Once Amigo became comfortable with
my presence, with the ranch routine, and with having all parts of his body in
contact with a human, it was time to prepare to ride him. Again Amigo had to
overcome a natural fear. In the wild, predators – particularly mountain lions –
attack horses by jumping on their backs; therefore, horses instinctively run
and buck when something is on their back, in an attempt to throw off whatever
in on top of them. For several days
before I attempted to ride, he spent several hours saddled and tied in the
barn, so that he was accustomed to the feeling of the saddle. I also worked him
in the round pen with another horse as he was saddled, gradually increasing my
proximity to him so that he got used to me being positioned above him.
Finally, after a little over a week
of preparation and establishing a trusting relationship with Amigo, it was time
to actually get into the saddle. Even this huge leap actually happens in small
steps. With Amigo, or with any colt, there is a series of exercises I go
through when preparing to mount for the first time. Once the horse is saddled,
I take him to a round pen and complete the following series of movements:
* First, I
just encourage the horse to move around the pen freely, letting him warm up and
once again get used to the feeling of the saddle. Wearing the saddle while
standing in the barn is one thing; feeling it move on top of him while he trots
and lopes is another. Once he’s moving out well, I use a flag – a piece of
plastic on the end of a flexible rod; this tool makes a swishing noise when I
swing it in the air around the horse’s body – never coming into contact with
the horse itself. This is another way to ensure that the horse is desensitized
to both the noise and the air movement that will accompany being ridden. I am
checking that there is no goose or buck in the horse as he moves out under the
saddle.
I then catch
the horse; using the lead rope from the halter, I work the horse on the ground
in order to make sure that all four feet are “broke loose” – in other words,
that each of the four feet yields to pressure, as we worked with the rope
earlier. In a series of precise movements, I move the colt in a circle, asking
him to pivot on each foot in turn, and move the other three around freely. By this stage of training Amigo, or any colt,
he’s been through this dance many times, both saddled and unsaddled; I simply
repeat the moves to reinforce the learning he’s already been through.
* Once there
seems to be no resistance in any foot, I switch my focus to the head. Standing
on either side right at the shoulder, I gently lift the lead shank towards me
to determine how soft the mouth is. If the horse is responsive to gentle
pressure on the shank, I can assume that his feet are sufficiently loosened up.
If the mouth shows resistance, I need to move my focus back to his feet and
work them again. The two parts of the body might seem to be disconnected;
however, in order for a horse to tip his head easily in response to pressure on
the bit, he has to balance on his feet. This goes back to the feet being the
foundation. If a foot is “stuck,” he will resist leaning on that foot to
balance; then the mouth, and entire body, will be tight.
* Up until
this point, I have been standing solidly on the ground myself. Now, after
getting soft movement in the head and feet on both sides, I stand at his left
and tip his nose toward me. I place my toe in the stirrup of the saddle, always
conscious of a safe means of escape in case he begins to buck. I stand and bounce
gently in the stirrup, keeping the head pulled over to me. What I want is for
the colt to stand quietly when he feels pressure in the stirrup: a horse that
walks off while being mounted is a danger.
* Once I’m
satisfied that the colt will stand, I pull myself up, lean over the saddle, and
rub on the opposite shoulder with my hand. I also move the opposite stirrup
around. Both of these movements help let the horse know what will be coming
next. The sensation of having a body – in this case, the rider’s legs –
encircling his body is strange and frightening to the horse. Experiencing this
feeling with in small doses is the best way for him to overcome this fear.
* At this
point, I swing my leg over and sit down in the saddle, always keeping his head
pulled to the left so that I can circle him up beneath me if he begins to buck.
Once I’m in the saddle, I rub the colt’s hindquarters, shoulders, neck -
touching him all over to desensitize him to the feeling of having a living
creature on top of him. The firm, gentle touch helps reassure the horse that he
is in no danger.
* I rock in
the saddle, then ask the horse to move forward and turn to the left. Again, I
am feeling through his body for free movement in his feet. When he is circling
easily, I stop, and turn him in a circle to the right.
* Finally, we
move out in larger circles in the round pen; I keep encouraging the colt’s
forward movement, just getting him used to moving around with a rider on his
back. I am looking for signs that the horse is relaxing with me on him: with
most colts, those signs include dropping their head, licking their lips,
relaxing the muscles of their body, and even pooping. I want the horse to be
completely comfortable moving at various gaits with a rider on top, and I want
the movement to be equally as easy in circles to the left or to the right.
* After
getting this free, relaxed movement, I turn the horse toward the inside of the
round pen. Even at this early stage of riding, I am conscious of positioning my
body so that my weight is on the foot that needs to pivot and stabilize the
turn, while taking my weight off the three feet that need to move around
freely.
