Backing Uphill

Kathleen wrote to me saying she was having trouble getting her horse to back up hill.

Getting a horse to back, which is really unnatural for them past a step or two, begins on the ground under halter moving to backing on level ground under a saddle. Your horse will have to do this well, moving his feet when you ask them to. Many horse back well enough but at an angle, I think because they can’t see directly behind themselves so it is natural to move a little laterally to be able to see behind and in the direction of movement.

Horses keep the majority of their weight on their front end and backing up a hill, or going down hill for that matter, will cause them to add more of their body weight to the front end. This can be aggravated by the rider placing their weight over the saddle horn or otherwise leaning forward making it hard for the horse to pickup and move their front legs.

Not being able to back well on level ground could cause a horse backing up hill to get his back legs underneath himself, not being able to move them and can lead to a horse flipping over worst case.

It would be common for the horse to turn his head and neck to try and look behind himself which will probably result in his back end moving the other direction and getting off a line perpendicular to the incline you are trying to backup. Keep the horse between your legs and control his movement side to side with leg pressure.

I think the keys to backing uphill after backing on level ground can be performed well, is for the rider to look over each shoulder making the rider lean backwards somewhat releasing some of the weight bearing on the front end. Only use rein pressure as necessary, back slow and provide the horse with a release on each step or try. It may be a good idea to get one or two steps out of your horse backing uphill, then ride forward, give him a short break then try again maybe for an additional step this time. I’d say start slow, accept your horse’s smallest try, build on that and shortly your horse will be backing uphill just fine.

Another Look at Wild Horses from the AWHPC

The AWHPC is the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign. I was recently sent a video of some Mustangs filmed at the Calico Complex this past April. The AWHPC reports that these wild horses are scheduled for another Bureau of Land Management (BLM) roundup in less than two years, which follows on the heels of the last roundup, one of the most deadliest in terms of dead horses,...a reported 200 dead Mustangs.

No matter what your perspective on the Wild Horse and Burro issue, I don't think any reasonable person could think that these Mustangs and Burro shouldn't be handled with compassion. Mainstays of our American heritage, these animals deserve a fair life and humane treatment from humans. Regardless, you should enjoy this video.

Roping Horse Can't Keep on Weight

Jeremy from Lubbock asked ”My 12 year old gelding is hard to keep weight on. I have been riding him a couple times a week but want to start roping again with my cousin but think the extra work will make him even skinnier. I have been feeding him three flakes of hay a day and he is barely keeping weight on. Have any suggestions?”

Hey Jeremy, right of you to think about your horse and I think you’re right that the additional work load of roping off him even once a week will require more feed. At 12 years old he should be a hard keeper. I don’t want to tell you how to feed your horse, cause I haven’t seen him for one reason, but some general considerations are:

At maintenance, that is just being penned up and no or very little work load, the average horse will require about 2% of his body weight in feed. I don’t know how much the flakes of hay you are feeding him weigh, but it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that each flake of hay weight 5 to 6 pounds as opposed to 8 to 10 pounds, therefore your horse would probably not be getting enough feed at 15 to 18 lbs per day. Two percent body weight for a 1,000 lbs horse is 20 lbs of hay. Other things to consider are quality of hay, and if you are also supplementing him with grain or processed feed.

The thing to do may be gradually increasing his feed until he is keeping good weight on. A lot of people feed nothing but alfalfa. However, I don’t like to do that so I feed both alfalfa and grass hay and provide a small amount of pelleted feed from ADM called Patriot. If you introduce grains or processed feed, then remember to start small and gradually increase.

If you think you are providing your horse adequate feed and he is still not keeping weight on, then a Vet check is in order and maybe some blood work and a fecal exam. A solid worming program, rotating wormers appropriate to the season, is a way to make sure parasites are not the problem. If you can check where you feed your horse and find half chewed bolts of feed that fell out of his mouth, he may need his teeth checked and floated if necessary. Some horses develop sharp points on their teeth that make it painful to eat and that may make it difficult to eat enough. If the Vet comes out to take a blood sample, I'd have him/her check your horse's teeth too.

Good luck and let me know if you resolve your roping horse's weight problem.

Trailering Horses Across Distances

Stephen sent the following question: ”How far, at one time should a horse be trailered. In my case, a mare. I know geldings require some special needs to urinate. Just wondering about a trip from Central Texas to Central Missouri , about 700 miles.”

Stephen, thanks for your question and you previously told me that you were a service member in the Army - thank you for your service to this Nation. 700 miles is about 14 hours or so of driving if you drove straight through. I think 14 hours in a trailer is unnecessary and unpleasant for a horse, especially if hauled by themselves. I would look up “horse hotels” which are stables that provide overnight pens for horses in transit. Baring any of these available on a route you can travel, I would look at planning an overnight stay where you can un-load the horse and either put her on picket line or maybe have some temporary travel panels to erect a overnight pen.

Makes for a much happier and sounder horse to consider her on the trip, maybe stopping at a rest area to un-load her every 3-4 hours or so. Much of this is dependent upon your trailer, your driving tendencies and your horse. One of the best suggestions I ever heard was that people need to go for a ride in the trailer (as a horse would) before they ever haul one, so they can feel what the horse feels on quick stops and sharp turns.

Newer trailers have a torsion bar suspension, rather than a conventional axle, which is much easier on horse as I believe it absorbs more shock. I have thick rubber mats in my trailers to provide better footing and more shock absorption. Make sure you pull your mates from time to time to clean out underneath and ensure your wooden trailer floor doesn't rot out.

Protective shipping leg wraps for your horse is a good idea.....consider these as well as even bell boots on the front end of your mare.

Some horses won't urinate in a trailer because of the splatter from the wooden or mat covered floor. While I don't do it, my wife always puts shavings in her trailer when she transport one of her horses. Good luck and safe journey.

Horse Needs to Stand Tied

Shari and two other people e-mailed me with basically the same problem, having a horse that won’t stand tied and/or pulling back from the tie rail and breaking lead lines.

Once a horse learns they can pull back, break a lead and get freedom it is hard to teach them otherwise. I don’t know how horses are getting their feet trimmed or shod without standing for that. Quickest way to have to find a new farrier is to have a horse that won’t stand for trimming or showing. Also dangerous to have a horse tied while you are trying to saddle him and have him pull back.

Using a web halter and a lead rope with some type of snap, a pulling horse can easily break the lead rope and usually at the snap. This can create a hazard where the rope and the remaining metal piece from the snap get whipped back at the horse. And if the horse get’s beaned in the head with that piece of metal, he’ll for sure think his escape was justified.

A rope halter, with a tied on lead rope, is generally better than a webbed halter and lead rope with a snap, as when the horse pulls back, the rope halter being a small diameter adds more pressure to the poll and is stronger than a lead rope with a snap, however I have seen horses break rope halters also.

The way to teach horses to stand tied is to have them stand tied but hard to do if they pull back and break the lead. I have found it helpful to use a friction device that allows the lead rope to pull through at a controlled rate. There are many on the market: The Blocker Tie Ring from Ted Blocker and the Aussie Tie Ring from Clinton Anderson, which are similar products.


I found some ring clips in a store which I use for cross ties on my farrier’s stand and wash stand. I also use a product called The Clip. See picture at top. I do not like the stop feature on the Clip (see the Clip on the right of the above picture), so I hack saw them off and file it down smooth (see the Clip on the left side of the above picture) . They come in handy tying a horse to a trailer D ring on the inside for trailering or the outside of the trailer when tacking up.

Once I hacksaw the stop feature off and smooth down the metal, which takes about 5 minutes total, I now have a smooth surface on the Clip for the rope to travel across.


Mainly used for horses who spook when tied, the idea is that when a horse spooks the lead rope will feed through the ring or clip at a controlled speed, allowing the horse to escape a little, but more importantly give him time to think and ultimately the horse should figure out that he doesn’t need to spook or pull back. Some horses just have to pull back and escape in order to figure out that they don’t have to.

Links to tie ring products: 

Ted Blocker Tie Ring


Clinton Anderson Aussie Tie Ring



The Clip

Cowboy Humor: The Pastor's New Teeth

A Pastor goes to the dentist for a set of false teeth. The first Sunday after he gets his new teeth, he preaches for only eight minutes (much to the delight of some).

The second Sunday, he talks for only ten minutes. Most of his flock are pretty content to hear the word of God in such a short span.

The following Sunday, he talks for 2 hours and 48 minutes. The congregation had to mob him to get him down from the pulpit and they asked him what happened.

The Pastor explains the first Sunday his gums hurt so bad he couldn't talk for more than 8 minutes. The second Sunday his gums hurt too much to talk for more than 10 minutes. But, the third Sunday, he put his wife's teeth in by mistake and he couldn't shut up......

Ruidoso Hoof Gauge

Lynda asked “Do you use the Ruidoso Hoof gauge?”

No Ma’am, I had to look it up to see what it was (see picture at right).    I am not a horse shoer. If I shoed my own horses, they would all be lame and ill tempered most of the time. I have pulled shoes and put a nail or two in a shoe to keep it on, but I am no horse shoer at all. I pay a gent good money to travel over 2 hours one way, every six weeks to trim and shoe my horses and I’m very satisfied with this arrangement. A good horse shoer is worth their weight in gold.

I have no opinion either on hoof gauges, the Ruidoso Hoof Gauge or any other. My shoer sometimes uses a straight ruler to measure across the bars when he is hot fitting a shoe.  If any of these devices help a shoer make sure a horse is naturally balanced and sound, and I have a better horse out of it, then I’m all for it.

Centaur Forge, a Farrier's Supply outfit, makes the Ruidoso Hoof Gauge, and they advertise that this product as fast and sure,.....that HG-1 Ruidoso Hoof Gauge doesn’t waste your time with false or inaccurate readings. The self-adjusting design lets you move from hoof to hoof without the usual re-calibration. Surface plate allows easy leveling of entire perimeter of foot plane, and the easy reading guide lets you “gauge-and-go” with confidence. 

Centaur Forge website

Centaur Forge - Wisconsin, 117 N. Spring Street, Burlington , WI 53105
Phone: 262-763-9175

Centaur Forge - Texas, 1367 B Industrial Drive, New Braunfels , TX 78130
Phone: 830-627-2300

The Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association

I was recently made aware of a Trail Riding Organization based around the Waco, Texas area. Formed in 1997, TETRA strives to promote all phases of trail riding as a family activity. This includes trail safety and etiquette, environmental responsibilities and educating the public about the care and conditioning of equine for trail activities. TETRA members are individuals who share a mutual love of horses and participate in trail rides across the state of Texas.




TETRA continues to establish, improve and maintain equestrian trails, offer clinics and seminars throughout the year. TETRA Needs Your Support. Get Involved 2012 ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING will be held on January 21, 2012 at Texas Star Hall, 6514 South I.H. 35, Robinson, TX 76706

Visit the TETRA website.

Rubbing On A Horse

Melanie from Oregon sent in a question is "I rub my horse's face and put my face up against hers and just general loving on my horse. One of my friends said that is unsafe and detrimental to establishing dominance over your horse. I have looked around and don't see many people doing it. I am interested in your opinion."

Hey Melanie, first of all "dominance" is a tough word for me to use. I figure it's kinda hard to be dominant over an 1,000 pound animal. Maybe leadership of, partnership with, or mutual trust all may be better words.

Second of all I'm just as guilty as you in rubbing and loving my horses. I rode with some boys who would tease me sometimes,....."aren't you gonna kiss your horse before we get started",...that kinda thing. At my age I'm way past any peer pressure to act tough and all. I think the bottom line is how you and your horses relate to each other and what things you can accomplish together. It all comes out in the wash,...or as my Pa used to say "proof's in the pudding".

As long as you are careful not to get your horse's head coming up under your jaw, or having your horse disrespect your place, or any other unsafe things, I think that rubbing on, hugging, petting, brushing and grooming are all things that help gentle the horse.  Do so understanding the an 1,000 lb animal with a flight instinct can be dangerous.  

I came off a mountain patrol one afternoon, having parked my truck and trailer right off a little turn in, adjacent to the state highway. Some people saw me riding down and pulled over and before you knew it I had a crowd of people wanting to pet my horse and talk to me. My horse, pretty new at the time, was a little anxious but I knew he'd live through it with all those people crowding him and touching him and he would be better off for it. A few months later I had him at a Law Enforcement Expo and although I wasn't planning on it before I arrived, I allowed over 70 children to pet him, hug him and sit on him for pictures. So I think human touching helped gentle him quite a bit.

When I pick my corral and pens the horses follow me around wanting some human touching,...hell, I don't know it's it just reassurance for them,...or their trying to get me to hurry up so they can be fed, but I know they enjoy it. So you go right ahead and love on your horse. Be safe about it and I think your mare will be better off for it.

Western Saddle Position Question

Myhorsegenie sent the following question: ” I am only new to western riding and I am learning so much from your videos. Don't laugh but I have a really basic question: What is the correct position to put a western saddle on a horse? I also have a Standardbred who will lunge at people and other horses when tethered she doesn't appear to trust anyone, she is also very protective over her food. What can I do?”

Hey Horsegenie. The correct position or saddle fit on a horse is a great question. There are many issues to consider with saddle fit, among them:

The height of the horse’s withers and clearance of the gullet of the saddle - the clearance between the horse's withers and gullet of the saddle cannot be too narrow or too much clearance. Three fingers clearance would be generally appropriate.

The fit of, and the contact of the bars of the saddle in relation to the horse’s back - the bars of the saddle should contact the horse's and not create any pressure points nor rock (move).

The saddle position (contact of the bars of the saddle) in relation to the horse’s scapula - the saddle bars should not be placed where they contact the horse's scapula as this will wear on the horse and inhibit movement. The skirt of the saddle may extend over the scapula without causing problems, but even this would concern me.

The type and length of the cinch or front girth - most traditionalist's use Mohair cinches or the cotton rope cinches. Some use neoprene intended to inhibit the saddle from rolling. I like to use canvas cinches with a sheepskin lining. The cinch on most saddles will be in the space between the horse's barrel and armpit. Use of a rear cinch should be with a connector to keep the rear cinch from sliding backward as this often causes a horse to go to bucking.

I have very seldom tacked up and ridden a center rigged saddle such an an endurance saddle. So I can't offer any help there, but your question concerns western riding so I assumed a typical western saddle. I hope this and the video helps - let me know. Safe Journey Horsegenie.

I wrote a previous post on Saddle Fit here, which you want to review.

There are forms available for the rider to cast or replicate the horse’s back and have a saddle either made or selected to fit. Most people can’t afford to have a saddle made for each horse they ride, but there are some things they can do to ensure the best fit possible, and, ways to check to see if the saddle is causing the horse problems.

Cowboy Humor - New Texas Rain Gauge

As Texas continues to bake in record heat and endure the most severe one-year drought on record, hardy Texans, who can find humor in the bleakest of situations, have started using this new rain gauge.

Trail Obstacles

Westy wrote and asked: "I really like the videos on getting your horse to accept strange objects. I will be riding soon in an American Competitive Trail Horse Ride and would like some ideas on what I need to get my horse used to."

Westy, thanks for your question. If I were you I would go to the ACTHA site and download the rules and list of obstacles. This will give you an idea on what you will see. I would not limit my training to these obstacles. I think the point in desensitizing horses to strange (and scary to them) objects to getting then to think through problems as opposed to reacting out of instinct and fleeing. Horses are naturally curious animals,...that is why so many horses get bitten on the nose by snakes,...so you can use that portion of their instinct to make them more comfortable with thinking first.

However, just because your horse has no problem going over an obstacle, say a tarp, at your place does not mean that any tarp, at any place will be just as easy. This may be frustrating to you, but bear with it. It just appears different to the horse. Being at a strange place, away from his herd can also bring in anxiety.

The vibes you give off can also make a difference. If you are nervous about approaching an object, your horse will sense that as well. You are in effect telling him to be wary. Another mistake is pushing your horse too fast on an obstacle. Let him figure it out. That 20 seconds or so, or even 5 minutes, that you allow him to figure it out will go along way towards establish trust in you and teaching him to think.  Cowboy curtain obstacle at left. 

I think another mistake may be the tendency to drive your horse from one obstacle or problem directly to another rather than give him time to absorb that lesson and calm down before you challenge him again. That way you can approach each and every obstacle as a new challenge as opposed to running them all together and over loading the horse. 360 degree pole travel, pin wheel, obstacle at right.

We host riders at our place to go over obstacles and expose their horses to different things, again not primarily to get ready for those exact obstacles, but to expose their horses to different things, teaching them that they can think through a problem. Wooden bridge obstacle at left.

No matter if you are preparing for an ACTHA ride, or have a horse for informal riding, exposing your horse to obstacles will make it a safer horse if you do it right. Western or even English show horses and hunter-jumper horses alike can benefit from trail riding as well. Single log obstacle at right.

More on Rope Halters

I received a comment from Miguel: "Oh, wow. Exactly what I need to know today. Just got my colt back [in his mind, he is still] and I now have two broken brass clips on the standard leads. He also slipped out of the flat nylon halter. He doesn't get out of the rope halter, more concentrated pressure on the poll? Have also read that you can get more control on the nose if you tie a couple of buttons there. Was hoping you would show us how to build the halter itself. I also like the rope halter because I know I can cut it in a hurry if there's a storm. Which we had during the first saddling. He went clear down, eyes back, stiff legged. But he lived through it and he's a much better horse now. Glad to be alive. Can you show us how to build the halter? I have done it twice, but still confused when I think about it."

Miguel, thanks for that comment. I have never had such a rank horse where a rope halter wasn't sufficient. I would be careful about having too much pressure or impact from a knot or button on the nose band as it could slip down and injure the cartilage of the nose.

I know I have seen halters with knots on the side of the nose band where that danger would be lessened. In fact, I think Clinton Anderson markets one.  In the picture above, I have braided rawhide over the nose band of a rope halter that I use that lunging a green broke or less than broke horse for the first time. And I used it on my Mustang who was fond of coming off the ground and pawing at me with his hooves. I seldom use it anymore, but it certainly has more bite than a rope halter. I don't think I would put anything hard, like buttons, on the nose band of a rope halter. How harsh you are with any equipment has a lot of do with it. 

I have never built a rope halter from a length of rope. It's much easier for me just to buy a professional halter, Double Diamond makes excellent rope halters.  Craig Cameron offers excellent rope halters also.  

I always carry about a 12 foot length of 3/8 inch cotton rope, with one eyelet braided into it, for use as a get down or lead rope when I need one when out in the desert or back country. I always have a lariat rope with me as well, and I can use that as an field expedient halter as well.   So I really don't have a need to be able to tie a rope halter.  Sorry partner, not only I cannot construct a rope halter, I don't think I'll even try. I can see myself all tied up in knots yelling for my wife to come and cut me free. Knowing her, she would take pictures of me before she cut me free.

I have seen Craig Cameron tie a halter from scratch on RFD Television. He has a Knot video out, called "What Knot to Do". I have not seen the video but have been meaning to buy one, so I don't know if he covers constructing a rope halter in this DVD, but I think it's worth a chance.

Here's a link to his Knot DVD.

Cowboy Humor: Montana Rancher versus State Department of Labor

I'm sure everybody has heard about the influx of Californians and other liberals into the Great State of Montana. Not only have they hired a bunch of Democrats for state office and bought up about half the land in the state, these transplanted Montanan's have invaded about every segment of state regulatory agencies as well. In an effort to see if ranch hands could be unionized, the State Department of
Employment, Labor Standards Division sent out several eastern educated young men to collect facts on ranch hands such as their pay and benefits.

One of these young men ventured onto a small ranch and made some not so subtle allegations that a rancher was probably not paying his ranch hands well enough, nor providing for benefits. That conversation went something like this:

State Labor Agent: “I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them.”

Rancher: ”Well, that should be fairly easy seeing how I only have two. There’s my hired hand who’s been with me for 3 years. I pay him $150 a week plus free room and board. Then there’s the mentally challenged guy. He works about 18 hours every day, makes about $10 a week, and does about 90% of all the work around here."

State Labor Agent: "You're kidding?!? Those are terrible wages. That's practically slavery. Do you provide any benefits?"

Rancher: "Well, the hired hand gets to keep three horses which I pay the feed bill for. For the mentally challenged gent, he pays his own room and board, but I buy him a bottle of Wild Turkey every Saturday night so he can cope with life.....oh yeah, he also sleeps with my wife occasionally.”

State Labor Agent: “That’s the guy I want to talk to - the mentally challenged one.”

Rancher: “That would be me.”

Tracking - Dragging Sign Cut Areas

I have previous wrote about cutting sign and using areas such as road or natural lines of drift to facilitate locating disturbances, color changes, flat area or any regularities outside of nature that would indicate something has traversed that ground. Dirt roads, the shoulders of roads, open areas, natural lines of drift, fencelines and slopes are all good areas for sign cutting. Fencelines can catch pieces of clothing and give away transit. And if someone is climbing a fence there is a good chance they will leave a heavier pressure release as they come down across the fence. On slopes, it is very common to see a gouge (indicating downhill movement) or a scuff (indicating up hill movement).

Many tracking applications can be enhanced using drags or otherwise preparing areas for sign cutting. The biggest use of sign cut drags are to smooth out any previous sign (animal, man or vehicle) and put a timeline on when the sign cut area was drug therefore give the tracker another way to indicate the time or age of any sign he subsequently cuts in that sign cut area. Additionally, cuts along this sign cut area can be performed more quickly and sign located easier after that area has been drug.

The Border Patrol primarily uses tire drags, which are tires placed on the ground in a triangle type shape, and connected together by drilling through the tires and using steel cable. Sometimes flat or channel iron is used, either between the rows of tires, or along the side or front to stabilize these drags. And if you ever want to get a glimpse of hard work, try drilling holes through steel belted radial tires! Here’s a hint – radial ply tires are easier to make tire drags with.

I have used a simple broom to brush out previous sign at foot trail and vehicle road intersections so I could rapidly determine if there was any transit, or in this case, trespassers or potential poachers. Use of any drag or brush-out will by itself create flat spots, regular patterns, color changes, and it’s own unique disturbances, however the change to the pattern will be much more easier to see.

On a search and rescue for example, once a timeline has been established and projected fastest movement routes of the person(s) being tracked determined, someone will normally run a drag across the roads, sides of roads or natural lines of drift past the projected movement timeline (in a perimeter fashion) so that these sign cut areas can be checked after that to determine if the person being tracked has crossed. This is a valuable tool to reduce the search area as pretty much all search and rescues are exercises in the efficient use of minimal resources, so minimizing the search area enhances chances of success.

When I was on horseback patrolling areas for trespassers, archeological thieves or poachers I would often use my lariat rope and a stout Chamisa bush to drag a section of dirt road or animal trail so future sign cutting in that area would be quicker and let me know what has passed through giving me a timeline.

All along the Southwest border with Mexico you could probably fill up a book with counter tracking tricks that illegal immigrants have tried. Everything from using brooms to brush out sign, tying carpet or other material to their feet, wearing horseshoes nailed to wood and then strapped onto shoes,....the list is practically endless. The only advantage of attempting to cover your sign like this is that natural effects such as rain and wind may obscure the sign more quickly than if it was left alone. So each counter tracking technique will have a weakness. Whether it is brush marks from a broom or brush, carpet fragments or a regular design from the carpet making a very unique pressure release, or the really odd gait (usually too wide or too long) of what seems to be a horse.

Horse Who Bolts

Tim wrote me about a bolting Mustang he has,……I am having a problem with my horse getting spooked and running with out being able to stop him. He is 8 yr old mustang and had not been ridden in several years when I got him. The lady was intimidated by him and had him because of how beautiful he is. I sent him to the trainers and he did good. I still have him in a snaffle but want to know if I should graduate him to a bosal or some thing else to keep him from bolting. I did not break this horse myself because I was told that domestic horses were different to train then mustangs.

Thanks Tim for your question. I don’t think going from a snaffle to a Hackamore (Bosal and Headstall) is going to give you more control. Probably less control. Since you are only going to pull on his nose - pressure from the Bosal is delivered to the nose via the nose band). The level of discomfort (pressure) the horse feels from the hackamore will have a lot of do with diameter and material of the bosal. A horse not ridden for several years is probably not a safe horse to ride until you have basically re-started him. Since you sent him to a trainer, you should probably see what they have to say about him,...if they encountered the same bolting problem and what bit they rode him in.

Imagine having a bit in your mouth with some rider pulling on it,....you get spooked, then run off, this may cause the rider to pull even harder to either hold on or to try and get you to stop. So be careful about thinking the control is in the bit. The real control is in the mind of the horse, the relationship you build with him and his resulting behavior built from that trust.

Watch him when you fit the bit to see if his demeanor changes or it appears it may be seated too deep, or too loose for that matter. I like the bars of the bit to be touching the corners of the mouth not necessarily creating a wrinkle. Check to see if your horse still has his wolf teeth in, or worst yet, non-erupted or broken wolf teeth (just below or at the gum line) that the bars of the snaffle bit may be hitting and causing discomfort.

Eight years old is still a young horse if he hasn't had a lot of rides. I would do some ground work on him and ride in a round pen. Work on lateral flexion of his head and disengaging his hind end. If he bolts in the round pen, ride it out. He may have to bolt once or twice to figure out he doesn’t have to. Brush up on your one rein stops in case he bolts when you ride him out.

Good luck to you, let me know how the your Mustang is working out for you. Safe Journey.

2011 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium

My wife (who incidentally is a better horse person than me) and I just returned from the 2011 Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium held in Ruidoso, New Mexico. We have been going for the past 10 years and in fact that was our first date 10 years ago and now is our anniversary.

Lots of reason to go every year,....good food, the very best and most interesting people you ever care to associate with,......Chuckwagons from working ranches cooking up some of the best grub anywhere. But we go primarily to watch the Craig Cameron demonstrations held twice daily.

I long ago recognized that when you are in the presence of a Craig Cameron demonstration you are not just being taught by a true horseman but you are also being taught by a master teacher of both people and horses.

Whether or not Craig is starting a colt, much the same way you have seen him do a hundred times before, the lessons and concepts he presents are as valuable now as the first time you have ever heard them.

I have said before that there are thousands, maybe tens of thousands of horse people and trainers out there that can make a difference in owners and horses' lives,......helping understanding basic concepts,.....helping with some common problem solving,......but you'll never spend better money if you can get in front of somebody like Craig Cameron and take your understanding of horses and journey to horsemanship a little further.

Now I know I am going to get Craig's parting wisdom a little wrong but at the end of most demonstrations Craig says words to the effect that "......take some time to get up close and look into one of the beautiful brown eyes of your horse and see if the reflection you see (which is you) is the same thing the horse is seeing and that is a person who is fair and just with the horse." My apologies to CraigCameron to certainly getting his words a little wrong, but I think the idea is the same, and that reflects Craig's true reason for doing what he does,....making the world a better place for horses by teaching humans how to understand horses.

Visit Craig Cameron's website, where you'll find some of the finest working gear and training equipment anywhere.

Scary Objects and Spooky Horses

I received an e-mail from Leslie who wrote ”I have a 8 year old Arabian gelding who is just a pleasure to ride. I am working with him so I can ride in the ACTHA rides. Sometimes I’ll work him on an obstacle such as a tarp, walking over it and picking it up and rubbing it on him and he’ll be fine with it. Then a few days later, he’ll act as though he is seeing it for the first time and be really spooky about it. Do you have any ideas?”

Hi Leslie. This is actually pretty common for a horse to seem bomb proof on one obstacle, then react totally different to the same object a few days later. Something else can be different about the tarp or what’s next to it or the place it’s located. Or it could that your horse was spooked by something else,…..then as a result all things are spooky for awhile until he gets his confidence back. Another possibility is a change in you that the horse detects or perceives.

I recently put a horse of mine through an obstacles course at a strange (to him) location. On objects he has seen time and time again, he was spooked. I think the majority of the problem was with me trying to go too fast and not giving him time to think about the object. I was, in effect, both not acknowledging his anxiety over the obstacles or object, and creating more anxiety for my horse with my impatience.

I think the key is to put him in situations where he can be successful; do so with patience remembering that he is not spooking to misbehave,…he is spooking because he is scared. Let him be scared and let him figure it out. I see too many people ride up to something scary and when the horse balks they start kicking him or jerking his head back around and all this does is create more anxiety and give the horse a better reason to be afraid. I know, because I have done this…..and did so again recently.

With a horse, remember that repetition is the mother of mastering all tasks. I continually expose my horse to the same obstacles. I don’t assume that because he has seen it once, he’ll always be sacked out on it and won’t spook. It is as much training for me, allowing him the time he needs to figure it out. The below video is a couple objects that I am sacking my horse out on: a yellow slicker and a bag full of tin cans. Just because I can drape the slicker over his head and drag the sack of cans today, doesn’t mean that he’ll be great about it next week. I'll continue to give him problems to solve and develop that curious and brave horse.

Horse Hoof Care - Hoof Wraps Soaker

I came across another neat product for horse owners, especially if you own several horses and are having hoof related problems where you need to soak hoofs is Epsom salt or let a wound drain. I have had horses under a halter stand in a bucket of warm water and Epsom salts before, but this product from the people who make hoof wraps may make this chore a lot more simpler and you can place a hoof into a Hoof Wrap Soaker with whatever treatment you are using and leave the horse tied.

Hoof Wraps advertises that, "If your horse likes to fidget with buckets and soaking treatments you could be tied up for a while. Not anymore. Apply the hoof soaker, fill it with your soak of choice and get back to your chores. Hoof Wraps soakers are made with a thick shell of ballistic nylon and a coated nylon liner.

They will fit up to 6 inch diameter hoof and are secured using two straps and an additional string with a cord lock at the top. It is collapsible for easy storage. Cost for one Hoof Wrap Soaker is $34.95 and it comes with two EVA foam pads and an extra strap.

Go see Hoof Wraps Soaker and other products at www.hoofwraps.com

Lenore's Buddy Sour Horse

I receive the following question from Lenore: ”Help! I am new again to horses and the horse I lease is not willing to go off alone. While the info on buddy sour seems reasonable what I want is for this horse to be willing to ride away from the barn and the other horses without balking. I worked with him to move off by walking him to a distance of several hundred meters but when I then mounted, the horse balked and just backed up over and over. I tried to turn him in a circle which he did over and over again but would not go father afield. Suggestions?”

Lenore, Buddy sour and barn sour are the same problem – a fearful horse. Making the assumption that there are no problems with bit fit such as the bit too tight in the mouth (or too loose), or exposed or un-erupted wolf teeth, one thing you’ll probably have to overcome is your horse having learned bad habits from transient owners over the years. Leased horses may go from one leaser to another, after another. Often the leasers are fairly new riders which can compound the problem. 

Being buddy sour is one of the most aggravating problems a rider can have with their horse. The horse is NOT balking at moving off because he wants to be a problem. He is just fearful from leaving the safety of the herd. So if you approach this problem as trying to help your horse become braver after opposed to trying to straighten out a disciplinary problem,...... and you do this with patience, I think you can have some good success in being able to ride out on your own.

I am way past the time when I would get on a horse and just try and make him do something. This creates much anxiety for the horse as well as other problems – so you end up worse off. Spending some time on the ground establishing what the horse knows and what I’d like for him to do, as well as starting to build that relationship grounded in trust goes along way. I have learned that for me anyway, starting a horse like he is a new horse allows me not only to assess his training but gets me established as his leader. So I would say that some round pen time and training under hand should help you.

When you get in the saddle, I would first accept that this process of creating a brave horse with you as the leader, may take awhile. I would start small. Ride him off from the barn and if he usually starts balking at 200 yards, then stop at 175 yards. Create lessons there and back. Practice disengaging his back end, lateral flexion, side passes, neck reining, change of direction, asking for a head set, etc. – do things like this and allow him to be successful.

You need to keep him busy and under control. If you get to the point where you think you are out of control, turn around and do some more tasks, keeping him busy. This is where some people will disagree with me. Some will think that you can’t let the horse “get away” with misbehavior such wanting to go back to the barn. But he ain’t doing it to misbehave, he’s doing it because he is fearful. To make any headway you have to reduce that fear,…don’t make him fear you more than being away form the barn or his buddies.

This will be a constant process of him getting worried then getting calmer, like an accordion effect. The object being that he will learn to think through things that are problems for him, creating a curious and brave horse.Hope this helps.  Safe Journey Lenore.