A WORD OF CAUTION regarding round pen work:
Start off by rewarding any turns towards you by backing off. However, once the horse appears to have the idea, only back off if he turns and faces you with ears forward. If the horse puts his ears back at you, send him out and drive him around a few more times until he shows the signs of submissiveness. If a horse is putting its ears back and threatening you as it turns toward you, it is important that you don't back away as this shows the horse that he is in charge. Only release pressure if he faces you with ears forward.
We will review the round pen process, and go through it step by step.
In step one we start by making the horse move around the pen, or pasture. Keep the pressure just behind the front shoulder and apply just enough pressure to keep the horse moving. You may need to swing a rope or training whip to keep him moving. Keep the horse going in the same direction for a few turns or laps of the pen. Don't worry if he wants to canter or trot, but you will want to keep him as calm as possible.
In step two you will have the horse change directions after a few laps by stepping ahead of him and into his line of travel. If you block the horse, he will change directions usually by turning into the fence. Remember not to get too close to the horse’s hindquarters as he makes his change of direction, because he may kick out if you are too close. Once the horse has made his change in direction, move back to the middle of the pen and let him move a few laps in that direction.
Step three is essentially a repeat of steps one and two. You will drive him around the corral in the new direction, applying only enough pressure to keep your horse from stopping or changing directions. Let him do a few laps in the new direction, then change the direction again by stepping ahead of the horse and into his line of travel. Repeat this process of changing direction a few times.
In step four you will need to pay attention to which way he turns to make the direction change. If your horse turns toward the fence, apply pressure to encourage him to move, and keep him going. Conversely, if he turns toward you, release pressure by backing away to show him that is what you are looking for. After a few changes of direction the horse will start to notice that you release the pressure when he turns toward you.
Step five is the point when your horse will stop instead of changing directions. He will probably still be out near the fence, but he will look at you. Timing is very crucial in training, and especially so here. Make sure you back off immediately and allow him to stand for as long as he wants. Further remove pressure by lowering your eyes from him. If your horse walks or turns away, go back to driving him a few laps and then making a change of direction. If he just stands there, then let him rest. After a few minutes or so of rest, walk to the middle of the corral and gently drive him forward again. When you make another change of direction, the horse should now stop and look at you. Immediately back off the pressure when the horse stops and looks at you.
Step six is just repeating steps one through five, making sure you let the horse rest whenever he stops and looks at you. Soon you will see him licking his lips and chewing while he is standing there. He will even lower his head and sniff the ground. This will be your sign that your horse has learned that if he stops and looks at you, then you will release the pressure and leave him alone.
When your horse has got turning and facing you down pat, you can move to a seventh step and drive him at a trot, and make a few direction changes. Be sure to back away and release pressure when your horse turns toward you and slows or stops during the change in direction. Soon he will begin to turn his entire body to face you when he stops. Always release pressure and leave him be whenever he stops and faces you. The response we are looking for is for the horse to turn and face us instead of running away.
Some key points to remember in all your training methods:
Make sure your horse is relaxed and successful at each stage before you progress. The horse should practice at least 3-5 times correctly at each stage before you increase the criteria. The pressure you apply to the horse should only be enough to make him think about solving the problem. This could be just your presence and focus, or it could mean swinging a rope or training whip. In part 3 we will discuss some other possible methods of letting your horse get comfortable with your presence.
TO BE CONTINUED …..
