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NRHA and NRCHA judge Jesse Chase gives you a practical exercise to help your horse learn to relax that you can use before
the first ride on your reining prospect
This article describes an exercise I use to help prepare a horse for his first ride. It helps ensure that the first ride is
a safe one while it builds important skills, teaching a horse that if he gets worried or excited, he can reduce or eliminate
the pressure of a frightening or unfamiliar situation by stopping and relaxing.
It sets the stage for him becoming what I define as a “green broke” horse, one that accepts punishment (defined
as pressure) and craves reward. Later on, for example, this mindset will show up if you apply a spur and your horse surrenders
to the pressure and seeks the release (reward) that comes with submission. Conversely, a horse that shakes his head when you
pull on the reins or kicks at your spur is not “broke” and hasn’t learned to accept punishment and look
for the reward.
This exercise also takes into account that horses, like children, learn—whether you teach them or not. It’s important
to constantly challenge and teach a horse what you want him to know. Otherwise, out of boredom, he might act out and thereby
learn things you that you don’t want him to know..
Assess your riding and training skills
Before you begin working with a young horse, make a realistic assessment of your abilities. Horses very seldom intentionally
injure a person, but their reactions to training situations—as to their environment—can be very unpredictable.
Ask yourself:
--Am I physically fit enough to start a young horse?
--Do I have enough stamina, reflexes and athleticism to handle a bad ride?
--Am I mentally able to control my emotions and anxieties and project confidence to the horse?
Preparation for the "belly up" exercise
Before the first ride, I often spend a few days doing what I call a “belly up” exercise, which is the core of
this article. It accustoms the horse to having a person right next to his shoulder (to mimic, as closely as is possible on
the ground, the position you'll be in when you ride).
This exercise also teaches horses that if they are quiet, I’ll be quiet, and they start to think about how to achieve
a quiet, relaxed mentality.
Before you start this exercise, your horse should have enough groundwork that he trusts you and accepts your authority and
is accustomed to being tacked up. Longing, long lining, sacking out, are all great methods of preparation.
How to do the exercise
For this exercise, saddle your horse and put him in a snaffle. Stand very close to your horse’s shoulder to eliminate
the risk of being kicked and encourage the horse to walk in a circle around you (the more your horse walks forward in this
exercise, the better, because it’ll be easier for him to relax while he’s moving).
Check your horse’s head to he inside so that you can see his inside eye. To maintain this arced position, grab both
the saddle pad and the reins. Sack him out with your free hand, slapping the saddle, the stirrup, or making broad overhand
pats on the rump. If your horse tenses, do not release—tighten your hold to ensure that you maintain your body position
next to him: your belt buckle or hip should be next to the horse’s elbow.
During this exercise, your horse will become uncomfortable with the mental and physical pressure you’re putting on him.
He’ll try to increase the distance between the two of you. If he moves, move with him, teaching him that he has to maintain
a position close to you and he can’t move a way from it. Maintain your position at your horse’s center of motion
(just behind the elbow)—here, you’re as close as possible to where you will be when you ride the horse.
Keep his body soft and emphasize "whoa"
Through this process, allow horse to walk around you all he wants. I pay close attention that the horse walks forward--not
just pivot around the front end, which would indicate that he is still locked up and stiff.
Every time the horse stop, I say “whoa” even though it is after the fact, and stopping was the horse’s idea.
He will still begin to associate “whoa” with the stop.
If your horse becomes increasingly excited, increase your level of movement so that you increase the commotion around him.
I become more active, perhaps holding the horn with my free hand and jumping up and down. The horse will try to run away or
around me. When he does, I add more commotion. I keep it up until the horse quiets down or stops. Then I quiet down and slow
down. My pats turn into gentle petting or scratching with my fingertips.
Do this exercise equally to both sides of the horse.
Unique benefits of this training exercise
The benefit of this exercise is that the horse learns that his escalating behavior is met with commotion that makes him uncomfortable.
When he decompresses, he is met with a quieter soothing human. The horse learns that if a situation gets tense, he only needs
to relax are stop and the pressure will turn to praise.
This exercise contradicts many of the popular “join up” or “face up” styles of training). I have found
this exercise is faster, safer, and easier for the horse to understand. I am not dismissing the efficiency of those methods;
I simply prefer a little different approach.
As you do this exercise, don’t “sneak” up to your horse. Many horses will stay quiet during this exercise
if you move slowly and quietly. Often, they’ll let you get on for a first ride. Although you may think you are taking
it slow and easy, you are actually being unsafe: when something exciting happens, the horse will likely overreact because
he has not been taught to handle worrying or stressful situations.
As the horse becomes more comfortable with the “belly up” exercise, I will partially mount the horse and lay over
the saddle while I continue sacking him out with my free hand, rubbing the belly on the opposite side, the neck, rump, and
between the ears. I will also curve my hand so that he can see it out of the eye on the opposite side. This introduces the
horse that I can on both sides at the same time
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