More Holes Than Swiss Cheese

We recently (end of April)  acquired two grade 13 hand ponies.  Chad had asked a friend to be on the lookout for a 13 HH bay pony pair broke to drive, and our friend found some!  We were sent videos, and Chad drove them before he purchased them.  We even sent the videos to some high-end trainer friends of ours, all who said that they looked like nice ponies.  And they are nice ponies.  However, once we got them home, the “holes” started appearing.

We have trained a few horses to drive, about a dozen or so, and the horses that we have started from scratch tended to be easier to deal with than ones that we got with a little “experience”.  We didn’t realize how many holes our own ponies didn’t have in their training until we started working with ones that did!  We have a process (see the link) that we use to start our horses, and by they time they are ready to be put to the cart the first time, that event is usually a non-issue…and that is the way we like it!  There are a few horses out of that dozen who we determined were not driving horses after they were put to the cart a few times, and that is not uncommon.  They were just not cut out for driving.  A safe driving horse needs to not mind his job, and those particular horses just didn’t like the job. 

So, back to the new bay ponies.  We realized right away that the three-year old filly was just barely “broke”.  We don’t know if she had been put to as a single at all, but in the pair, she was “just along for the ride”.  The six-year-old gelding seemed a little more solid in his training, he is Amish-broke, and was used as a breeding stallion up until last year.  Once they were home, we let them settle in for a couple days, and then Chad decided that we should put the gelding to the carriage.  Our grown son was home, and so we had three experienced people here to deal with whatever might happen.  The gelding stood fine for harnessing and hitching to our marathon vehicle, walked off fine, drove quite well, but then he dropped his butt and “left”.  Our son, who has experience navigating for CDE drivers through Intermediate level, realized quite quickly that he and Dad were in a runaway situation.  So, in seconds, he looked to see what direction they were going, and sat down on the inside fender of the vehicle.  He couldn’t control the runaway since he wasn’t driving, but he could control the balance of the vehicle by getting his weight lower and on the inside of the turn. 

Meanwhile, Chad worked to get back into the pony’s head to get him to stop.  Myself, being on the ground, lowered and calmed my voice, got into the pony’s field of vision to sort of be a “block” to help the pony realize that he needed to stop.  The pony only ran about halfway around the arena, but it was enough to get the three of us thinking.  Chad drove the pony back at the walk for a little bit after getting him stopped, and then decided that was enough for that day.  All three of us were trying to figure out what made him bolt like that.  We never did figure it out. 

A couple days later, Chad and I put the pony to the carriage again.  He stood fine for harnessing and putting to, was driving fine, and then with really no indication, again left…for about halfway around the arena.  After a couple more drives, we realized that, while we still don’t know the “trigger”, the “warning shot” is that he clamps his tail.  Once he does that, he takes about two more steps before he is in a runaway.  If we can observe his tail clamping, quiet him, and stop him before he takes off, we can keep him from escalating.  That lightly swinging tail is a beautiful thing!  That was about two months ago. 

Not long after that last drive two months ago, we went to harness the pony when he was in cross ties.  We brushed him down, and grabbed the harness off of the wall.  At that point, he lurched forward in the cross ties…and I said, “That’s it.”  I was done.  Chip, as he is now called, dramatically showed us that he had some MAJOR holes in his training that needed to be filled before we continued to move on.  I did harness Chip that day, but he got to wear the harness in his stall while we finished chores and was not put to the carriage. 

Chip’s better half, a mare we now call Allie, was even more green.  The first day after she arrived, she stood in the corner of the stall, would not look at me, and almost shook.  It took me about ten minutes of working my way to her head so that I could get a hold of her halter.  Once I did, she calmed down, but there were still some major trust issues.  I don’t think that she was abused, but I do think that, again, she had MAJOR holes. When I brushed her, she was fine about getting her body brushed, but about lost her mind if we touched her belly or legs. I did figure out that she is actually a bit ticklish, and likes to be brushed a little “harder” than softer.  We could pick her feet, but we had to be very deliberate with running our hand down her leg.  She would also lose her mind when we tried to fly spray her. 

Without going through all the training techniques that we used to work with her, we can now catch and halter Allie in the paddock, she now stands like a rock in the cross ties, we can brush her all over, including her belly, fly spray her when she is loose in the paddock, and when we call the ponies in from pasture, Allie always stops and wants to be petted before she goes in the paddock. For a mare who didn’t want to be touched when we got her, she now hangs her head over the stall and wants to be touched by everyone who comes in the barn!  She is a nice pony!

These are major improvements, and very necessary ones for a finished driving horse!  If I can’t touch her legs, I surely don’t want to drive her!  If she can’t stand (literally) to be brushed and harnessed, I surely don’t want to drive her!  If she can’t handle a tarp being pulled around behind her when she is just in a halter and lead, I surely don’t want to drive her!  That is where we are now.  She has done “good work” carrying an empty grain bag and other tarps on her back, had pool noodles stuck in her shaft tugs with the ends dragging on the ground, walked over tarps and boards, and a couple weeks ago we introduced a flag on a pole waving above her head.  She was better about that than Chip!

Chip is better about being harnessed than he was before, but he still has an annoying habit of moving in the cross ties!  When he moves, he is put back with his feet set square…and put back, and put back.  He is getting better, and learning what “set” (square) means.  He is learning that humans are the leaders to be followed and trusted.  There is some PTSD there that we haven’t quite figured out.  He isn’t nearly as apt to want to please because of the mental block in dealing with humans.  Allie is more curious and interested in “doing the right thing”.  We have been working a lot on getting Chip to want to follow directions with positive reinforcement, not negative.  He has the negative down, like he is waiting for the response to him doing something he knows he shouldn’t.  It could be a personality thing, or it could be a learned response.  We haven’t figured that out, yet, either.  Regardless, our expectations are that eventually, they both will be required (like all of our experienced ponies) to stand in the crosstie area untied (at home), be groomed, harnessed, and bridled, all while continuing to be untied (at home).  They will need to stand like a rock in the open (not tied to a hitch rail) (see the link) while being put to the carriage, and wait for us to mount the carriage.  Then, they will be expected to stand and wait for the cue to move off.  None of this training happens overnight. 

While neither of these ponies are dumb (I’ve worked with some dumb equines), this training has to be built on over the course of time.  And the training has to be broke up into smaller, manageable steps.  We are still working on the trust and decision-making steps.  While the ponies are making progress, neither has accepted all the training, yet.  They have tolerated it.  That is why Chip ran away.  He was tolerating the experience until he couldn’t tolerate it anymore.  He was telling us that he didn’t trust us, and that he was “on his own” mentally.  He had to do what he thought he had to do to protect himself.  We have to get him to realize that we will give all the commands, and that he can trust us not to put him in a situation where he will get hurt.  We have to expose him to weird stuff that would normally freak out a horse.  We need to let him know that it isn’t a dramatic deal, that we won’t make it so hard that he can’t handle it, and that we can make the decisions for him so all he has to do is relax and follow directions.  Cutting horses get to make decisions about how to cut calves.  Driving horses don’t get to make any decisions.  Ever.  That means that you, as a horse driver, need to make all the decisions when that horse is in your presence; where to stand, where to move, how to move, etc.  And usually, he will appreciate that the same way that a subordinate horse doesn’t have to worry about the herd the way an alpha does.  When your horse can trust you to make all the decisions, then you have a calm, willing partner with you.

So, what are some Swiss Cheese Training Holes?  First, here are some basic horse handling steps that every horse should know how to do:

• Be caught (without running around the paddock)
• Wait for the stall door or paddock gate to be opened fully before walking through
• Walk with the handler at their side without pulling on the lead
• Stop (discontinue forward movement)
• Stand (stay in one place until being told to move, no matter the situation or location)
• Tie (and stand tied, no matter the situation or location)
• Be groomed (including the belly, between the back legs, under the tail, ears, etc.)
• Have hooves picked (and trimmed or shod) without bother
• Wait to be unhaltered without pulling
• Basic Showmanship maneuvers (see the linked article)
• Be lunged (at the walk, trot, and canter, as well as stand, and not jump around)
• Do all of the above in “weird” situations (different locations on the property, with different items like tarps, milk cartons and rocks, etc.)

In my opinion, desensitization cannot happen effectively without working on basic handling first.  If the horse does not know how to do the above, don’t drive it…yet.  Get those holes filled in first.  If you don’t, the hole will still be there.  In time, it just may be a pothole instead of an entire cave, but it will still be there waiting to be stepped in!  Right now, Chip and Allie know the above steps through basic Showmanship, but we are still working through some of the holes, such as standing when we drag a tarp behind them or over them.  They are tolerating it in most cases, but they haven’t continuously accepted it.  Their eyes haven’t softened yet, their ears are still cocked to what they are looking at, and they are still holding their breath when we work on some desensitization exercises.  When they put their heads down, quietly lick and chew, soften the eyes, relax their ears, and maybe even yawn during the experience, then we know that they have fully accepted the training, and are bored with it.  Boring is good!

Here are some secondary horse handling that is REALLY good for every horse to know:

• Be stalled (calmly)
• Get temperature taken
• Be sprayed (and stand while doing so)
• Be bathed (and stand while doing so, especially if he needs to be medically treated)
• Be clipped (especially if he needs to be medically treated)
• Load and ride calmly in a trailer

Both Chip and Allie are good for stalling and trailering.  Chip is good for bathing.  Allie is still getting used to things touching her legs, so we haven’t spent much time on adding water to that scenario.  I haven’t attempted to clip them, yet, other than with a scissors.  We will continue to work on each of these aspects before we go forward to driving them.

If your horse knows the above aspects of training, the following Driving Training Holes are less likely to occur, or are easier to correct:

• Wiggling for harnessing
• Throwing the head while bridling
• Scooting for anything “following” him (noises, sights, etc.)
• Moving while being put to the carriage
• Not standing when the driver is mounting the carriage.
• Wiggling once the driver is in the carriage
• Lurching forward at the start of the drive
• Not walking first before being asked to trot
• Jigging
• Not listening to the cues of the driver
• Not stopping
• Not standing
• Running away (this is a protective response to being afraid)

If your horse does any of the behaviors on the list above consistently, you have some Swiss cheese on your hands.  It would be best to go back and fill in the holes in the training before trying to move forward with driving your horse.  You will have a much better horse in the long run if you fill in the holes; one that you will enjoy being around, one that will trust you, and enjoy being around you, and one that you can feel safe around (and other drivers will feel safe around you and your horse!).  

Chip and Allie have come a long way in a short period of time and continue to get better every day.   Not every horse will be perfect at all of these behaviors in all circumstances, like if you are at a show for the first time with a lot of stuff happening around them.  However, if your horse can’t do the above at home consistently, he definitely can’t do it at a show or event at all!  Practice makes perfect, and consistency in training and expectations over the course of time makes perfect practice!  Aim for producing mild, solid, Brick cheese instead of holey Swiss!  😊