More thoughts on pre-ride ground warmup

I have written before about owing it the horse to get him warmed up in both his body and mind before throwing a leg over and heading out. I recently listened to a podcast where the speaker talked about working on a crew at a large outfit where most of the cowboys after saddling their horses would spend the available minutes, before trotting out behind the boss, talking and telling stories rather than warming their horse up then wondered why some of them would be bucked off.

It's also pretty much common knowledge that lunging, or other ground work warming up, won't necessarily get the buck out of a horse by itself, but certainly a quality warmup allowing the horse to operate off a soft lead rope or rein can get him to looking to the handler, getting his mind on following direction, and getting blood flowing to his major muscle groups. It also allows the handler to discern any stickiness in the horse's gait which could indicate lameness. I have never had a problem having to wait on people to saddle up whether they were taking their sweet time grooming, tacking up, warming up,.....whatever. And I can't remember anytime when I hurried saddling a horse when I thought people were waiting on me. Didn't bother me much as I was there for my horse and not to satisfy people I was riding with or people in a clinic. Of course, that wouldn't be proper nor tolerated working for a cowboying outfit as you need to be ready to ride before the Boss is, but being ready to ride before the last man would get you a few minutes to get that horse warmed up and to his mind ass well.

Sometimes, when I pull a horse from his pen, the 2-3 minute walk to the tie rail can become a ten minute walk as I check him out enroute.....positioning up correctly when leading, stopping, backing, coming forward one foot at a time as I ask, swinging a front leg out, untracking his back end, etc.. So if he is not accurate on leading up, we'll correct that. All this reinforces the horse listening to your direction on the end of a lead rope. So if it's necessary to lead a horse, it's worth doing it with quality.

After saddling, and before I throw a leg over, I'll back the horse up using the as soft a feel as I can get by with and ask him to stand quiet, reinforcing ground tying, then ask for him to come forward sometimes using the lead rope of my mecate and sometimes using a hand signal. I'll ask for a front leg to step out laterally and sometimes ask for the hind end to untrack away from me. Again, getting the horse to look to you for direction.

Lastly, I'll direct the horse in a circle, first at a walk then a trot, getting the proper bend for that size of a circle and doing so on a loose lead, then untrack his hind feet with the hind foot nearest me stepping underneath his body and in front of his outside hind foot, then bringing his front end over and heading in the opposite direction.

So I do all this, usually spending 5-10 minutes at maximum, because I think I owe it to the horse to get a it warmed up and prepared for the ride.

The Cowboy and Western Art of Susan K. Guile

I wanted to do something so people other than locals could see the Cowboy and Western artwork of my late wife, Susan K. Guile. Susan, 5 March 1961 – 21 October 2024, was a native Texan growing up in Wichita Falls, Abilene and Del Rio, Texas, and other states as well, in a military family where she developed a love of animals, especially horses. She graduated from Shippensburg State University in Pennslvania with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art. While in Texas, she rode with the Escaramuzas (female Charros) in South Texas, rodeoed in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Alabama, and rode Classical Dressage in Germany with one of the last Prussian Dressage Masters.

She also worked for several years as a wrangler and trail guide at a ranch in Southern California. Settling in El Paso, Texas in 1999, Susan taught horsemanship for over 20 years instilling a love and respect for horses for many adults and children. She used her love of horses and the western lifestyle to paint realistic oil on canvas scenes of horses and cowboys and other iconic western scenes for which she was well known for in the El Paso Art Community. She would only paint from photographs she owned, aside from the occasional commission piece, so man of her painting were of her husband (me) which is unfortunate as she could have had better subjects. These are some of her works below:

This piece (above) is titled "Jubal" of me and a Mustang gelding who proved to be a difficult horse, even dangerous at times, but taught me so much. Took me awhile to make friends with him, but I actually used him to teach a couple clinics off of. The original painting was 30x36 inches oil on canvas.

I'm old, with many wrinkles, but Susan used to accuse me of telling fibs when the corners of my eyes would crinkle up. She called this my tell. So the title of the painting is "The Tell". I have to admit I cannot keep myself from making up ridiculous stories and get gullible people to believe me. She painted this painting of me. The original was 22x26 inches oil on canvas.

This piece (above) is called "The Last of the Range Riders" when I was a Conversation Law Enforcement Officer, colloquial called an Army Range Rider and riding a young horse (Chance) breaking him into duty. The location was the Otero Mesa in New Mexico on Bureau of and Management grazing units where we had enforcement jurisdiction. The original painting was 30x54 inches oil on canvas.

Susan also painted from time to time in water colors, and this work (above), which she called "Best Friends", is me introducing Jubal the Mustang to my best friend Petey, a Gordon Setter. The original painting was 18x24 inches oil on canvas.

Susan took a photo, hard to do at night, of me drinking coffee by the fire pit, and turned it into this painting she titled "Campfire Contemplations" above. The original painting was 22x28 inches oil on canvas.

Althoughg she painted many others, old barns, homesteads, longhorns and horse, the last ne which I'll share here is titled "Welcome Breeze". From a photograph taken in the hot desert summer, you can tell there is a light breeze blowing my wild rag and the horse, Junior's, tail and mane. The Franklin Mountains Noorth of El Paso, Texas are in the background.

One of Susan's last was to get her artwork available for her family and friends to get prints and what not. I finally got that done, putting her work on Fine Art America where the images can be made into prints and posters, note cards, t-shirts and even coffee mugs. I already warned her family they better not get a coffee cup with my likeness on it only to drink weak ass coffee from it. Anyway, I hope more than a few people can enjoy her efforts. She was as good as a woman, wife and rider as she was an artist.

Merry Christmas 2025

Advice on Growing Old

An old cowboying partner of mine, we are both in the last half of our sixties, sent this to me. He copied it from a post on Facebook. Much of it I slowly realized over the past few years which illustrates that if you are able to learn, sometimes that wisdom comes with age....if you allow it. So, the following advice resonated with me with the only things really missing are to thank the Father daily for our blessings and help those less fortunate than yourself if you can. Merry Christmas Everyone!




When I turned 67, I sat in my favorite chair, looked back at my life, and whispered to myself, “So… this is the beginning of the final stretch.” And slowly, the truths I had avoided all my life began to surface. Kids? They’re busy writing their own story. Health? Slips away faster than sand through open fingers. The government? Just headlines, promises, and numbers that never change your daily reality. Aging doesn’t hurt your body first — it hurts your illusions. So I sat down with myself and carved out a handful of bitter but necessary truths.

Kids don’t save you from loneliness
Children grow, life pulls them in every direction, and you become a memory they visit when time allows.
You smile… and yet something inside you remains strangely hollow.
Kids bring joy — but they are not a shield against loneliness.

Health is not forever
One day, the outings you once jumped into with enthusiasm feel like a marathon.
You realize health was never a background character — it was the main pillar holding your life steady.

Retirement and money
Retirement is not a reward — it’s a reality check.
Depending on the system is like standing on thin ice.
Bills grow, needs grow, prices grow… but support doesn't.

So I rebuilt my life on new rules — honest, sharp, practical rules for living with dignity.

Rule 1: Money is more reliable than anything else.
Love your kids, cherish them — but don’t make them your retirement plan.
Save for yourself.
Even small savings create big freedom.
Financial independence is dignity.

Rule 2: Your health is your real job
Nothing else matters if your body refuses to cooperate.
Move. Walk. Stretch.
Guard your sleep like treasure.
Eat cleaner. Reduce the poison disguised as sugar and salt.
Illness doesn’t discriminate, but it respects those who take responsibility for themselves.

Rule 3: Create your own joy
Waiting for others to make you happy is the fastest way to heartbreak.
So you learn to enjoy the small things — a peaceful breakfast, a good book, music that warms the soul.
When you know how to make yourself happy, loneliness loses its power.

Rule 4: Aging is not an excuse to become helpless
Some people turn aging into a performance of complaints. And slowly, even those who love them start stepping away.
Strength is attractive. Resilience is magnetic.
People respect the ones who stay capable, not the ones who surrender.

Rule 5: Let go of the past
The good old days were beautiful — yes. But they’re gone, and there is no return ticket.
Clinging to the past steals the present. Life today may look different, but it still holds moments worth living.

Rule 6: Protect your peace like it’s your property
Not every argument needs your voice.
Not every insult needs your response.
Not every relative deserves access to your emotions.
Peace is expensive.
Protect it from drama, negativity, and draining people — even if they're your close ones.

Rule 7: Keep learning something — anything
The day you stop learning is the day you start aging.
A new recipe, a new word, a new app, a new hobby — your brain needs movement just like your body does.
Learning keeps you young. Stagnation makes you old.

Strength and freedom still belong to you.
Aging is an exam no one can take for you.
You can adapt, rebuild, and rise stronger…....or sit back, complain, and wait for someone to rescue you.
And if no one comes to rescue you .......
Stand up for yourself because you still can
. And that single truth is enough to transform the rest of your life.

~ Unknown author

Standlee Forage Podcasts - Continue the Learning

I've been a fan of Standlee Forage, headquartered in Eden Idaho, for years now. Finding their products a very high quality, I use a wide range of them. I've also just become a recent fan of several different podcasts, listening to them as I go about my daily chores or projects. So I was happy to learn, although months behind every one else, that Standlee hosts podcasts on Horse Nutrition. Here is the company announcement on their podcasts called "Beyond the Barn". Hosted by equine nutritionist, Dr. Tania Cubitt, and marketing consultant and livestock owner, Katy Starr, episodes will feature breaking down misconceptions and offering tips for feeding and caring for horses, other livestock and small animals, as well as interviews with other qualified experts and individuals in the agricultural industry and Standlee Premium Western Forage.

New episodes are released bi-weekly on Tuesdays, and are available on Apple and Spotify platforms. Not being a very technical proficient person, I look the podcasts up on the Standlee Forage Podcasts Episodes page through my lap top and send those links via e-mail so I can go to them on my phone and I use handsfree bone microphone over the ear headphones. If any of you are laughing at my lack of technical expertise, well I also admit that I have a rotary dial phone.

Here is a sample of some of the Standlee podcasts and their direct links:

Ep. 024, Why Horses Need to Be Fed Differently During Winter, 50 minutes

Ep 065, What Can Happen If Horses Don’t Drink Enough Water, 38 minutes

Ep 087, Is your horse deficient? The critical role of Vitamin A and E in their diet. 29 minutes

Ep 069, The consequence of ignoring vitamins and minerals for horses. 1 hour 6 minutes

Ep 081, What type of salt does my horse need? 37 minutes

Ep 105, Five Nutrition Mistakes Horse Owners Make in Winter. 18 minutes

You can still go to the Standlee Forage website and read their feed and livestock care articles too.

Question on Lateral Flexion and Reset

Cathy sent in a question on lateral flexion. "Hello, I wonder if you could write about some tips for lateral flexion issues in my 4 year old Morgan gelding. The woman who I bought him from tried to start him several times, but had to quit each time due to reoccurring health issues. So I am restarting him from scratch. He is saddle broke so I can ride him around in a arena without any trouble except he is not very responsive when I ask for lateral flexion. After working on this, several days a week over the last 2 months, he still is (most of the time) stiff when I pull on a direct rein to get his head to one side or the other. I understand and use the pressure release concept but as I reach a point where he is stiff I don't feel like I can release because he is not giving. And then very oddly enough, once in a while, or actually more often than not, he will keep his head turned when I release the direct rein and I want to go to the other side. Trying to pull him in the other direction is difficult and I usually have to wait until he brings his head back straight to try again which seems to take a while. Is there anything you can say or suggest that may help?"

I might try starting back on the ground in a halter again as it may help to remove any distractors to your gelding such as you in the saddle. Standing to one side, by the front cinch, or his shoulder if he is not saddled, and try not to ask for a lot at once, but pick up the lead rope, take up the slack and hold just to get a inch or two of lateral flexion. Be aware of your timing. Just as soon as he begins to give lateral flexion, maybe not even giving you anything but just before he does, give him a release. Pet on him, wait 6 or 8 seconds and begin again. This seems like it will take forever, but it will get you to where you want to be faster with the horse understanding how to get the release. You build on how much he gives you.

I think everyone has had these lateral flexion issues. I know I certainly have. Sometimes I have went to bumping a little on the reins for lateral flexion. And bumping is really not the best description, more like a small shake to bring his mind back to the taunt rein asking for that lateral give. If I would get it (the horse giving me lateral flexion) but it wasn't soft, meaning when he does give but remains tense, I would hold and await on him following what I wrote above and it payed off.

What you are describing when your gelding does give you lateral flexion, but still has the brace in there, is like a grudging concession rather than a willing give, if that makes sense. And what you describe being on your horse, once giving to an ask for lateral flexion and him keeping his head turned (basically his nose to your stirrup) after releasing contact of the rein...I have experienced that many times as well. What I used to do is put a little bump or feel in the other rein to the side to direct him back towards the center line. Sometimes I use would put a little bump upwards in the opposite rein to do the same. Neither with good consistent results. But, what works for me these days, and is less confusing to my horses, is that when his head is off to one side and he seems content to keep it there, I'll touch him on the opposite side, usually just behind the front cinch with my spur or inside heel of my boot. And I'm talking about a touch. I am not applying pressure. This will direct his mind to the other side and he will bring his head back to the center. This same thing or concept is also useful during forward momentum when your horse bends his head to the side by moving forward to perhaps look at something. I think most of us want our horses looking where we are going and not to the side. But I am not unrelenting on this. I'll allow a horse to look briefly to one side or another, but it has to be brief and not much of a over bending of his head and neck.

The short video above is my three year old gelding Curly Zeke who is just not that interested in lateral flexion, but what is interesting is that he is good on one side, but less so on the other. I can direct, changing directons, in him moving out, on soft direct rein, its just the standing still lateral flexion asks are not where I would like him to be. In the video I ask him for lateral flexion to the left. His head stays there after the release, so I use my right spur to touch him on the right side, like described in the above paragraph. It serves to bring his mind back to the right with his head and neck moving to the center. I would suggest you play around with this, just remember it's a touch and not a lingering feel on his barrel.

Equine Nutrition and Care Education

I think most people would agree that the day a person stops learning or trying to learn is a day that should not come about. In fact, one of the many commonalities between all of the top hand clinicians around the country is that they try to get better everyday. It would be wise to take a page out of their book.

About 30 years ago I pretty much based my horse nutrition on pasture, baled dry alfalfa and grass hays and alfalfa pellets or cubes...just didn't know much else. Sure, I knew there were a bunch of processed feeds and supplements available, just never really delved into those. It wasn't until I managed a large public barn with an average of 30 people boarding up to 60 horses with as many different feed programs, did I began understand that equine nutrition was a huge hole in my knowledge. Most of the horse owners were pretty much the same, only knowing about how they fed without really any understanding on the why and what their horses needed. On a quarterly basis, I brought in subject matter experts in horse diseases and vaccinations, equine nutrition, hoof care, saddle fitting and other topics, as much for myself as for continuing education of the horse owners boarding there.

Since then I have cast about to search and understand much more in depth on horse feeds, supplements and health care. I have routinely changed my horse's nutritional program over the years as I understod more about feeds and my horse's needs. Over 20 years ago I met a Veterinarian who I admired very much for her competency and constant search for more knowledge. Because of her hectic schedule as a Vet, Mother and Horse owner she would often listen to podcasts and DVD's while driving long miles from one farm call to another.....talk about leveraging your finite time. Recently she sent me a source of equine nutrition and health care educational podcasts that she thought I may like to listen to. So lately I have been listening to these podcasts while I did normal chores.

The podcast is called Scoop and Scale hosted by Clair Thunes, PhD, and Jill Jackson whose goal is to help improve horses' care and welfare through owner knowledge. They probably know that the more a listener knows, the more they want to learn. I think readers here would benefit listening to these podcasts which cover a range of topics from: understanding metabolic issues; hoof health; reading feed labels; pre, pro and postbiotics; parasites; pasture management; and much more. They have 60 podcasts on their website list. And they are free. It makes it really easy to listen to these episodes if you have a hands free headset. Nothing say's you can't listen them to from the comfort of an easy chair either. I hope some of you will find value in this source of equine knowledge.

https://scoopandscale.com/

Getting a Green Horse backing out of a Trailer

I received a call from very nice lady named Loretta who asked about tips on getting a young horse to back out of a trailer. "Hello, I wonder if you would have some tips on how to get a horse to back out of a trailer? My 3 year old readily gets into the trailer and stands calmly but when I try to get him to back out, he won't. He just picks up his rear hooves and puts them down and I can tell he is worried."

This is what I might try and I have been doing the same on a 3 year old gelding I have. First I would ensure the horses can back up off a soft feel. He should stand still with a loose lead rope on a halter, and when you pickup the lead rope and wiggle/shake it, with as minimal energy as you can get by with, to get him to back up. What I work for is soon having him back up when I just pick the loose lead up and hold it head high. That shows he is operating on a soft feel. You don't want to have to chase him back. That's going to work against you when you are asking him to back out of a trailer when he is already fearful about stepping out into space.

Another thing I find useful is to back him along side a fence. I start first by sending him along a fence, and when he is good at that, I narrow the space between myself and the fence and send him. You only do this if you feel he is sufficiently good enough about going between you and the gate - you don't want your horse to run you over or step on your feet. Soon I'll stop them right between me and the fence, and I'll ask the horse to back a few steps. This also works as preparation to go through a gate, especially narrow gates.

Once the horse can back softly on firm ground, then you might try leading him onto a piece of plywood or some other platform that is close to the ground and when the horse does that willingly and softly, then stop him on that platform and ask him to back off it. I actually don't use plywood, but that would be a good low platform to start with. I have a bridge that I sometimes used in the Arena Challenges that I put on in the past, and the bridge is narrow enough to neceesiate having your horse backing straight so he doesn't step off the side. It's also a good exercise for you and the horse as you have to be accurate with your timing when you ask him to stop in the middle of the bridge after he steps on.

I use my shoeing stand which is on the back side of one of my hay barns and has three open sides. My 3 year old is comfortable here as he has been trimmed a half dozen times or so on the shoeing stand. I start with bringing him onto the shoeing stand from the lowest side, maybe a four inch rise from the ground. Get him settled then ask him to back off it and give him a pause. I actually let grass grow on this side, fed by the water run off when I hose down the stand. I let the horse take a few bites of grass. Then I'll move him to another side of the shoeing stand that is maybe 6-7 inches off the ground and ask him to step up.

I'll repeat getting him settled then ask him to back off the stand. I do this as many times as he needs to step confidently and without worry. Then I move to the highest side of the shoeing stand which is about ten inches off the ground and repeat the whole process. The video below is asking my three year old Curly Zeke to step off the high side of the shoeing stand.

When you get him back into the trailer, then you may try this: Bring him as far into the trailer as you can. Then ask him to back a step or two, stand for 5-10 seconds, bring him forward and repeat. As he gets more comfortable backing a few steps, you can ask for more steps, but as the trailer flooring feels much less stable than the ground or rubber mats on a concrete shoeing stand, the horse is going to be a bit less confident about backing and stepping off into space, so give him time to get comfortable.

And finally I think there is no bad stigma on turning a horse around in a trailer and leading him out,......in the beginning. Every time he is led into a trailer and is comfortable, he gains confidence, and soon the less than absolute stable trailer floor concerns him less and less. But certainly before you turn a horse around and lead him out, try bringing him into the trailer as far as you can and giving you a few steps backing. I would try all this a few days in a row and would be very surprised if he wasn't backing out of the trailer in an increasingly soft manner by then.

Check your Bits for wear and damage

I almost always wear gloves when handling horses. Mainly because my hands have been chewed up over the years, splitting from dryness, being cut, etc., and I always check out my bridles before I put one on a horse, making sure it is still in good working condition. Part of that is running my hand over the bit mouthpiece and swivels. A couple days ago, I happen to grab a bridle with a snaffle bit, to put on my horse Hays, with a bare hand and I felt burrs on the snaffle mouthpiece. This was a snaffle with a solid copper mouthpiece. Copper is a bit softer than steel or sweet iron and I reckon after years of riding in it, it just got a chewed up some. So I changed out the bridle for an almost brand new snaffle bit to ensure my horse's comfort.

When I was running annual arena challenges, I would often get donations from horse tack distributors and every once in awhile, not often, but it happened where I would receive bits that were pretty cheap. Like the snaffles bit that are offered for $20 or $30.  I keep these lower quality items off the prize table and would just donate these bits to a horse rescue with the caveat that these bits were low quality and be careful using them. <br><br>

While some may balk at $120 snaffle bits, it does pay to buy quality gear. This may be more apparent when buying braided rawhide hackamores. Beveled strands of rawhide and tight braids on a quality hackamore (bosal) from well known braiders, and taking care of those works of art, will pay off. You don't want to buy a cheap $60 rawhide bosal with rough parts that would sore up a horse's nose. I realize the many people can't afford really nice gear - I've been there and it's taken me a long time to accumulate really good equipment - but quality tack with usually last a lifetime.

I think my horse Hays was supervising the bridle/bit choice when I discovered the burrs on my decades old snaffle with solid copper mouthpiece.

Thoughts on Obstacle training

Sheridan wrote me to see if I have a list of obstacles that I train my horses on. "Hello, I like your website and check it often to see if you have added more articles. By chance would you have a list of obstacles that you train your horses on? If you do, could you list them on your site or reply back to this e-mail with a list? Thank you in advance."

I really don't have lists, except maybe for grocery store trips. While there are some obstacle type exercises I do with horses, I don't have a checklist of what I want one of my horses to be able to do at any stage. I haven't really decided if obstacles and desensitization exercises are the same thing. If they are not, then both have overlapping purposes. At the origin, getting a horse good at an obstacle, can help the horse think through a problem as opposed to just relying on their instincts. If, of course, the rider goes about introducing the obstacle in a manner that a horse can accept. In the column on the right hand side under Annual Arena Challenges there is a bit of information on the type of obstacles and tasks I asked riders to do in these past events.

In those Annual Arena Challenges that I ran for nine years, I tended to stay away from the "carnival" type obstacles, instead I used props they were related to horsemanship and functional tasks. When I was a Army Range Rider, when the horses I rode would encounter new things that trouble them. I would make a mental note and when I was riding for non work related reasons, I would set some things up at my home ranch to continue to expose the horses to those new things. One time I was riding up a hill to get a view point to glass a valley. The hill was rocky with ledges like stairs. So later at home I built a set of stairs using railroad ties and dirt fill to ride my horses up and down.

One of things we encountered on duty as an Army Range Rider was supporting Army Change of Command Ceremonies. We would ride onto the parade ground and up to the viewing bleachers where we would receive a bouquet of flowers in those noisy crinkly plastic wrappers, which the noise always unsettled the horses, so we could dismount and give the outgoing Commander's wife the flowers, and the in-coming Commanders wife flowers. So the logically thing to do was to stop at Wal-Mart buy some flowers in those crinkle wraps and sack the horses out with them. You may have first put a fly mask with Velcro straps on a horse and found out that the first few times the horse flinched or spooked at the Velcro ripping away.

Another time, four of us Range Riders rode in a PRCA Grand Entrance for the National Anthem as we had to ride down a narrow entrance lined with supporting signs and banners. That troubled the horses, probably mine most of all, so at home I hung signage and tarps across the fences until the horses never minded them. Didn't take long.

Doing ground work with the young, green horses or restarting older horses, I sometimes drag a bag on the ground with tin cans with the rope on the bag on one hand and the lead rope in my other. I set it up so the horse is following the bag and me on the ground leading, but soon I will stand by the horse's head and drag the bag towards us. This may only take 5 minutes for a horse to get used to, or may take 30 minutes, Once the horse is comfortable with it, I'll mount and using a 14-18 foot long rope without dallying it on my saddle horn, back the horse so the bag is coming towards us. Not always, but most times I'll drag for a few feet then walk the horse forward and let him drop his nose on the bag until he becomes disinterested in the bag, then back the horse up, pickup slack in the rope and begin again.

Another thing I'll do on a green horse is set up a couple of parallel ground poles and a traffic cone at each end maybe 10 yards away. I can trot the horse around a cone, then straight through the ground poles, then around the other traffic cone in the opposite direction. I'll change that up sometimes with a turn around the traffic cone then going wide and across the ground poles. I'm trying to put a reason into the horse following a feel on the reins and my legs. See diagrams below for clarity.

You can extend the distances between the traffic cones and ground poles in the beginning the benefit and tighten it up as your horse get better at turning in small diameters then going straight, between your legs and reins, through the ground poles. I got onto being able to walk then trot very small circles, without losing forward momentum, as some of the trails I followed into the mountains, checking for Mule Deer and Adaud Sheep sign, would sometimes lead me to dead ends when I would have to turn uphill around and in-between Cholla and Prickly Pear cactus. It became just necessary to be able to do that.

I think that doing many different things and exposing your horse to odd things just helps them learn they can think through a new situation. But a key point here is to allow them the time to do so. Pushing a horse through something scary to them causes them anxiety from both ends,...the scary thing (obstacle) and you pushing them or banging on them. You may get the horse through it, but he will still be troubled. One of the key points in the Arena Challenges I ran is that I did away with a time constraint. I did not want a horse to balk at crossing at bridge then given only 30 seconds to get comfortable with another try. Sometimes, I had horses and riders take several minutes to do an obstacle. I can't remember anyone verbalizing an issue with the lack of a time requirement. Besides a 30 second delay in a horse doing an obstacles would seem like 5 minutes for the rider so sometimes a rider would quit the attempt before success, despite my urging to just let the horse settle, relax then try again. Funny thing about horse's and their curiosity, if a horse you are riding becomes concerned at some object, they will often stop. If you do not try to push them forward before they are mentally ready, they will often resume taking another fee steps forward before stopping again. This is a win for the horse. Let him settle and he'll often continue a few more steps. Eventually arriving at the object and dropping his head and nose on it.

So take a look around at your environment. If you are riding on a county road with the occasional ATV or side by side, or even loud motorcycle driving by, then it would pay off for your horse to have seen this before and became used to it. One my youngest horse, the first time he saw the tractor right by his pen, he became frantic and ran to other end or his pen. So for a couple days in a row, I would drive the tractor up to his pen, work the bucket, dismount, call the horse over and pet on him, then get back on about my tractor business. After a couple days, three days maybe, he didn't pay it any mind. They can get used to a lot if we give him the time necessary to understand in their minds that the obstacles or situation isn't a threat.

Sorry I really didn't cover a list of obstacles, but really any object that the horse needs just a bit of time to accept becomes an obstacles. What I have available and sometimes use are ground poles to step over/side pass over or to back between; bridges to cross; platforms to step on with the front feet and do a turn on the front end; slickers - picking them up off the fence, putting then on, and sometimes handing them from a bow gate so the horse has to walk by it or underneath it; pulling a bag up using a rope over a bow gate and backing your horse; tarp to drape over the horse and have him carry it, and/or walk across it when it's on the ground. I have coffee cans with upright 6 foot PVC poles cemented into the cans, much like poles for pole bending, and sometimes place them so I can ride the horse through them set up as tight switch backs - you'll need good control of the horse's feet to independently control the horse's front and rear feet to get the bend with forward momentum necessary so do this without knocking over the poles.

Whatever you use for objects and obstacles, I would think that these things are important:

Slow is fast - meaning give the horse time to accept the object and he will rapidly progress as pushing him through on your time will just extend the time necessary for him to get comfortable with the object and increase his anxiety, perhaps learning that you are not a very patient leader.

Make sure whatever you ask the horse to do is safe. An example is using a old dry rotted tarp and ask him to step on and walk over it, could run the risk of the horse foot penetrating the tarp and getting stuck to on e of his feet, especially if he is wearing shoes. I have saw this happen. Same for a wooden bridge or piece of plywood as a platform. Just look at the obstacles and minimize potential mishaps.

Lastly, in my mind the objective is not getting the horse through an obstacle. It is how you ask and how he does it. An example is asking the horse to back through parallel ground poles. A rider may be happy with a horse that is backing straight through the poles. but if the horse's head is high and his mouth gapping and he is pushing with his front feet and falling backward with his hind end, well that's a plain ugly, imbalanced backup basically using pressure in his mouth through the bit and the horse will soon get bracey and worse about it. Instead, back more with your seat with the horse's broke at the poll and nose vertical where he is stepping with the hind end and picking up his front feet to follow to follow the diagonal.

National Day of the Cowboy 2025

Today, 26 July 2025, is National Day of the Cowboy. So what are we celebrating? For one, I'm not celebrating the movie Cowboys. Few have portrayed working Cowboys well. What I celebrate, and not just on this day but everyday, are the Cowboys who work for low pay, long hours under harsh conditions because freedom and fresh air or more important to them than accumulating wealth. Those Buckaroos who accept the physically, emotionally and mentally challenges because they want a simple life on horseback taking care of livestock and being proud of a long days work done well. They rely on themselves. Sometimes their compadres and certainly their horses, which they take great pride in. Those are things I think about.

I have a ton of respect for the Cowboys who have parlayed their cowboying experiences into being makers of fine gear from saddles, to bits, spurs, leggings to rawhide braided items like bosals and reatas.....and much, much more. The patience and skill to do so, has greatly and will always eluded me. If you buy quality gear from one of these men and woman, just be aware that their experiences and soul go into making these pieces and if you dollar-hour averaged what they make it would be far, far below minimum wage.

I'm celebrating the clinicians who have shared their knowledge of working with horses as their love for horses, and breadth of experience are evident in the words they speak and how they handle a horse. Most of them don;t know me but I owe them so much. I am celebrating the Cowboy spirit which is the American spirit, and is, in part, is to just plod through hardships to get a job done....to not quit....to never quit.

A lot as been said about the latest generation of Americans reaching adulthood....about how they are spoiled; uneducated; have no work ethic; are slaves to technology and immediate gratification. All those descriptors have much truth to them, but there are also examples of American youth that forbode well as they become stewards of this country. I recently saw many young men and women at a High School Rodeo State Finals where their respectfulness, competence and character were on full display illuminating the fact this country will persevere, and will do so with the Cowboy spirit. Hats off tho those parents.

Cowboying is doing the right thing even if you know it's going to cost you. Which brings me to this story about the Cowboy arriving in Heaven and pleading his case for entrance saying he has always done the right thing all his life. Saint Peter the Gatekeeper asked the Cowboy to give him an example. The Cowboy said that he was having supper in a small diner and he saw a huge, muscular guy 6 inches taller and around 150 pounds heavier, berating the waitress and grabbing her wrist as she winced in pain. The Cowboy said "well, I can't let this go even if it means a severe beating', so he confronted the giant bully. Saint Peter then asked the Cowboy "when did this happen?", and the Cowboy replied "About 10 minutes ago".

Question on Using Flags to get a Horse to pick you up on the fence

Margaret sent me a question on using flags, specifically on the article Restarting Monte, Part 3, when I was getting Monte to pick me up on the fence. Her question was "Why did you decide on teaching the horse to come to the fence with a bit in his mouth as opposed to using a more gentle method such as a flag? After he is good at coming over to you, then you can do it with a bit in his mouth, but clanging the bit on his teeth when teaching him is detrimental to him."

Okay, not so much a full question but half lecture. I have no problem with that. And I assume she was meaning why didn't I start with a halter and lead as opposed to when the horse was in a snaffle bit outfit.

I did say in the text of the article prior to the video that ".....it was best to start with a lead rope. Sitting on the fence, with the horse usually perpendicular to you, and bump the lead rope until the horse searches for a release by moving his back end or even starting to just lean his hind end towards me. Its important to give the release with good timing and give the horse a good pause before bumping again....." While I have used a flag on a couple of horses to create some energy for them to move their hind over, I quit the flag just as soon as I can. For the one situation I use a flag, to get a horse to step over to the fence to pick me up, I just use the lead rope ten or more times. The flag in a great tool, as with any tool it has to be judiciously, but in my opinion, it can get in the way of a horse understanding the feel of the lead rope or a rein. They are moving due to the pressure of the flag as opposed to the feel of the lead or rein.

And I'll use the flag not right off, but bring it into the equation if the horse is having a hard time understanding the feel of the lead or reins, and again, this is important at least to me, I'll be looking immediately for where I don't have to use the flag it at all.

I did start Monte on picking me up off the fence using a halter and lead. He did well enough so I transitioned to asking him in the snaffle bit. Look again at the video, Monte steps over with a light feel or bump on the lead portion of the mecate. It's only when I ask him to make that last step closer when his head comes up, but even then, the "banging" on his mouth is minimal. If I was banging on his teeth with the bit you would have seen a much different reaction. This was around the fourth time, in 10 days or so, that I asked him to pick me up off the fence, counting the first time I asked using the lead rope.

I appreciate Margaret looking out for the welfare of the horse. In this case just a bit (no pun intended) quick to comment without a full understanding of where the horse and I were coming from. No worries. Like I tell people, I often need supervision and likely directions even to my grave, but hopefully that's well down the road.

Restarting Monte, Last Day and Postscript

On the last day that Monte's new owner was here, I showed her how I went about loading Monte in the trailer. He had only been in a trailer once since he was brought home seven plus years ago. When I started to get him ready to load the week before, he was hesitant to load, initially putting his front feet in the trailer then stepping back.

So I just waited on him. Asking him to step up again on a soft lead, put both front feet there and keeping them in the trailer, for several times, was a good start.

When he was good about just keeping his front feet in the trailer, then I would softly touch him on his barrel (I got Monte used to my hand, the poppers on the lead gently swinging up sand touching him, and the flag as well), where the rear cinch would go, in order to get him to bring a rear foot up preparing for a step into the trailer. If you have done your work sacking him out with the flag, this works the best or even use just a stick to extend your reach. This step is often skipped by some and results in a horse's having to jump into the trailer creating nose and anxiety, and we all want a nice calm horse stepping into the trailer without any drama.

Once I had a rear foot step forward, the opposite rear would follow by itself or with another touch on his barrel. Then I could ask for a step into the trailer using a bit of feel on the loose lead rope. Many horse's have issues with backing up in a trailer and having that step down. While this is not a trailer loading article, if Monte wanted to backout on his own without me asking, I let him, and I waited on him to figure out the stepping down business. Soon he was stepping right into the trailer and waiting on me to ask him to back. What we did not video was sending Monte into the trailer, that is standing outside the trailer and using a loose lead, asking him to go forward into the trailer, which he was a champ at. I had worked on trailer loading, prio to Arlene getting here, so by the time we shot the below video, Monte was good and calm at loading. I trailered him to the Mobile Vet clinic, a few days before, for a Coggins blood draw, so the time we got to his new owners last day here, he was just as good as could be loading and unloading.

When the transport rig showed up, Monte stepped right into the slant load and was a gentleman about it. I am going to miss him. He had the kindest eye of any horse and all the visitors to the ranch always gravitated to Monte. He is now at his new home, running around a 10 acre turnout with his new barn mate, a 16 year old mare.

Restarting Monte, Part 5

When we started with ground work on Monte, I introduced him to following a feel on the lead rope moving to be able to control a foot with the lead rope and now in the saddle with a snaffle bit outfit, I continued that with asking him to step out with a front leg. With more of a horse's weight on their front feet, often when you ask the horse to walk off either straight or at an angle, a front foot may move forward and it seems like a stumble or a hard step and sometimes it seems like the back end is an after thought or follows like being pulled forward.

So for much of when I ask for forward movement after I throw a leg over a horse, I ask for the horse to step to out to the side a front foot. In the beginning it helps to rock a horse back so his body weight is shifted some to the hind end. This is much like a human rocking weight to one leg/foot in order to push off with that foot and step out with the other. Putting a change, even a small change, of the weight on the hind end makes it easier for the horse to pickup a front foot and place it out.

I think of it as picking that foot up with a direct rein, much like I did on the ground with the lead rope, and placing that foot outside and to the front. This is the beginning of a turn on the haunches and is going to help you be able to do turn arounds on the horse. With a horse having a difficult time picking a front foot up and out, it is sometimes beneficial to back the horse a step and as a hind foot makes contact with the ground going back an a front foot will be doing the same (as they back in the two beat foot fall pattern). Then ask for the front foot that is coming off the ground to step out. Certainly some will try to get a front foot to step out thinking it has to do so on a particular back foot making contact with the ground, either the same side hind or the opposite hind. I think both are actually correct. On turn arounds with forward momentum, I leave it to the horse to choose that hind foot but if he is sluggish, I'll often stop, back a step then ask for the turn, much like a roll back. But I getting ahead of myself, Monte was in the beginning of picking up a front foot and placing it out on an ask with the rein.

Onto side passing. This is something I'll normally work on later in a horse's development, I am including it for two reasons. 1 - because a lady wrote me a week before I re-started Monte asking for help in getting her and her mare to side pass, and 2 - Monte was getting capable at side passing as I had pretty good early control of his head and neck, front end and hind end which are all necessary to being able to side pass. I wanted him to have a basic understanding of this before he was shipped out.

In clinics I'll ask riders want they want to work on. When I get a response like, "I'd like to be able to side pass or open gates", I get the rider's to work on control over head and neck (lateral flexion and vertical softness), and moving front end independently from the hind end and vice versa. Sometimes I'll get a comment like, "I already do that, I'd just like to work on side passing". Invariably, or at some riders and their horses don't have an understanding of asking for the independent movements of those parts of the horse. Otherwise they would be better prepared to side pass and open gates.

When you ask for a side pass using your leg (calf) right behind the front cinch (think of it as stirrup position 2) the horse not understanding at first will likely move either the front end or the hind end over first. As the horse moves sideways, the front end or the hind end may lag behind hence being able to control and move the lagging part to catch up is necessary. The more you do this, the smoother the horse will get. In the beginning only asking for a small side pass and build on that and later don't be greedy and ask the horse to side pass 30 yards. Stop asking before the horse gets dull.

The side pass without checking the horse's forward movement or asking for continuous forward movement becomes a leg yield. That is sideways movement with forward momentum. This is also called two tracking. That would be another understanding for the horse and valuable as you can control the position of the horse much better and useful in everything from to controlling better and rounder circles, to leg yielding or getting forward lateral movement towards a gate or around an obstacles, to keeping a horse looking at something like a calf while you position his body with lateral movement.

Restarting Monte, Part 4

Once in the saddle, beginning on Day Two of Monte's restart, I worked on lateral flexion and untracking his hind end using as minimal leg pressure as I could because he was , at first, very reactive to it. I need the lateral flexion to control direction and the hind end untracking (often also referred to disengaging the hind end) to do so many things from stopping him to turn arounds.

In the beginning Monte would jump sideways from any pressure with my leg to untracking his hind end, but from Day Two to Day Three he made good progress responding softly to my ask for his hind end to untrack....again something we could build on. As for lateral flexion, Monte would give me his head and neck pretty softly, but would also untracking his hind end without me asking for that, which is real common.


I think there are two basic things to remember here, 1 - when you ask for lateral flexion as soon as he gives you that and is soft, meaning no brace or pushing on you, then the release have to be immediate (the all important timing and recognition of softness) and the pause, before asking, again is sufficient. I have seen some riders ask for lateral flexion, left then right, then left then right, without any pause whatsoever, so the pressure just runs into each other becoming one long pressure where the slight and short releases and non existent pauses don't mean anything to the horse. 2 - when you ask for lateral flexion, if the horse untracks his hind end, wait for him to stop, then when he is not moving nor leaning, give him the release. With Monte he was not 100% consistent with always giving lateral flexion on the ask, but he understood enough to be able to build on that. I did not expect anything different, but he was better than I was expecting.

So now we are moving onto directional control with forward momentum. Since nothing I had done with Monte so far involved using both my legs at the same time, it was easy for him to quickly understand that slight pressure with both legs, using my calves, was asking him to transition from the walk to the trot. He is a naturally forward horse, unlike some, so it was really easy to get him to move out. In the beginning he would jump out being reactive to pressure, but I minimized that concentrating on as light as pressure as possible on his barrel and giving him a loose rein. What is not shown in any video is earlier is when I was sending Monte around from the ground I would pickup the stirrup with my free hand and touch him on his barrel preparing him for the cue to go forward from the walk to the trot. This is good to do on young horses as the first time they experience pressure on their barrel from the stirrup or your calf/heel on the ground they will better be able to handle that from the saddle....normally.

For directional control at the trot, I was first using a direct rein, then the inside leg to untrack in a turn, then I added a neck rein or using the outside rein first before the other two cues. Later on he could turn with just a neck rein. What we did not video was Monte's trot to canter transitions which were pretty smooth. Not flawless, but something to build on after just 10-12 rides.

Restarting Monte, Part 3

Although this is part 3 of Re-starting Monte, I began untracking him on the lead rope around his hind end on the first day of ground training. And on the second day of his re-start, wearing a saddle and carrying a snaffle bit, I continued to get him supple and untrack his hind end for those turn arounds and giving to pressure. While we did not shoot video on using the lead rope to untrack his hind end, you'll see the untracking using the lead portion of the mecate reins as I continue with Monte understanding to giving to pressure on a direct rein. You have to be careful with a green or very responsive horse, all horses actually, so that he doesn't step into you as he feels the mecate lead on his side opposite you, so the angle and distance to your horse and his hind end should be safe for the handler. Soon the horse may be anticipating this so be ready for him to move his hind end over before you pickup the slack or otherwise put a feel in the lead rope. Monte would sometimes step in the opposite direction and this was simply because I did not do enough of this untracking exercise.

As the horse untracks with the mecate lead across his hind end, you can do the same untracking with the mecate lead just looped over the saddle horn. He may struggle at first but give him time to search and find the release. The first time I did this with Monte without a saddle and just using the lead rope, he untracked really fast like a corkscrew as it worried him. A few more times and he was responsive but lost his apprehensiveness about the pressure. I just make sure the release is followed by a longer pause, perhaps 10 seconds before asking again.

Getting the horse to pick a rider up off the fence. I had first seen this over 20 years ago and immediately got my horses comfortable with this, as I had pretty bad knee pain that made mounting from the ground pretty hard. Since then I have healed my knees, but having horses pickup you when you ask them to is a good tool to have available. We all have seen young people climb into a saddle......someone 5'1" tall mounting a 16 hand horse, like monkeys climbing a tree for a banana, but trust me when I say if you are an old person you will be grateful getting the horse to do this.

This is best to start with a lead rope. Sitting on the fence, with the horse usually perpendicular to you, I will bump the lead rope until the horse searches for a release by moving his back end or even starting to just lean his hind end towards me. Its important to give the release with good timing and give the horse a good pause before bumping again. Continue until he is close and parallel where you can mount. If you did a good job with the horse on following a soft feel on stepping forward and backing, you can direct a step or two forward or back for easier and safer mounting from the fence.

Before you mount for the first couple times, while maintaining a solid foot and hand on the fence, use your other foot touch the horse where you can, rub your foot on his barrel and butt, and place weight on his back or in the saddle. You want to avoid spooking him seeing and feeling you above him once you are committed, so get him used to some feel of your boot and weight in the saddle and your foot in his opposite eye.

I don't get on a horse that is moving. I work with him to stand still while I mount, but still have control of the mecate reins or lead while I am mounting, and once I throw a leg over if the horse starts to move out, I'll check him. I try to be light but smooth getting in the saddle as opposed to a sumo wrestling flopping on a couch. With re-starting Monte, I mounted from the fence maybe four times. The first two times he began to walk off, but again I asked him to stop and wait on me. When I am in the saddle, and he is waiting on me and I am ready to walk out, I rock his hind end back or step back then ask a front foot to step away from the fence then move out. If you gave the horse a decent understanding from the ground work with connecting the lead to the front foot, this will be easier. Be satisfied with the smallest step out. The important thing is that he tries and is not moving forward without your direction. In fact, I rarely mount and have the horse step right out to the front. This helps alleviate anticipation down the road.

Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to get a horse to understand his part in picking you up from thr fence, a trailer fender, a mounting block, etc. In clinics I have started many rider's horses on this, although it has to be reinforced to be reliable. Once a horse is good about this, they sometimes become anticipatory and move to pickup up before you ask. If this happens I just re-set them, as by now I can control their feet with the mecate lead, and have the horse wait until I ask to be picked up.

Restarting Monte, Part 2

Continuing with Monte, I worked with him to understand the slight differences in asking for a front foot to step out and being sent following a loose lead rope. This was really just checking in on him as I had been leading him to turnout almost on a daily basis and he was good about following a soft ask to step out past me and walk off. However, I did spend that time going back and forth being asking for a front foot to step out and being sent so those slight changes in the feel of a lead rope were very evident to him. In clinics I often ask riders on the ground to send their horses past them and continue at a walk a fairly small circle. Many people will step out of the way of their horses and abruptly take up the slack in the lead never giving their horse a chance to follow a soft feel on a loose lead. And in annual Arena Challenges I ran, I sometimes had a final a task where the rider dismounted and sent their horse past them between two barrels. Often, the vast majority of riders could not do this simple task as they always led their horses someplace as opposed to getting them good as being sent. Being able to send your horses is a valid deal as you may have a gate or a trailer where can't go first and lead your horse through or into. So the short video below was just a reminder to checkin with Monte from time to time on being sent, and untracking him as if you send a horse through a gate, I want a horse to be able to untrack and face up as I latch or close the gate.

Being able to get forward momentum is very necessary to make progress with a horse. They need to be able to trot and lope and to do so without the rider constantly pulling on the horse's mouth. I want to be able to make subtle cues to go from the walk to the trot and want the horse to softly, but responsively go into that gait. I would think everyone wants that. In the beginning Monte, being very reactive, would be troubled when asked for the trot he would jump into a stilted, choppy anxious trot. Not what I wanted but I would let him continue until I saw the slightest sign of anxiety reducing then ask him to face up. Then ask again. Also in he beginning I would give him a good pause before asking his front to step over and go the other direction. His head going up and bracing, soon gave way to a much softer head and neck, something we could build on both on the ground and in the saddle.

Restarting Monte, Part 1

Monte is a registered Arabian from Polish Arab stock and was used an on the track racehorse before my late my wife bought him when he was 15 years old. A really handsome Bay Gelding, she could not pass him up when he became available as she was, then, successfully passing cancer treatment and was looking for an additional trail horse to complement her steady Sorrel Gelding Charlie who was then in his late 20's. But just as soon as we brought him home, my wife's cancer came back. Subsequent brain surgeries and radiation made riding, especially a very reactive Arab, a dangerous proposition. So Monte basically became a companion horse for my wife's two other horses for just over 7 years.

For those seven years, I had been taking Monte out of the pens and turning him out. In doing so I had to get him to lead on a soft feel, rate his speed and position, stopping, and backing. Subsequently he became soft in his face and generally a gentleman. That was the extent of his handling and his understanding. So, that routine along with the farrier trimming his feet every 8 weeks, getting brushed and groomed, and, Vet calls for annual Coggins, health checks and teeth floating, were Monte's life. After my wife passed away late last year, her best friend Arlene, who was holding my wife's other hand when she passed, asked me if I would let Monte go to her. I readily acquiesced as that was a great idea and Monte would go to a great home. So we made plans for me to restart Monte and get him safe for her to ride and ready to ship to his new home. That day has came a few days ago. Although I had a seven day trip away from home followed by a 10 day bout of Sepsis which kind of set me back restarting Monte, I was able to work with him and ride him for almost 2 weeks prior to his ship date.

When Arlene flew in for a few days prior to shipping Monte to get exposed to what I had been doing with Monte and to ride him where I could watch and help. Day One was basically a demonstration on how I approached re-starting Monte, demonstrating both on the ground and in the saddle. Day Two was a repeat of Day One however we filmed much of it in short sessions, which I am including in this five part series, then having Arlene ride Monte so I could watch and help her and him. It was important that Arlene was here riding Monte before he was shipped because in my experience, working with a horse without the owner is much less effective than working with the horses and owner/rider. And Day Three was spent trailer loading, showing how I prepared Monte to load and backout, which would be useful as a basic template for loading other horses in the future.

In the beginning Monte was pretty reactive.....big, quick movements with the minimal pressure. It wasn't my first rodeo with an ex race horse as when I ran a large public barn people were bringing in ex racehorses from the local racetrack all the time. Some I helped when asked, others sadly enough were regulated to owners who wanted an immediate trail or roping horse without doing the work or understanding how to go about it. As I worked with Monte on following a soft feel on the reins to lead up I saw right off that Monte could come down emotionally and slow his reactions. And by leading up or becoming halter broke, I mean soft to halter; understands a neutral lead rope to stand and wait for a signal; to move forward on a soft feel; to back up on the same; responds when I start to connect the lead rope to directional control of each individual foot, and, gives to pressure when applied slowly and measurably.

Although seemingly a very basic way to re-start a horse, I think the understanding the horse gets from being softly asked for a response and given the time to respond really sets him up for success, as I'll be asking for the same, in the same way as I progress to the saddle and that occurred on day two. The text article and videos I'm posting through this five part series, are snippets or highlights of the 10-12 rides I put on Monte to get him ready, and safe, for Arlene. And these short videos were intended for Arlene to show I spent the time getting him ready for her. I hope this helps someone else.

We all need a horse to stand still until we direct him, so I worked with Monte understanding what neutral is. That is no feel on the lead rope. I call this neutral as eventually a horse will move, but he'll learn and become more and more responsive to a gradually pulling the slack out of the lead rope (and the lead rope will become a rein or the lead portion of a mecate soon) and move towards me. Many people don't worry about a horse understanding backing until later on in the starting process as forward momentum is so important. However, I like to get that working early on, as backing is useful to positioning a horse up in so many ways.....backing up to get room to open a gate, re-position from crowding you, re-positioning on the shoeing stand, and much more.

As I have on 2 and 3 year old's as well as older horse's being re-started, I can move right to connecting the lead rope to a foot by asking a front foot to step out to the side. This allows me and the horse a better start from the saddle when I ask the same with the rein. Then I move to the back end, standing right by the stirrup, or where the stirrup or front cinch would be if the horse has no saddle, with a loose lead I will rub and pet on him, sometimes making noise with the saddle until I pickup the lead alongside his body maybe slightly tipping his nose until he steps over and away from me, with the rear foot nearest me stepping underneath himself in front of the other rear foot, untracking his back end. This will be more and more useful as we go forward, doing turn arounds, facing up, practically everything.