MATT MILLS: Hi, I'm Team SmartPak rider Matt Mills.
And on this episode of Ask a Trainer,
I'm gonna be going over Josephine Hunt's question.
She says her horse Shasta Rose has always done excellent
in lunging but the last year she's been trying
to lunge her horse and it crowds her and will not
move or back off and wondering if I had any tips
besides practicing that I could do to fix that.
That's tough without seeing,
but what I would say you know it's always
it's a pressure release thing so your horse is obviously —
it's not if it's not wanting to back away,
you're not put enough pressure on it to make it want to move
away or do something different.
I want you to go in a round pen if you can,
just to start this off because it's a little
safer environment.
I've got Champ here I'm going to put him
on a lunge line.
He doesn't really want to try to crowd me but I'm
just going to tell you what I would do
if if he did. OK, Josephine. Here you go.
I'm going to use Champ here.
Doesn't really have that issue but I'm
going to try to use him as an example for you.
You've really got to make yourself become
you know kind of scary, imposing basically something —
you know basically kind of a form of pressure
that he wants to get away from.
So you may need to pick up your lunge whip,
maybe the end of the rope is enough.
And actually I think for this guy I think
the end of the rope is enough but when your
horse goes to want to crowd you —
when your horse goes to want to crowd you,
I want you to make yourself real scary.
Come at him, maybe kiss, make some noise.
Soon as that horse moves away,
go ahead and back off that pressure.
Now if you have a flag or a whip,
lunge whip that's really not going to hurt that horse at all,
if you're putting pressure on that horse
and that horse is continuing to come at
you that's a big problem.
I would take that flag and make noise.
I might smack that horse on the shoulder or on the neck
and try to get them to move away,
and as soon as they do, I release that pressure.
Now I'd expect the first day since your horse
is in a habit of doing this,
you're going to have to work a lot so be prepared.
You're probably going to get sweaty and be wet you know be.
You know if you get out of breath whatever take
a breath or take a take a break and then do it again.
But just maintain this policy where you know
whatever length that rope is that horse should stay out
there stay at the end of it. If he ventures in I come at him,
make noise. As soon as he moves away,
I release.
Not really worried if he goes to run off initially,
which is part of why I have you in the round pen —
why I have you in the round pen.
When you first go and make this move,
if you do it the way you're supposed to,
if that horse truly is trying to crowd
you like what I think it's doing —
I haven't seen it but I just what I'm what you've described —
it's going to probably get startled and want to run.
It is like “whoa what are you doing now?”
And if we weren't in a round pen you could get
in a position where maybe you couldn't hold
onto that that rope.
I don't know how good your horse lunges in here
we've got some walls where if he goes out there those
walls are gonna stop him.
So I would start off right here in a round pen
of any size or small area,
and just get that horse to where that if you go to it like that,
that it will move away.
Soon as it moves away release that pressure.
And you're OK, buddy. Champ thinks he's in trouble.
You're not in trouble buddy.
But as soon as he moves away release that pressure.
Then just repeat it over and over and over again
and I'd come in this round pen and I would do this.
And even if you say well my horse is not really
charging me very much we know that it's not moving away.
You've told us that because it's crowding
you in the arena.
So at least in here you can work on exercise that getting
that horse to move away from pressure.
Maybe it's just a reminder sometimes horses need that.
That if you —
see I kind of hold my hand up towards his eye,
make myself a little bit real big not inviting at all.
He understands,
“oh here as the pressure move away.”
Now it's totally different if I walk up to him
like this with my hands down, I'm not a threat.
He realizes OK there's no pressure here.
He's coming in here to pet me, get on, or do whatever.
Once you have that horse working in the round pen
take it directly to the arena.
I wouldn't even worry about riding that horse
for a while until you fix this issue.
Go in there with your same tools be it your lunge whip,
your flag, your end of your lead rope.
I'm betting this horse is maybe a little lazy and you know
if you have a handy stick use that go out there
transfer the same process into the indoor arena.
And be ready if that horse goes to take off a little bit,
you know just kind of anticipate that,
because I think that's what could happen.
And then you know go ahead and you'll and you'll
work that horse accordingly after that happens.
Do that over and over and over again I'll guarantee
you that horse will figure out where
that line is and when they can cross it and when they can't.
But that's basically in a nutshell what I would do.
I would just draw an imaginary line in the sand —
literally in the sand —
and I would say OK you know Axl Rose or I think
that was the horse's name.
If you cross over this line I'm going to come
at you with a ton of pressure.
You know hopefully it's just making noise and doing
this if I have to I'll use that whip and get
you out of that zone as soon as you do I leave you alone.
That simple.
Do it over and over and over again til that horse
is comfortable and they understand,
“OK I stay out here. No big deal.” In the beginning,
they're not —
they're going to get a little rattled about it.
Takes time and takes practice.
Unfortunately what you asked is there
anything it doesn't take practice,
everything takes practice. I hope that helps ya.