here are many times we wish we knew more about a horse before making the purchase or mounting his back. During those moments, we wonder if there were missed warning signs or if the horse’s owner failed to disclose some important information. Examples of these difficult moments include:
- When we are out on the trail, and the horse continually tries to bolt.
- When we are given a “free” horse who “just needs some loving care.”
- When we realize that the horse is way beyond our ability.
- When we buy a “bomb-proof” horse for ourselves or our child, only to find the horse needs thousands of dollars of additional training.
- When we end up stomping around in a cast and crutches because of our horse’s accidental spook.
As we attempt to sort through the possible causes of our horse’s unseemly behavior, we can ask ourselves:
- Is this a problem that only occurs when I ride? (which may indicate a lack of proper equitation skills, uncomfortable equipment, deficient horse training, or undiagnosed pain).
- Is this a horse who seems always to be guarded or unpredictable in every aspect of his life? (lack of trust, training that was too hasty, or trauma-related survival brain).
We often cannot foresee a lack of training or scars of past trauma when we first meet a horse. Nor can we predict everything that might cause our horses to spook. But as the horse’s owner, it is our responsibility to teach our horses to enjoy being handled and to attempt to desensitize them to common scary objects. Humans and non-humans must be safe around him. He must allow regular hoof care and be receptive to normal medical attention without sedation.
One way we can quickly learn a lot about a horse is to do the “grooming test.” We want our horse to take pleasure from our presence, whether by his side, brushing him, or when we are on his back. This is an indicator of how much our horse trusts humans. Our horse should enjoy having his ears cuddled, his legs stroked all the way down to his hooves, and every inch of his body touched, brushed, curried, and stroked.
During those initial moments of petting or grooming with our hands, we can learn much about a horse. By going over and taking note of every inch of the horse’s body, we can discover if any touch causes anxiety or tension, and whether he is naturally calm, stoic, or nervous. After a careful full-body “grooming,” we will know where we must go back and build trust and relaxation. Sometimes, for the sake of our personal safety, especially if we perceive any signs of fear or defensiveness—such as laying the ears back, poking out the upper lip, biting, lifting a leg, or kicking—we might need to stop, rethink, and develop an appropriate remedy or employ professional assistance.
To perform the grooming test, it is helpful to think of grooming in quadrants:
- Head, neck, mane, and ears
- Forequarters (withers, shoulders, chest, forelegs, and forefeet)
- Barrel (including topline and belly)
- Hindquarters (rump, hind legs, hind feet, tail, and under tail)
Starting with the first quadrant, when we first encounter the horse, we should reach our hand out for him to sniff. Next, we can run our hand up the bridge of his nose and caress his forelock and ears. Then we can scratch his cheeks and under his chin. If we take a step or two to his side, being careful to keep our feet facing rather forward so they are not accidentally stepped on if the horse moves his foreleg forward, we can rub his neck and run one hand up his crest to stroke his ears. All the while, we can keep our other hand near his cheek to block him if he becomes anxious and tries to bite.
Signs that the horse enjoys caresses include lowering his head to get a scratch on his forehead and ears, turning his head away and pushing the muscles of his neck into the handler’s hand for a deep rub, and raising his head so that his jaw can be scratched. On the other hand, if the horse backs up, rears, pins his ears, puckers and pokes out his upper lip, or develops worried triangles above his eyes, we know he is uncomfortable with the touching of certain areas of his first quadrant.
The second quadrant has unique challenges. We want to feel relaxed, soft, supple skin as we caress his chest, withers, shoulders, and forelegs all the way down to his hooves. He should stand absolutely still with his head slightly lowered while we brush him, comb the feathers on his fetlocks, or scrape the mud off the front of his hooves. What we do not want, but sometimes happens, is for our horse to shiver at a touch, throw his head up, back away, nervously flip up his feet, or strike out to the front or to the side.
When we caress his barrel, the third quadrant, we stroke his sides, stomach, underarms, and girth area, rubbing all the way back to and including his sheath. Ideally, the horse is relaxed, calm, and stationary. But many horses are nervous about being touched in those areas. So, caution must be taken. Not only do they show anxiety by trembling and moving away, but they can also kick out with both their forelegs and hind legs.
The hindquarters section is often the most difficult quadrant to address. It begins with stroking the hips, croup, dock, buttocks, tail, and down the hind legs to the hind feet. The horse should stand absolutely still, relaxed, and motionless. He should not try to move away, pick up his feet, or kick forward, to the side, or back.
As I perform the “grooming test,” I keep a memo pad and pen near me so I can take notes as I go along. I make sure that all problem areas are pinpointed so I can develop a rehabilitation strategy. The results may indicate to some riders, depending upon their skill level, that their horse requires additional, perhaps professional, handling before he can be deemed safe to mount. By this, I do not mean more conditioning. I mean specifically focusing on grooming and touching with the intent to teach the horse to relax and enjoy human contact.
To transform a spot from being distressful to delightful, I use “Nice” and offer an edible reward such as a tiny piece of carrot or an extruded hay pellet every time I get close to or touch the troubling area.
For example, Mak reared when I tried to touch his neck, and he kept his ears far out of reach. So, I began saying “Nice” and giving him a pellet whenever I touched his shoulder. Next, I said “Nice” and gave him a pellet when I touched his neck. As he began looking forward to the rewards, my hand slowly progressed, rewarding all the while, up his neck toward his ears. I asked a friend to stand in front of him and give him a pellet whenever I said, “Nice.” Mak responded quickly to the process. Finally, I was able to successfully stroke one ear repeatedly. The other ear took no time at all. Teaching him to enjoy having his ears cuddled only took two sessions; he has not had a problem since then.
Sometimes, if a horse is particularly nervous, I give him a tub of hay to nibble on while I use a broom or a long-handled brush to stroke him while I stay at a safe distance. Over time, as the horse begins to enjoy these sessions, I switch to a shorter brush, my hands, and a curry comb. I limit these sessions to about twenty minutes a day.
The grooming test cannot predict how the horse will behave during unusual circumstances. It is merely intended as an indicator of things to watch out for. Rehabilitation programs, depending upon the horse, may take weeks or months to bring about the desired results. This seems like a lengthy process, and it can be, but the end result, a happy horse who is calm and loves human contact, is definitely worth the time it takes.
By Chris Forte
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