Principals to Keep Your Older Show Horses
Showing Strong and Honest

Including common cheats and how to fix them - Part 1

By Dana Hokana 

I believe show horses, even western pleasure horses, can have long, fruitful careers.  In my career, I’ve had many older, burned out horses that I’ve had to remake into good, honest horses. At one time, I didn’t have a lot to choose from, and if someone brought me a horse to fix, I would take the time to figure out how to fix it.  Later on, I loved the challenge and it was exciting for me to take a tired horse and turn him into a good performer.  These horses have taught me a lot.  I’ve learned to really think through the problem.  I would put myself in their place and think, “How did this problem start?  What caused this horse to turn into a cheater?”  I discovered many common threads and found that many of the horses can be turned around and remade into good, happy show horses.  I’m excited to share with you what I’ve learned.

            When you look at the word, remake, the prefix “re” means to go back.  That is what you have to do, fix your horse, go back and figure out what went wrong.   Figure out how he learned to cheat.  Almost all cheats start with a refusal.   I have a saying, “learn how little refusals can turn into big show ring cheats.” I want to warn you that remaking your horse is like starting a project.  It is a lot of work and may take a lot of time.  I’ve been able to turn some horses around in a month or two, and others have taken up to a year.  Be ready for the cost in time, as it may be a lot of work.  Only you can decide if it is worth the effort it will take.  I encourage you to apply these principals, even before your horse is cheating, as they may help your horse to stay honest.  Here are some of the principals I’ve discovered:

 

      1.     Little refusals turn into big cheats

I have found that almost always, your horse will tell you in small ways in the warm up pen where they are going to cheat in the class.  You have to be extremely perceptive and look for details.  For example, a horse that leans and turns to go in to the center in your class is probably not staying between your reins and guiding as well as he should in the warm up pen.  If you work on every little detail and pay attention to the small things, you will fix the potential problems before they become problems.

 

      2.      Is your horse comfortable?

If your horse is hurting or uncomfortable in any way, he will not, or cannot perform to the best of his ability.  Your goal is for your horse to like his job.  If his job is too difficult for him, he can learn to hate his job.  I recommend that you have your veterinarian check your horses for soundness, and also to check his teeth.  In addition, I recommend that you evaluate your horses’ physical fitness.   In order for him to be the best he can be, he needs to be conditioned.  A sound, well conditioned horse will be a lot happier and has a better chance of enjoying his job.

 

      3.      Reframe your horses thinking

Many horses resent the 5 or 10 minutes of the class on the rail because they feel like it’s hard work.  Reframe your horses thinking, and help him to realize that he is an athlete with a job to do.   What has helped me is to make my warm up a series of exercises and calisthenics.   I have many exercises that I might do, demanding that my horses stretch and lengthen their stride. (Nothing destroys a horses beautiful stride more than to always ride them slow and shut down).  This will help your horse to develop a better work ethic!  While you are giving them a work out, work on the areas that you feel he needs improvement in.  Remember, it’s the details that win or lose a competition.  I rarely practice on just the rail.  I ride all over the arena and try to save the rail for his “break time”. If a horse has learned to cheat on the rail, you will have to go back to the rail for some of his work to fix various problems.  But all in all, I keep the rail as a “happy place.”

 

      4.     Maintain your horses movement

Nothing destroys a horses beautiful stride quicker than to always slow him down, shutting down his movement.  I do exercises in every workout that encourage my horse to lengthen and stretch his stride.  I want my horses strong and balanced with his weight distributed over his hindquarters, enabling him to have lift.  Most horses will be stiffer and shorter strided with age, and will become shorter, choppier movers.  They need maintenance to keep that soft, flowing stride.

 

      5.     Keep your horses rhythm at a strong, good cadence

In my warm up, I pay close attention to my horses’ rhythm.  Every gate has its own rhythm and beat.  The walk a four beat, trot a two beat, and lope a three beat.  If I’m not pushing and driving my horse at the trot, for example my horses nice 2 beat trot can get soft or mushy and lose its strong stride, which in turn deteriorates the movement on my horse.  I find if my horse is moving good, he is more likely to be comfortable.  If he is comfortable, he is more likely to like his job, as you are maintaining your horse’s movement, rhythm, and cadence.

 

      6.     Teach your horse to trust your hands

Often a horse will cheat because he is angry or afraid, and many times he is afraid of your pick up.  He may be afraid that he will get jerked in the face.  I spend a lot of time in the warm up pen practicing my pickup with my hands.  I evaluate my horse’s response carefully.  Watch his reaction if he refuses you or pulls back on you.  He may be bracing because he’s afraid of getting jerked or he may just be disobedient.  If he is overreacting, he may be afraid or simply too sensitive.  Either way, pay attention to his response and work on it until you have a soft, accepting horse that says “Yes” to you every time.  This is building a relationship with your horse and that is what you need to successfully show your horse over and over, year after year. You need to have a relationship with your horse.  Relationships take time and trust to build and they take maintenance to keep.  That extra time you spend doing this will pay off in the long run.

 

      7.     Maintain or school your horse in the show pen

I feel that in order to keep your horse honest over a long period of time, you will have to “throw away or blow” some classes.  In most events, the horse knows the difference between the warm up pen and the show arena.  The rider often rides a little differently.  Most likely little disobediences or mistakes in the ride are overlooked or not dealt with, and little by little the horse may learn to cheat and “try the rider”.  You can stop this from ever turning into a big deal by simply maintaining or schooling your horse every once in a while in the class.  Make sure you respect the rules of the show, and that you don’t interfere with any of the other riders. 

 

I am very passionate about keeping my older show horses natural, fresh, and moving as good as they did when they were young.  Believe me, it is possible to do this, and the effort is worth the results.  I hope these tips have helped you and your horse to be the best that you can be!

 

In the next issue we will learn how to fix specific cheats. You can also find these tips on my Winning Strides DVD series,  one DVD that really focuses on this is Maximizing Your Western Pleasure Horse Vol. 2 – How to Keep Your Show Horse Going Long Term. See you next time!