SURVIVING THE WESTERN HORSE

INTRODUCTION

The “Old Time Method” of breaking horses went something like this: A horse, born and raised out on the open range with very little if any contact with humans, was gathered, usually when it was three or four years old. He was roped, or captured somehow, and maybe taught to lead, if the rider doing the breaking had the time. He was restrained enough so that a saddle and bridle could be put on, then the rider stepped into the middle of him. The horse took off running and bucking through the cactus and rocks, or the brush and rocks, or the timber and rocks; depending on the region--and the badger holes. After about so much grunting, squealing, swearing, and dust raising, the horse became more or less manageable, was given a job to do, and went on to lead a useful life.

Today’s method of breaking a horse is a little different: The horse is born in captivity, imprinted at birth, taught to lead as soon as it can walk. It is taught to work on a longe line and work free in the round pen. It is well nourished and nurtured until it is about two years old, then it is introduced to the saddle blanket, which doesn’t bother it a bit because it has already outgrown three different sizes of stall blankets in various colors.

After the horse is taught to accept the saddle blanket it is introduced to the saddle. After this it is saddled and saddled, and saddled, and saddled. More longeing and free work is done in the round pen while it wears the saddle. (Some people have told me that it takes at least ninety days of saddling before a horse can be ridden.) Then a rider presents himself/herself and steps up on the horse. The horse is taught to respond to the bit, and to leg aids. When this has been accomplished the horse is taken outside the round pen to be introduced to open country. The rider steps into the middle of the horse and points it off toward somewhere only to find out that the horse has a great reluctance to leave the barn area.

After considerable kicking, cussing, and whacking, the horse gets the idea and goes running and bucking through the cactus and rocks, or the brush and rocks, or the timber and rocks; depending on the region--and the badger holes.

From this point on, the horse is passed around among several owners and trainers. It may or may not be given a job to do. And, it may or may not go on to live a useful life.

In a way this is an over-simplification, but the point I’m trying to make, here, is that we have not progressed much in our horse training methods as far as what we actually accomplish. In fact, I think that we have regressed a bunch. I see more “outlaw” horses now than I did fifty years ago.

The reason for this is fairly simple: The horses fifty years ago had a “job to do.” They may have been a “little wormy” when you first stepped on them because they hadn’t been ridden since the last roundup, but after an hour or two they settled into the job they were supposed to be doing.

Today’s stable and backyard horses do not have “a job to do”--unless it is to see how much hell they can raise when a rider climbs on them. And, not too surprisingly, these horses are trained to do exactly that because the methods of training horses have changed but the mentality about training horses hasn’t changed much, if any.

The solution to the problem is to train these horses that their “job” is to stand around the corral for a week or two at a time and still be manageable on the rare occasions when they are ridden.

To do this we must first train, or retrain, ourselves and our way of thinking. The “Old Time Method” worked on the assumption that the horse needed to be conquered. This has not changed any. When I say this, people immediately get their backs up: “I don’t rope and choke and yank my horse around--I’m good to him. I bring him treats and pet him and love on him. I win him over with affection.” One of the definitions of conquer is win over. You’re still trying to conquer the horse--with affection and treats--but, conquer just the same.

“I don’t understand why my horse keeps trying to buck me off! I’ve never abused him. I treat him with kindness. And, this is the thanks I get!”

The answer to that is fairly simple: You did not train him to do something else, rather than trying to buck you off--or, whatever other cute little habit he has picked up. You didn’t give him a “job to do.” Horses are creatures of habit. And, for some reason, they learn bad habits a lot faster than they learn good habits. We need to train them to be in the habit of doing what we want done--give them a “job to do," instead of letting them develop bad habits.

While we’re on the subject of bad habits, bucking is far down my list of bad habits. Biting, striking, kicking, stampeding, and rearing-up are all a lot worse than bucking. For one thing, most young horses can’t buck hard enough or long enough to buck a person off, if said person can ride a lick. For another, the possibility of a person getting hurt by being bucked off is pretty remote. I’ve bounced around on the ground several times in my life and the only thing that ever was injured, much, was my pride. On the other hand, biting, striking, kicking, stampeding, and rearing-up, especially if the horse comes over backwards, will ruin your day, along with some other things.

There is no such thing as right and wrong when it comes to training horses--more appropriate terms are better and worse. What I’m going to try to do, here, is come up with a better way.

There will be a bunch of people who pay for their groceries by sitting in a wide-shouldered saddle who are going to disagree with some of what I say. There will probably be an equal number who will say “I already knew that!” To the first bunch I say: “Try it--you might learn something.” To the second bunch: “If you know it--why ain’t you doin’ it?”

Throughout this book there will be some WARNINGS. These are things to watch out for that might cause injury to yourself or your horse.

There will be other sections called ROUGH STOCK ADDENDUM. These will be things to try on an old spoiled pony who doesn’t wish to conform, or respond, to the normal training methods of patience and perseverance.

Patience and perseverance are the key to making a good horse. Rough handling only conquers the horse, which may, at times, be necessary. But, when it is no longer necessary--quit doing it and go back to patience and perseverance.

You can get into the habit of conquering the horse very quickly. The horse can get into the habit of being conquered very quickly. Don’t let yourself and your horse get into the habit.

Regardless of what you may have heard to the contrary there are bad horses. They are very, very few. I’ve run across maybe half a dozen in my lifetime, which spans three decades. These horses were treacherous from birth, and extremely intelligent, which made them all the more dangerous. But, they were natural-born killers, not only were they dangerous to man but to other animals as well, including other horses. I have seen horses that fit into this category who did become useful citizens, but only for one person, usually their owner. They are somewhat similar to a guard dog--somewhere in their mind they take possession of one person and that one person could do whatever he or she wants, everybody else better stay away, or at least be on their guard. But, horses are not dogs, and these horses are still dangerous.

The vast majority of the so-called bad horses that you will run into are either spoiled, terrorized, or untrained, or some combination thereof. It is our job, as riders and trainers to give these horses a direction--give them a “job to do” so they will become useful citizens.