We’ve all owned that horse, the one that would sit in the field doing nothing but swatting flies, eating, and turning oxygen into carbon dioxide, for a year or more. In truth, this could be a very good horse; IF I knew where to start the process of handling and reworking.
Actually, this is not too complicated. Start by trapping the horse. Sometimes, if the horse has been sitting on the grass for a long time, it tends to be evasive; enough to catch him is a task. Get some food or his favorite treats and try the old tricks of catching him for leftovers. If that doesn’t work, see if you can lure your grass buddy away and have him follow you to a pen small enough (round pen, barn, shed, or stable) to catch, then catch and stop. easily. If you haven’t been handled in quite some time (a year or more), take a refresher course on ground manners, tying up, and grooming. Treat it like you expect nothing less than the utmost respect, but treat it with care at the same time; don’t jump like you expect him to get scared and run like crazy, but be sure to watch his body language and see how he reacts when you handle him again.
Most horses, once trained, remember what they have been taught. They won’t magically forget it one day, but they still need a refresher course. After working through some basic manners, try throwing it around for a bit, and then call it a day. The next time you work it, do the same thing as the first time, and maybe push it a bit more this time. Add little by little to your training segments, making each session a little longer so you don’t overwhelm him by throwing everything at once. Another note to remember: if possible, when you return to work, try to train daily, but be sure to give yourself a full day off during the week. Even if you don’t have time for a full session every day, get him out of the pasture, groom him and take him for a short walk at the very least.
At this point, even spending time with him is just as important as working with him. If he was especially creepy or nervous when you started working with him and he still seems nervous after the first week, give him another week or two of grooming and handling until he’s psyched up on the job again and doesn’t suspect all you are. jumping on him. Don’t throw the saddle over his back the second day out of the field if he’s been nervous and nervous. That’s a surefire way to hurt yourself (or him) and scare him to the point where it makes your job harder. If he was particularly calm about the whole thing, after a week, feel free to saddle him up and try a few circuits around the sand, field, or pen and see how he feels getting back on the bike.
Some horses don’t care, while others think it’s time to take on that career as a rodeo horse! Keep calm and extend your driving hours. For the first week of riding, ride it one day and then the next; just do some lunges and general handling. The second week, do a light walk every day and then go from there, making him work a little harder and introducing something new each work week.
Remember to give him a day off each week, and even if you don’t have time to bike or launch that day, just give him a quick brush and scratch his favorite itchy spots!