Update on bosal question

[threedogpack]

@Bluey;6394235

A great way to learn the feel of what you are doing is to ride a horse someone has trained and under their guidance.
Don’t you have some reining/cutting trainer or some other that may know and give you a lesson on a suitable horse?

nope :no:

I had inquired around earlier this year for trainers who do reining or cow work of .some. sort but apparently this is exclusively pleasure horse country (both AQHA show and general trail riding) with a little barrel racing thrown in

I feel that when we work on our own is a bit like reinventing the wheel, when it is sooooo easy to follow behind someone that already learned, horse and teacher.

it’s also much easier to have someone on the ground who can just watch and not have to multi task (handle new equipment, horse and pay attention to my legs/seat/hands). I’ve had 3 people watch her/me now and as I pointed out to Tamara, this mare is mostly compliant, but when she can’t figure something out she just quits trying. All 3 of them told me I was being too nice to her, and since I trust them (they think mostly like I do), I tried being tougher on her…and it started a downward spiral each time. She would get upset, turn off her brain and start with practically screaming in body language “I don’t know what you want!!!” Evading me, trying to run off, threatening to come off the ground, being so tense that when I asked something I got jumps forward, not a smooth transition. That was when I made the decision to go to a bosal and try that, which was an immediate and noticeable difference.

In the end, the hackamore is not really that fine a tool to ride with or train, it is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t beat a snaffle for the more refined training.
It is good for a horse you have to stay off their mouth, injured or a colt with new teeth coming in, or when you are riding and working, but not exactly concentrating on training only.

it’s made a world of difference for my mare, she understands the bosal for stopping, which is what I always start with. A horse has to go and stop before I do anything more complicated with them.

[threedogpack]

I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who has contributed. I’m listening, really I am, and I will try what you suggest. I may modify it a bit for this particular horse but I’m open to trying lots of different things.

[Bluey]

You may also consider that, the more years you have been using any one tool to communicate, the better you will get.

Since you are rather new to training and to hackamore use, your horse will resist when you are not clear.
That is expected at times no matter how good you are, it sure is if you are a bit less than clear.

Don’t fret, just don’t repeat what is not working, keep trying to find a way to get responses with minimal reactions from your horse.

A good trainer doesn’t handle each colt the same, adjusts to what works and you can do the same, but understand that you won’t be very smooth until you become more experienced.

An eye on the ground helping you is great, but also don’t let them demand perfection, there is going to be the occasional rough spot, don’t feel handicapped by that if the results end up good, just don’t repeat what you do if it doesn’t work, that is important when training.

Keep your weight in the middle, don’t fall to the inside and handicap the horse’s turning.
That is at times the problem with a very sensitive horse.

[SwampYankee]

[QUOTE=lisae;6384061]
Can someone point me to the original thread, or it’s title? I am thinking of going this route with my aged TWH who likes to GO! We had a heck of wrangle this weekend as I didn’t want to be in his mouth (French link snaffle bit) but he wasn’t listening. We finally agreed he could go as fast as he wanted to as long as it was at the walk. And that was still pretty fast. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]

FRENCH link? You’re lucky an old TWH doesn’t run you off a cliff in one of those! My old guy would just say “BwaaahaaahaaahaHAAAA!” and have his way with me; almost all of them were trained in shank bits, and I don’t mean small ones, by the age of four so don’t fight city hall–you need to use a curb to communicate, balance, and be safe if they come from the traditional Southern background.