Filly is Getting Hard To Handle
by Julie Goodnight
Question:
I have begun training with my two-yr. old half thoroughbred, half Belgian Warmblood filly. Though not full grown yet, she is a large and powerful filly. We are working in the round pen and on the lead line. She is doing well and learns quickly and generally has a very willing, sweet disposition. The problem I have encountered is turning her loose in the pasture when the other horses in the herd have left the immediate area. When the other horses are near-by she stands quietly while I remove her halter, but if the other horses have left she is excited to get to the herd and dances around to the point that I feel like I am in danger of being run over. She seems to have forgotten the lessons she has learned in the round pen and on the lead line and has no respect for my space. She has even kicked out at me. How do I change this behavior without getting hurt?
Answer:
I am sure your two-year-old can be a big handful in this situation. I have a couple suggestions for you. First, you must do your homework in teaching ground manners. I like to practice the “stand like a statue” game with horses, especially the young ones. Outfitted in a rope halter with 12’ training lead (you may want a 15’ lead if your horse is 16 hands or bigger), stand well back from the horse, facing her shoulder and give her the command to stop (whoa). Anytime she moves a foot, correct her by firmly saying whoa and popping the rope by sending a wave through the rope toward her in such a manner that the chin knot bops her in the chin. Be careful not to jerk the rope toward you when you correct her. Correct anytime she moves a foot; have a zero tolerance policy.
Practice this at first in the barnyard in a place where it is easy for her to stand. Once she learns this important rule, “Thou shall not move thy feet unless I tell you to,” then you can put her in more challenging situations, like when the other horses are leaving the area and she wants to go with them. Once you have perfected her standing still in more challenging situations, then you can expect her to stand when you turn her out. The most common mistake I see people make in trying to train their horses to stand is to be inconsistent in the correction. It has to be black and white to a horse; if you allow the horse to sometimes move and fidget when you have told them to stand and other times you don’t, you’ll never get the right response. Inconsistent correction will lead a horse to distrust you; consistent correction will change a horses behavior almost immediately.
In the meantime, when you are turning her out and she does not want to stand, revert to some of your ground work exercises that allow her to move, like leading and doing transitions and circling work. Give her lots of commands and insist that she obey. When she becomes focused back on you and obedient again, then you can ask her to stand and allow you to take her halter off. If she starts fussing again before you get the halter off, go right back to making her work. Once she realizes that the fussing only gets her more work and does not get her what she wants, she change her ways.
My DVD called “Lead Line Leadership” explains in detail how to teach your horse good ground manners in a step-by-step process, including standing still, leading at your side without either holding her back or pulling her, circling, ground driving, backing, etc. The rope halter and training lead is an important part of the equation. Rope halters , training leads and DVDs are available on my website, www.JulieGoodnight.com.
Like everything in training, the power is in the release. Whatever you are doing when you release the horse is what you are training her to do. So if you release her when she is fidgeting and being fussy, you are training her to do exactly what you don’t want her to do. Do not let her go until she is still and quiet, but do not miss that opportunity. If she relaxes and holds still for a second, let her go.
I am sure you know this, but whenever you turn a horse out, you should circle it back to face the gate and make it stand quietly while you undo the halter. Then hold the horse there with the rope around its neck for a moment and slowly let the horse go when it is relaxed and mellow. Never allow a horse to run off when you turn it loose; this is not only a very obnoxious behavior but a very dangerous one too.
Julie Goodnight
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