Halter Breaking A Foal
The best time to to begin educating the foal about the halter is when he is about two weeks old. This is a very important proceeding, as it is the first time the foal has been in any part of the harness, and he needs to be assured from the very beginning that it will not harm him and that he must obey the signals given by means of the halter.
Many horses are often spoiled by improper methods of training to lead, and therefore the first impressions they receive as to the use of the halter are bad, laying a foundation for becoming a confirmed halter puller, a vice which will lessen the future usefulness of the animal. This is caused because we are not mindful of the natural tendency of the horse to move backward when pressure is applied at the front and to move forward when the rear end is touched. Without thinking, the halter is placed on his head and we begin to pull on the strap.
True to his instincts the foal moves backward, and the harder we pull, the harder the foal pulls back. It is not necessary to drag the foal by the halter in order to get him to lead. To avoid all this we need but to remember is the animal’s natural instincts to move away from pressure. This same principal will also be used later on when they’re ridden with leg pressure and the bit and bridle.
Choose a strong, well fitting halter. For the foal a nylon halter is preferable to a leather one, as it is much lighter and softer. Never use a rope halter on a young foal. The head-stall, brow-band, throat-latch and nose-band should be taken up until they fit properly, otherwise the pressure will not be applied properly, in taking up the halter, excess straps are often long and left hanging about the head which will irritate the foal, should be fastened up in some way. It is often rather difficult to adjust the halter to a nervous foal’s head, but to be successful one must have patience. Do not be in a hurry, but let the youngster get acquainted with everything as you proceed.
With the halter properly adjusted try to coax the youngster along behind his mother or some accustomed route, such as to the water trough and back. Try using treats if need be. If he still resists, do not stand in front and try to pull his head off, he’ll only roll his eyes, shake his head and move back, other means must be tried. We must now take advantage of the animal’s natural instincts and apply pressure at the rear end to encourage him to move forward.
Try using a long rope or long nylon strap, maybe 10 or 12 feet in length and attach it to the halter, loop the rope around his rump. Take the strap or rope connected to the halter in one hand, and the part looped around his hindquarters in the other hand, stand in front and a little to one side of the foal. Pull gently on the halter strap and as he begins to shake his head give the rope a pull around his hind end and he should begin to move forward. In fact, he is likely to move forward so rapidly that he will run into you if you stand squarely in front of him. Do not be in a hurry, but give the animal time to get used to the lesson.
If he is excited, give him a treat or caress him until he quiets down before attempting to give the rope a second pull. When his confidence has been restored, try again, pulling on the rope again if need be. Soon he will follow wherever you lead or give a slight tug on the halter. All of this usually requires only fifteen or twenty minutes, whereas by just constantly pulling on the halter alone you have little or no assurance when the foal will decide to follow. Repeat the lesson daily until he no longer resists and leads willingly.
As soon as the foal fully understands the use of the halter and will follow wherever we lead, he should also be taught to back up. Don’t try to teach him to back up until he has totally learned to lead. All that is required is pressure in front. Take the halter strap in one hand to guide the foal in a straight line, or in any desired direction, extend the fingers of the other hand between the points of the shoulders and press gently against the animal, and he will step back. Reward him for his action and repeat until he will move backward by applying the pressure at the halter alone. Never force the animal by jerking on the halter strap, simply apply pressure in the sensitive chest cavity with the ends of the fingers. Eventually the foal should be willing to back any distance or in any direction.
While under the halter teach the foal “whoa”, ”giddy up”, and “back”, since these three verbal terms will be used extensively throughout his life.
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