Tiffany Deering

Some horsemanship teachers tell us that it is not good to catch your horse using grain.  But realistically, there are a large number of horse owners that use grain to catch their horses, and they are not going to stop.

So I would rather offer some suggestions on how to go about using grain to catch your horse while teaching him respect and good manners.

From what I can tell, there are two schools of thought about catching a horse with grain.  Some might say that using grain every day to catch your horse is a good thing.  It trains the horse, getting them into the habit of relying on you for food, building their trust in you and teaches them a routine that makes your life easier.  Admittedly, it is nice to have a herd that comes to the barn when you call them, some may even go in to their stalls without having to be caught with halters.  Others might say that teaching such a habit is negative, because the horse can become spoiled and sour, running people over to get to the food and being difficult to work with because they are obsessed with the idea of getting the grain.

Both sides are right.  And this is why there is a happy middle ground where we can develop a relationship of gratitude and respect while establishing a convenient routine without creating a monster horse.

First let me say that I do not believe that you should use grain every time you catch your horse.  Intermittent use of grain gives incentive without the horse getting a bad attitude because he has come to expect feed all the time.  So while a regular scheduled feeding might be used to have horses come in for meals once or twice a day, you should also make a point of catching your horse off schedule numerous times a week at different times throughout the day, rewarding him with grain only occasionally.  You may go for a ride, give him a massage, brush his mane and tail, groundwork him, or simply put the halter on only to take it right back off and leave him in the pasture.

Now on to the exact exercise of catching the horse, which is available on video from www.equiyoga.net.

Every time you go to catch your horse, you are going to pursue the goal having the horse stand still beside you, with you in a position behind the shoulder.  The key is to stay behind the shoulder, because if you are by or in front of the shoulder, the horse will drop into you.  This is disrespect.  When we stand by or in front of the shoulder, we are crowding their space and teaching the horse to walk on top of us and run us over, because this is the example we are giving them.

You will have grain in a bucket, which you will probably want to hold behind your back during the exercise.  You don't want to tease the horse!  The grain will create the desire in the horse to come to you and stay by you.  You will concentrate on staying in a position behind the shoulder.  The horse will keep moving his feet, trying to figure out what you're about. 

You will look directly at his shoulder, because this is the signal to him that you want him to be still.  If you want him to move, you look at his feet or where you want him to move to.  You might even reach out a hand and touch him on the shoulder, helping to make it obvious what you are asking. 

He may reach his head around, trying to get his mouth in the bucket.  Do not shoo his head away, simply position the bucket out of reach, stepping back towards his tail with the bucket behind your back.  As long as his feet are moving, your feet should be moving in an attempt to stay in position behind his shoulder.  As soon as he stands still, stop moving.  He will probably only stand still a second, and then start moving again. 

Patiently continue, until the horse stands still at least a few seconds, and bend over to put the bucket of grain down on the ground in front of him, and calmly return to your position behind the shoulder.  Then, take your lead rope and drape it around his neck, securing him.  Let him finish his grain, and you have him caught up and ready to halter.  Make sure to stand behind the shoulder while you wait for him to eat

Remember, the horse can not drop his shoulder into you if you are not there to lean in to.  If you get in front of his shoulder, reposition yourself.  This exercise may take a long time, especially with a horse that has already learned bad habits such as running people over.  The horse may get anxious, even frustrated, as he solves this problem of how to get the grain from you.  This is exactly why we are doing the exercise, with no pressure, no force, no punishment.  He will have to figure out what behavior earns the reward of the grain.  With consistency over time, the horse will become more respectful of your space and have better manners as he calmly approaches you and stands still for you to give him grain or catch him sans feed.