A Little Background
Vego (Thoroughbred/Percheron gelding) is about 2 years old. I have spent many hours doing ground work with him. He knows how to move away from pressure, lounge, back up, jump over logs, etc. When I bought Vego he was 4 months old and had never been touched by humans. So, I spent a significant amount of time getting to know him and of course on groundwork. In additions I spent a portion of every training session getting him used to loud sounds, plastic bags, walking over tarps, crossing water, crazy humans jumping up and down beside him and of course wearing a saddle. About 2 weeks before I decided to ride Vego I did two things. First, I would have him wear a saddle during each training session. After his session was over, I would put him in a round pen and leave him there with the saddle on while I worked with other horses.
Second, Vego did all of his training sessions with a hackamore. I used a regular rope hackamore, not a mechanical hackamore. I made sure that I could use the hackamore to flex his head to either side and have him stop and touch his girth. I also made sure I could yield his hind quarters with leg pressure behind the girth and then flex his head and have him come to a stop. This is a technique the Clinton Anderson, John Lyons and many other Natural Horsemanship practitioners use to get a horse to become more flexible and to stop during the early stages of training. The main goal was to make sure I could stop Vego if all hell broke loose. Remember, Vego and I had been preparing for this day for some time and I felt that Vego was ready. If I had concerns about riding him, I would have continued the groundwork until he was ready for the first ride.
I remember the second time I saddled Vego
The first time I saddled Vego was very uneventful. I saddled him up in the round pen, lounged him around and he was OK with it. No bucking, no rolling, it was like this was old news and he could care less. However, the second time I saddled him was a little bit more exciting. I saddled him up as usual and I walked him to the center of the arena. I then lounged him in a circle and immediately he began to buck. He was going to kick that saddle off! His font legs went into the air followed by his back legs with a big kick to the rear. Wow, this horse really could get into the air. He kicked a few more time and that was it. He has never tried to kick the saddle of again. One of the reasons that Vego was so good about letting me saddle him was because of all the groundwork that went into him in the beginning. This not only included the groundwork that took place during our regular training session but the little 5 minute exercises that we did during feeding and any other time I had, well, 5 minutes (More 5 Minute Training Exercises http://www.trainingthehorse.com/?cat=16).
Ready to ride
For our first ride I just wanted Vego to walk, trot, turn and stop in the round pen. I would provide leg queues and use the hackamore to direct his nose and bring him to a stop. But, for the most part the commands came from my wife, Rachael. So here is what we did. When mounting the horse I would stand up in one stirrup and stop. I would then pet Vego, slap the stirrup leathers and make some noise while keeping his nose tilted towards me. I would then step down and pet Vego. I did this a few times in order to make sure he was not worried about me being above him. I did this from both sides of the horse. Next, I stepped up in the stirrup and swung my other leg over the saddle. I sat there for a few minutes flexing his head to the left and right. Vego was doing such a great job. I would also pet Vego and let him know he was doing a good job.
Next, I had Rachael direct him around the arena. She would send him off in one direction and then ask him to do an inside turn and go in the other direction. We would also ask him to stop frequently to make sure we had control of his feet. When we (Rachael Vego and I) were comfortable with the walk, Rachael asked Vego to trot. Vego would trot about half way around the round pen and Rachael would ask him to turn the other direction. We would also have him stop regularly by yielding the hind quarters and then flexing his head to the inside. Vego did not buck, he was not frightened and did a great job that day. We worked in the round pen for about 30 minutes and called it a day.
Why did it go so well?
Vego and I have developed a good relationship with each other over the 2 years that I have had him. This is due to a few key factors. First, we have done hours of groundwork. Second, I have never hurt Vego. He trusts me and knows that I will not put him into a bad situation. Third, I just spend time with the horse. I will frequently go out to the field for nothing else but to pet him, give him and apple or just sit on the fence and watch him. When I sit on the fence in the corner of the field he will come up to me and let me pet him. I will pull him closer and have him put his head on my lap and hug his head and pet his face. He will frequently fall asleep when I do this.
So, now we move on to his 2nd and 3rd ride.
Todd Mera
Todd Mera is a Biochemist that has always had a love for horses. Todd started training horses in his 30s. He has worked with and trained many horse starting from birth and older problem horses.
http://www.EverythingEquus.com
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