Long shanks and "stopping power"...

[Jan Musick <janm_97@yahoo.com>]

I'm 47 years old and it's really taken me a lifetime to get to the point where
I feel that finding a type of "power" in a horse's mouth to make them stop is
the exact opposite of what our goals should be.  Actually, a cold-mouthed horse
taught me that.

He was a runaway when I bought him (20 years ago), and strength wasn't the
answer because he could run all day long with his head pulled around to his
knee.  I went back to ground-zero.  Ground training like he was a wee baby.  I
never got on him again until "whoa" penetrated to his brain that he was to stop
and stand still until told to do otherwise.  He also learned the meaning of
"WALK!" and "eaaaasyyyyy" (said soothingly).

Fortunately for me, this horse had breeding up the wazooo...Peppy San and
Hollywood Gold...and he had brains and wanted to learn, tried to please.  We'd
never have accomplished what we did without his great potential.

When I got done with him I could team pen on him in the mildest snaffle bit you
could ever find.  With fingertip control. Actually using more seat and legs
than hands. We just learned to communicate, that's all....and believe me, it
took YEARS.  Which is interesting.  It probably only took a few rides for his
previous owner to turn him into a runaway (he was gonna be a "barrel horse" for
her...LOL!).  Took me years to teach him he HAD a mouth again....

I see anything other than a mild bit that the horse likes (some horses LIKE a
heavy bit, some like iron, some like a bosal, some like a mechanical
hackamore---I have no problem with the horse liking a certain thing)...but if I
see something with it's head tied down, with a long shanked bit, and with all
kinds of tie this up and tie this around and push this up here...I can't help
but think "needs training".  (Rider)

I'm not being critical of your learning curves.  Please don't be offended. 
Believe me, I went to a gimmick or two in my life...but in the end I feel like
it's a crutch that just gets ya into trouble eventually.  So I threw away my
crutches!!!

After I've had a horse for a time, I'd feel real disappointed if I couldn't hop
on it with a halter and ride off for the afternoon (if I wanted to).



=====
Jan Musick
http://www.geocities.com/janm_97/

Work like you don't need the money.
Love like you've never been hurt, and
Dance like nobody's watching.

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