ARTICLES BY DON WEST

AVOIDING HEADSTALL HANDLING HASSLES

Like the Universe they evolved in, horses are dynamic, not static. Just like us, they're always changing, attempting to adapt to their ever changing environment. Looked at from our human perspective, horses, domesticated by us to meet our needs or desires, and evaluated by our performance based set of standards, are always getting “better”... or “worse”. Once you've come to realize the fact that:  “If you're a rider, you’re a trainer.  Every time you touch your horse, you teach your horse. Every time you rein your horse, you train your horse”, your goal should be to always be sure the horse you are handling is getting better with each human contact, not worse. Obviously, before you can even begin to ride, you must successfully get the saddle and tack on your horse. And here, as with everything else you do, the way you handle each and every aspect of every individual operation will affect the final outcome, and your chance of reaching your ultimate goal – a safe and satisfying ride.

Those of you who know me through my clinics or workshops, or who have read my "Training For Trail Riding" articles, know that my training philosophy is based on the precept that: “A comfortable horse is a happy horse, and a happy horse makes for a happy rider”. One important part of the procedure of saddling and tacking up the horse is getting the bit and bridle (the head stall) on. Doing this right isn't very hard, not if you have a clear picture in your mind of what you are doing, and break it up into little mini-steps, making sure to keep the horse as comfortable as possible during each step. Doing it wrong, on the other hand, leads to unnecessary resistance that manifests itself in unwanted head lifting, head tossing, mouth locking shut, sensitive ears, and something even to refusal and resentment that can lead to out and out war. For the human horse handler involved, that usually results in frustration, anger, possibly fear or even injury, and finally defeat. Unfortunately, I witness folks fowling up this relatively simple procedure and causing themselves unnecessary headaches, over and over again. 

Remember, in this relationship, our equine partner is "the brawn". We are supposed to be "the brains"! But, far too often, people begin to act before they put their brains in gear, creating a situation where they are the cause of their horse learning an unwanted, incorrect response, one that re-affirms (to the horse) that people want to pester them, and that they (the horse) are the stronger partner, and don’t have to do as they are told (by their human partner) if they don’t feel like it, or don’t think it is in their own best interest. That cantankerous or rebellious attitude, developed by human mishandling (not using what I call Horse Handling-Horse Sense) can lead, over time, to a sour, dangerous, or out of control (at the worst possible times) horse. And, it was never the horse’s fault! It was the result of the ignorance of the horse’s handler not knowing what to do, or being able to do it correctly, that caused the behavior problem.

Remember, if you are a rider, you are a trainer. As a rider/trainer, you can learn how to think like a horse, but you can’t expect the horse to learn how to think like you. But most horses are ready and willing to be good partners in this “dance” we call horsemanship if they get what they need. And all that horses need from us in order to be comfortable (and feel safe) is:

1. To know where they fit in the pecking order, and
2. To get clear, simple, straightforward, easy to understand signals.

If you understand these basic principles, you can learn to perform step-by-step procedures that will allow you to accomplish your training goals, including putting the headgear on, without getting your horse upset with you, or on the fight. But, you cannot expect your horse to say to himself: “Well, I know my rider-friend didn’t really mean to slap me in the eye with that strap. He's just clumsy. So, even though my natural reaction is to pull away from him, I’ll just turn my head to him, lower it, and make it easy for him to put this uncomfortable thing in my mouth, and up and over my ears.” No, if you don’t think it through first, visualize it, and practice your step-by-step procedures until you can do them like clockwork, in advance, you are running the likely risk that you will be inadvertently teaching your horse exactly what you did not want -to take his head away and say “No!” in his language.

So, what are the steps that will lead to success, and improve your “benevolent master” to “willing servant” relationship?  First, go catch and halter your horse. Then, lead him in and tie him up, leaving enough slack in the lead rope to let him move his head comfortably from left to right, but not encouraging him to move his feet around. Go through your normal grooming process, using it as an opportunity to establish a positive, businesslike, “let’s go to work”, hands on dialog with your horse. Next, blanket and saddle the horse, rewarding each little thing he does right (like just standing still, for example) with kind words and a positive scratch, stroke, and pat, touch.

Standing to the side of your horse’s left shoulder, and holding the headstall in your left hand, use your right hand under his jaw to turn his head towards you to a 45˚ angle. This turning of the head toward you will decrease his thoughts about turning away from you and trying to get away. Note: I use the same little head turning technique when I'm haltering my horse.

Now, with your right hand, lift the reins over his head, being sure not to touch his eyes or ears in the process. Lowering the headstall (with your left hand), take the bit in your right hand and put it under horse’s jaw. Next, reach over the horse’s pole (between his ears) with your right hand, and put your hand into the top of the headstall, spreading your fingers out to enlarge the opening.

Now, slide your left hand (palm up) between the shanks, under the center bar of the bit, coming in from the back. Lifting the headstall straight up (once again, being careful not to touch the horse’s eyes or ears), raise the bit from under the lower jaw, bringing it up to the horse’s lips. Now, ask the horse to open his mouth by taking your left thumb, putting it between the horse’s lips, and firmly pressing your thumb nail into his upper gums, right behind his front teeth (the incisors). He’ll open up! Now, immediately lift your right hand an inch or two, bringing the bit up into the corners of the horse’s mouth, where the upper and lower lips come together, and hold there, letting the horse adjust to this intrusion.

Once the horse has relaxed to having the bit in his mouth, being very careful once again, use your left hand to guide the headstall over the horse’s right (away) ear, laying it back for a moment as you do it. Now, carefully, bring the headstall and brow band across the horse’s brow and slide the headstall over the left (near) ear. Pull the horse’s mane and forelock out from under the headstall. Fasten your throatlatch strap, and any other straps or chains that need fastening, and  “voila”, you’re done…with no fuss or resistance. If the horse fights you (provided that it hasn’t already cultivated a bad head fussing habit), you’ve done it wrong. Before you try again, it might be best to go practice on some easy going, laid back old nag, until you can do all the individual moves, smooth as silk.

Then, when you have mastered the moves, go back to the horse you were working with at first, and do it right. The more you do it "right", the easier it will get. By the way, take your time. There need be no rush in doing this. Haste makes waste. The important thing is to be able to do it right.  Speed will come with practice. Horses don’t usually fight between the steps I’ve outlined, so do each step effectively and efficiently, and take a little micro rest between the steps. And, remember, if something doesn’t work, just doing it harder is rarely the right answer. If things aren’t working, it’s better to stop, back-up a few steps (to something you can do effectively), and then think (and practice) before you start over. It’s a lot easier to teach things right (without creating resistance) the first time, than it is to undo the bad habits that you have created in your haste or ignorance.

Last Updated: January, 2008