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So did you vote?
The US Election race has been run and results are being counted. It looks like being an historic outcome at the moment....
And more history was made in the 'race that stops a nation', the Melbourne Cup, has been run and won. Kudos to the master race trainer Bart Cummings who snatched his 12th Melbourne Cup by a whisker with an outside chance named Viewed.
In other news, we have a resounding winner here too! Congrats to 'IMURSNSHIN' who sent in the wildly hilarious and no doubt very useful tip on desensitizing your horse to clippers with a 'personal vibrating device'. This tip received around three times the votes of any other tip. Wow. Well done. (It's the last tip on this page)
And the wild card prize has been won by Gene S in a random draw. Gene's tip is below, but before that, a BIG THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU to everyone who participated in this competition.
IMURSNSHIN and Gene will receive their copies of 'Horse Training Success' immediately, and everyone else who joined in will receive a special thankyou offer in the coming weeks.
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Remember this is not the time to move in and possibly get trampled in a burst to get free. I begin tossing the halter gently toward the horse getting closer and closer, this desensitizes the horse to the tossed halter. Eventually I toss the halter completely over the horses back to where it is dangling over the far side from me and let it just hang there while the horse becomes used to it's weight and feel. I then begin to flip the lead gently up and down along the horse's high-line, sawing the lead back and forth which lifts the halter up and down along his ribs on the far side. This only takes about 30 seconds and it takes less time each time you do it.
Slowly you work your way up the lead rope all the while flipping the lead, tapping his back and sides to where you are finally able to put a hand on his shoulder and pet him. You can now reach under his neck and grab the halter, stroking the horse with it. You should now have a calm and accepting horse that you were able to catch from 12 feet away. If he moves out and slips the lead rope over his hind end walk, don't run, and cut him out again. I really like to use the same corner as I did before till he gets the idea.
Once he is showing signs of relaxing, dipping his head, licking his lips, cocking a hind leg, slip on the halter, pet him and then turn him loose. Single him out again and repeat the whole process several times. You'll find that after a few times of doing this when you toss the halter at him the first time he will turn and face you as the halter drags away, (the retreating halter is a release of pressure). Eventually he will follow the halter right up to you.
It takes some repetitions but eventually you have a horse that sees the coiled halter and takes the easy path of approaching you instead of having the halter tossed his way.
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More of the tips sent in will be put on this blog over the coming days and weeks, along with the usual program of examples of good and bad training and horse hilarity. So keep stopping by if you like what is here and keep spreading the word. And by all means send in requests for blog posts.