MENTORING: ROUND PENNING
I hope you and your Mustang are well on your way to a "stable" relationship. If all has gone well, you are ready to enter the pen and begin training, along with the final taming process. The next steps will seem a contradiction to what you want to accomplish, but trust me, you are teaching your horse to make its own decision (the right one). He is rewarded for the correct response, and must exert more energy for the wrong. The choice is all up to him
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
A round pen or small holding pen. If not round, lay strong boards across corners and secure tightly.
A lariat, long lead rope, or just a 10' piece of rope.
YOUR GOAL
To teach your horse to stand still without using restraints.
To have your horse remain with you in the center of the pen.
Teaches horse that to remain with you earns it praise.to leave without your cue means working.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Before you enter the pen. Practice twirling the rope at your sides. Use a lot of wrist so the movement doesn't jar your whole body.
Twirl your rope until you don't fumble and don't need to think too much about it. Practive twirling the rope with both hands: holding coil in your left hand, twirl the free end with your right to move horse counter-clockwise
Holding coil in your right hand, twirl the free end with your left to move horse clockwise
Visualize an imaginary line running from you to the center of horses shoulder, this is called the DRIVE line.
Position yourself and twirl rope to the back of that line (behind horses shoulder) to send the horse forward.
Position yourself and twirl rope to the front of that line (in front of shoulder) to cause the horse to change
directions or back up. Twirling the rope directly at the line, the horse should turn away from you.
The rope does not hit the horse, but is twirled at your side to correspond with one of the points mentioned above.Take care not to get kicked, bumped, or knocked down!
Stopping of twirling, coiling up the rope and placing on your shoulder will signal STOP.
The offering of an extended hand will signal APPROACH.
Keep in mind: THERE ARE NO "MISTAKES" SO LONG AS YOU DON'T PUNISH THE HORSE FOR WHAT HE THINKS IS WHAT YOU WANT. YOUR ACTIONS SHOULD BE ANSWERED WITH THE HORSES RESPONSE.
Here we go! As you enter the pen your horse will flee to the far side and most likely start circling while looking for a place to escape. Stand in the center of the pen, talk in those reassuring tones and let him get used to your presence. After a couple of minutes start driving him forward, not fast, just constantly moving at a fast walk or a trot. Every time he starts hunting for a weak spot in the fence, or looking outside..drive him forward. You want his attention to focus on you. As he moves around the pen, you are watching for certain signs of communication from him. The first signal, that he is wondering what you want, will be from the ear closest to you. Watch for it to cock slightly backwardsimmediately take a step or two backwards, stand relaxed with your body leaning slightly backwards for a few seconds. The instant he takes that ear off you begin driving him again. REMEMBERevery time he takes his attention from you drive him forward with the intensity of his retreat. When he pays attention, relax and let him do the same. (S)
Now lets change the direction of his travel. Transfer rope into other hand and twirl it in front of your driving line. Stay clear because he will turn quickly, most likely into the fence swinging his rear end toward you, and may kick. Do not address that kick (it is out of fear), and it will take care of itself in most cases. Keep him moving the new direction in the same manner as before. Watch for that inside ear. (S)
Now start changing his direction of travel after he has circled 5-6 times. You are now telling him that you are calling the shots, and you will notice him paying closer attention soon. As long as the horse keeps moving stay assertive, NOT aggressive. After keeping him at a trot and intercepting his direction of travel several times you will start seeing more signs from him. He will actually start looking in at you either on the move or stopping. The more he thinks about you the faster the signs come..licking of the lips and the ducking of his neck down toward the ground and back up, are very good indications of his desire to stop all this nonsense. Very shortly expect and be prepared for the horse to stop and actually look at you (sort of a "what IS your problem" kind of look). IMMEIATELY take a few slow steps backwards, recoil your rope and hang it over your shoulder. even turn and walk away a few stepsPOINTconvey with your own body language that this is what you want, and let the horse rest for a minute or so. NOTE: THE FASTER YOU PICK UP ON YOUR HORSES SIGNS AND REACT BY RELEASING YOUR AGGRAVATION TO HIM, THE FASTER THIS LESSON WILL GO. Don't try to make it happen.let it happen by observing and learning from the horse. (S)
Now while you have his attention, extend your free hand out toward him, palm down and fingers softly curved under to resemble the muzzle of a horse. I call this the horse "hand shake". Start walking toward him, reassuringly talking. The minute he darts off or even just moves forward or backwards a step or two.start driving him with full intensity. From this point on your will find the stops more frequent. The horse should turn to face you and both ears and eyes focused on you. Each time he will let you get closer and closer until you actual find him reaching out to smell your extended hand. Several "good boy" or "thatagirl" comments, plus soft caressing of parts of the head and neck and you have about got him "hooked". (S)
Just remember to act quickly when he bounds away and even quicker when he responds correctly. Your final objective for this lesson is to get him to actually follow you to the center of the pen. This just happens in most cases. When he stops on the rails and turns to face you, you will see that he takes a few hesitant steps toward you.(S)
Go out to where he stops, praise and caress him. Always using your "hand shake" gesture when you approach him will be very useful when it comes to catching him later. Use it as a prelude to your approach, and before long you can stand in the center of the pen, gesture, and he will come right into the center with you. Once in the center with you is where you will get him use to quiet stimuli. At first just petting, caressing, rubbing, and scratching. They especially like their withers rubbed and scratched. Repeat everything you do on one side, on the other. Get the horse use to you fooling around with its halter by adjusting it to different holes (this will lead to actual removal and replacement in a later lesson).
(S) SIGNS ABOVE INDICATE PLACES FOR STOPPING IF ENTIRE LESSON IS TOO LONG FOR ONE SESSION.
REMEMBER
Always allow plenty of time for each session.
You must get to a positive point in the lesson before you quit for the day.
Each session should show progress.
Stay far enough away from your horse that a quick turn won't put you in jeopardy, Hind legs extend to awesome lengths when kicked out.
At first the horse will move fast, but this is not what you want, just movement, preferably a walk so as not to stress his legs in confined areas.
Know your lesson plan and your goal for each session before you enter the pen.
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