This is Part 1 of a two-part Lesson. Part 2 is Joining UP

The object of this lesson is to teach your horse that you are his leader and require his respect as well as friendship. You tell him what to do and when to do it. He learns to pay attention to you. He learns to trust you. He learns that standing near you (head toward you and rear away from you) is the most comfortable position in the world.

This exercise is the place to start with any horse, whether it is a new colt or an older problem horse. (If your horse is actually aggressive as in running at you, biting, kicking, or rearing, we need more discussion than this lesson imparts. I am assumng that you are starting with, at worst, an unruly horse).

You will learn a great deal about your horse during the few days you work through this series of steps. You will learn how sensitive he is, how lazy or hot he is, how cold or stubborn he is. In the end you will come together with his respect and your insight into what makes him tick.

Horses are a herd animal whose safety requires them to cooperate and follow a leader. Their leader can be trusted to give warning of danger and lead the way to safety. If your horse has not chosen to follow your lead or believes that he is the leader, the first order of business is to establish your place in the relationship (heirarchy).

Round Penning

is done in a 50 – 60 foot round pen – preferably 6 feet high with an easy-open gate. It is important that the pen be round because that leaves no corners for your horse to use as “shelter from the storm”. Begin by taking him to the round pen and asking him to move around the edge. You will be performing the dominant horse’s role in the herd. A dominant mare or stallion takes control of all situations. He uses his body language: ears, threats of kicking and biting, rearing or fighting to let his herd members know that they cannot challenge his authority. It is natural in the herd, and the other horses don’t resent him. They just keep their place in the hierarchy.

As you ask him to move around the edge of the round pen at whatever speed and direction you request, he is learning that you are the dominant partner in the relationship.

This lesson uses three of the training principles used by all trainers:

Intention Pressure: If a horse feels threatened (intention pressure) he will move away from the “pressure”. (see Pressure)

Release is the reward that the rider or trainer gives the horse for executing the proper maneuver. (see Release Training)

Shaping is the term used for GRADUALLY lengthening or fine-tuning a response. (see Shaping)

If you stand in the middle of a round pen with the horse on the fence line, you will be about 25 feet from him. With your lead rope twirling or your handy stick to your side, stand squarely facing your un-tethered horse. To get him started moving, point in the direction you want him to go and toss about a 12′ section of your rope at his rear legs. Usually, contact is not necessary – just intent. Just the fact that he perceives you might reach him is generally enough to move him away and off. (The more skittish or frightened the horse, the more softly you toss the rope.) He will begin to move away from you – circling the pen as you continue to “pressure” (threaten) his rear with your gaze and intent.

The exercise is not to mindlessly run him around the pen or to wear him down with exhaustion (He has a lot more stamina than you do). The rope toss and rope twirling is to make your presence larger and more commanding. As his leader you are calling his movements – initially pressuring him to circle the pen in the direction you have indicated – eventually circling it in the opposite direction at your whim.

Concentrating your gaze and moving your rope toward his rear will tend to drive him forward. Using your arm and rope toward his head (forward of his shoulder) will tend to slow or stop him.

Find your beginning pressure. If he won’t move smartly, raise your energy. If he seems frantic, lower your energy. Use as much energy as it takes to get him to move off quickly and cleanly.

Point the direction you want him to go, make a loud kissing sound, twirl your rope at his rear (even slap the ground if he is very stubborn). If he is a very lazy or disrespectful horse, get your handy stick and string. Point, kiss, slap the ground and then slap his fanny with the string until he gets the point. First ASK him to move with minimal pressure. If he refused, TELL him to move with stronger actions. If he is still unphased, THREATEN with BIG energy and/or follow through with vigor (even a smart tap on his fanny).

Soon it will take very little body motion for him to learn which way you are directing him to go. Ultimately a tip of the head and a small hand signal will do the trick.

The first few trips around the pen, he can be allowed to trot, get his bearings, find the edges of the circle, look out over the top of the pen. After a few “get acquainted” passes, make him canter by bringing your own energy up. (Wave your hand, shake the flag on your stick, twirl the rope or otherwise pressure him to move faster.) Faster pace requires more energy, so he’d like to stop this game. Five to six circles around the pen, you can drop your energy and allow him to slow down and stop – watching you. Allow him to stand quietly LOOKING AT YOU. Keep his attention on you. If it drifts, make a slight movement that brings his eyes back. If his eyes look away and you see him just staring off into space, ask him to trot around the pen for another 4-5 rounds again. Then allow him to stop again. While standing, he MUST be looking at you with BOTH eyes. If he is not paying attention to you, make him circle the pen.

We’re half way there. We’ve made him move his feet. Now we want to make him move them back and forth, forward and in the other direction.

REPEAT: Concentrating your gaze and moving your rope toward his rear will tend to drive him forward. Using your arm and rope toward his head (forward of his shoulder) will tend to slow or stop him.

To change direction, you will slow his forward motion, step back a step or two to give him room to turn, then resume rear pressure in the new direction as he comes around. Practice pushing him one way and then alter your position slightly (concentrating your body energy and gaze forward of his shoulder) and raise the arm closest to his head. He will stop or attempt to turn away from you as your energy inhibits his forward movement. Then point, kiss, and twirl at his rear to encourage the new direction.

Using his instinctive flight response, you can turn him around again and again by interrupting his forward movement and giving him an “escape” route in the other direction. (see Pressure).

For the first few turns it is not relevant whether he turns into the fence or away from the fence when he makes his changes of direction. We just want him to know that you are the leader, calling the shots, and that he can tell what you are signalling by watching your body language.

Once he moves off around the circle, he must continue to move in that direction at the gait you specify until you do something to change his direction or speed. When he complies, lower your pressure immediately. Don’t chase him. Stop twirling the rope. Drop your handy stick to a nice, neutral position. Make life pleasant when he is moving as requested.

If he tries to take control by making his own direction changes, cut him off quickly. Run ahead of his circle to move your body energy and gaze forward of his shoulder, and force him to change back to the direction he started. This entire exercise is to show him that you call the shots. If you allow him to make his own decisions, he takes back the role of leader.

Use common safety sense here. Don’t run directly into his path. He doesn’t have to be running full speed, but if he is, and if he is particularly strong-willed, a loud, ground-slapping rope in front of you will get his attention and demand that he change his direction. If he is particularly sensitive or frightened, don’t put so much pressure on him. He needs only enough pressure to move in the direction you indicate and stop or change his direction when you change your position – not to run him into or over the fence.

When he is not freaking out at direction changes (and only then) we will shape his “dance” in a particular manner. We want him to make his turn TOWARD us instead of away from us.

Why is it important for him to turn TOWARD you? We want him to get in the habit of keeping his rear turned away from you for respect and safety. His rear is safely away if his face is toward you.

In the early stages most horses will turn away and may even bang into the round pen bars in an effort to turn but stay away from YOU. Some try to jump over if the pressure is too intense. It’s pretty tight to turn into the fence, but they are looking for an escape from the pressure. You must remain CALM but persistent. There is a balance of energy transmitted from your body that will move him around without totally freaking him out. Experiment to find that posture: enough energy directed at his mid-section or rear to keep him moving but not so much that he is panic-stricken.. He should be trotting or cantering around the pen but not frantically running.

He will get over the idea of escaping the round pen fairly quickly.

To introduce him to to inward turns – rear away and face toward you – we must inhibit his forward movement, then back away to give him room to turn toward the center. Move energy to his front, then back away so that he can come toward the center of the pen without running into you.

As he comes around, point your belly button forward of his shoulder. Raise your blocking arm (holding the rope) to stop him. Then back away quickly to give him room to make his turn toward you instead of into the fence.

In effect, you are offering him more room to turn toward the middle of the pen than he has to turn into the fence. (Plan your moves ahead of time so that you can beat him to the spot you want him to turn. It sometimes takes some running.)

Use caution here. This is not a “body block”. Don’t step directly IN FRONT of him. Just move your gaze to his head and outstretch your arm to “block” him. Some horses get so scared that they can plow through you if you actually try to body block him against the fence.

If he is panicking, lower your energy to lower his speed, and plan your blocking spot to give him more warning.

If it is a very “forward” horse, slap your rope on the ground or swing it large at the blocking point to present a bigger obstacle to him. If you are small and he is large or very sensitive and scared, you might carry a handy-stick during this exercise to enlarge your presence in front, keep you further away from him, and to protect yourself. (A handy stick can be very effective and keep you out of harm’s way. The trick is to practice with it and not be seduced into over-pressuring a horse with it. It’s not for beating the tar out of him.)

The Stand and Face
Now we will shape his behavior further. We will ask him to stop moving and actually face his trainer.

Why is it important for him to stop and face you?
1. We want him to know that when he is frightened, he should stop moving immediately.
2. We can’t teach him anything if he is not looking at us.
3. We want him to get in the habit of keeping his rear turned away from us for respect and safety. His rear is safely away if his face is toward you.

As he is circling the pen, step in front of his drive line to slow and stop him. He should slow and turn toward you as he anticipates a turn. Be vigilant for the turn in your direction. The MOMENT he turns TOWARD you, IMMEDIATELY and quickly stop “pressuring” him completely to interrupt the 180 degree turn and stop him with his face to you. Drop your rope arm, lower your stick if you are using one, lower your gaze and your energy. Step back a step or two to release your pressure.

Done correctly (with good timing), he will feel the pressure go away and he will stop moving. He will be standing, slightly facing you, relieved that you relaxed, and relieved to be catching his breath.

Give him a minute to think and feel the “sweet spot”. (Notice that my posture here is relaxed. I am not looking directly into his eyes.).

Be sure that YOU are calling the shots! He stops when you step in front of his drive line. He doesn’t just choose when he stops ALL BY HIMSELF. You are teaching him that stopping when you ask and keeping his eyes on you is comfortable. Be sure HE is not teaching YOU to back away when he stops of his own accord and looks at you.

This latter piece of advice was learned with a pony stallion in my early days of training. I thought it was great that he “asked permission” to stop. He circled, then stopped and faced me. When he stopped and looked my way, I backed away to give him a chance to be a good boy. HE MISUNDERSTOOD THE POWER DYNAMIC. When I resumed asking him to move again, he reared up and charged me, knocking me to the ground. I could have been badly hurt if he had been even more aggressive or if he had been a large horse.

Any horse might do this. But a stallion presents even more challenges and should be taken very seriously.

Horses (like humans) are inherently lazy and dislike physical exertion. After several trips around the pen he would like you to stop pushing him, and he would like to stop exercising to catch his breath.

Where is the reward here?
Reward #1: No more pressure.
Reward #2: No more exercise.

How many times do you think it will take for him to realize that when you ask him to stop he should turn and face you? THEN you will stop “pressuring” his body and making him canter/trot around? Lesson #1 learned. Face your trainer and stand still. It’s a lot more comfortable.

Hold his Attention

When he realizes that you are a “more powerful” horse than he is, he will need to show you that he understands the relationship. At that point he will “Join UP” with you, following you and relaxing in your presence.

Continue to the 2nd part of this lesson: “Join UP”

Clues to his thoughts as he moves around the pen:

Watch his ears for signs that his inside ear is focused on you instead of toward the outside of the pen. The more direction changes you request, the more focused he must be on you and the less time he has to calculate an escape.

Watch for him to begin to circle slightly closer to you or “check in” with you by slowing down and looking at you as if asking if he can come closer: a definite indication that he wants to experiment with “horse” talk – leader to follower. If he also begins to lick his lips or work his mouth, all the better. A horse whose mouth is moving is a horse that is relaxing, showing submission and thinking.

Danger: “Checking in” and slowly asking to have a conversation is very different from a horse who is looking right at you, head high, ears back, and coming in fast. Such a horse is contemplating or full-fledged charging you in a bid for dominance.

This is a very good time to have a “handy-stick” to show him how unpleasant it can be to try such a maneuver. The 4 foot pole keeps him out of your space. You might have to hit him with it quickly and meaningfully to intimidate him. MAKE him retreat to the outside of pen NOW! Make him canter for a prolonged time before he is allowed to stop. This is one trick you want to nip in the bud.

Watch for him to lower his head – another sign of submission.

If you see any of these good signs, be prepared to release the pressure by softening your body, turning your shoulder to him, dropping your arm and rope to your side, turning your gaze away from him, even backing up a step. (see Release)

Thank you Kristull Ranch in Austin, Texas for letting me use your horses to demonstrate: Half Friesian gelding, Cadence. Rare-breed Caspian stallion, Terrani. Appaloosa mare, Denim.

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