Photo A - Face To Face
By Mike Rosauer -
https://www.starsminiatures.com/whoa-article
In this article I explain the method we use to start training all our show
horses. Before I try to teach them to set their feet or use their necks, I
always make sure they have a strong understanding of the word “whoa“. As a show
horse, it is important that they develop a strong attention span, and learning
how to whoa is the foundation for this. Our goal is if we are standing face to
face (See photo A), the horse should stand still and be paying attention to me.
If I change my position to a side to side (See photo B), or my side to his face
(See photo C), it is his cue to relax or move.
Photo A - Face To Face
Photo B - Side to Side/p>
&
Photo C - Side to Face
To start, I put a halter and a lead rope on the horse and take them to a quiet
area in the barn. I stand in front of the horse, face to face. From the very
beginning I want them to understand that if we are face to face they should be
standing still, paying attention to me, and most of all they should never step
forward while we are in this position. At this point I may let my hand touch
their nose to give the horse a physical place to stop (See photo D). I will also
keep light contact on the horse with the lead rope. I will tell the horse “Whoa”
and I will stand still. If you have to repeat the word “Whoa” several times, it
is alright. Each time you feel like to horse is ready to move, say “Whoa”. This
is how they learn to associate the word whoa with standing still. If they don’t
stand quietly, I will tug the lead towards me. It may be your natural reaction
to try to push the horse back with the lead, but doing this causes you to loose
your leverage and it won’t be effective. Every horse’s learning capabilities are
different, and the program has to be adjusted to fit each horse. For some
horses, our goal during these first lessons will simply be walking to a spot and
having the horse stand still for 10-30 seconds. Other horses may quickly
understand, and on the first try, let you step back with no contact for quite a
while. Remember, we are trying to achieve success and build confidence. If your
horse stands with attention for a moment during the early stages of training,
reward the horse by turning your position to a side to face, or side to side,
which allows the horse to relax or move. Once I can easily get the horse to
stand quietly, I gradually lengthen the amount of time I expect them to stand
still. I also slowly increase the distance I can stand from them. A finished
horse will easily let me stand 10 feet away from him for several minutes. The
amount of lessons needed to achieve this depends on the horses age and attention
span. Each lesson should not last longer than 15 to 20 minutes.
Photo D - A Place to Stop
Photo E - Using A Broom
Photo F - Semi Circle
From here we will teach the horse to “back off“. The back off is an important
step in learning to stand and show halter. The most common problem we see in the
show ring is horses leaning into the exhibitors. This throws the horses frame
and balance off and paints an ugly, undisciplined picture for the judge. The
steps I started with for whoa are the basics for back. If I am several steps in
front of the horse in the face to face position and I step towards him while
tugging the lead to me, he should want to back away. If he doesn’t, I increase
the force of the tugs as well as the speed at which I step into him. In rare
circumstances a horse may refuse to back away from me by holding their ground or
pushing back into me. If this happens, I would first add a chain to my halter
and lead rope as you would a show halter. This will give you more leverage. If I
still don’t receive submission, I will use a typical straw broom as an aid. I
walk into the horse while tugging on the chain and slapping the ground in
between us with the broom (See photo E). This added sound and movement
exaggerates my command to back off. Another issue some horses have with backing
is that they want to turn away from you to escape. This is another place where
the broom can be effective. Use it as an extension of your arm . Hold the horses
head to you and shake the broom on the ground to keep the horses hip from
stepping sideways. This should help teach the horse to move backwards in a
straight line.
This has set the basic foundation for the horse. From here I will add an
exercise to teach the horse to focus. I start in the face to face position and
tell the horse “Whoa“. I back away from the horse. The horse should stand still
but remain attentive. I will walk in a semi circle with the horses head being
the center and the rope being the radius, keeping my face to face position (See
photo F). As I walk, I continue giving the verbal command “Whoa“. The horse
should follow my movement with his head, but because we are still face to face,
his body should remain still. If at any time in this exercise the horse steps
forward, I will immediately step towards him asking him to back up twice as many
steps as he came forward. If he steps sideways while following me with his head,
I take him back to the original position and tell him “Whoa” and start over. If
he steps back during this exercise I just tell him “Whoa” because back off is
the only thing besides stand still I allow from the face to face position. As
the horse learns to stand still, I gradually increase the size of my semi
circle. I use this as a game to build a relationship with the horse.
This is the basic foundation I build on my show horses. With these skills,
teaching your horse the finer points of showing are much easier. This also
builds the bond between the handler and horse that is necessary for a true
winning combination.
Credits:
Thank you! to the wonderful Mike and Alison at
Stars Miniatures, USA
Please Visit http://www.starsminiatures.com
Do you
have a topic you would like to see here or article you'd like to submit?
Please
E-mail me
We wish to thank all of the people that have shared their experiences &
knowledge with others by sending us tips and donating articles. For articles on
our pages that have been reproduced, credit is given and a link is posted to
your site (reproducing articles archives information on our server which
decreases broken links that occur when content on the site was either removed or
relocated without proper redirects in place to lead visitors to the correct
page.)
Please forgive us if we did not give full credit for any one of the wonderful
articles here. If we have used something of yours that you would like removed
please let me know.
All rights reserved. No part of any pages may be reproduced in any form or
means without written permission of Lil Beginnings Miniature Horses.
Lil Beginnings Miniature Horses is not responsible for any death, injuries,
loss, or other damages which may result from the use of the information in our
pages.
Articles, teaching horses to whoa, show horses,