What's Up with Arabian Halter? Good, Bad, Ugly? Part 2

Part 1

As I stated in yesterday's post, some people believe everything about Arabian halter is bad. They think that people only show in halter to show off and that there is no benefit to the horse. They think that halter is abusive and should be stopped. They read the horse's reactions to the handler's cues as proof the horses have been abused instead of reactions and sometimes over reactions to cues. I used to be one of those people.

I probably would still be one of those people if I hadn't spent some time in a couple of barns with trainers who did halter as well as performance. I got the opportunity to see how halter horses are trained by good horsemen. I also got the opportunity to see what halter did for the horses themselves.

The other reason that my perceptions have changed is because I know have breed and raised a number of horses. Raising youngsters have given me a better understanding how young Arabian horses deal with stress and react to new things. I understand their body language and all the different things it can mean.

For those of you who don't know the video is mostly a yearling colts class. Some people don't think that Arabian horses should be shown that young. They think it is to stressful for the horse. Others will tell you that the sooner a horse is exposed to something, the easier they adapt to it. The older the horse the more difficult the transition is.

For me, I learned the latter was true. My first foal, Dandy, didn't leave my farm until he was two years old. I took him to a horse show so he could have the experience and to show him to some people. I was dying to show off my baby after all.

The whole weekend was a wreck. Dandy was huge even at two. At the show grounds the young horse spent a lot of time standing on his hind legs on the asphalt that was in between the show barn and the arenas. I was scared to dead to correct him afraid he would fall and be seriously hurt.

In addition to that, the horse dropped about 150 pounds between the trailer ride to and from the show and his time there. He was so stressed part of the time he didn't really know which end was up. The rest of the time he was so excited to see the other horses he totally tuned me out. It wasn't pretty.

Since that time, I make sure all of my babies (and I mean babies) take a trip. Somewhere, anywhere as long as it's a trip where the foals has to deal with the trailer, new surroundings and other horses. Many of my foals have gone to horse expositions and been on display in breed alleys. None of them have ever lost a single pound in one of those early outings. They travel well and adapt to new surroundings easily. Never again have I experienced another nightmare weekend like I did with Dandy.



Most of those yearlings in the halter class have never been shown before. This is their first experience with not only all the horses and handlers in the ring, but the crowds, announcers, and other distractions. Depending on how much or how little they have been exposed to before now, this is really a big deal to many of these young horses. The reactions are as varied as the experiences of the horses.

With that being said, I want to address some specific situations on the video. The very first colt that stands out on this video is nodding his head up and down feverishly. The horse is clearly stressed. In my opinion, this horse is the most stressed of any on the video. The handler is trying to get the horse to pay attention to him.

To some putting pressure on the horse's head at this time might seem like being mean. The horse, however, has been taught a tight line means he is to focus on his handler. If the horse would focus on the handler, it would alleviate the horse's stress level.

The handler was being quiet applying pressure that was not working. For a brief instant he flicked the shank at the horse applying more pressure. This correction lets the horse know the handler is serious about getting a response.

The colt tried to escape backwards. The handler stayed with the horse with his eyes averted (the averted eyes is actually a break of pressure for the horse). When the colt stopped and the handler could feel the colt responding to the pressure the handler looked back. This cues the horse to pay attention. Then bringing his whip hand forward the colt begins to reach for his target. Just as they switch the camera away the colt is showing signs he may be calming.

Some may not understand how making the horse pay attention works to alleviate stress but it's true. By focusing on his training, the horse actually gets distracted against what's causing the stress.

The same is true for a horse that is misbehaving and getting rowdy because of all the other horses. Making the horse focus on its training will distract it from being naughty and cause the horse to relax.

For example Storm, when I showed him halter last, decided to rear in the ring. He was telling me he wanted loose to check out the other horses. I shanked the horse and sent him backwards to get him to pay attention. Backing is hard for a horse and takes more concentration. It puts the mind on backing and where the handler is and off getting into trouble.

Even with a riding horse that is stressed, getting them to focus on their job eleviates their stress and settles them down. I like to make my riding horses flex and bend when they are stressed or frightened. Flexing and moving off my leg is difficult for the horse to do. They must really pay attention. If the horse does it right it also lowers its head, this will release endorphins that will aid in the relaxation of the horse. It's amazing how quickly a horse can come back to being soft after a major blowup with just this simple exercise.

To be continued...............

PART 3

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