Trainers Pen

Maintaining a Calm Horse

 

Keep Your Horse Grounded

 

Mounted Shooting or any timed speed event can be hard on your horse’s mental well-being, so it’s important to take all the necessary precautions to ensure your horse does not become difficult or hard to handle in the shooting arena.

 

Our horses are very smart, they know their job, and some anxiety can be expected.  But you must know your horse.  Take the right precautions to ensure you always have a willing and good-minded mount as a partner. A good-minded, calm horse will perform better because he’s more focused on the task at hand. And a more focused horse is one who will listen better and in turn run a better pattern.

 

Know your horse, and his personality. Some horses are great at multi-tasking. Many shooting horses have careers in other disciplines such as roping, barrel racing, and team penning. This variety can be very beneficial and refreshing for your horse, but if he’s having problems with anxiety, you may want to delay your next barrel race! Know what your horse can handle, and don’t let problems from one discipline sneak into their mounted shooting career. Always do what is best for your horse.

 

It’s All Foundation.
It is very important that your horse has a satisfactory foundation in mounted shooting. A shooting horse should be able to trot and slow lope patterns before he is ever asked to run one at full speed. A horse that has been rushed into the sport, and only ever been run at full speed, will only know that one speed–and that can contribute to anxiety. Running an unseasoned horse at full speed can also create a horse that tends to ‘lunge’ when a rider tries to reduce his speed; this is because of the horse’s unwillingness to slow down.

 

Slowly build your speed up in your horse’s training at stages you know your horse is able to handle. When you start your horse for mounted shooting, you are laying a foundation for the rest of his career, so be sure to spend the extra time building a solid and calm horse.  Just remember the old cowboy saying: ‘He who has the most patience makes the best horse trainer!’

 

The Benefits of a Slow Warm-up.
A slow warm-up is essential in keeping your mounted shooting horse calm.  Make sure you allow enough time to sufficiently warm-up. Get to know your horse’s personality and learn what length warm-up works best for your horse. Many anxiety problems can be totally avoided or reduced with a thorough warm-up.

 

Take my two main shooting horses. The old veteran, Handsome, needs a different warm-up than my younger horse Silver Cat.  Handsome is very placid and knows his job well. He requires a lot of long trotting to save the wear on his joints, then a brief lope in either direction. I want him warm, but not tired.  Silver Cat has been shooting for about a year. He is young, energetic, and a novice at shooting. He requires a much longer warm-up, which includes a lot of loping. I stop him, back him up and make sure he is concentrating on me. I want him tired and calm, reducing the chance of heightened anxiety in competition.

 

Keep your warm-up relaxed. If you take your horse to the arena and immediately take off at a fast lope, the horse can become anxious; the next time he goes to the arena, he will anticipate a speedy departure. Take the time to walk your horse, whether at home or in a warm-up pen at a competition. Again: give yourself plenty of warm-up time and don’t rush.

 

Make your horse stand still before you mount, and insist he remain standing until you are ready to depart. Soon after mounting, you can take the time to bend and flex your horse at the poll in both directions, keeping the horse soft and supple. After flexing, walk and long trot in both directions before you ask your horse to lope. Be sure to warm up in both directions to keep your horse evenly flexed.

 

A nice slow warm-up like this ensures your horse does not get panicky approaching the arena. Not only is this beneficial for your horse’s mental well-being, it is also much better for him physically.

 

Changing It Up, Calming It Down.
At home, the same thing applies–alternate your speed when your practice. Continuously running at full speed, pattern after pattern, on an anxious horse, will only create more anxiety. Be sure to include some slow patterns in your practice.

 

Running a touch off full speed at home is also very beneficial to your own training. At a slower speed you are able to take the time to think thoroughly about what you are doing, and what technical changes you need to be making. Typically, a competitive run requires rider instinct and reaction. It is training at home which will program your mind to react correctly.

 

Also, run half patterns when practicing at home. Try shooting your first five, then turn the rundown barrel, bring your horse to a halt, require him to back up a few steps, then make him calmly walk the rundown balloons (without shooting them). Or try dry-firing through the same pattern continuously, two or three times in a row, teaching your horse not to feel rushed as he heads home to the timing line. Don’t be afraid to break your patterns up at home; that’s a luxury you won’t have in competition.

 

At home, you also have the benefit of taking your time before departing to engage a course of fire. Walk your horse in a few small warm up circles, and then trot a few circles, before you ask your horse to lope. If he is acting anxious do not let your horse cross the timing line until he is in a relaxed state of mind. If this takes loping extra circles, then do it. This ensures your horse approaches a pattern in a calm state of mind, and listening to you.

 

When I have a novice shooting horse at home who is showing some anxiety before crossing the timing line, I may walk, trot, and lope the horse in circles at that end of the arena, like I was about to engage the course. I warm the horse up thoroughly on this circle. Once I have finished loping multiple circles one direction, I change directions and lope the other way. I stop the horse, back up, and then dismount and finish my workout. A horse should be relaxed and be able to lope nice calm circles in any part of the arena, including the starting line!

 

Try some slow, “non-shooting” practice days. This teaches your horse that he does not have to run at full speed every time he hits the arena. Try changing your horse’s bridle into a plain snaffle for this exercise.  Go back to basics, and work on your horse’s turns. Trot through patterns, make loops through cones and around patterns, and emphasize that the arena is a calm environment where his attention is required.

 

Taking It To the Trail.
Outside riding is just as important as your work in the arena. Do it on a weekly basis. Again, you don’t want to ride your horse only at full-speed and shooting. Let your horse relax, and let his mind take a break from timed events.

 

You can work on all your arena exercises out on the trail. Find trees or other objects, and use them to work on your flexion as you would a barrel turn. Use fence posts to dry-fire practicing your technique.

 

Many years ago, when I was a novice shooter, I was not confident in a cross-shot rundown. I knew I needed to feel comfortable in that shooting position, so I took a .45 pistol with some ‘snap-caps’ and headed out on the trail everyday. I rode the 300-acre pasture, clicking through at the fence posts practicing my cross-shot technique. This it kept my horse’s mind fresh, while allowing me to work on my shooting.

 

Finally, always be sure your horse is sound and healthy, and always be sure your tack is in good working order and suitable for your horse. A horse that is hurting or uncomfortable will not be able to perform at its best.  If you are unsure of your horse’s physical condition, seek advice from a more experienced rider or veterinarian.

 

Bottom line: don’t rush your horse.  Short cuts in your training will appear in your competitive runs. Take your time and give your horse a solid foundation, which will make your shooting career enjoyable and most importantly safe.

 

Know your horse and know what it takes to keep him calm, and focused on his job.

 

Remember—it’s not practice that makes perfect…It’s perfect practice that makes perfect.

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