Catching with Grain, Cont’d
First let me say that I do not believe
that you should use grain every time you catch your horse.
Intermittent use of grain gives incentive without the horse getting
a bad attitude because he has come to expect feed all the time.
So while a regular scheduled feeding might be used to have horses
come in for meals once or twice a day, you should also make a point
of catching your horse off schedule numerous times a week at
different times throughout the day, rewarding him with grain only
occasionally. You may go for a ride, give him a massage, brush
his mane and tail, groundwork him, or simply put the halter on only
to take it right back off and leave him in the pasture.
Now on to the exact exercise
of catching the horse, which is available on video from
www.equiyoga.net.
Every time you go to catch your horse, you are
going to pursue the goal having the horse stand still beside you, with you in
a position behind the shoulder. The key is to stay behind the shoulder,
because if you are by or in front of the shoulder, the horse will drop into
you. This is disrespect. When we stand by or in front of the
shoulder, we are crowding their space and teaching the horse to walk on top of
us and run us over, because this is the example we are giving them.
You will have grain in a bucket, which you will
probably want to hold behind your back during the exercise. You don't
want to tease the horse! The grain will create the desire in the horse
to come to you and stay by you. You will concentrate on staying in a
position behind the shoulder. The horse will keep moving his feet,
trying to figure out what you're about.
You will look directly at his shoulder, because
this is the signal to him that you want him to be still. If you want him
to move, you look at his feet or where you want him to move to. You
might even reach out a hand and touch him on the shoulder, helping to make it
obvious what you are asking.
He may reach his head around, trying to get his
mouth in the bucket. Do not shoo his head away, simply position the
bucket out of reach, stepping back towards his tail with the bucket behind
your back. As long as his feet are moving, your feet should be moving in
an attempt to stay in position behind his shoulder. As soon as he stands
still, stop moving. He will probably only stand still a second, and then
start moving again.
Patiently continue, until the horse stands still
at least a few seconds, and bend over to put the bucket of grain down on the
ground in front of him, and calmly return to your position behind the
shoulder. Then, take your lead rope and drape it around his neck,
securing him. Let him finish his grain, and you have him caught up and
ready to halter. Make sure to stand behind the shoulder while you wait
for him to eat
Remember, the horse can not drop his shoulder into
you if you are not there to lean in to. If you get in front of his
shoulder, reposition yourself. This exercise may take a long time,
especially with a horse that has already learned bad habits such as running
people over. The horse may get anxious, even frustrated, as he solves
this problem of how to get the grain from you. This is exactly why we
are doing the exercise, with no pressure, no force, no punishment. He
will have to figure out what behavior earns the reward of the grain.
With consistency over time, the horse will become more respectful of your
space and have better manners as he calmly approaches you and stands still for
you to give him grain or catch him sans feed.
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