Brindabella Farms

Everyone has their system. This is mine. I know there are lots of ways to reach the same goals with horses. What I am hoping is that if everyone working with these horses uses a similar system, the horses will speak and understand a consistent language. They still have to adapt to all our personalities, and that is o.k. I am also open to other ideas. This system already is an incorporation of lots of people’s ideas over the years, and is also the result of some of my quirks.

>From the first time I handle any of our foals, usually age 2-3 months (the foal may or may not have been imprinted), I am keeping in mind that this horse has been bred to be comfortable around people, and probably someday will be ridden. Yet, I still want these horses to be horses, sociable with other horses, and able to take care of themselves in a pasture setting. So, I handle these horses without imposing myself on them any more than I have to; until the foals are weaned, their mothers and the other horses in the herd are their primary teachers and companions. Living outdoors helps to prepare them for later trail and field riding.

>Once the foals are weaned, a process that I start somewhere between 4-6 months, I give them about two weeks of being fed by me in the tie stalls (to which they have been introduced by their mothers), hearing my voice and getting used to having me around, but not imposing myself on them with new ideas such as haltering and leading. Tie stalls are a great introduction to trailering.

>The first “lesson” youngsters get from me is being haltered.

>The second one is being driven (not led) by leadline to the round pen where they are taught their first voice commands in fifteen minute-or- so lessons... “walk”, “trot”, “ho” (whoa) and “turn”. Usually these commands are taught at free-schooling. The longewhip is introduced. Depending on the personality of the youngster, I may start with a longeline and then go to free-schooling. (The rowdier the youngster, the less likely I am to start with a longeline.)

>The next step is adding grooming to these sessions. Picking up feet is part of this.

>I then move foals from working on the longeline to being led on the longeline... a major leap... still in the round pen.

>Next comes leading the foal in the large arena.

>Next comes asking the foal to stand tied without throwing a fit. Usually one to two ½ hour sessions will do the trick. The foal should not be left without a watchful eye. They can get into some incredible messes.

>Graduation consists of leading the foal to the end of the drive on the left side, and returning on the right.

NOTE: All work with foals is done bilaterally. The foal always moves to the left and to the right equal numbers of times, and is led equally easily both on the right and the left side.

Once we get to this point, foals can be turned out again to pasture, handled during procedures such as worming, and hoof trimming, and will never forget these early lessons. I periodically bring them into the barn area for a little refresher of eating in tie stalls and hanging out with me, but I do nothing more with them (unless they are being prepared for a buyer) until they are approaching age 2 years.

>NOTE: When they come into the tie stalls, I am looking for signs of kicking out when they are eating. I will not permit it. Any horses that show a desire to kick when eating or when standing in a tie stall are schooled until their mind is changed. I first use a broom gently all over their body while the horse is standing in the stall with a butt rope tied behind. I then rub that broom down the legs. The kicker will usually fire off and is immediately smacked with the broom. Sometimes once or twice of this and the kicking never happens again. A persistent kicker gets the broom handle across the legs in response to kicking out. I have cured every kicker in a maximum of two sessions.

>I do not tolerate biting either. Remember, these horses have been bred to be partners with humans whom I presume will be equally well mannered.

>As the horse moves from the first year to the second, I am asking for more. They learn to stand quietly for the farrier, and they learn the consequence of not standing quietly. I choose a farrier who will work with me on this and pay the farrier extra to take the time. I do not use sedatives.

>I will not use crossties. I believe they are dangerous for horse and handler and unnecessary. The horse being handled without crossties begins to learn some important lessons for riding later. They learn to stand quietly while tied (1 1/2- 2 feet of rope slack maximum) and being groomed, and they learn to “move over”. This is the first introduction to what later becomes leg-yielding. Some young horses are very resistant to “moving over”. Bring out the broom again if needed, to push the horse over. I like to do this exercise in the round pen because some young horses initially will throw a major fit before gaining self-control. Any horse of any age once taught to “move over” should do so promptly and without resistance.

>NOTE: “Moving over” also gives young horses their first feeling of moving their hindquarters independently of their fore, another important part of later riding.

>As the horse passes age 24 months, I am reintroducing longeing, only this time in the big arena; I am adding free-schooling there too. No tack at first. I am more interested in their remembering the voice commands which will be helpful as they are introduced to riding. Trotting is the working gait; that is where most of the time should be spent. They begin to learn transitions now too, moving from trot to walk to “ho” to trot and so forth. I keep lessons of this kind short, 15-20 minutes, or the young horse loses focus and begins acting out.

>FREE-SCHOOLING I want the horses free-schooled before they are longed. While free-schooling, they can walk, trot or canter, buck and whatever, but they have to keep moving forward. This gives them a chance to limber, and allows the handler to see what is going on.... soundness, etc.

>When they are free-schooled I prefer that they use the entire space instead of cutting corners, crossing over, and so forth. With some horses, this requires a lot of effort, and the time is not there. On the other hand, sloppy free-schooling tends to lead to horses feeling they can be sloppy under saddle too.

>Before longeing, I want them free-schooled two times around in each direction minimum. They should be stopped (“ho”), before being asked to “turn” to go in the opposite direction. The amount of free-schooling done depends on the goal of that day’s session. If the horse moves willingly, free-schooling is definitely the less stressful (to the horse) way of engaging the canter gait... even if you have to reduce the space in which you are working to get the horse’s attention. For the canter, however, the horse does need space... the 30 ft. round pen is too small.

>LONGEING I want the longeing done in moderation. Horses should be built up to this; longeing causes quite a strain on the inside front leg and some on the inside hind.. I want most work done on the longe at the walk and trot, the horse moving attentively on the longe, not like a scared rabbit with a coyote hot on its heels. I want the horse to walk, trot, “ho” and turn on the longe with finesse.

At “ho”, the horse should remain parallel to the handler on the perimeter of the circle, waiting for further instructions. Very important for safety! ONLY WHEN THE HORSE SHOWS THIS KIND OF ATTENTIVE WILLINGNESS, should it be worked at the canter on the longe. I expect horses to canter at or near the end of the longe; they need space. Horses should canter willingly, not out of fear, and not excessively, and should easily transist back and forth to the trot, the walk and the “ho”. Again, the trot is the primary working gait on the longe.

When the horses have longework moving along well, they can be additionally challenged by introducing poles on the ground, starting with one pole, and even low jumps.

>LONG-LINING I want all horses comfortable with long-lining which I prefer for balancing to using side-reins if possible. Walking and trotting in long-lines is all that is necessary. Long-lining is then used as needed.

>DRIVING I want all horses driven before they are trained for riding. They should be introduced to driving calmly at the walk- excellent for encouraging forward motion and flexibility; some trot work, even over poles and around cones, or other obstacles is helpful. Ultimately the horse should be driven up and down the drive, through the woods if possible, through water and around the pastures: anyplace that offers them the possibility of unexpected events. These experiences allow the handler to assess and deal with potential problems that could occur under saddle: fear of water, of noise, of vehicles, rearing, rushing, bolting. The handler working a horse outside the arena should be prepared to deal with unexpected behaviors; a stud chain can be an invaluable aid if needed. For a fairly reactive horse, use of an old saddle might be wise. Horses have been known to flip over while being driven.

>All these groundwork techniques help to ease the transition to riding, increase the safety of the rider and the security of the horse, and of course can and should all be used if appropriate once the horse is trained for riding. Longeing and free-schooling can be done with or without tack. Driving and long-lining require at least a longeing surcingle. NO HORSE SHOULD EVER BE LONGED OR LONG-LINED OFF THE BIT. Only advanced horses should be driven off the bit.

>All groundwork, except free-schooling, can be done outside the arena if desired. Driving is an excellent way of accustoming a horse safely to strange places and noises, and introducing the need for focus and self-control in wide-open spaces such as pastures.

>BITTING AND UNBITTED Much as I would like all horses to be ridden bitless, this is not feasible for many in the field and even some in the arena. On the other hand, we must be aware that some horses’ mouths are unsuitable for bitting and one bit does not suit every horse. Our task to is find a bridle arrangement that suits each horse the best for the purpose, bitted or bitless. We also need to take into consideration the rider’s abilities. My personal preference is that the horses be schooled bitless until they are at such a place of understanding the trainer that a bit will not pose a serious threat. Every trainer has their personal preference; as long as the horse is not the victim, I can go along with other techniques.

>Once a horse is bitted and has achieved the trainer’s goals, switching to a bitless bridle for arena work may be desirable and doable. If more advanced work is planned at a later time, the horse may make better progress by being switched back to a bitted bridle during that training period. The point is that horses’ bridling needs are not set for life; some surprisingly wonderful results have been achieved when horses have been allowed to surrender a piece of steel in their mouths for a bitless bridle.

>Whatever goes on the horse’s head needs to be as simple as possible. I do not like dropped nosebands, or flash nosebands. If cavessons are necessary, the simpler the better. If not needed, remove them. I don’t like leaving halters on under bridles, for the same reason.

TACK COVERS I like headstall covers to protect the horses’ ears and to cushion the tension of the headstall on the horses’ heads. I like girth covers to protect the horses’ galling areas and to protect the girth from damage from sweat, and trail “trash”. The girth cover helps keep the saddle from slipping. Neoprene never goes next to the horse’s hide.

SADDLES The saddle should fit both the horse and the rider. If it doesn’t fit the rider, the horse and rider will be miserable. If it doesn’t fit the horse, the rider may never be forgiven by the horse. Intuition counts for a lot here. The horse will usually “say” something if it is uncomfortable. Pay attention! Better to err on the side of too big rather than too small for both horse and rider. Putting a tanned deer or pig hide next to the horse under the saddle helps to stabilize the saddle and protects the equipment and the horse’s hide..

COOLING OUT I let the horses’ respirations return to normal before I return them to the field. In cold weather, after the respirations return to normal, horses that are still damp are blanketed, put in the barn loose or in a boxstall and left to entertain themselves until their coat is dry. I then

remove the blanket and return them to pasture. When left in the barn, horses should have hay and water.

>Sweaty horses can be washed off (and should be in summer) if the weather is warm enough that the handler does not need a sweater. Check for broken skin around the girth and treat. Corona^R wool fat is good for this.

>All horses should get a simple grain treat after a work-out.

>Horses should not be left standing tied after a work-out while the handler does other tasks. Once horses have finished their work and had their treat, they should be put where they can be comfortable, move around and get water to drink.

>OLDER SCHOOL HORSES Horses older than age 6 years usually get better every year as school horses. I have put together a little post-grooming/pre-tacking routine that they seem to like and I hope it helps them limber up. You can do it on any horse:

>Using both hands on the neck crest, rock the neck back and forth gently and slowly toward you and away from you about 5 times. If you breathe and get into your center when doing this, the horses will often release their necks down, thus stretching the back muscles.

>Go to the abdominal area. Using the tips of your fingers, run them along under the abdomen on the side toward you front to back and back to front. This stimulates the abdominal muscles to contract and strengthen, aiding the back to support the rider.

>While standing at the horse’s flank, take the tail in one hand and put the other hand on the horse’s back. Get into your center. Breathing, slowly pull the horse’s tail toward you, then release; repeat 10 times.

>Go to the horse’s other side and repeat these 3 releasing exercises, starting with the tail stretch, then abdominal stimulating, then neck.

TIPS FOR OLDER SCHOOL HORSES, ESPECIALLY MARES: Most mares seem to prefer being mounted initially from a mounting block (until they have warmed up under saddle and then it doesn’t seem to matter). >Most mares, especially the older ones, prefer warming up slowly under saddle, at the walk; you will feel them let you know when they are ready to trot, and from there, they usually require no further special treatment.

BOTTOM LINE: These horses are mainly being schooled for use by adult riders who do not as a rule have a huge amount of confidence. They are mostly beginner riders or wanting to upgrade their skills. All these riders are taught groundwork techniques. I want to be as sure as possible that from saying “hello” to the horse, to grooming, tacking, groundwork, and finally to riding, the student will have as positive an experience as possible. And the horse will too. And so will we!