Your horse is showing signs of unwanted "extra curricular activity." He is jumpy as you first Walk him out of his pen, indicating he may be a little fresh. He spooks at something in the trees and jumps into your space, causing your feet to move swiftly out of the way of his heavy hooves. He simply does not want to stand still while you adjust your Girth or Cinch. He fidgets as you prepare to mount up. Consequently, you find yourself with the left foot in the stirrup while your right tries desperately to skip along the ground to catch up. As you finally gain an adequate push from the arena floor, your body is swung over the horse's Back in full momentum and you nearly miss the landing site - your Saddle. By the time you're properly seated, your horse has traveled several feet from the original starting position. The only thing left to do to save face is to announce to all who witnessed the affair that you "have been working on your trick riding skills."

We've all been here. Horses can have bad days just like humans do, but if these kinds of occurrences happen daily, it is not acceptable behavior. You may hear some people say, "Oh well, that's just my horse - It's his personality." I disagree. Every horse has the potential to be a well-mannered animal at all times - it's just a matter of proper training and handling. And this goes for stallions, young horses, Thoroughbreds, Appaloosas, Warmbloods or whatever. Your horse's behavior as you first walk into the barn could be an indication of how your ride will fare. How it progresses from the beginning stages, depends on you.

Flight Check

When I go to ride, I often put my horse through a "pre-flight check" before I mount up. If the horse is showing any of the previously mentioned signs, I believe there is no sense in getting on something that intends to send me right back to the ground. Reviewing my involuntary dismounts, I can honestly say that the majority of these incidents were preventable. They occurred because I didn't read the signals my horse was sending me and I still opted to get on. Today, if my horse does not stand quiet when I mount up, I know it means I haven't done my homework.

One of the best ways to determine whether or not my horse is nervous about the ride, is to take a look at the tail. I check to see if it is it kinked out or clamped tight between his butt cheeks. If so, it generally means he is fresh or apprehensive about something. The only exception to this rule would be if the horse were actually experiencing some kind of hind end lameness. For example, if the right hind limb was sore, the tail will be kinked off to the left, and vice versa.

We can also discern our horse's mood by evaluating the way he holds his head (is it high or hanging low?); his legs (are they moving stiff and stilted?); and of course, his demeanor as we first stride into the arena. Sometimes it may be necessary to skip the riding component and use the day to focus on groundwork instead. The clich? rings true; if the rider is nervous about the horse, the horse will be nervous about the rider. It's always best to rid yourself of your own inhibitions before climbing on.

If my horse appears apprehensive about the ride, before I put a Bridle on, I like to do some groundwork at the end of a lead rope and halter. In small circles I'll ask the horse to work around me, similar to lunging. Every time he speeds up, I'll ask him to change his direction. I need to do this without jerking on the horse's face - guiding him with a little pull of the rope in the desired direction and twirling the end of the rope in a downwards motion in my other Hand to encourage him to move forward. If he does not comply with my wishes immediately, I keep asking until he does what I desire. The idea is to change the horse's momentum by asking him to change direction, in doing so, the horse will slow his speed down temporarily. Eventually, he will discover it takes much more effort to change direction and he'll want to stay slow instead of having to turn. It's all about channeling the energy somewhere else so the horse starts to look to you for guidance. The horse's heart, lungs and muscles will finally say to his brain, "Hey buddy! Figure it out, we're working extra hard down here!" - which creates a reason for the horse to change.

Disengaging the Hind End

The best way of "talking" a horse out of bucking, rearing or running off with you is to maintain control over the hindquarters. The power source of the horse is the hind end, therefore, the driving force of these undesirable qualities comes from back there. If we can negotiate with him to move his hips to the right or left in times of trouble, it's likely we can talk him out these negative ideas. Secondly, if the horse's hind legs are moving stiffly, it's a good bet he's not comfortable with what's about to happen. A horse that moves in quick, choppy strides has some pre-ride anxiety. When I see horses acting like this, I like to work with them and gain control over the hind end before I begin my ride. My goal is to achieve free moving hind legs and a body that is not rigid or stiff. This is established through what many refer to as the "disengagement of the hind end." It simply means we can ask the horse to move its hindquarters left or right and whenever we want. The control must first be established from the ground.

Before you mount up, stand at your horse's Shoulder and organize your Reins for the next exercise. The outside rein should be loosely draped around the horn, or drawn across the pommel and held so that it does not fall to ground. The outside rein should be nonrestrictive to allow for lots of movement. Next, draw the inside rein up to where your hands would be positioned if you were actually sitting in the saddle. The purpose of this exercise is to have the horse bending softly to the inside rein without resistance, while at the same time, moving its hips away from you. I say "draw up to where your hands would be positioned if you were riding" because that's where your hands will be in the future. Our arms and hands do not hang down to the horse's sides like a gorilla, so we shouldn't keep the reins that low for this exercise.

Once you have gently drawn the inside rein up to where your hands would be positioned if you were riding, above the wither - (just thought I'd mention it one more time²nothing like learning through repetition!) - use your other hand to gently "push" or nudge the hind end away from you. I usually position this hand behind the stirrup and near the middle of the ribcage, where my leg would press for a turn on the forehand. As the horse swings his hind end away and bends his Neck into the rein, relax both the rein hand and the hand you're pushing with. This is your horse's reward for doing it correctly. After a few seconds, try the exercise again. Draw the rein up and press with your other hand. Remember not to release until the horse achieves the desired result. We want him to give and bend his neck so that he comes off the pressure of the. Eventually, he will become softer as you ask, and his head won't come up or resist the rein. Finish on this side when his response becomes prompt and you barely have to ask at all. This exercise works excellent for horses that choose not to stand still during mounting - they soon find out that standing quiet is much easier than moving around.

I should note that one of my most consistent rules of training is to ensure that everything I do on one side, must be done on the other - so make sure to move around to the other side (still holding the reins of course) and repeat the procedure! Sometimes our horses develop areas on their bodies where they are comfortable with our presence on one side, but not on the other. Seeing things from the right eye, rather than from the left may make a horse very uneasy. So we need to be consistent. I prefer to have a horse that's always confident in me - regardless of what side I am.

Mounting from the Right Side

As I've stated earlier, everything you do on one side must be done on the other. Therefore, this theory applies to mounting up as well. Whether you choose to get on from a mounting block, ride a Dressage horse, Paso Fino, or whatever, I can guarantee you will have a much more relaxed horse if he can accept mounting from both sides. The more to which we can expose our horses, the better. After all, the only reason we get up on the near side is due to tradition.

After I have completed my flight check, and I'm sure I have control of the horse's hind end from the ground, I am ready to begin mounting up. Start from the left side. With only the ball of your foot set slightly into the stirrup, hold the left rein in your left hand and shorter than the right (in case the horse decides to move, you can direct him in a small circle around you.) With the right hand on the horn, bring your body up from the ground but do not swing over to sit in the saddle just yet. Stand in the left stirrup for a few seconds and monitor your horse's reaction. Does his head come up? Is he ready to start moving? Rub either side of his neck a little to reassure him, and step down again. Turn the horse and repeat the exercise. Mount up and down until your horse begins to feel comfortable and is standing still. When his head doesn't come up as high and he appears relaxed, swing your leg over and sit in the saddle, but do not put your right foot into the stirrup. Dismount again providing your horse has stood still. If you have traveled anywhere while sitting on his back, shorten up the left rein so the horse must proceed in small circles. Do not let ease up until your horse is standing still.

Once your horse is standing quiet as you get up and down, move around to the right side. Shorten the right rein so you have control of where the horse is going. Slip the ball of your foot into the right stirrup and stand up. It will be slightly awkward, as we are generally not used to mounting from this side. It's important not to put your foot too far through the stirrup or iron as you must be able to get it back out as fast as possible in the event of an emergency. Stand up and rub the horse's neck to reassure him. One of the biggest reasons horses become upset with mounting from the right side is because they have never seen it through their right eye. It's likely that if your horse is not used to mounting from the right side, he is also uncomfortable with you walking or leading him from that side. You should practice saddling, blanketing, leading and mounting equally from both sides - it only makes for a better balanced, and quieter horse. When your horse is standing quiet, swing your leg over and sit in the saddle. Only when he is quiet, should you want to pick up the opposite stirrup.

Don't Pat, Rub Instead

I would like wrap this lesson up and explain one last crucial concept. I truly believe the way humans touch horses makes a difference in their apprehension towards us and what we ask them do. I've seen so many people win tournaments, competitions or races and literally congratulate their equine counterparts afterwards by slapping them. Some people would choose to argue this point by stating I have simply used the wrong word to describe my theory. Figuratively speaking the rider is "patting" the horse, literally speaking the rider is actually slapping him. For example, a rider finishes the jumping round and does a victory lap. He or she praises the animal by patting him vigorously. While sitting amongst the crowd, you can often hear the contact of the rider's glove or bare hand against the horse's neck. Immediately you see the horse's head get higher and it's eyes get bigger. No doubt the exuberance of the rider comes from the adrenaline of the win, but I know what I would be thinking if I were the animal at that moment, "OK, I better not do that again. I just won however many dollars for you and I'm rewarded with this?" The "patting" or slapping is the same thing that we do if a horse were to bite or nip at us.

My preference is to praise or assure my horses with a rub, instead of a pat. Unlike rubbing, patting actually has a stinging sensation and it's noisy. Rubbing, on the other hand, can be quite soothing - like a massage. As a human, what would you prefer?