Re: RC: training question/tailing

["Glenda R. Snodgrass" <grs@TheNetEffect.com>]

> I've only known of one person who attempted to train his horse to do this
> on the flat and he honestly got a pair of double hoofprints on his chest.
> Keep him on a hill so he can't lighten them up so easy.

I'm pleased to say that I trained Lakota to tail _on_the_flat_ cuz there
ain't no hills down here ('cept the anthills), but then it helps a lot to
have a very lazy horse! LOL

I did it the loooong way by first doing lots of Parelli ground work, so I
could steer (sort of :)) Lakota with just the leadrope and waving my arms.
I worked with walking & trotting alongside him and gradually dropping back
farther & farther from his head (if your horse is trained to only go at
your shoulder, he'll be really confused at first).  After awhile, I could
walk at his side, holding the leadrope loosely in one hand, and drop all
the way back behind him, but off to one side, and keep him moving forward.
Then I grabbed his tail one day -- boy, was he surprised!  He turned his
head sideways to see what I was doing, but good boy kept walking along -- 
with his head turned around to me. :)  After awhile, I finally got him to
trot with me holding his tail, but that was a LOT more work -- I honestly
think he was afraid he'd kick me.  It definitely helped to be on a
well-defined trail, so he knew exactly where to go, and one without much
grass on it, so I didn't have to deal with him stopping to eat all the
time.

Now don't ask me WHY I taught him to tail, since the closest big hill is
several hundred miles from here, but it seemed like a good thing to work
on when he was recovering from injuries and we were waiting for the new
saddle to arrive. :)

Glenda & Lakota
Mobile, AL
AERC # M18819 & H27310
SE Region


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