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Ask Monty, March '09
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3/4/2009:My horse seems to forget what I teach him... it seems like I have to reach teach him to do things like neck reining every time I ride him. What can I do to make him remember what he has already been taught?
3/11/2009: We have a beautiful but large gelding that we can't get to
UNLOAD off a slant load trailer. We've searched everywhere, but everyone only
shows you how to LOAD a horse and turn it to unload it. Our horse has to ride
in the back slot of the slant load trailer and is too large to turn around inside.
He has no trouble loading, and will happily unload his front feet. Once all four
hooves have loaded without any trouble he is scared to come off. He won't
back off a stepdown trailer. Any suggestions?
3/18/2009: I have the privilege to know a 3-year-old gelding, which I recently purchased. I have spent the last few weeks building trust and friendship with him and can rub and touch him all over, both affectionately and playfully, I can lead him and he is calm and stands to have his halter put on and taken off, he comes to me in the field, he is kind and caring with humans and other horses. I am at the beginning of a long path with him - today I was leading him from the field to the outdoor school, because he is so good I had become complacent and when he reared at a roller on the back of a tractor he pulled me over and I had to let him go (I generally use a longer lead rope, but that's another story).
Thankfully he only went a few paces and stopped and turned to me, I collected him and gently encouraged him to sniff the roller and all was fine. My concern is that having built up friendship and trust, with him pulling me over has that trust been reduced? Do you think it is better to carry on as though nothing has happened, or because it is the beginning of such a long road take a few steps back and build again?
In writing this question I have found the answer myself I think! - Take time, accept that sometimes these things happen, continue with him slowly, and be more alert to things that may trouble him so he can be introduced to them, take the time to get the proper lead rope and not just a two foot bit of rope, etc.
I would like to thank you so very much for all the good work that you do in the world, and for being such an inspiration - lets please see more of you on Horse and Country TV in the U.K!
3/25/2009: I have a Billy Cook saddle 16". I use a Justin Equine 3 in 1 saddle pad. I ride my horse on the road a lot. I usually ride on trail rides. The problem is that his back hurts, like around the kidneys area. The vet said that it is because he is a little bit swayed back, and the back of the saddle is putting pressure there. Some people told me to just give him bute (aspirin) before I ride him. He is 16 & a half hands tall and weighs 1250lbs. Right now he is not in top condition. My question is, should I give him bute and keep riding him until he gets stronger, or is there something else I can do? I love him and when he settles down he is a really good horse.
MONTY'S ANSWERS
Question: My horse seems to forget what I teach him... it seems like I have to reach teach him to do things like neck reining every time I ride him. What can I do to make him remember what he has already been taught?
Monty's Answer: In the field of human psychology they might label this child ADD or ADHD or any of the dozen labels we put on children who don’t grasp and retain their lessons well. I am not a fan of these labels. I tell people all the time that when they want to clearly understand the problems of their horse look in the mirror. Horses are reactive animals. They will echo what we teach.
Please study the language Equus and please be sensitive to the need for appropriate reward. Your horse is not motivated to learn and it is your obligation to build in appropriate motivation. Horses are generous animals and they want to please. It is our role to set up the environment so that they are motivated to please.
Watch closely not only to what you do but observe what you don’t do. That is to say, ask yourself how many times you appropriately reward within the language Equus. There has never been a time in history when there were more educational opportunities than there are today. Study our website and avail yourself of the educational opportunities that are there.
Question: We have a beautiful but large gelding that we can't get to
UNLOAD off a slant load trailer. We've searched everywhere, but everyone only
shows you how to LOAD a horse and turn it to unload it. Our horse has to ride
in the back slot of the slant load trailer and is too large to turn around inside.
He has no trouble loading, and will happily unload his front feet. Once all four
hooves have loaded without any trouble he is scared to come off. He won't
back off a stepdown trailer. Any suggestions?
Monty's Answer: This question comes to me with regularity and I have
studied this phenomenon back to front. Please stop and think about the animal
you are dealing with. Ask yourself who he is and where in nature he was meant
to be.
Horses are 50 million years old flight animals that are meant to graze on grassy
plains where they meant to see for a mile. They disdain confinement and for at
least 49.75 million years the entire specie had never seen a trailer. Now we
expect them to go into this awful metal object, stand in an extremely confined
area and then to back right off the end of the earth and fall into space
somewhere. That is how they are thinking.
We must be more observant and quick to the psychological needs of our horses.
Step up trailers are horrible. The stepping up part is not so bad but the
stepping back part is ultra horrible. It is the reason I recommend ramps on
trailers. There are many ways however that we can train our horse to live with
this awful invention. I assume that you have seen trail classes for horses. In
these events you will remember they have bridges. I have seen these bridges as
low as 3-4 inches and I have seen them a foot or so off the ground. We have
one that we take on the road in the UK which they call a see-saw bridge. This
one has a rocker pole in the middle and the horse learns to walk on to the low
side of it, balance himself and then lower the off side and walk off. Bridges can
be very effective in solving our problem. Teaching your horse to back off of a
bridge is an effective way to help the horse reach for the ground back there
convinced that he is not going to fall off the earth.
Once you have trained your horse in all the ways you can think of with these
bridges then also get yourself an earth moving shovel. Dig two sloping ditches
spaced so that the tires of your trailer will gradually move downward until the
floor of the trailer is very nearly at ground level. Amazing, now your horse can
back out! Once you have accomplished this procedure then practice the backing
out until he is ultra comfortable with it.
It is this point that you begin to drive your trailer forward gradually increasing
the height of the floor but only and inch at a time. Practice a lot! Once your
trailer is back on ground level and your horse is backing out with no problem,
raise both hands in the air - you have succeeded! It is extremely successful
when you get the incremental facets right.
Question: I have the privilege to know a 3-year-old gelding, which I recently purchased. I have spent the last few weeks building trust and friendship with him and can rub and touch him all over, both affectionately and playfully, I can lead him and he is calm and stands to have his halter put on and taken off, he comes to me in the field, he is kind and caring with humans and other horses. I am at the beginning of a long path with him - today I was leading him from the field to the outdoor school, because he is so good I had become complacent and when he reared at a roller on the back of a tractor he pulled me over and I had to let him go (I generally use a longer lead rope, but that's another story).
Thankfully he only went a few paces and stopped and turned to me, I collected him and gently encouraged him to sniff the roller and all was fine. My concern is that having built up friendship and trust, with him pulling me over has that trust been reduced? Do you think it is better to carry on as though nothing has happened, or because it is the beginning of such a long road take a few steps back and build again?
In writing this question I have found the answer myself I think! - Take time, accept that sometimes these things happen, continue with him slowly, and be more alert to things that may trouble him so he can be introduced to them, take the time to get the proper lead rope and not just a two foot bit of rope, etc.
I would like to thank you so very much for all the good work that you do in the world, and for being such an inspiration - lets please see more of you on Horse and Country TV in the U.K!
Jon
Monty's Answer: The part that intrigues me mostly about your question is the "That is another story". In the world of being safe with your horses there can be no other story. The day that you lead your horse with the short lead rope is the day something will happen. There is a universal law about this I think! Have I ever lead a horse with an inappropriate lead rope? Yes!
While I have broken rules from time to time I have paid the price virtually every time. That is called experience. I was fortunate to live through it. I have spent my life now trying to make it easier on others. There is never an appropriate time to use inappropriate equipment. And while we sometimes think it is OK and we'll get by that seems to be just the time that disaster occurs. It is great that you observe the problem and I like the fact that you care enough to pose the question.
It pleases me that you mention Horse and Country TV in the UK because you should give them a call and tell them that you want to see the tractor demonstration. It had to do it with a horse that was frightened of tractors and it points out the use of an inappropriate lead rope. There are many lessons in this little demonstration and I didn't even do it. It was done by Kelly Marks, a student of mine and the first international credentialed instructor.
While it is true that your relationship was compromised by the incident, you will get it back on track. Horses have an unbelievable capacity to remember only exceeded by their capacity to give. I feel the concern in your words which gives me confidence that you will see it through and you will get it right. See you sometime in the UK.
Question: Dear Mr. Roberts, I have a Billy Cook saddle 16". I use a Justin Equine 3 in 1 saddle pad. I ride my horse on the road a lot. I usually ride on trail rides. The problem is that his back hurts, like around the kidneys area. The vet said that it is because he is a little bit swayed back, and the back of the saddle is putting pressure there. Some people told me to just give him bute (aspirin) before I ride him. He is 16 & a half hands tall and weighs 1250lbs. Right now he is not in top condition. My question is, should I give him bute and keep riding him until he gets stronger, or is there something else I can do? I love him and when he settles down he is a really good horse.
MONTY'S ANSWER: It's not OK to use an ill-fitting saddle and it's not OK to use bute to mask the pain. What you suggest is something like the woman who wishes to wear a beautiful but painful pair of shoes that will affect the whole body in a negative way. It is poor advice to tell you to just pop a pill and wear them anyway. Perhaps the shoes could be made comfortable with orthotics. But perhaps she should get rid of the shoes.
I am currently working with a company called Cavallo. They have designed, through my recommendation, a saddle pad that utilizes memory foam. I would suggest that you contact them and ask for the double thick model as suggested by Monty Roberts. This has been a very good tool for me and I think you will find it effective particularly with a 16 inch saddle. This is the size I ride and I know this pad does a good job under it. Click here for the Cavallo website.
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