B=Body A-Z training tips

Body
This is a two fold topic. 1st we have our body, 2nd the horses.

When first starting to work with the horse, if you use your body properly, amazing things can happen! Since horses are herd animals and communicate through body language, they can come to understand what we are 'saying' with our bodies.

When I work with a horse, one of the first things I will do is use my body to establish leadership in his herd. I will approach the horse.(This is often done in a round pen, but can be done anywhere. Note that depending on the horse himself, and where he is mentally, where you do this is important.) If, or when he moves away from me, I then move toward him, straight on, with my arms out, as if I'm shooing him away. If he is a timid, scared horse, then you need to modify the amount of 'pressure' put on him with your body. If you are in a field, this can be tiring! But it is well worth it! Eventually, he will stop. You need to then stop immediately. Maybe he'll graze, or look around, or at you. If he does anything other than look at you, get his attention. I slap my thigh and make a correction sound. As SOON AS he looks at you, relax your body, make sure your shoulder is toward him and your head is slightly down. This is a very non threatening stance. Stay like this until he looks away. Again, slap your thigh, get his attention. The point is for him to be focused on YOU, and only you, or else he has to move. If he will not look at you, or steps away from you, then you are back to getting him to move. Use your whole body. Arms out, going toward him, maybe even running. You play this 'game', (and get a great workout!) until he continues to stand still , looking at you, facing you.

If you are both new at this, please do this in steps. So, the first few times maybe stop for the day after he looks at you once. After a couple of sessions, you will notice it takes him less time to stop and face you. This means he is understanding what you want! He would rather not run around, being chased by you. To him, this is like the lead mare moving him around the field.

Your goal now is to have him step toward you. After you have his attention, take a step toward him. I continue to hold this sort of sideways positioning of my body. Stop about 20 feet from him, or gage it depending on his actions/reactions. Keep asking for his attention. Try putting your hand out. You may need to play around with this, but as soon as he takes a step toward you, give him lots of praise. Rub his nose up and down while telling him what a good, smart boy he is!

I have been doing this with my horses for a very long time. If they do not catch me, I always go back to this procedure. The neat thing is, once they see what I'm about to do, they change their mind and walk toward me. Play around if you have a smaller area, and see if you can get him to follow you around. I use a dirt paddock, and when I have his attention, I'll walk off, and I am expecting him to follow. If he does not, I go back to getting his attention. It is quite something to walk around and have your horse following you, no halter, no lead rope, just the 2 of you. That was probably one of the most rewarding experiences I had during my draft's training. He was choosing to be with me! You may have heard some trainers refer to this as 'join up', or 'hook up'.

Winter is a great time to get started with this kind of thing. You will notice when you ride in the spring that he is more responsive to you under saddle. One of the great benefits of establishing ground control!