easy
If your horses are anything like mine, they would rather stand around then have to work. Make the right thing easy, and the hard thing difficult and they will catch on fast.
Sometimes when my horse is being extra jumpy or nervous, I will work him in our regular riding area for about 15 to 20 minutes to get his mind focused, and then I will take him out for a walk. When he is just too full of energy, this works the best for me. If your horse is very high strung or temperamental, or both sometimes it is better to get that excess energy under control BEFORE you attempt to take him away from his comfort surroundings.
Finding The Right Balance
I like to take Ethan (the high strung one) out for walks several times a week. I am fortunate to have dirt roads in my subdivision. We can go on long walks to get him accustom to the outside world. When we started this, we started just venturing out one or two houses away from our own.
The first time we did this he was dancing around, and calling out to his buddy. The second time we did it, he was fine. This is why I use the knotted rope halter. Even though he can get flighty and be a handful, he pays attention to the knotted halter.
I have had him try and yank a lead or lunge line away from me, but with the knotted halter he has not been successful.
I know this sounds like a commercial for knotted rope halters, but it’s because they really do work!
For your first walk, go for as long as your feet and your horse will allow, within reason. If you can go out for 20 or 30 minutes, this would be great!
When you get done, be sure to bring your horse back to his “safe zone”, and groom him well before turning him out, or putting him in his stall.
Once you have completed this task, go ahead and draw your big “x” on day #4 for a job well done!
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