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FIX IT UP FOR THE HORSE By Patrick Hooks, I get a lot of questions about bad ground manners, including problems with trailer loading, pulling back, controlling a stallion and plain old “My horse won’t lead.” To deal with these problems, or prevent them from occurring, what works best for me is an exercise I call “rear end under, front end across.” In my opinion, it is the oldest known exercise between horse and man. So, rather than re-invent the wheel, let’s just grease it a little bit. To help teach this exercise, I will share with you in part from the book, “101 Ranch Horse Tips.” When you first introduce this exercise, the control of the horse’s direction will be limited due to the horse’s survival instincts. When pressure is first applied, the horse will flee, using any escape route possible. As the exercise develops, the horse’s direction of escape can be utilized and will become a valuable tool in the form of a dance. The horse should be allowed to choose between working the exercise or taking an escape route offered by the handler. The escape route will most likely be a route that leads to a trailer, obstacle or some kind of spooky situation for the horse. At first, the horse’s mind will see the offered route as a bad place to be. By working this exercise, though, he can begin to see it as a good place to be, a place of rest, emotionally and physically. In this exercise, a pecking order is also being set. Dominant horses in the herd drive the weaker ones off. In that role, the handler will have to learn to be firm, fair and patient while allowing the horse to make his own decisions. To introduce the exercise to the horse, I use a 22-foot rope and a rope halter inside a confined space, preferably a round pen. The 22 feet of rope allows my horse to be out away from me at a safe distance and leaves enough extra rope to provide a loose rein. The confined space simply prevents the horse from running off and leaves room for mistakes without hurrying. The arc of the round pen helps bend my horse.
Don’t allow the horse to wallow around or pivot on the forehand rather than truly driving off and ahead. If you do, you will find yourself chasing the horse in circles rather than teaching the first step in a dance exercise. Expect several different movements, or escape routes, but allow only one, forward. When you see the front inside foot step off and forward, release the long line from your left hand and honor what you asked the horse to do by pitching plenty of slack in your long line and move forward with your horse as shown in the photo below. Continue driving your horse until he calms down to a walk on a loose line.
Learning these steps on the ground will help you learn to apply the same principles when starting a new colt or helping a broke horse. Thanks for dropping by and please keep visiting with us on the site. Next go round, we will be in time with our horses’ feet and roll the rear quarters. Until then, God bless you, your family and your livestock. And remember: There is one bit that works on all horses, a bit of knowledge. Learn more about Patrick Hooks, a Texhoma, Oklahoma-based trainer, at his Web site, www.hookshorseranch.com. At his site, you can also purchase a copy of his books, “101 Ranch Horse Tips” and "Fix It Up for the Horse." Click here to see the archive of columns he has written for America’s Horse.
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As you start this exercise, consider your body position. When moving the horse to the left, hold pressure on the rope halter with your left hand while making a suggestion of forward movement to the horse’s hip with your right hand, as shown in the photo at left. As the horse moves off, look for a true forward motion from the horse, a physical step straight forward from the horse’s inside front foot. 
In the next lesson, you will learn how to time your requests with the horse’s footfall. Prepare for this now by concentrating on the footfall: The feet at the walk move in a four-beat pattern, rear to front, front to rear. When you start counting with a rear foot, the next foot to move is the front foot on the same side. When you start your count with a front foot, the next foot to move is the rear foot on the opposite side.
 
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