I’m a little baffled today. We brought a couple new horses home to train over the weekend, and last night was the first chance I got to work with Toby. He’s a solid Paint, nine year old gelding, supposedly greenbroke but too nervous and wild for my brother to ride, so he sent him to my place. I knew little about Toby, other than having gone to the pre-purchase ride with my brother. The previous owner would not ride him herself, but she agreed to let my brother ride, though she held the reins and led Toby around the indoor arena. Toby’s head was high in the air, he was nervous and hyper and jumpy. I advised my brother that he would need more training if he bought Toby, but the trainer they sent him to after buying him was a complete jerk who tore up his mouth and returned him after a week, saying he couldn’t train him.
Well, last night I went out to catch him, and he literally put his head into the halter. I led him to the round pen, unclipped the lead rope, brushed him and babied him awhile, letting him graze. Without tying him or restraining him, I put the saddle pad on his back and patted it a time or two. He continued to graze. When I picked up my saddle and moved towards him, he walked away and started circling the round pen. I just turned and let him walk. After about three circles around the pen he stopped and I put the saddle on his back. I wanted to watch his reactions and let him move if he felt like he needed to move. Giving him that opportunity might prevent him from blowing up later if he wasn’t allowed to move. Another thing I noticed was how he wanted to be very close to me as I moved about the pen. I have not done any round penning or “join up” with this horse, so it was interesting to see how he was already latched on and followed me willingly with no leadrope.
When I asked him to accept the snaffle bit, he was hesitant to open his teeth, but he kept his head lowered and still and eventually let me slip the bit in. I led him around a little bit, tightened my cinch, and then stepped up in one stirrup and leaned over him, petting his neck and shoulders on both sides. He stood still, chomping the bit. My husband wandered over to watch and take a few photos, and I asked him if I should just go ahead and get on. He said, “I don’t see why not, he’s completely relaxed.” And he was, his head was lowered, he was standing still, and didn’t mind me stepping down, petting him, and getting back on.
So we circled the round pen a couple of times, switched directions, stopped and backed up, and the whole time his head never came even up to his withers, he kept it low, walked very slowly, and showed no signs of nervousness or wanting to escape. His concentration was completely on the bit in his mouth, which he mouthed constantly and was trying to push out with his tongue. So after awhile, we went out of the round pen and around the farm, through the barnyard and around all of the farm equipment. It is harvest season here, so the yard was full of grain trucks, augers, and tractors. Toby never even looked at them. His pace quickened, which I was happy about, but he still kept his head low and walked quietly away from the barn and the other horses, leaving his best buddy grazing in the yard, and never resisted or even acted like he wanted to stay near the barn.
To tell the truth, I was amazed, and have been wondering about it ever since. What has changed between now and then to make this horse calm and well behaved under saddle? I think first of all, that Toby’s previous owner probably had him on a heavy grain ration, giving him extra energy with little opportunity to burn it off, since he was a stalled horse. During the two years since that time, he has been on a small pasture with no grain except during winter, and he has lost some of the weight and shine that he had previously. Also, his issues could have stemmed from the bit he was wearing when that woman had him—my brother showed it to me, and it was a thin double twisted wire snaffle. Definitely something I would never use on a horse, much less a young horse in training! She also had him in a training fork and had cranked his head down, making it very difficult for him to find relief from the bit pressure. I really think that kind of headgear would affect a horse to react negatively, especially one that is only greenbroke. Another factor may have been the owner’s training methods and the aura she gave off to the horse. I know nothing about her beyond that she misrepresented her horse and really took advantage of my brother in price and product.
It remains to be seen what kind of horse Toby will turn out to be. He seems to need a direct rein still, and we did nothing but walk yesterday, so we’ll see how he progresses from here and how he acts in a faster gait. I was just pleasantly surprised with his demeanor and calm behavior, and I can’t wait to ride him again!
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Amazing….maybe it was you being female….who knows but Amazing