Don't Forget - Your Horse Needs Dental Care Too

Most horse owners, especially those using their horses in competitions, are usually pretty good about keeping their horses vaccinated. But after talking to several dozen rider over the past few months, across several different events, I've come to believe that many horse owners don't routinely get their horses teeth examined or floated. Usually I hear "My horses don't need it", or "I haven't seen any problems with their teeth."

Some of these problems they would expect to see wouldn't necessarily be traceable to a horse's teeth, like head tossing, avoidance of the bit, or getting bracey on the bit while riding. If your horse has these problems, especially if they are recently developed, you should consider a dental exam and floating to either fix the problem or rule out the teeth as a problem, as part of your solution finding.

Other problems that are obviously associated with teeth problems could be the horse dropping feed from his mouth, seeing undigested bits of feed in the manure, and, in the extreme, weight loss.

The horse's front teeth cut hay and the tongue pulls it back to the rear teeth (molars) where they grind the hay using a sideways motion. This is necessary to allow the feed to be ground down, swallowed and more easily digested. If a horse can't adequately grind up his feed, then the digestion process will be degraded and can even cause blockages or impaction colic.

During the sideways chewing and grinding of the feed, the back teeth usually become uneven, creating hooks and points on these teeth which not only will reduce optimum grinding of the feed for digestion, but these hooks and points can cut into the gum or tongue making pressure from a bit painful.    

The process of floating teeth involves sedating the horse. My Vet uses a mix of Xylazine and Butorphanol. The sedation lasts long enough to float the teeth and clean the sheath of the geldings, but the horses come out of the sedation pretty quick after that and while I can ride them, I usually give them the day off as they also get their spring vaccinations and sometimes their necks are alittle sore.

I asked my Vet if a decent enough exam can be done without sedation, she replied that "she cannot do a real good assessment of their teeth without sedation, and that likely 80% of the exams without sedation that show no major issues, will require floating once that horse is sedated." In other words, the best exam can't be done without sedation and while the horse is sedated you might go ahead and have his teeth floated.

While I have used non-Vets in the past who used the manual float method and did a good job, the modern method of floating uses a specialty power drill and a ceramic bit which is safer or less of an abrasive on teeth. That's the power drill, called "power floating", that you see my Vet, Amy Starr, DVM of Paws n' Hooves Mobile Veterinarian Services, in the picture at the top left.

Floating should result in, removing all the hooks and points and creating an even surface on the upper and bottom molars of the back teeth to grind feed against.  In the picture at right, you can see the hooks and the points on the molars.  This horse was floated about 13 months ago, so you can imagine how bad the teeth can get in a short amount of time.  He also had a few small cuts on the inside of his mouth where the sharp edges of his teeth cut him.

Floating is painless to the horse as the nerves for the tooth are well below the top surface of the teeth. There is a danger that heat built up of the file or ceramic bit on the tooth can damage the pulp of that tooth, but professional Vets or Equine Dentists trained in floating teeth would know this and eliminate that possibility.

Back to the people who think there horses don't need dental work,......... While the total cost of getting a horse's teeth floated (around $125) my seem like too much money, especially if you have several horses to do, wouldn't it seem like the costs of a Vet's farm call and colic treatment, which you would help prevent with floating, make it seem like a good investment? Not to mention eliminating performance or bit acceptance problems.

I think it's just something we owe the horse. I have had horses, and usually these will be older horses, who needed their teeth floated about every 8-9 months. But generally, I try to get my horses floated once a year, for me that's every April, so I can also get spring vaccinations and blood pulled for their annual Coggins tests.

Small Saddle Bag - Sanctuary Leather

Large conventional saddle bags are sometimes too big and bulky for recreational trail riders or endurance riders. And for some people, I imagine that routing the saddle strings through the saddle bags to hold it to the saddle in back of the cantle is time consuming.    I have also seen many show type saddles being used for trail events and competitions that do not have saddle string.  saddles.  But I have seen rider's with cell phone pouches on their saddles and also riders with a small horn bag for carrying a water bottle, human and horse snacks, and other incidentals.

Never a big fan of nylon tack, I asked a maker in San Antonio, Texas to build some small saddle pouches that I can use as gift's or awards in competitions I will run later in the year. Dennis Holloway, a disabled vet, owns and operates Sanctuary Leather making everything from handgun holsters, to knife sheaths, belts and a wide selection of small leather items.



I contacted Dennis and we went back and forth on some designs and led to a delivery of four mall  saddle pouches.  I asked him for saddle string slots at the top, so I can choose which one's to secure using saddle strings and which pouches to install a slotted concho and snap on the back to attach to either D rings for rigging or to the small D rings that sometimes are placed underneath the conchos.

The picture at top left is one of the small saddle/medicine pouches with a slotted concho and a saddle string holding a snap to attach it to a small D ring on the back of the saddle.    

If you are looking for a saddle pouch like this, or anything else, Dennis' turn-around time is pretty dog gone short and his prices are more than fair.

For the saddle pouches in the picture at rights, with your choice of a dark, medium or natural finish, Dennis charges around $45. He can also do carving and stamping as well.

 The saddle bags in the picture at right are 6 inches long, 5 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep.

Perceptions of the Hackamore

Over the past couple of months I have had several conversations centering around why I ride in a Hackamore and why don't I use a bit. Everything from people thinking I am against bits, to asking if my horse is broke to be ridden in a bit, to people saying your horse works pretty good for a Hackamore. So I wanted to take the opportunity to say a few things about Hackamores (and bits for that matter), but remembering that my opinion is just that - an opinion and likely not worth a great deal when compared to the opinions of thousands or tens of thousands of more accomplished horsemen.

And before I go much futher, when I say snaffle bit, I mean a true snaffle bit, not a broken bit with shanks. I am still suprised when people who appear to be experienced riders think they are riding in snaffle just because the mouthiece is broken. Anytime you add shanks, you add leverage. The bad thing of course, is that shanks make heavy hands worse.

I use leather slobber straps to attached my reins to the snaffle bit.  You can see in the photo at right how the weight of the leather slobber strap makes it hang downwards from the snaffle ring.  As I pick up on the rein there is a delay as I take the slack and the horse can feel this and prepare.  The weight of the leather slobber straps also allow the release to be felt sooner by the horse.    

When I say Hackamore, I'm talking about a bosal, attached to a headstall and a fiador. While tradionalists generally use a bosal attached to a hanger, without a fiador, I am more comfortable using a headstall and fiador. Even then, I have had a horse shuck off a hackamore when the fiador knot was tied way too loose.

I came to the opinion that when first working with a mature horse, it is usually best to start over. I don't have a set in concrete process where I start in a snaffle bit and go to a Hackamore, or vice versa. I use what I think the horse is going to accept better in the beginning, but I am more inclined to use the hackamore first as the signals are much alike the rope halter.  And with the rope halter you can get your horse used to being soft and giving to pressure so when you go to the hackamore things tend to go more smoothly. 

Starting over, for me anyway, lets me cover any gaps in the horse's understanding and keeps me from assuming that since the horse was broke to ride, he knows what he should know.

As far as whether it's more proper or advantageous to start a horse in a snaffle or a Hackamore, there is an good article, written by Tom Moates, in a recent edition of Eclectic Horseman magazine that provides insights from Buck Brannaman, Bryan Neubert and Martin Black on the question of starting colts with a snaffle bit versus a Hackamore, or vice versa. Anytime any of these top hands' say anything, its prudent to listen. And if you don't get the Eclectic Horseman magazine, I would recommend that you do.

Addressing if I'm against bits - no, I am not at all against bits,...maybe just how some people use them. I have a horse, Junior, that I ride in exclusively in a Hackamore. I used to ride him in a short shanked broken bit, but no more. Years ago I let someone else ride him in that bit and to make a long story short, we left our horses ground tied and a group of Mule deer spooked them. When we caught the horses about 20 minutes later, Junior's reins had came un- tied and he stepped on the reins pulling the bit and cutting his toungue. He is fine now but I have used a Hackamore on him ever since and always will.

I just don't have much to say to people who comment that they are surprised that a horse can work well, or as well, in a Hackamore as opposed to a bit. There are many things we (Junior and I) don't do very well at all, but I don't think a bit is going to change that.

Regarding graduating from a Hackamore to a bit. I'd like to have a horse that is comfortable, untroubled in both a Hackamore and a snaffle bit. I think it makes a better horse and you can change up what you ride in him from time to time to give him a break. While I have retained a couple shanked bits with broken mouth pieces, I don't have much use for anything but Hackamores and snaffles at this point.

While there are many exceptional horsemen who follow the Californio style of starting horses in snaffle, then to a Hackamore, then go to the two rein, and finally to a spade bit, I just never see myself getting to that to the level, and I'm okay with that.

Easter Trail Ride Event Idea

My wife thought that hunting Easter eggs on horseback would be great fun, so this past Easter weekend we tried it out. I rode out an hour and a half ahead of the group to hide Easter eggs around the obstacles we have on our extended trail course.  Picture at left is Junior and I heading out in the early morning with sacks full of eggs to hide.   

These weren't just regular Easter eggs with candy,....they were large plastic eggs containing stuff like rope halters, vet wrap, get down ropes, lead ropes, leather conditioner, boot socks, goats milk soap and even a stuffed animal (a horse, of course) in one of the eggs.....and there was also a smattering of candy in those eggs - wouldn't want anyone to feel cheated.

I hide one to three eggs around most of the obstacles, within a 75 yard radius.  The rules were after everyone had completed the obstacle, the group scattered to hunt for eggs. Once all the eggs around that obstacles were found, the group would move off down the trail to the next obstacle.


 Each rider could take home two eggs, so if a rider found a third egg, they had to give one of their eggs to someone who did not have more than one.   Nobody could open their eggs until we got back to the ranch for lunch. 

As it turned out everyone found two eggs and an eight year old girl on her very first trail ride found the big egg with the stuffed horse. The picture at right is Jenna, the 8 year old and her kinda nervous Mom.

Sure was a beautiful day to be horseback with friends on the day we celebrate the ever lasting life of Christ.

Chris Cox - Four Time Winner of Road to the Horse

The Road To The Horse competition, stood up in 2003 and hosted in Fort Worth, uses a two day format to pit well know clinicians competing against each other to see just how far they could take a un-broke horse in that short amount of time - Day One - starting them in a round pen and, Day Two - demonstrating their ability to ride in a arena obstacle course.

This year, the competitors were provided with two ranch raised geldings each, courtesy of the famed 6666 ranch. If you missed the event, or failed to see Day One on RFD-TV, you can still go to the RFD-TV On-line Channel and watch the videos which requires you to become a Road To The Horse member at a nominal annual charge. And you can watch Day Two this Wednesday, 8 April on RFD TV. Check your listing for the broadcast times but it'll show in the early evening.

Past Winner's are a partial who's who in the professional clinician world having Clinton Anderson, Craig Cameron, Stacy Westfall, Richard Winters, Guy McLean, Jim Anderson, and Trevor Carter. Chris Cox is the only four time winner, having won each time he has entered this competition.

Other well know clinicians who have competed have been Curt Pate, Martin Black, Mike Kevil, Tommy Garland, Ken McNabb, Van Hargis, Pat Parelli, John Lyons, Glenn Stewart and Jonathan Field.

In this year’s Road to the Horse, Chris Cox won the $100,000 prize and then showed his graciousness by giving $20,000 of his winnings each to the other two competitors, Jim Anderson and Trevor Carter.   Chris Cox is certainly one of America's most successful and highly sought clinicians,  He had more to lose than win by competing, but did so anyway.

I have read some commentary on-line that makes an argument that the Road To The Horse commercialization and competitive nature has no place in starting colts. And I would have to agree that the Legacy of Legends event where there is no competition, only demonstrations on colt starting, is something more suitable to my interests.

I would think like to think that the all three of the 2015 Road To The Horse competitors, and likely all of the competitors in the past, had to rationalize the artificial time constraints of a few hours time spread out over two days for getting a unhandled horse started and going well enough to compete an arena obstacles course.  After all, given the ability to control the environment, starting a colt and continuing that horse's training is going to take as long as it going to take. So say what you will about the Road To The Horse format. I like to look at the positives where more people were exposed to a better way of communicating with horses, and all of the competitors, even under the duress of those time constraints, demonstrated not only the highest levels of horsemanship but the patience necessary to put it into practice.

Backing in an Circle

When some people start backing their horse in a circle I think they assume since they ride in a forwards circle in an arc,...... with the horse's nose slightly tipped in the direction of the circle and using the outside leg to push the horse around the inside leg,.... that they think they can do the same only going backwards to achieve the backing in a circle.  I sure as heck can't get it done that way.

At some point the rider will usually use his outside leg to move the back end into the circle and because the nose is tipped to the inside this slows the momentum, usually to a stop, and then the horse may make a large movement with the back end sort of like a roll back and his head comes up. The end result is that both the horse and the rider are frustrated as the horse can't figure out what you want and the rider....

When I back in a circle, I'll start with my horse straight then ask him for some softness and back him a step, and as he begins to finish that first step, I tip his head very slightly in the opposite direction of my circle or arc.

It's likely a good starting point to do this initial movement a few times giving the horse a short break in between each time so he understands that's what you are asking. And without much outside leg pressure, you also likely see the beginning of an arc.

In the beginning I had to have a light hold on outside rein to keep his head tipped slightly to the outside and with the inside rein I use pressure and release to get him to back, using my outside leg to apply a little bit of pressure on the rear of his barrel to keep the back end moving inside the arc.

You'll have to forgive my drawing above (I'm only slightly more advanced than drawing stick horses) as well as my narrative on how I back a horse in a circle. It's hard to describe accurately what you do in the saddle,.......probably easier to describe how to castrate a house cat, that's why I shot the video below, it should do a better job at explaining.

In the video below, while my horse is not backing in a collected manner (broke at the poll) as I'm not so much in contact with the bosal on his nose,....it's at the end of a long day, but he does have a natural head set and that's okay with me as long as he is not being bracey and keeps his momentum. 

Horse Art, from an Eight Year Old

Olivia, one of the children who help us with Christmas Caroling this past December, drew a picture for us a thank you for the opportunity to ride horses and to sing.  I'm not sure too many people would call what we did singing, though.   I really hope that the object in the top right was not a nuclear mushroom cloud.

Young Horse With Gate Anxiety

During ranch sorting the other day there was an rider on a 3 or 4 year old gelding whose first time on cows would be that day. The rider was concerned that the horse would spook and bolt inside the pen. I had the rider and the horse stay right behind me and my horse as we approached the pens from the outside while the cows were being pushed into the sorting pens. As you can imagine the new horse's head was on a swivel watching and reacting to any move from the 12 Corrientes's in the pen. After a few minutes we rode away, then rode back to do the same. And each time that horse got better. He still had some anxiety about those cows, but it was time to get in the pens.

I was planning on using my first 90 second run with the new horse and rider just circling the cows to allow the horse to get some confidence about the cows moving away from him, and eventually did that, but when going to enter the pen through the 4 foot gate for the first time, that new gelding wouldn't get anywhere near the gate. Eventually, one of the ground crew led the horse through the gate and we commenced on our first run.

The new horse and rider did another 4 or 5 runs each time having to be lead on the ground through the gate. During a break I talked to the rider about how well the horse is taking to cattle and saying that I actually thought that little gelding probably had some cow horse bred into him as he was doing so well once he got into the pen, but still the gate bothered him and we should try to fix that. I took the rider and the horse over to the larger arena fence where it was also apparent that the sponsor signs on the fence bothered that little horse.

I had the rider ask the horse to move towards the arena and letting the horse stop when he needed to. The horse, being curious would soon become comfortable and take a step forward on it's own motivation. And while I was explaining that to the rider, the horse moved forward a step much to the rider's delight. Within a few minutes that horse was nosing the signs, licking his lips and starting to look around.

Then I dismounted and demonstrated moving the horse following the lead line between me and the arena fence, asking the horse to roll his backend over and bring his front end across and follow the lead between me and the arena fence.

I was using a Bosal and a mecate, while the rider was using a leverage bit, so the rider retrieved a halter then started doing this exercise with the new horse. And at first the new horse skitted through between the rider and the fence like something bad was going to happen in that confined space. After a few times of back and forth following the lead between the rider and fence the horse became much more comfortable and I had the rider, give the horse a break for a few minutes, then close the gap and continue. Another few minutes and that was old hat to that young gelding.

So then I had the rider ask the horse to stop between him and the fence then to rub on the horse. Then I had the rider continue at a slower pace and stop the horse mid way in each direction and rub on him. There as a big difference in that horse and the rider saw it. I said let's give it a go and see if he'll move through the sorting pen gate on his own. That young gelding moved through the sorting pen gate like he'd been doing it all his life.

The photos below show what I described above in having the horse follow the lead between you and the fence.  You may have to use a flag to help the horse go forward and the horse may hurry through it in the beginning.  Once the horse gets comfortable following the lead, rolling his back end away from the fence and bringing his front end over and going through again, you can have him stop between you and fence.  Giving him a release here.   They quickly become desensitized to the fence.   And in the case of the little horse at ranch sorting who was fearful of the sorting pen gate, the gate becomes a non issue.       

Army Scout - Tom Threepersons

Unarguably, Tom Threepersons would be considered a Lawman well before his service as an Army Scout would be mentioned. However, it is beyond any doubt that Tom Threepersons and his accomplishments should be considered as legendary. Threepersons, born into the Cherokee Nation on or about 1893 and moved with his father and a friend (sometimes reported as his brother) to Alberta Province, Canada around 1908 to start a ranch.  My Grandfather lost his ranch in Montana in the early 1900's and also moved to Alberta to ranch taking my father and his two brothers. So I've always felt a kinship with Tom Threeperson's story.

Threeperson's father was soon killed by raiders. After the killers were released by the courts, Tom Threepersons killed both raiders in a gunfight.

Tom then joined the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and as a Mountie tracked criminals and raiders across the very rough and remote territory of the Canada-U.S. border. It was during his service with the RCMP where Threepersons was in gunfights resulting in more than 10 criminals killed or wounded, and Threepersons himself was wounded at least once.

Threepersons cemented his legend as a Canadian lawman by also working the Canadian- Alaska border where he tracked and killed kidnappers as well as tracking robbers for over 200 miles back on the U.S. Canadian border before capturing these men. Another manhunt led to the death of his partner, which Threepersons avenged days later, killing both remaining suspects.

Knowing his way around a horse and riding in local rodeo circuits in his teens, gave Threepersons a reputation as a capable Cowboy, which he proved in 1912 Threepersons won the Saddle Bronco event at a rodeo in Calgary that would be known worldwide as the Calgary Stampede.

A few years later, at about 21 years old, Threepersons moved to Arizona where he cowboyed and raised horses. He volunteered to serve as a scout for General Black Jack Pershing’s Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa and later served at Fort Bliss, Texas before being discharged in 1920.

Threepersons then served as an El Paso Police Officer and a Federal Probation Officer before leaving to run a ranch in Mexico. In Mexico he reported killed a couple of rustlers then returned to the U.S. where he became a Mounted Customs Inspector.

Later on he served as El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy and here he designed a holster, built by the S.D. Myres Saddle Co., which became known as the Tom Threeperson's Style. This holster is still in manufacture by El Paso Saddlery which bought out S.D. Myres in 1969. The Threeperson's holsters are shown at right.

Leaving law enforcement, Threepersons moved to Gila - Silver City area of New Mexico, ranching and guiding the rest of his life. Tom Threepersons died on April 2nd, 1969 and is buried in Silver City, New Mexico.

Positive versus Negative Re-enforcement

J.K. wrote to ask about an old article I wrote about Discipline your horse, as opposed to Correcting your horse,....."I remember reading an article you wrote about disciplining being the harsher side of training. While I don't ride much anymore, I was having a debate with my friend about horses being like children, neither doing well, in general, with disciplining. Can you send me or re-post that article? Thanks, I found your site enjoyable and informative."



That older article you mention was titled - "Correcting Your Horse Versus Disciplining Your Horse " - and is available here. I had a hard time writing that as I do writing this, as one person's discipline is another's punishment. We define things in order to communicate better with each other, but some terms just have very broad meanings across a group of people.  Consider the phrase "breaking a horse".  Many people, who in the best forms of "natural horsemanship", still use this term when what they do with, and how they train horses is anything but breaking them.  I think the frame of mind and the methods used by each individual define what they are doing.   

Discipline connotes some sort of consequence, usually punishment, for what a horse or a person did wrong - or a different way of looking at it - what they didn't do right.   I also call this negative re-enforcement training. An example may be lunging your horse and whipping it on the butt when the horse isn't transitioning into the gait you want. An example for people may be a football coach making one of the players do sprints up and down the football field for executing plays incorrectly. Negative re-enforcement often creates resentment, anxiety and fear of trying.  Horses can be fearful enough that when we burden them with punishment it usually has the opposite effect we were seeking. Took me a long time to understand this much to my shame. 

Correction implies fixing something that wasn't done correctly. It likely can't be done with recognizing or rewarding what was done right, but focuses on fixing what was done wrong or wasn't done completely right. This would be positive re-enforcement. Maybe you're trying to get a horse to soften his face, asking him to drop his head and tuck his nose. Once he drops his head or maybe just tucks his nose slightly, you release the rein pressure you were using, and you rub on him and let him stand quiet for a moment, before asking again. This is also what is meant by "rewarding the slightest try", a phrase that came out of the horse training methods of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. 

A human example of positive re-enforcement would be teaching someone to double a horse but they consistently are pulling back on the reins affecting the horse's ability to bring his front end over in the turn. So first concentrating on what they are doing right, maybe you comment on how well their seat and balance are, then you say "you may get your horse bringing his front end over smoother if you put your hands a bit more forward and give him more slack in the rein that becomes your outside rein.   

I think what patience and correction is, as opposed to discipline and punishment, is one of the foundations for what most people refer to natural horsemanship and what is attributed to the methods of horsemanship brought to light, again, by Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt and continued by many exceptional clinicians today. Although, I also think if you ask 20 people what natural horsemanship is you'll get 30 different answers....such is the difficulty in defining these terms like this as well as concepts of discipline and correction. They just mean different things to different people.

But, I wouldn't worry about what they mean to others. What it means to you and how you use it is what is important.  Speaking about the difficulties in defining terms, you may like this article, called "The Myth of Natural Horsemanship", which is a chapter in book by Tom Moates called "A Horse's Thought - a Journey Into Honest Horsemanship".  It is an exceptionally well written article and is thought provoking.  For a man like me, who some - like my wife - call dim witted, this article is challenging.

Good luck J.K.  I think you are approaching horses from a good angle when you say they re like children.  A firm hand and correction as opposed to a heavy hand and discipline will likely be a safer and happier journey.              

Halter Broke

Justin wrote to ask "Thanks for writing the information and videos.  They help me fine.  What exactly is meant by a horse being halter broke.  I am looking on classified ads for horses and I see ads saying the horse for sale is halter broke."

One of the first things you notice Justin, is that the more people and horses you are around, the greater the differences you'll see in definitions. We all make fun how people use terms to describe their horses, especially if they are selling them. But the term "halter broke" certainly competes with them all for the widest description.   The bottom line and the best circumstance for an ad describing a horse as halter broke, is that it is a very green horse, it is not gentled to ride.

But your question brings up a good topic - what is halter broke?  While fueling up last year in late winter, I ran into a rancher I knew from my Range Rider days when I worked a gather in the grazing unit he leased from the BLM. He told me he had several horses who needed to be halter broke so when he brought cowboys in at springtime, they could ride and gentle them. Apparently the person who previous halter broke his horses had moved on. He said he pay me $100, $20 more than he paid the women, to halter break four horses, ranging from coming 2 to 4 years old, which pretty much told me his idea halter broke was pretty much just getting, and leaving, a halter on the horse.

While I had to think about it. I thought maybe I could show him a good way, and make it easier on the horses when some young men got ahold of them in a few months, but I had to say no.....I now wish I would have asked him what he expected from those horses once "halter broke", but I'm pretty sure his idea halter broke was pretty much just getting, and likely leaving, a halter on the horse.

If I would have taken up his offer, I would have planned to spend a couple days with these horses, getting them used to a halter going on and coming off, accepting a rope or a lead touching them all over especially on their backs, legs and hocks, and under their barrel.   Then progressing to leading.  I just can't associate being halter broke without being broke to lead.

One of the first things I do when the horse is accepting of the halter is to get it used to giving to pressure on the poll (behind the head).  The pictures at left are me applying a little downward pressure on the halter heel knot with my left hand and using my right hand to put a little downward pressure on the poll.  I'm not applying a lot of pressure, just giving a suggestion to the horse.  Once the horse gives me anything (dropping his head), I release that pressure and give him a moment or two to think about it. Then I'll try it again. 

Each time, if your release is exact and complete, the horse will give you more (drop his head more) and they'll be quicker about it too.  This is teaching him pressure and release which is going to be the basis for you continuing on to gentle him to lead in hand - that is leading him on the ground by a lead rope connected to his halter.

Progressing to actually leading starts with giving to pressure from the lead line,  I first start out asking a horse to give to off line pressure and giving me a step.  By off line I mean you are of to the side of their head,  then taking the slack out of the lead and having them give me a step.  When they are good with this pressure from the front and having them get soft and giving you a couple steps at a time is good progress.   If you can get all this down on a green horse, then I think you can move on to actually leading, but I wouldn't call it broke to lead until the horse can lead up properly without being pushy or invading your space.   He should stop when you stop and still be paying attention to you.  I think broke to lead would also include having a horse follow the lead so you can direct him past you which comes in handy loading in a trailer or going through a narrow gate.  

Just because I get a halter on a dead broke horse, I don't take him having basic manners nor believe that leading up right foremost in his mind. When I get a halter on a horse, I pretty much always get them to give to poll pressure, not lead off until I'm ready, disengage the front end then the back  Then I'll usually ask the horse to back.   I have the horse lead off a few steps then have them stop.  I pay attention to them giving me attention, and if they get distracted, I'll gently remind them to give me both eyes.

I have heard professional clinicians say that "if you can't load your horse in a trailer, then he ain't broke to lead".   I not going to argue with my betters, but I am sure there are horses functionally broke to lead well enough that still have problems loading, but you can't get to trailer loading until the horse is halter broke and that means broke to lead safely. 

McClellan Saddles

Jim wrote: "Hi Brad, I do get a lot of good info on your site. We talked before about the McClellan saddles and I was hoping you could maybe explain the pros and cons about them. I'm still very interested in getting one for my horse. I hear a lot of people say how uncomfortable they are but I tend not to listen to most people. Any info you can share would be much obliged. Thanks and stay sharp Rider."

Hey Jim, good to hear from you again. As you know the McClellan saddle was in use by the U.S. Military since just before the Civil War until shortly after World War II. It was named after it's designer, Army General George McClellan, reportedly after he came back from Europe where he visited foreign cavalry and horse drawn artillery units and likely formed an idea on what he thought was a good Calvary saddle.

The McClellan saddle underwent different modifications in the 90+ years of use. In fact, there are several modern military units who continue to use the McClellan or a variation thereof, not including many civilian endurance riders who started in a McClellan only to give way to modern endurance saddle designs, sometimes these modern designs originated with the McClellan.  The 1904 McClellan, above right, was made by Shawns Custom Saddles and Tack.

The success of McClellan saddle was due to it's simplicity and light weight.  While I have only sat in McClellan saddles, and have never ridden one, I think I read somewhere that for many of the cavalrymen from the 1800's, and likely U.S. soldiers after the turn of the century, their first exposure to horseback was in a McClellan saddle.  My Grandpa probably rode in a McClellan from 1878-1880 and my Uncle as well, 1915-1917.  All my saddles have hard seats so I'm pretty sure I could get used to a McClellan pretty quickly.   I would probably have to change the stirrups, as I like wide Monel type stirrups.    

The McClellan saddles will have several attachments points, usually three on the swell in the front and three on the cantle in the back. These are oval holes through the saddle tree that straps with buckles are fed through to attach items. Calvary soldiers would use these to tie coats, slickers, blankets, and bedrolls to. They can also be attachment points for carbine scabbards. The Cavalry mostly used what they call carbine buckets, like a donut for the barrel of the carbine to rest in, as opposed to full up carbine scabbards. You've heard of saddle ring carbines?  The issue carbine had a ring on the side that was used to attach a tie it to the saddle. Many lever guns, usually the shorter Trapper models, have this same saddle ring.  Another way for carrying a carbine was a socket, like a loop, that the carbine sat in.  The 1928 McClellan saddles at top right, were built by American Military Saddle Co.  

It is common to have a year associated with a McClellan saddle to note the modifications.  Some of the models had English saddle type fenders.  It's probably accurate to say that the newer McClellans were built on a wider tree to accommodate bigger and wider horses. In the early 1900's adjustable riggings was incorporated on McClellans.  The saddle at left was made by Evolutionary Saddles. 


One of these days I'll likely own a McClellan, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be main saddle, or if I didn't have a saddle, it wouldn't be the first one I'd buy as I don't think I could get by without a horn.      A quick google search shows that there are several saddle shops making McClellans. I did not contact any of these saddle shops to even see if they are still in business.  More research will likely yield additional saddle shops making McClellans. Good luck to you, and send me a picture if you get a McClellan.


Border States Leatherworks

Shawns Custom Saddles and Tack

Evolutionary Saddles

American Military Saddle Co.

Unbranded - The Movie

“Unbranded” follows the story of four young cowboys, Jonny Fitzsimons, Thomas Glover, Ben Masters and Ben Thamer as they travel more than 3,000 miles from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, through the deepest backcountry in the American West. The pack trip will take more than six months and wind through Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. Mustangs, born and raised in the wild, will be carrying these four men and crew on their journey. This is a story of the partnership between horse and rider, a testament to the hardiness of mustangs, and a tribute to the early explorers whose spirit remains today. This will soon be a movie which should debut soon, and you can see a trailer for the film at the bottom of this article. You can sign up for e-mail notifications concerning Unbranded the Movie as well as receive posts from their blog.

You can also order the book, in soft cover or hard cover through the main 'Unbranded the Film' website.

During the journey, a running account of the adventures of these four cowboys was kept up in another blog hosted by Western Horseman. The pictures alone make this worth looking at.  With young men like these four, this country is absolutely in good hands. 

At the end of September, 2013, a couple of weeks after finishing the 3,000+ mile ride, Ben Masters auctioned off Luke, his Mustang Paint, at the Mustang Million contest in Ft. Worth, Texas. The winning bid of $25,000 went to the Mustang Heritage Foundation to promote Mustang adoptions.

As Ben wrote: "The mustangs are in a bad spot right now. There are nearly 50,000 wild horses in holding pens and long term pastures that will live out their lives unused and in captivity. Your tax dollars buy their hay. Legally, the Bureau of Land Management is mandated to maintain the Mustang population in the wild to 27,000 animals. This number has already been exceeded, possibly to 40,000, but the BLM cannot continue gathering horses because there is no place to put horses that are rounded up. Too many horses can cause rangeland degradation that negatively affects native wildlife, plants and rural communities that depend on range health. Currently, the only method of reducing the numbers of horses in holding facilities is adoption."

"I put Luke up for auction because I want to see more wild horses get adopted. The O’Brien family (who purchased Luke) donated $25,000 to see more wild horses get adopted. The non-profit Mustang Heritage Foundation’s sole purpose is to get more wild horses adopted. Adoption gives these horses better homes, reduces taxpayer expense, and alleviates western rangelands of potential ecological harm. What can you do to help?"

"The BLM, Mustang Heritage Foundation and other mustang organizations have different ways to acquire gentled, formerly “wild” horses. A lot of mustangs are really good horses, especially for people looking for ranch or trail horses where a good mindset is more important than a timed event. They really aren’t that hard to train. People train mustangs all the time. It takes time, dedication, and a lot of hard work but it’s an incredibly rewarding experience that you have to experience to believe."

"Can’t train, adopt or buy a mustang? Dive deeper than a Google web search and learn the facts about the impact of the wild horses, different methods of population control and the options available to correcting a bad predicament. The Mustang issue, which is growing daily, is an incredibly emotional debate. People connect with horses more so than any other animal, except possibly dogs. Lots of people allow emotion to overpower rational thinking, and they value the momentary happiness of an animal over the long term ecological health that the future of that animal depends on. Get educated, learn the issues, they’re your horses on your land."

The Trailer for Unbranded The Film. Subtitled: Four cowboys ride 16 Mustangs 3,000 miles through the wildest terrain in the American West to inspire conservation efforts and prove the worth of 50,000 wild horses and burros living in holding pens.

Speeding Up a Slowing Walking Horse

James wrote to describe his slow walking horse and ask what he can do to get his horse to move out quicker,...."I have a 9 year old gelding who I've been riding lately. He's got a good head and pretty stout, but that dang horse walks slower than any horse I've ever had. Doesn't matter if he's in a group or if I'm riding him by myself. If I'm riding with someone he always falls behind and when I urge him to go faster he always goes into a trot. I'm looking for any recommendations on how to get him to walk faster."

Hey James, sounds like your horse is not barn or buddy sour at least - that's a good thing. But that ain't much comfort when your on a aggravatingly slow walking horse. Nor it is fun to ask your horse to step out at the walk and then he breaks into a trot all the time.  I don't spend much time correcting a slow walk, nor have I been very successful at changing a slow walking horse into a faster one. I've had a couple horses who were naturally faster walkers, but on the slower ones if I need to get someplace I'll be going at the trot or canter anyway. But I would try these things:

Eliminating any chance that you are contact with the horse's mouth and inadvertently giving him a signal that causes him to slow his momentum. I think it's actually common for riders to think they are riding with a loose rein but as the horse steps out with a front leg, the rein tightens and they get a signal, however slight, that slows their momentum. So make sure you aren't doing this.

The horse at a walk moves in a four beat gait. If the rear left foot is moving forward and is placed on the ground, the front left, then rear right, then front right in that order. You can try getting your horse to walk faster by squeezing with your same side leg as the horse's front leg is moving forward and being placed on the ground. You would squeeze in the forward position behind the elbow rather than squeezing or rolling your heel into the horse's barrel. The idea is the horse will bring that extended foot back quicker. This is pretty awkward, especially if you try to squeeze on both sides alternatively in rhythm with the front feet.   I would suggest just using one leg.  The picture at right shows where I would use my leg in a forward position to squeeze as that front leg is being placed.  Again, a little awkward and I don't get consistent results this way.  

You will likely have the best results using your seat moving in rhythm with your horse then increasing the tempo and therefore the horse's walking pace. You can add a squeeze with your legs and with your seat. What work best for me is increasing the tempo with my seat and squeezing three quick times in rhythm with his foot placement.  If my horse breaks into a trot, I don't immediately correct it, nor do I get all worked up about it.  I'll let him go a few paces then ask for the walk again and start over.    

Whatever you do that helps your horse move out a a little quicker at the walk, you have to repeat often in the beginning and hopefully less often as your horse better understands what you are asking for.  What I think would be frustrating for the horse, and you as well, is to go out on the trail and work on a faster walk for a lot miles.   I would try asking for a faster walk for a shorter period of time then build on that.    

More on Using Treats to Train Horses

Megan wrote to ask about using threats to train horses....."Hello. I am under the perception that using treats to train or reward horses is a big thing to avoid. However, it makes sense to me as other animals like dogs do very well with understanding commands using treats as an incentive. A friend of mine said she watched a television program where a woman horse trainer was using treats with good results. Can you write about this?"

Bear with me Megan, as I'm going to get to your question in around about way. I would be lying if I said I don't give my horses treats by hand. Several times a week I'll stand among my horses and cut up a carrot or an apple and give them pieces. It wouldn't be uncommon for a horse to get pushy for a treat. If one of my horse's does this, I'll just back him off and make him wait, before I ask him to approach and get a treat again. There are some who despise feeding horses by hand saying that it spoils them and teaches them bad habits. I think that it certainly can spoil a horse, and the more you do it the more likely the horse will become spoiled. But I also think they'll become spoiled only if you let them.

I'll also give my horses cookies from the saddle or let them drop their heads to eat when I want them to eat if I'm in the saddle for several hours. This is another thing that is highly opinionated as some will absolutely refuse to let their horses eat when they are saddled or especially so when they are in the saddle. My practice has been to allow my horses to drop their head and grab some grass when I give them a cue. I don't like horses, especially when moving, to try and grab as something.  I correct this immediately. But, I think it's good to keep their stomachs moving when you can, especially when you are out for a long day.

If you give horses treats by hand from the saddle, you'll have to be aware of your horse stopping on his own, looking back at you and expecting a treat.

I like to say that horse's only think about one thing,.... Feed......but they think about it in two ways: where to get it and how not become it. If you are always giving your horse treats then the more inclined he is to look for them. If he's looking for cookies, then he's thinking about cookies,.... if he's thinking about cookies, he's not thinking or prepared to respond to you and what you are asking him to do.

There is some research or belief that when horses eat, they release endorphins producing a calming or sedative type effect. Some think that even when a horse drops his head, to the ground searching for feed, that they will get calmer. I have a head down cue for my horses, the same cue I use to let them know it's okay to drop their head and graze. It has come in handy when I've rode upon something really spooky for the horse. I'll ask my horse to drop his head. And while his head may go down and come back up quickly, it'll generally stay lower and longer after subsequent asking. As much as anything it gets him focused on what I am asking as opposed to the spooky thing.  But if you try to use treats to calm your horse, I think you'll only generate a horse who looks for treats. 

As far as using cookies or treats to train your horse, I guess the idea is to reward the horse with a treat once he performs as you ask. While I don't intentionally use treats to train horses, it probably has its place. I suppose if you got into the habit of giving treats out to horses in a corral or a pasture, at some point these horse would be looking for you and approaching you to get a treat. May come in handy if you don't want to walk that far to collect up a horse or if you have a horse who are a little narly when it comes to catching.

I have spent a lot of words and space not really answering your question, Megan, because I don't know enough about training with treats to really give you a good opinion. About the only time I can think of giving treats as somewhat of a training tool was asking a horse, who was 30 feet away from the trailer, to go into the trailer and stand. I did that more out of being happy with him picking that up so quick, than using it as a training tool, if that makes sense. The bottom line is that I think the best reward for a horse is in the release of pressure, whether it's mental or physical pressure. The release of pressure isn't a subtle release or a 50% release. It is a total release. And it pays to give the horse the time to think about what just happened when he has earned that release. This is the way I try to approach my horses.

Rope Halters

Jennifer wrote in with a question on rope halters - "Great site! Can you address your thoughts on rope halters with the extra knots on the nose? You mentioned chains as being a no-no, but I thought I'd ask about this particular alteration of the rope halter. I have a clinician-style stiff halter with the knots as well as the floppy rope kind. The knots definitely offer more bite, but just because it 'works' doesn't mean it's ideal. I just don't want to hurt her. Thanks!"

Hey Jennifer, I appreciate that you are considering your horse and searching for information so you can make your own decision on rope halters. Rope halters have a bad name with some people, and granted the smaller diameter of the rope adds more pressure to the horse's nose and poll than a conventional web halter when the horse pulls against it, but as far as being painful, the handler would have to intentionally jerk hard on the lead rope. And as for cruel,...well that's a choice of the handler and if he's doing it with it rope halter, he likely also be doing it with the bit and spurs.


I use 5/16th inch (8mm) polypropylene rope halters.    Like the one on Junior in the picture above - he's sticking his tongue out cause he saw me with a camera.  Most of mine are from Double Diamond Halters but a few are from Craig Cameron. Same type of quality. I don't have nose buttons (knots) on my halters,..no particular reason, but I haven't seen a need to go out and get a halter with nose buttons. Besides I would think that the pressure of the rope halter on the horse's poll (on the top of his neck behind his ears) is sufficient enough to make nose buttons redundant. Just my opinion. There are probably people who think highly of rope halters with nose knots and maybe I just haven't yet met the horse who can benefit from knots on the nose band of the halter.

On a small scale I make one piece roping reins, mecate reins, lead lines and lunge lines but I don't make rope halters simply because I can't make them to the quality or the fair price that Double Diamond makes them. You can get rope halters in many different sizes: 1/8th inch (4mm) diameter, 1/4th inch (6mm), 5/16th inch (8mm), 3/8th inch (9.5mm) and 7/16 inch (11mm). The smaller diameter halters are mostly used underneath headstalls so you can tie your horse up or dismount and lead your horse with a lead rope to the halter as opposed to leading from the reins.

While I almost exclusively use 5/16 inch polypropylene rope halters with a tied on 14 foot lead line (no snaps or hardware at all), I do have a rope halter with a rawhide nose band - see picture at right.   I've only use it a couple of times.  The rawhide is harder than the rope so it provides more pressure,  more of a bite on the nose. Again, while it's all in hands of the handler, the rawhide can dry out and become prety rough on the nose, whether it's a rawhide nose band or just a couple of rawhide buttons where halter nose band knots would be. So I suggest that if you use a halter with rawhide nose band or knots then to periodically check it for roughness or sharp edges. I use raw hide cream to keep them conditioned.

If I could only have one piece of equipment, I would choose a rope halter with a lead line over anything else, including a saddle, because I could use it for ground training and could ride in it.    

Good luck to you and safe journey.

Professional Horseshoers

I was pleased to meet Dusty Franklin of Five Star Horse Shoeing School when my horseshoer, Vince Vesely of Diamond Bar V Horseshoeing, brought Dusty with him to my appointment. Dusty was in nearby Las Cruces to do a Horse Shoeing clinic on one day then on the next day did testing for Certified Journeyman Farrier certification.  Photo:  R - Dusty, Vince - L.

It took them no time at all to knock out 6 horses and provide a class in conformation along the way.

Both these farriers do a lot to professionalize the Horse Shoeing trade, which is often misrepresented by ill trained, shade tree horseshoers who hang a shingle out.  When I ran a large horse barn for five years, I would see a dozen different shoers every couple months, probably the worst being a horse owner who took a two week school then shoed a couple horses cutting them too short where thy bled. 

And with the saying "No Foot, No Horse" being as valid now as it was before, it pays to have the best shoer you can find.   I can't remember how many times I get calls asking for a referral to a horseshoer and when I ask "what happened to your old shoer?", I get answers like "He didn't show up", "I can't get him on the phone", or "It's about time I had my horse's trimmed, it's been 15 weeks and I got to find  somebody." I tell people to go to the American Farriers Association (AFA) website and use the locate a farrier tool and try to find someone with a CJF - Certified Journeyman Farrier next to their name.  There are other certifications and endorsements for AFA Farriers, go to their site and get familiar with the AFA.   

Vince has been shoeing our horses for going on 12 years now. We appreciate the fact that he not only has kept our horses sound footed, healed one of our horses with a broken coffin bone, cut out white line in others, but he drives over 2 hours one way to get to us - never missing an appointment. When he says he'll be here at 8:00 am, you can count on seeing his truck pull through the east gate at 8:00am.  I am glad I'm a lot older than he is, so I have a good chance on dying and not needing a good shoer anymore before he quits shoeing. 

Dusty owns and operates Five Star Horseshoeing School, housing students at his school and offering four different courses, from a 6 week Introduction to Horseshoeing to the 24 week Journeyman Farrier Course. Dusty offers a huge price break for the longer course towards his goal of producing farriers who are professional and will represent the trade well.  He is also on the American Farriers Association certification committee.

Arena Obstacles: Twist on the Old Rope Gate Obstacle

If you have ridden in several American Competitive Trail Horse Association (ACTHA) Challenges, it is likely you have seen the rope gate obstacle. It struck me as odd to ride a six mile trail ride only to come to a simple rope gate as an obstacle. But I guess it serves to see if the horse and rider can position up to open and shut the rope gate. And of course the rope gate, which is safer than wire gates, is something you'd don't see in a pasture but is safe way to measure these skills.

ACTHA recognized that not all riding groups have access to six miles of trail, which also necessitate six different judges or a pretty well planned route and organized transportation system to move people for judges around, so they came up with the Arena Obstacle Challenge format.   While ACTHA did not invent the arena obstacle format as many local and regional competitions have been using this type of obstacle format for decades, it is a great idea. Probably the most famous, or at least most challenging, of these arena obstacles are the Extreme Cowboy Racing Association (EXCA) founded by Craig Cameron years ago.

I'm of the opinion that if I spend hours trailering to and from an event, such as an arena challenge, I liked to ride against multiple and challenging obstacles. Some of this can be achieved by putting your imagination to work and designing obstacles that require multiple tasks on horseback using obstacles.

In other words, get multiple uses of your obstacles. This saves time and space, as well as letting the competitors go home thinking they got their money's worth.

The drawing above is a diagram on how to get more from your common rope gate obstacle. Basically the idea is to restrict approach to the rope gate so the rider has the challenge of positioning his/her horse for the gate as opposed to riding straight in.

After the rider opens the gate, moves through then closes the gate, a dismount is required. Then the rider opens the gate with his horse in hand, moves his horse through, then closes the gate. The last task would be to re-mount either from the fence or a mounting block.

The rope gate obstacle as run this way requires not only the ability to position up your horse for a side pass to open the gate, then go through and re-secure the gate, but also requires moving your horse in a tight circle or moving his hind end independently of the front end; it requires a demonstration of a safe dismount and how well the horse stands before an open gate before given the cue to proceed through the gate in hand; and lastly requires a mount from a mounting block or fence where the rider needs to position his/her horse to enable this mounting.

The gate in this instance is nothing more than a length of rope with a snap link on the gate opening end. A length of PVC pipe with a cross piece to retain the snap link serves as the gate latch. A traffic cone helps hold the PVC pipe in place and reminds the rider not to bump into it. The anchor end of the rope gate is simply secured to the arena fence. I'm using a lightweight wooden ground pole to restrict access/approach to the rope gate, but small traffic cones or a flour line poured onto the ground will work as well.

In the video below I am demonstrating how I think this obstacles should go, albeit smoother for better riders than I am.  

How Are Your Horse Trailer Tires?

Two recent events gave me the thought to write this article:

One - I blew out a trailer tire coming home from an event and when I took the tire and rim into be be changed out, I noticed that the tire was 8 years old. I thought that the oldest tire I had on that trailer may have been 5 years old, but I was wrong, and.....


Two - A friend of mine who sometime trail rides with my wife and me, but mainly competes in dressage where she has to trailer quite a ways to events asked me to look at her trailer tires to see if I thought she was safe until she had a chance to replace the tires. She mentioned that the tires still looked good, but someone had told her she needed to replace them. 

I think it's probably pretty common to people to run tires way beyond their life span and to under-inflate those tires as well. Both risk a blow out, and when one tire blows out it places more stress on the other tire, then you have a potentially bad accident.

Most people are going to have trailers tires that have outlived their life span before they run the tread down where it's becomes obvious that the tire is old and needs replacing. The sun, heat, rain and snow plus the pressure of the trailer's weight all degrade that tire over time, particularly on the sidewalls.

Tire pressure should be checked when the tire is cold. Just because the tire pressure was good last week doesn't mean that they have retained their pressure today.....there are just some mysteries that won't be answered until we meet our Maker,....how come you put three pair of socks in the dryer and only get five socks back,....how come vampires don't like garlic,....and why a perfectly good tire without any holes in it loses air.

Use a tire gauge to check pressure. If you routinely trailer horses then setting up a permanent air station to make it easier to top off air in your tires sure makes a difference. Under inflated tires hampers handling and decreases tire life. Don't forget to check your spare tires as well.

Probably another common practice is to put passenger tires on the trailer as opposed to trailer tires. The difference being that passenger tires have more flexible sidewalls that can increase trailer sway. Trailer tires have stiffer sidewalls to help reduce sway. Most tire experts will tell you not to use passenger or light truck tires on a horse trailer.

When it comes to choosing a bias or radial tire how you use the trailer will help you decide. I use bias ply tires as they are intended for rougher terrain and generally have thicker side walls to help against punctures from cactus, mesquite thorns and sharp rocks. I have blown two bias ply tires on my horse trailer in one day,...several times as a matter of fact,....so I always carried two spares and sometimes I threw a third spare into then bed of my truck when my spidey sense told me to.

Radial tires are recommended for mostly paved road travel at higher speeds and when you trailer many miles and tread wear is important to you.

How to Read a Tire: 

What ST225/75D15 means:

ST
Type of Tire: P = Passenger, LT is Light Truck, ST is for Special Trailer

225
Tire Width, sidewall to sidewall in millimeters

75
This percentage compares the tires section height with the tires section width. For example, this aspect ratio of 75 means that the tires section height is 75% of the tires section width.

D
Indicates the construction used within the tires casing. R stands for radial construction. B means belted bias and D stands for diagonal bias construction.

15
Diameter of the wheel in inches


What DOT 6WVX 3410 means:

DOT (certifies the tire manufacturer’s compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation tire safety standards

6WVX (Manufacturer’s Code, tire size and tire code optional)

3410 (Date of Tire Manufacture - 3410 = 34th week of 2010)

So take a look at your trailer tires.  May attention to the date of manufacturer and if your tires are 4 or 5 years old, chances are you'll want to consider changing them.  Safe Trailering is essential to a Safe Journey.