Horse Training Equipment: The 6th of 6 Keys To Developing A Partnership With Your Horse

The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership

With Your Horse

Today I would like to talk with you about the

equipment you will need and a little about these

tools.

Have you ever found your self in a situation

where your not able to get your horse to do what

it is you're asking of him or able to correct a

problem your having with your horse? If you have

then you may have found your self in the

unfortunate situation of having to use severe

aids (torture devices). Maybe a bigger more

severe bit to get him to do what you want or

correct a problem your having. Believe me when I

say, this is not the answer.

In the last article we talked about using

creativeness and imagination, a great tool, use

it to help solve problems you are having with

your horse instead of using equipment that is

severe and punishes your horse. Always use

equipment that helps you communicate with your

horse rather than punishes (tortures) him.

How would you like to be able to communicate with

yourhorse, nothing attached to him, independent of

halters, ropes, lead ropes, bits, spurs, sticks or

other aids. Is it possible? The answer is YES. To

accomplish this You will

need to understand the categories of tools and how

to use them.

Tools are aids and there are two kinds: natural and

artificial. Artificial aids are such things as;

lead ropes, halters, ropes, hackamores, bits, spurs

and others. Natural aids are simple, they are you,

arms, legs, hands, seat and voice.

What are the different categories of tools? They are not in any particular order.

a. Spurs? They are extensions of your legs.

b. Sticks? These are extensions of your arms.

c. Halters, ropes, hackamores, and mecates? These are used for basic communication.

d. Bits? used for riding refinement.

The bit and spur are used while on your horses back

and are used to teach, reinforce, control and refine

the 6 yields (forward, backward, left, right, up and

down). The spur is used as an extension of your leg.

The stick, lead rope and halter are also used to

teach, reinforce, control and refine the six yields

and can be used on the ground or from the horses back.

The stick is used as an extension of your arms.

Using these categories you can play with your horse

to develop and build a great foundation between you

and your horse.

Tools I use and suggest you use are:

a. rope hackamore? Why? They are the most gentle

followed by leather and rawhide and no metal parts.

b. 6' horseman's string? Use to teach the horse

to yield to pressure, can also be use as a Rein -

attach it to the hackamore.

c. 5" horseman's stick? Has a leather keeper at

the end. Used for teaching the horse to yield to

pressure and can be used for flagging, touching tapping.

You can also attach the 6" horseman's string and use it

as an extension of your arms (do not use as a whip).

d. mecate reins? Mecate reins are usually 22

feet long with 10 feet of continuous loop rein. The

remaining 12 feet is used as a lead rope. The Mecate

rein can be use with a hackamore or snaffle bit. You

can loop the Mecate rein through your belt loop or

around your saddle horn.

e. snaffle bit? Used for teaching, controlling, reinforcing, and refining lateral flexion. The snaffle

I prefer has 3 inch rings a 5 inch wide mouthpiece made

of sweet iron and a few copper inlays. This creates

just enough taste and saliva and prevents dry mouth

which can become an irritant and distract the horse.

The bit then looses it's effectiveness as a

communication tool.

f. bareback pad? This optional. They have a

handle on the pad to help you balance your self when

learning to ride bareback. If you opt for a bareback

pad make sure you find one that is made of leather with

felt pad liners, and have latigos and regular mohair

cinches.

g. saddle? Used for riding your horse. Having

owned a saddle shop with my brother who is one of the

best saddle maker in the country I can tell you the

most important thing in choosing a saddle whether it

be western, English etc. is the tree. Make sure the

bars fit your horses back and the seat is comfortable

and fits you. For more information visit with your

local saddle maker to find out how to fit your horse

and you.

h. saddle pad? Used under the saddle on the

horses back. Choose a saddle pad that is made of

natural materials (something like wool) make sure it

offers enough protection for your horses back. Not

to thin. If you are doing a lot of hard riding in a

western saddle you will want to use a good saddle pad

and a folded Navajo blanket. Light riding usually

requires only one good pad.

i. spurs? Extensions of your legs. DO NOT jab

your horse with your spurs or use as a torture device.

Spurs are meant to be used to teach, control, reinforce

and refine lateral movement and up and down movement.

GENTLY apply pressure to get the response you are

looking for. I prefer a medium shank spur with a rowel

that rolls freely. Make sure the rowel is large and

wide with a lot of blunt points

I hope this gives you some insight on types of tools and how

to use them.

Have fun with your horse(s)

Mike

This article brings to a conclusion the 6 Keys for developing a life

long partnership with your horse. I hope found it helpful?

I will continue posting great horse information on my website

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