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CHAPTER 2

general equipment

You are the most important piece of equipment in the sport of Horse Agility! However, you do need to learn to use some tack and training aids to ensure your safety. Always use your common sense around horses (that is, old-fashioned gut instinct) and avoid doing anything you don’t feel confident about. When you understand horses and the rules by which they play, handling them on the ground not only becomes safe, it actually becomes enjoyable for everyone—including the horse.

Helmet

Whether you wear a safety helmet or hat or not when doing Horse Agility is something you should consider carefully. Your choice will depend on a number of things:

• How well trained is the horse? If he is in the early days of his training he may still be working on a lead rope, thus close to you, which means he could push you over or hit you on the head with his head.

• How well trained is the handler? Do you know how to keep the horse at a safe distance? Are you very young or older?

I always wear a safety helmet when riding, but I only wear one when I’m working on the ground if I don’t know the horse, or I know he needs a bit more training. I believe that once the horse is trained and understands the rules a helmet becomes superfluous: Horse Agility is no more dangerous than Dog Agility when done properly.

Boots and Gloves

Early in training, wear suitable footwear such as strong boots for protection if the horse treads on you. When the horse is trained to higher levels, you should be able to get by with sneakers (trainers). I always wear gloves when working with a lead rope: Should the horse decide to “leave” you, then he can’t burn half the skin off your hands with the lead rope (fig. 2.1 and see p. 9 for more about lead ropes).

fig. 2.1

2.1 This handler is properly outfitted with suitable safety gear, including a helmet, gloves, sturdy shoes, and a long lead rope.

Tack

No matter how much tack you use, it is only as good as the person using it, so be knowledgeable. Ask yourself:

•. Is it right for your horse?

• Do you have the skills to use it?

• Is the item or gadget really necessary or just a shortcut that will only mask a problem—not cure it?

Halter and Lead Rope

Most horses are perfectly safe and happy in a flat nylon or leather halter (headcollar), but occasionally you may need to resort to something stronger, such as a rope halter or a “pressure” control halter, for retraining purposes (figs. 2.2 a–d). These “stronger” halters are designed to get the horse to listen to you and to know there are signals being conveyed to him through the rope that he needs to respond to. Once he’s been trained (or retrained), use a flat nylon or leather version before moving on to nothing

fig. 2.2 a

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fig. 2.2 b

fig.2.2 c

fig. 2.2 d

2.2 A–D There are several headstall (headcollar) options when first training (or retraining) a horse prior to working him free. Most horses are safe and happy in a plain leather or flat nylon halter (A). When transitioning from a headstall to nothing at all, you can first use a rope round the neck (B), and if you need more control during early work, you can us a rope halter (C), or a patented “control” halter (D) before moving on to a plain leather one.

fig. 2.3

2.3 You need to use a longer lead rope than you might be used to—ideally around 10 feet (2.5 meters) in length (see fig. 2.2 a). A longe line, as shown here, is too much line to work with and a safety hazard.

at all. If you rely on the halter rather than communication to control your horse, it is unlikely that you will ever be able to work him free.

You also need a longer lead rope than you may be used to: You need to create a safe distance between you and your horse so that you both have room to work. A rope at least 10 feet (2.5 meters) long is sufficient for training (see fig. 2.2 A). A normal longe line is too long because it can become wrapped around your feet; anything less than 10 feet isn’t long enough to allow the horse to move freely (fig. 2.3).

Other Horse Equipment

When training, the horse can wear a blanket (rug) or sheet to protect him from the elements and pests, if necessary. In some cases, protective leg boots or wraps may be desirable.

Training Area

Access to a round pen or similar area not

fig. 2.4 a

fig. 2.4 b

2.4 A & B Your ideal training space is enclosed with safe footing. It is helpful to have a small round pen when starting out (A), although small paddocks or taped-off sections of larger stable areas can work just as well (B).

more than 20 feet (about 6 meters) square for some of the training is most useful, but it is also possible to make a work area by using electric fence tape or jumps to divide an arena into a smaller space (figs. 2.4 A & B).

As you become more confident you will need a larger space to practice in, such as a paddock or full-size arena. Just make certain it is enclosed—you don’t want your horse to run off because it would take some running to keep up with him! A non-slip surface is really important for you and the horse; concrete or slippery grass is not suitable, but dry grass is ideal. You just need to make sure that the footing is safe.

Obstacles for Getting Started

To start your Horse Agility training, you need the following items:

Cones

Cones are useful for all sorts of obstacle building and can be of any design—from small ones, such as those used in sports (and that do not pose a trip hazard) to full-size, traffic-safety cones. Be aware that “liberating” the latter from public roads is theft and could lead to someone getting injured when the cones are not “doing their job.”

You can (legally) purchase cones (I advise acquiring five of them) on the Internet or from stores that sell building supplies.

Tarpaulin, Plastic Sheet, or Carpet

This obstacle can be made of any material you can lay out on the ground for the horse to walk over. You may need to weight it down in windy weather, and for this I suggest two wooden ground poles arranged opposite each other. Tarps, plastic, or carpet that contain holes are not suitable because the horse can catch his leg or hook his shoe in loose fibers, causing the material to become attached to him.

Hula Hoops

These have multiple uses but are mainly for teaching your horse how to “park” in one spot—and for helping you keep your feet still. Hoops can be purchased or made out of old water pipe, and should measure about 3 feet (1 meter) in diameter. They are best when the join in the hoop can come apart should a horse get the hoop wrapped round his legs (yes, this has happened!). You will need two of them.

Ball

The ball you use for agility can be any size. I have balls that range from 4 feet high to a normal-sized soccer ball, but there are many exercise and beach balls in innumerable

colors and sizes that are perfectly suitable. My advice: Don’t spend a lot on one unless it’s designed specifically for horse use, because they tend to get squashed by horses pretty quickly.

Poles

Having a number of poles on hand for creating jumps and “labyrinths” is a must. I use half-round fencing rails when building a flat maze or corridor because they don’t roll, or you can wedge sand under them for stability. You don’t need to spend a lot of money here—I actually make poles out of tall saplings that grow locally. (They don’t last forever but when they fall apart they can be used for firewood!)

Eight poles will give you many design options, allowing you to give your horse something to think about as he negotiates them. You can place the poles on the ground or lift them up at one end (or both) to make a number of patterns to steer the horse through. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• One pole can be walked over, jumped over, backed over or side-passed along.

• Two poles laid parallel like a corridor can be backed through.

• Four poles can be laid out in an “L” shape to walk or back through.

• Five poles can make a “T” to walk into, then reverse out.

• Six poles make an “S” bend as described in chapter 12 (p. 126).

• Eight poles can make a zig-zag “W” shape.

• Any number of poles can be lifted at one end onto a tire or block to create a fan shape (p. 126). They can also be laid out parallel to each other at varying distances to encourage to horse to look and walk carefully; then one end of each pole can be lifted up in an alternating pattern.

Are you beginning to get the idea? Poles are great fun and very educational! All these patterns can be walked through or over and are designed to get your horse to think about where he’s putting his feet. Give him time to work it out. He may be hesitant and put his nose right down on the ground for a better look. Start with simple ground-level patterns, then as your horse becomes more educated, you can make them more challenging.

Renowned horse trainer and animal behaviorist Linda Tellington-Jones has long used ground poles set in a “labyrinth” formation to help horses focus and pay attention to their handler. The exercise also improves the horse’s balance, patience and self-control, while actively engaging them in an activity that makes them “think.” You can find out more about Linda’s groundwork exercises in her book The

fig. 2.5 a

fig. 2.5 b

fig. 2.5 c

fig. 2.5 d

fig. 2.5 e

2.5 A–E You need the following basic equipment to begin agility training: five cones (A); a tarpaulin, plastic sheet or piece of carpet (B); two hula hoops (C); a ball (D); and eight poles that you can arrange in various configurations on the ground or in jumps (E).

Ultimate Horse Behavior and Training Book (www. horseandriderbooks .com) and on her website (www.ttouch.com).

As you can see, the beauty of Horse Agility obstacles is that in early training, the tools and items needed can fit very easily into an ordinary vehicle. So “play sessions” with a few friends are easy to organize.

Equipment You Won’t Need

Whip, Stick or Treats

None of the horses in this book was motivated to perform using a whip, stick or treats. Often people turn up at a Horse Agility training session with a whip in one hand and a pile of treats in the other. I immediately dispense with both because the handler is going to be far too busy communicating with the horse to have time to use them.

A whip is entirely unnecessary when training any animal. If the handlers in Dog Agility hit or intimidated their dog when he hesitated at an obstacle, there would be an outcry (and not only from the dog).

Unfortunately, this habit is seen as quite acceptable in the horse world. If horses yelped like dogs when struck, use of a whip or stick would have been banned from riding arenas years ago. A trainer may very occasionally use a straight stick as an “extension of her arm” when handling horses that might kick, or to guide a horse through an obstacle from a distance. But once the horse understands the trainer’s arm signals, such an “arm extension” is not necessary.

Two of my horses were extremely dangerous around food when they came to me—biting, pushing and attacking any horse or human who got in their way. They had been trained to do this inadvertently by the people who raised them. Wild horses do not behave like this because food is always available in one form or another, and even when it’s in short supply, they just graze farther apart from each other to find it.

It took me some time to train this behavior out of these two horses. I just ignored it and instead rewarded any quiet “soft” moments they offered when around food. Another option is Clicker Training.

Clicker Training to Correct

Food-Related Misbehavior

I experimented very successfully with Equine Clicker Training with one of the ponies—Fudge. He simply took it into his head that he would just run away when he felt like grass was more enticing than Horse Agility—and it became a habit. It was too easy for him to leave without a moment’s notice, run as far away as he could, and eat until someone retrieved him. This began when he was working free, then when he was put back on the lead rope to rectify the situation, he would pull the rope out of his handler’s hands and leave—and all because he found that he could!

Since food was his motivation for action, I figured I had better find out how to use it to our (my own as well as other handler’s) advantage. Ben Hart, a clicker trainer, came out for one morning and helped with the all-important timing of “click” and “reward,” and after two training sessions with Fudge, the habit was broken. He no longer left nor did we have to use the clicker again. I may have been able to break his pattern of misbehavior by being hard on him, but I preferred this way, and I think he did too.

Always I ask myself ‘Why isn’t the horse doing what I ask?’ What is missing in our relationship if he leaves me when I take the lead rope off? I want him to work with me because I am a safe and trustworthy companion, not because I feed him treats or cause him to be frightened of what might happen if he leaves.

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