The Horse Agility Handbook. Vanessa Bee

about catching the horse: It’s about the horse wanting to be with you. (Asking the horse to look round at you

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      fig. 4.3 a

      fig. 4.3 b

      fig. 4.3 c

      fig. 4.3 d

      4.3 A–D I do not have my halter and lead rope ready so Ricky decides to leave—note he is looking over his right shoulder and the ear on that side is flicked back (A). Ricky walks away, while I continue to fumble with the halter (B & C). So I go right back and start again, this time with my equipment ready (D).

      and be soft and relaxed is also the beginning of something called “lateral flexion” that you will learn the importance of later on—p. 62.)

      When the horse looks at you softly, you should be able to just walk straight up to him with the halter and slip it on, but if you can’t, it’s because he’s turned away or left you. When this happens, don’t chase him around, just get his attention as you did before. He has to learn to stand still “facing up” while you approach to put the halter on. When you start chasing him round the training area, you’re actually showing him that he can run away. You want to teach him that when you appear on the scene, wherever you are is a nice place to be (figs. 4.2 a-d).

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      Recognizing When the Horse

      Is Going to Move Away from You

      Horses show you that they don’t want to be with you with a number of simple signals. Learning to recognize these will help you convince them they don’t need to leave—before they actually run away:

      • First his eye looks back over his shoulder.

      • The ear on that same side flicks back.

      • His head begins to look away, the nose turns, and the shoulder steps out.

      • Then, the whole body follows.

      When you see that the horse is preparing to leave, just stop where you are (figs. 4.3 a-d). Look away, look down, be quiet and be without intention. This normally makes the horse think twice about stepping away, while if you keep the pressure on (keep approaching or calling), he may find it too much. (Note: Later on, I’ll explain how to steer the horse’s back end away so that his head stays facing you during this process—p. 89.)

      Approaching the Horse

      We humans behave like a predator when we look straight into a horse’s eyes as we approach to catch him. We square up our body to him and make a direct-line approach—all signals to the horse that we intend to eat him. (He has to learn that we will not!)

      1 Approach the horse in a half-circle, coming in at an angle to him. Try to avoid going to him straight on, unless he’s very comfortable about being caught. Remember, horses cannot see directly in front—there is about 6 feet (2 meters) of “blind spot”—so he cannot gauge who you are and may be surprised when you suddenly touch his head.

      2 Your eyes should be soft and not looking at the horse directly, and your movement should be smooth and quiet, but not “creepy.” A common mistake is made when a person who is trying to be quiet, actually ends up looking very predatory. Your shoulders should be down, eyes averted, and if in doubt about approaching from the front, then come in to the side of the horse near the neck and shoulder with the side of your body. Be soft!