How To Handle
Horses -- All Kinds*
by
William R. Linfoot DVM as transcribed by Frank J.
Milne DVM1
SHOWING OF MOTION PICTURES
The
remarks made here constitute a description of the actual
technique as shown in the films
Dr. Wm. R. Linfoot's narration:
In early breaking procedures for all horses I try to
follow a consistent pattern, if possible. My preference is
to isolate the animal in a strong small safe corral out of
sight of any other horses, so that I can have the animal's
complete attention.
My intention is to catch the horse with
a clean neck loop on the first throw. While the horse is
moving and being set up for the catch the handler can study
the attitude and reflexes of the animal. Square corners in
the corral aid in stopping the horse after he is caught, and
there is less chance that he wi1l choke himself or pull
away. Thus the entire breaking process is speeded up.
Every move. from the time the horse is
roped is designed to move the handler to the horse as
quickly and safely as possible and to establish confidence
between man and horse. This requires good judgment, a sense
of timing and anticipation. and quick reflexes. Usually,. I
block the horse in a corral and gradually approach the. neck
area by keeping a snug hold on the rope and advancing up it
slowly at about a 45 degree angle to the head and shoulder
of the animal. The rope restraint is adjusted to control the
horse only, never purposely to shut off his air. Every
movement is aimed at relaxing the horse and giving him
confidence.
Temporarily offline.
Rare footage of veterinarian and champion
polo player Billy Linfoot taming and backing a 'wild' horse,
circa 1970.
I advance along the rope until the
horse is uneasy; then I stop or even retreat slightly to put
him at ease. This advance and retreat is continued until my
hand is on the rope around his neck.
To avoid startling the horse, firm
confident hand pressure where the loop of the rope already
puts some pressure on the neck is best. Nothing should be
done that will cause the horse to pull away, as this wrong
action leaves as firm an imprint on its untrained mind as a
right one. It is absolutely essential that the handler
establish a confident relatioliship with the horse as soon
as possible and develop this in a positive manner with every
move.
Since the horse is obviously much
bigger and stronger than the man. the position of the
handler and method uf approach are very important. Flat,
firm confident rubbing with the ,vhole hand is the most
acceptable contact I have used when first touching a horse.
Never pat, never use the fingertips and never rub the hair
the wrong way.
I start rubbing the neck over the part where the rope
touches, and gradually enlarge the rubbing area to cover
more territory.
After the animal begins to relax and a
little mutual confidence is established between horse and
handler, I change the neck loop to a pressure hitch to avoid
the horse's being choked in any manner and to establish a
means of discipline and reward while teaching the animal.
This quick-release hitch is called an "Indian" or "war"
bridle. Considerable patience and some skill is required to
make the change here because the ears and muzzle of the
horse are very sensitive areas.
Since head control means horse control, and pressure for
discipline with release for reward will be the pattern for
any horse's correct training throughout his career, the
hitch I use, best suits my purpose.
From here on, I soothe and gentle the
horse by talking to him, and by rubbing over an ever-greater
area of his body, using the same advance and retreat method
mentioned before. The head hitch is used here to balance the
horse, to control him if necessary, but pressure is released
the moment the correct response is received.
Talking to the horse helps gain his
confidence and attention, and aids in the teaching process.
When the handler lifts a leg of a
horse, he should be sure the horse is properly balanced so
that no strong-arm tactics are necessary. When the animal
relaxes sufficiently to allow each leg to be lifted in turn
while the horse learns to balance himself easily on the
other three, the gentling process is taking place, and the
horse is beginning to co-operate with the man.
Once this is done, I usually start the
mounting process by putting firm hand pressure on the neck
and back and leaning against the horse, making bouncing
motions as if jumping astride. If the horse moves around he
should not be disciplined, as this is a natural reaction. As
he becomes more submissive, I increase the jumping motion
until I am astride the horse, but I am very careful not to
touch him suddenly in any new area, nor to startle him with
any new motion. All actions are repeated and are
progressive.
It is of the utmost importance to keep in mind that the
pressure hitch on the head is just that; a pressure device
to be released the moment the desired action is obtained.
Relaxation of the hitch along with rubbing are rewards. The
rope should never be used as a jerking device. Pressure is
applied by definite pulls after the slack is taken out of
the rope. A gentle tug on the rope is a reminder. a sharp
tug is for discipline. Instant relief by releasing the rope
pressure the moment the horse responds is mandatory for
proper results. Never tie a horse to anything with this type
of hitch as he could injure himself when there is no
releasing agent at the end of the rope.
Short frequent training sessions are
ideal. Do not exhaust the horse or lose your patience.
Always "quit on a win" and leave the training session after
a positive response from the animal.
Since horses learn by repeated lessons
and only in this way, repeat the early training techniques
in a simplified version when you begin the next lesson, then
go on to advance the training. The whole idea of this
technique is to make friends with the horse as soon as
possible and as painlessly as possible, so that he learns to
avoid the discipline and respond to the reward. Consistent
patient effort toward this goal can be very rewarding, and
it is excellent training for both the horse and the handler.
1Dr. Frank J. Milne, an Ontario
Veterinary College faculty member from 1953-1984, was
President of the
American
Association of Equine Practitioners in 1971, an AAEP
Life Member and a long-time member of the AAEP Executive
Board.
*Reprinted from the 1970 Proceedings of
the Convention of the American Association of Equine
Practitioners, page 359. Edited by Frank J. Milne DVM.
Section 107 of copyright law contains a list of the
various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular
work may be considered “fair,” such as criticism, comment,
news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Currently, the Copyright Office is considering special
consideration for use of "orphan
works" and the Linfoot article might also qualify in
this area.
Thanks to Carol Elmore
of the Kansas State University College of Veterinary
Medicine Library for her work in finding this article.
Article scanned and published on the web by
Lil Peck.
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Rediscovering an important horse trainer, Billy Linfoot:
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