The Durned Horse Won't Wear A Saddle!
Well...he has a reason for it. It was the first time that humans broke his trust (involving a very ill fitting saddle and trying to get on him the first time he ever saw a saddle) and for a wild horse in human society an unshakable trust is the best foundation he could hope for. I don't think he remembers why he doesn't want the saddle on him but he does associate the saddle with negative emotions.
I had a friend of mine who is a fan of a popular clinician and a fairly accomplished horsewoman offer to roundpen Shazaam into accepting the saddle. She offered only after seeing me fail, week after week to get him to calmly stand for saddling. My approach then is the same as it still is: exposing him to the saddle in tiny increments and ensuring that each tiny step is accepted as No Big Deal on his part. Since my friend has gotten every horse she started to accept the saddle in a single day, no doubt my inching along was almost painful for her to watch. So I let her try it her way. To make a long story short, she used his legs and lungs to get to his brain and after an hour of running and sweating he was content to stand for saddling and took it pretty well- in fact she got the saddle on and cinched 3 times. I was pleased.
I got out the next day to repeat the process with her watching and, I'd offer him to come in and he would but upon picking up the saddle, he'd go back out to the rail for more work. This went on for over an hour- him choosing more work over wearing a saddle. It was apparent to me then that my horse was very fit and if I wanted him to accept a saddle I would have to continue to try to gain his cooperation versus trying to dominate him into the task. Live & learn I guess.
So I went back to saddling him on lead and allowing him to move forward when he felt he couldn't stand still any longer. He's a bit of a claustrophobe and moving helps him do something with his anxiety. Keeping his nose turned in I started asking for him to do other tasks not involved with saddling like yielding his hind end and then offering a chance to stand still and when he took it, I removed the saddle. We did this dance until I could put the saddle on him without him moving off, he could remain standing for 2 seconds while I removed my hands from the saddle to pet his neck and then removed the saddle.
This is our new starting point! To get him to stand still and relaxed with the saddle on, increasing the time he wears the saddle one second at a time if necessary. I am not quiet with the saddle and try to be natural about putting it on and taking it off. After I work through getting him to stand quietly for cinching the rest will be a breeze because interestingly enough, wearing the saddle cinched and moving at a WTC does not bother him but putting it on is the main issue.
I know it's slow going- painfully slow maybe- but we'll get there through patience and consistancy. Can't wait to post a picture of him saddled...
I had a friend of mine who is a fan of a popular clinician and a fairly accomplished horsewoman offer to roundpen Shazaam into accepting the saddle. She offered only after seeing me fail, week after week to get him to calmly stand for saddling. My approach then is the same as it still is: exposing him to the saddle in tiny increments and ensuring that each tiny step is accepted as No Big Deal on his part. Since my friend has gotten every horse she started to accept the saddle in a single day, no doubt my inching along was almost painful for her to watch. So I let her try it her way. To make a long story short, she used his legs and lungs to get to his brain and after an hour of running and sweating he was content to stand for saddling and took it pretty well- in fact she got the saddle on and cinched 3 times. I was pleased.
I got out the next day to repeat the process with her watching and, I'd offer him to come in and he would but upon picking up the saddle, he'd go back out to the rail for more work. This went on for over an hour- him choosing more work over wearing a saddle. It was apparent to me then that my horse was very fit and if I wanted him to accept a saddle I would have to continue to try to gain his cooperation versus trying to dominate him into the task. Live & learn I guess.
So I went back to saddling him on lead and allowing him to move forward when he felt he couldn't stand still any longer. He's a bit of a claustrophobe and moving helps him do something with his anxiety. Keeping his nose turned in I started asking for him to do other tasks not involved with saddling like yielding his hind end and then offering a chance to stand still and when he took it, I removed the saddle. We did this dance until I could put the saddle on him without him moving off, he could remain standing for 2 seconds while I removed my hands from the saddle to pet his neck and then removed the saddle.
This is our new starting point! To get him to stand still and relaxed with the saddle on, increasing the time he wears the saddle one second at a time if necessary. I am not quiet with the saddle and try to be natural about putting it on and taking it off. After I work through getting him to stand quietly for cinching the rest will be a breeze because interestingly enough, wearing the saddle cinched and moving at a WTC does not bother him but putting it on is the main issue.
I know it's slow going- painfully slow maybe- but we'll get there through patience and consistancy. Can't wait to post a picture of him saddled...
posted by borderbratz | 9:50 PM
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