Joining Up is the first step in a partnership between you and your horse. It builds his trust and overcomes the “fight or flight” instinct inherent in all animals.
The object of this lesson is to teach your horse that standing near you, head toward you and rear away from you is the most comfortable position in the world.
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)
This exercise 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, as that leaves no corners for your horse to use as “shelter from the storm”.
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, stand squarely facing your untethered horse’s side (eyeing his hindquarters with a direct gaze). To get him started, toss about a 12′ section of your rope at his rear legs. Contact is not necessary – just intent. Just the fact that he perceives you might reach him is 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.
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 show him that you are his leader – you will be calling his movements – initially pressuring him to circle the pen in the directon you have indicated. Then circling it in the opposite direction at your whim.
If you alter your position slightly (concentrating your energy, gaze and body forward of his shoulder) and raise the arm closest to his head, he will be forced to move away from you in another direction as you are now “pressuring” his front. Using his instinctive flight response, you can turn him around again and again. (see Pressure)
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 drive him in the other direction. 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.
In the early stages, it is not relevent whether he turns into the fence or away from the fence when he makes his change 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. (If he tries to take control by making his own direction changes, cut him off physically with your body and force his to change back to the direction you requested. Use common safety sense here. He doesn’t have to be running full spead, but if he is particularly strong-willed, a loud, ground-slapping rope in front of him will get his attention and demand that he change his direction.)
When he is proficient at direction changes (and only then) we will shape his “dance” in a particular manner. We want him to turn toward us instead of away from us.
Most horses in the early stages will turn away and may even try to press against the round pen bars (some try to jump over) to escape the pen. You must remain calm but persistant. Soften your posture until he is circling the pen but not frantically running. 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 rear to keep him moving but not so much that he is panic-stricken.
He will get over the idea of escaping the round pen fairly quickly.
If you execute your gaze-shoulder-move direction-change properly, he will turn away from the fence rail instead of into it as he changes direction. That will make him come around facing you with his eyes instead of keeping his backside to you at all times.
Be vigilant for the turn in your direction. The MOMENT he turns TOWARD you, you must IMMEDIATELY back away and stop “pressuring” him. Drop your rope arm and your gaze. Done correctly (with good timing), he will instantly stop running when you move back. He will be left standing, slightly facing you, relieved that you stepped back, and relieved to be catching his breath. Give him a moment to think and feel the “sweet spot”.
Horses (like humans) are inherently lazy and dislike physical exertion if given a choice. After several trips around the pen he would like you to stop pressuring him, and he would like to stop exercising.
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 stopping and facing you is the way to stop you from “pressuring” his rump and making him trot around? Lesson #1 learned. Face your trainer and stand still. It’s a lot more comfortable.
Now shape his behavior. He will probably not be squarely facing you. As he stands and looks at you, move ever so slightly toward him with your shoulder to his rear. If he wants to keep his eyes on you, he must turn his head to keep you in sight. In fact, he will have to move his hindquarters away to get a more fully-front view of you because you are moving toward his side-rear. That is exactly what you want. You want his hindquarters to move away and his head to come around to you squarely.
There is no grey area here. He will either turn to face you (excellent) or leave (wrong decision).
If he takes off again, move quickly to move him continuously around the pen again repeating the first exercises. He won’t find that to be a lot of fun. The contrast between standing placidly (your desire) and moving around the pen again is black and white. Which would you choose?
If he stands, turns, and watches, relax your posture – even back away a step. Then repeat your slow-but-confident approach to his rear. Use your outstretched “backside” hand to gently pressure his rear away and your “head” hand to offer him your hand while clicking your tongue.
Shape his ”stand-and-face” into longer and longer time and with you coming closer and closer (reward baby steps, remember).
Eventually you will be parallel to and next to him, close enough to touch. Don’t touch him. Just stand there or even turn your back to him. All pressure is gone when he stands in close proximity to you.
Gently maneuver until you are standing with your back to his head. Stand and relax again.
Now slowly take several steps away from him, assuming he is following. After a couple of attempts he WILL follow you. He will move forward when you do, head low and body relaxed, stopping when you stop.
Horses are herd animals. They WANT to take a leader. When “joined” with you, your horse has begun to trust you and take you for his leader, counting on you to warn and protect him from a fight or flight situation. Your partnership is now well on its way.
If you have a particularly dominant horse, you may hav to repeat this exercise more times than with more laid-back animal. Proud stallions, head mares, and hot horses take longer to come down to a partnership; late-gelded geldings and mares because they are used to being a pasture leader, and hot animals because they are inherently more skittish and tense.
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 closer to you. 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 showing submission and understanding.
Watch for him to lower his head – another sign of submission.
If you see any of these 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)