By: Nikki Alvin Smith for Horizon Structures
The care, custody, and control responsibilities of working with horses usually includes handling the noble beasts in confined spaces. Daily duties often include leading the horses to and from pastures to the shelter of a stable or horse barn. Whatever the design or style of horse housing utilized, there are many opportunities for accidents to happen that can result in minor or major injuries to horse or human.
Accidents are defined as unexpected events that are not intended but that cause damage or injury. Horses are large, unpredictable creatures of flight so horse trainers/owners/handlers should truly learn to ‘expect the unexpected’ and be proactive in accident prevention.
Sadly, every year many injuries occur that could easily have been prevented with the use of a few simple training techniques for horse and handler. It is not just the neophyte horse owners or caregivers that cause preventable injuries. Often knowledgeable and experienced horse people are lulled into bad practices and become casual in their handling habits regarding their equine charges.
Remember, every time you’re in a horse’s presence, you’re teaching it something. Make sure it is something you want it to learn.
The practice of opening the pasture gate and allowing horses to move freely to their barn stalls either ‘en masse’ or individually may seem fun and be quicker to do than taking the time to halter the horses and lead them to the barn, but such actions can also result in horses becoming injured. Arguments can occur between horses as to who has which stall, inadvertent kicks can cause injury to horses/humans and damage to property, and horses can hit their hips entering the stall in a rush etc. Additionally, haltering and leading a horse is a valuable training opportunity.
Here are 5 horse handling hacks that when consistently implemented may help mitigate the risk for injury to horse and human:
#1- The Simple Stop
It may seem simple, but the “stop” offers a significant safety benefit when leading the horse in and out of the barn. Teaching your horse to halt when being led on a halter with the rope is easy to do.
Safety caveats include:
Training Tips:
The horse should always be halted before being led into a barn, before being led into or out of a stall, or through a doorway to an indoor arena. This gives the handler the opportunity to ensure there are no obstacles such as tack boxes, skips etc. other horses, pets, children, adults or vehicles blocking or impeding the safe passage of both horse and handler through the door, along an aisleway, or in the stall space.
Horses’ vision is not the same as human vision and does not adapt from light to dark in seconds. It can take more than 30 minutes for a horse to transition to full vision when going from bright outdoor light to the relative darkness of a barn.
During snowy winter months, halting a horse before entering the barn also gives the handler time to garner help to pick snow from the horse’s hooves that may have balled up during cold weather.
Removal of these “snow angels” on barefoot horses or ice/snow packed in shod horses’ feet before attempting to traverse a rubber matted or concrete aisleway will help prevent the horse slipping, thus minimizing the chance for soft tissue injury that is especially likely when making a sharp turn into a stall. This precaution may even prevent a horse from going down altogether and fracturing bones such as the pelvis.
Handling Hack: As a seasoned horse trainer, I additionally train my horses to mimic my “walk like a penguin” action inside and outside the barn when a covering of snow or ice is on the ground. Taking these little steps lessens the likelihood of the horse and myself skating around.
The use of the halt also enables the handler to ensure they are safely placed in optimal position just in front of the horse’s shoulder to step into a stall in advance of the horse and guide the animal through the center of the door entrance. This will help ensure the horse does not bang his hip on a side post, which can cause injury or even permanent damage and reduces the risk of a blanket catching on a door frame or stall door latch.
Helpful information for stall barn door designs is neatly addressed in this blog, “Open the Door to Horse Safety.”
#2- Take The Time to Turn Around
When leading a horse into a stall or paddock, it’s always wise to take the time to turn the horse around so that it’s facing the entrance with the handler at its head. Not only does this eliminate the opportunity for the horse to duck through a door or gate and escape the pasture or stall, but it also minimizes the risk of injury for the handler at the time the horse is released.
It is typical to remain on the inside of the horse and turn him around the handler keeping his head toward the handler as this swings his hind legs away from the human and makes it easier to maintain control. Remember, wherever a horse’s head is pointed he will most likely follow.
Horses may also be taught to turn around or move over in the stall when the stall is being mucked out. The use of an intermittent tap on the horse’s girth area together with a verbal cue of ‘move over’ and praise reward when the horse complies, (especially when the horse may be eating), should be trained in the horse from an early age. Move the horse’s feet to control its mind.
#3- Halter Head Drop
Horses of many breeds tower above humans, particularly when they are excited such as when being turned out, feed times etc.
Whenever the horse is to be released, either by unclipping the rope and leaving the halter on the horse or by removing the halter, it is easier and certainly more safely completed if the horse is taught to drop its head for the process and to wait for a verbal cue before turning away or leaving.
Safety note: Always remove halters for turnout if equine hay feeders are present in the pasture to prevent the halter becoming hung up on unnoticed protrusions. Water buckets and hooks in a stall and blanket hardware incorrectly adjusted with the outer edges of clips facing outward, can pose a similar hazard.
Handling Hack:
Food rewards should be carefully used in training so as not to teach the horse to nip or search for treats every time he is handled. I use carrots as a healthy treat whenever placing a halter on a horse or removing it. The carrot is easy to see and smell from the horse’s perspective and is unlikely to be dropped. For safety, if it does end up on the ground don’t reach down to get it, let the horse pick it up.
I give the thinner half of the carrot as a reward for dropping the head after the horse has patiently waited for me to buckle up the halter and clip on the rope and the second half after the halter is safely removed. The time it takes the horse to chow down on the carrot allows extra time for the handler to leave the paddock or stall safely, and its size minimizes the risk of the horse finding my fingers instead of the treat if it’s excited.
#4- Bubble Space and Backing Up
All horses should be taught to respect the “bubble” or immediate space around their human handlers. A horse should also be trained to back up on command. The latter facilitates more control for all sorts of life events, such as trailering and transport, extricating a horse from a hazardous situation such as entanglement in a fence or gateway etc.
Backing up a horse is also used to instill in the horse who is in charge. Horses in a herd will back up away from the leader if challenged, and similarly the human handler can use backing up to teach the horse who is “the boss” without ever needing to touch the horse.
Whenever a caregiver enters a stall, the resident equine should immediately turn to face them and then back away on a verbal cue to allow space for the handler to enter the stall.
Training Tips:
#5- Tying and Cross Ties
There are many different methods utilized to teach the horse to stand tied up or on cross ties. Whichever method is chosen, it all begins with teaching the horse to stand still.
During a horse’s life, it’s inevitable that it will need to be restrained at some juncture by being tied up: trailer transport, cross ties utilized for tacking up and grooming, standing tied to a trailer at a horse show, etc.
Horses that pull back when tied can easily panic and injure themselves or others. It is important that the horse has been trained to step forward when pressure is applied to the halter, rather than step back, before teaching the horse to tie up.
As with any other training of the horse, it is the release of pressure that teaches the horse the best course of action, not its application.
Be aware that foals are particularly prone to damage to the cervical area of their spines (this is one of the reasons most horse breeders choose to use pressure from a rope behind the foal as well as a halter rope in front when teaching them to lead), so special care should be taken to train the foal. Tying up is one of the last things to teach a foal, and it should not be done until the horse is at least 6 months old and weaned.
Patience poles/snubbing posts are mostly used as a punishment, and I do not personally advocate their use. Whatever method is employed, opt for ones that are kind, safe and offer a positive experience for the horse. Remember to always stay out of the kick zone when training a horse to any task.
Take Home Message
Horses are amazing creatures. Their noble natures and smart intellects make them great partners in life. Keeping both horses and humans as happy and safe from injury and damage as possible is always the goal.
The horse’s amiable disposition allows it to trust its human counterpart, but this also exposes it to risk of abuse. Always honor the bond of trust and do everything to ensure it is built upon every day.
To quote one of my husband Paul’s (who is also a GP trainer/clinician/competitor) favorite expressions when teaching students to train their horses: “When training the horse, whisper don’t shout.”
About Horizon Structures: One horse or twenty, there’s one thing all horse owners have in common…the need to provide safe and secure shelter for their equine partners. At Horizon Structures, we combine expert craftsmanship, top-of-the-line materials and smart “horse-friendly” design to create a full line of sheds and barns that any horse owner can feel confident is the right choice for their horses’ stabling needs. All wood. Amish Made. Most of our buildings are shipped 100% pre-built and ready for same-day use. Larger barns are a modular construction and can be ready for your horses in less than a week. All our barn packages include everything you need. For additional information about the company or their product line, please visit their website at https://www.horizonstructures.com
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