Ranchlands
Forward Cue
Midwestern Trainer and clinician Terry Myers recommends teaching your horse to follow a rope before teaching him to stand tied. The lessons will help him move forward toward the object to which he's tied. However, if your horse has spooked during past tying sessions, he might have extra fear associated with tying. If groundwork and tying to inner tubes and highlines isn't helping your horse, the following exercise might give him extra cues to help him to move forward and stand still.
Your goal: To help your saddle-broke horse understand that you're asking him to move forward and stand close to the spot where he's tied. You help him move forward by allowing him to feel guiding pressure from the saddle's back cinch. He'll feel the pressure on his belly and move forward. "The ropes around the saddle actually help pull the saddle forward when the horse pulls back,"Myers explains. "As he pulls back, the back cinch will come up and ask him to move forward. Moving the saddle forward helps the horse know to move forward. It's a cue for his full body instead of a cue pulling only on the halter. He'll feel gentle pressure then be rewarded when he moves forward.
How to do it:
A. Outfit your horse in a saddle with back cinch. Fit your horse with a rope halter, and locate a safe tying spot. Make sure anything you tie to is a permanent structure, such as a deeply set post. Avoid gates and single boards.
B. Run a rope through the clip spot on your horse's halter.
C. Continue to lead the rope past your horse's neck, and loop it securely around your saddle horn.
D. Tie your horse with the loose end of the rope and step away. Allow him time to learn his boundaries and stand still on his own.
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