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CHAPTER 4

catching and releasing

How you catch and release your horse is very important. If your horse does not come willingly to you in the field, then he will not work free over an obstacle course. Horse Agility is like building a beautiful house. You know the finished product will be fantastic because the architect has drawn it for you, but the foundation is almost more

important than anything else, because if it isn’t strong, the house will not stay up. As soon as you put a halter and rope on the horse you have taken away the horse’s main means of defense, which is to run away. Be aware of the enormous responsibility this puts on you as the handler—your horse needs to trust that you will look after him. That trust shows itself when the horse chooses to stay with you, even after you’ve taken the lead rope off.

Note: Do not skip this section on how to catch your horse.

You may well be able to go out into the paddock and catch your horse easily. But here’s a clue: Why do you need to catch your horse? You should go to the stall or paddock to simply pick up your horse to go out to play. We need to alter the way we describe the action to help us change the process. The ultimate “picking up your horse” routine is for the horse to come over to you as soon as you arrive (fig. 4.1)! This is what you are aiming for. It is not a dream: This chapter helps you build the skills you need into your horse handling habits, so that one day you can sit on the gate and your horse will come when you call. How easy would that be?

Why “Catching” Is a Bad Idea

A major mistake in horse handling is when people try to catch the horse. If the horse is happy with your company and enjoys his life with you, why should you have to catch him? He is not a wild animal. We do not catch our dog in the morning to take him out: He actively asks to go out with us (in most cases). With this in mind, it’s a good idea to visit your horse sometimes just to be with him—don’t always turn up with the intention of doing something to him. Think of it as what we do with our dogs: We share our space without constantly interacting with them.

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fig. 4.1

4.1 Secret willingly comes to me when I ask her.

You must ask yourself why a horse may not want to be with you. All domestic horses should have a pleasant feeling about people—a horse should think that people make him feel good by scratching him, bringing food and providing entertainment.

Horses that can’t be caught have unpleasant associations with people. They may have been worked too hard with no reward, or they don’t like the noise and aggression that some people bring with them. (Of course, it can also be as simple as the horse not understanding that he is supposed to stand still while the halter is put on his head, which is why you might think he doesn’t want to be caught.)

Inviting the Horse to Come to You

To teach a horse to come to you, don’t start in a 20-acre field. Once the horse realizes that you can’t run as fast as he can, he’s got the advantage in such a big space. Use a stall, small yard or paddock in the beginning.

The first thing you want your horse to do is face you. This shows he’s happy to be with you—and his front end is far safer than his kicking end! So whenever you approach the horse he should look at you with two ears and

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fig. 4.2 a

fig. 4.2 b

fig. 4.2 c

fig. 4.2 d

4.2 A–D Secret is eating, so when I call her name and she doesn’t respond, I clap my hands to get her attention (A). Secret responds by turning towards me, and I soften, offer the back of my hand and slightly turn away (B). Secret continues to turn and relaxes her jaw, stretching her tongue out (C), just before she comes to me (D).

two eyes. This is called “facing up.” If he turns away, call his name, shuffle your feet, scuff the ground, make swishing noises, stamp your feet, raise your arms. Build the pressure from a shuffle to a stamp until he looks at you, and when he does, instantly drop your shoulders, look down, be “soft,” turn away and take the pressure off. After a few more goes, he will learn to turn and face you whenever you ask him. At the beginning, just give him a rub on the face and go away. If you always catch him to work him, he may not be quite so keen to be with you next time.

This exercise isn’t 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!