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 HORSE INFO
|
Halter Breaking
the Foal
Starting Your Young Horse:
Halter
Breaking
Part of a Series on Training
[Go to Training] [Go
to Care]
The following information for halter breaking the foal can be applied
to any horse that will accept you touching it and will accept the halter.
If your horse is halter broke and doesn't lead well, you can use the method
below to improve its response. At the end of this article is a reference
to another article in the archive about retraining frightened or abused animals.
Next month we will be discussing Ground Manners. From there we will move
on to ground driving; which includes bitting the horse and using a surcingle.
Your foal has arrived, you've imprinted it (handled it gently right after
it was born), spent time with it every day, picked up it's feet, gently brushed
it...now it is 2 months old and time to halter break it. We usually put a
halter on our foals by 2 or 3 days old, however we do not try to lead the
foal. The halter is used to help the foal get used to handling and as an
additional restraint when handling it. That is, not to hold the foal, but
to give it the idea that this thing on it's head is there for a purpose and
that purpose is restraint.
This halter is a bit too big for Misty.
EXERCISE 1, Single Step: Before we attach a lead rope to the halter
we begin by using the halter with gentle pressure to turn the foal's head.
At the same time we exert pressure we gently push on the foal's shoulder
or neck to encourage it to turn the desired direction. We are only asking
for a single step in that direction, whether it is right or left. As soon
as the foal takes that step we praise it and scratch it in it's favorite
spot.
Have a lead rope handy for your foal to smell and taste. Foals are a lot
like human infants in that they enjoy learning about their environment by
mouthing objects. They also tend to paw at things, including people, and
this should be discouraged by gently stopping the leg with your hand and
saying "NO" in a firm tone, but not loudly.
Your foal is probably used to the lead rope from being around the mare while
she is being handled by you. If you have not been around them very much then
the time spent familiarizing the foal with the lead rope, halter, handling
it's body and feet should be longer. Be sure to be patient and work slowly
and use a gentle voice. Foals are naturally skittish because, after all,
they are a favorite food of prey animals in the wild.
Now, for the lessons of leading. Start slowly. Never jerk on the foal's head,
never tug it along or have someone push from behind.
Halter the foal. Don't make the halter too tight or too loose.
Practice the single step exercise mentioned above. Let the foal smell the
lead rope.
EXERCISE 2, Backward Steps: Attach the lead rope to the halter. Just
hold the rope and let the foal feel the weight of it on the halter. The foal
may try to back away. Just let it back up and reach the end of the rope.
This should only be about 3-4 feet, don't let it have too much rope. As the
foal reaches the end of the rope it will meet with resistance. This may cause
the foal to rear up. To prevent this just let the foal feel the pressure
for a second or two. Then step toward the foal so the pressure is released.
Go to the foal, all the while talking in a calm voice, and reassure it that
all is well. Repeat this exercise several times until the foal stands quietly
without pulling back when the end of the rope is reached.
EXERCISE 3, Forward steps: When exercises 1 & 2 have been successfully
completed, which may take a few days (you should not work with the foal for
long periods of time as this can stress it) begin to pull gently on the lead
rope to try to get the foal to step forward. It is easiest to pull gently
to one side or the other, just a little, not a sharp turn. This reminds the
foal of the first exercise. It is a good idea to review the first exercise
a couple of times immediately prior to this one. If the foal resists, stop
and redo exercise one. If the foal takes even one tiny step, stop and praise
it lavishly and give it a generous scratch. (Foals are VERY itchy! Rubbing
or gently scratching the foal on it's withers is a good spot. This is the
area where the mare nuzzles the foal to reassure it.) Then do it again, and
again. Praise the foal for any movement in the right direction...that is
taking a step. If the foal resists, do not praise or scratch, just stop,
try again. If the foal pulls back, refer to exercise two.
Soon your foal will be taking several steps forward. Praise it each time.
This is how you gently train a foal with out gimmicks, ropes and force. We
do not believe in forcing an animal to do something it does not understand.
Keep in mind that this animal has never had anything but free choice. It
is a hard lesson for a foal to learn that it must do what it's human master
wants. Remember when you realized you couldn't do everything you wanted to?
For information on training a frightened or abused animal or just step by
step training to ride (horses and ponies should not be ridden until at least
2 years of age) refer to the article
"The Shetland Pony - Getting
a Bad Rep" .
Copyright 1998-1999, All Rights Reserved - These articles
are the property of Pam Hunter DBA Hunter's Pony Farm. They may not
be copied or reproduced in any form - EXCEPT: ONE (1) copy of the article
on Halter Breaking and ONE(1) copy of subsequent articles in the
Continuing Series on Training can be made by an individual for their
sole personal use. Other use violates this copyright.
Click Here for the next article in this
series....
[MARE'S DUE DATE CHART]
[SIGNS OF FOALING]
Related Articles: [Weaning the
Foal] [Halter Breaking
the Foal] [Back to Top]
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