We’ve all had that horse, the one that sat in the field doing nothing but buzzing flies, eating, and turning oxygen into carbon dioxide, for a year or more. In truth, this could be a really good horse; IF you knew where to start the process of manipulation and reworking.
Actually, this is not too complicated. Start by catching the horse. Sometimes if the horse has sat in the grass for a long time, it tends to be evasive; enough that catching it is a chore. Grab some food or your favorite treats and try the old tricks of catching it for leftovers. If that doesn’t work, see if you can take your pasture partner and have him follow you to a pen small enough (round pen, barn, shed, or barn) to catch, then catch and tie. easily. If it hasn’t been handled in a long time (a year or more), take a refresher course on ground manners, restraints, and grooming. Treat him like you expect nothing less than the utmost respect, but treat him gently at the same time; don’t jump up like you’re expecting him to freak out and run like crazy, but be sure to watch their body language and see how they react when they manipulate you again.
Most horses, once trained, remember what they have been taught. They won’t magically forget it one day, but they still need a refresher course. After working with some basic manners, try ramming him up a bit and then finish for the day. The next time you work it, do the same as the first time, and maybe embark on a bit more this time. Add little by little to your training segments, lengthening each session a bit so you don’t overwhelm him by throwing everything at him at once. Another note to remember: If possible, when you get back to work, try a little training every day, but be sure to give yourself a full day off during the week. Even if you don’t have time for a full session every day, get it off the grass, comb it out, and take it for a little walk if nothing else.
At this point, even spending time with him is just as important as working with him. If you were especially scared or nervous when you first started working with him and he still seems to be nervous after the first week, give him another week or two of groundwork and handling until he gets back to the work mindset and is not suspicious of everything. . jumping on it. Don’t just throw the saddle on your back on the second day off the field if you’ve been nervous and nervous. That’s a surefire way to hurt yourself (or him) and scare him to a point where it makes your job difficult. If he was particularly calm about the whole thing, after a week feel free to saddle him up and try a few circuits around the sand, field, or circular corral and see how it feels to put him back together.
Some horses don’t mind, while others think it’s time to take on that race as a rodeo horse. Stay calm and develop your driving schedule. During the first week of driving, ride it one day and then the next; just do a little lunge and general manipulation. The second week, take a light walk every day and then continue from there, making you work a little harder and introducing something new each work week.
Remember to give her a day off each week, and even if she doesn’t have time to ride or dash that day, just give her a quick brush and scratch off her favorite itchy spots!