Page 50 - Demo

lessons usually consist of a warm-up, lesson body and cooldown. I noticed that many of the owners enjoyed their lessonsbut were unable to be challenged further because their horseswould spook in the corners or act up windy days and be inconsistent at the jog and lope. I decided it was time to incorporatedespooking methods into all of my lessons in order to give theriders a more enjoyable lesson and give them tools to keep theirhorses concentrating when I wasn't there to help.\According to Arbuckle, beginning work in despooking shouldbe done in the round pen. \in order to have control over the horse, where he will travel, andat what speed,\safe environment.\Her approach to training is considerate of the horse and involves reading each animal as an individual. \when despooking horses,\push the horse and when to back off and give him rest. Eachhorse must be treated as an individual and care taken not to rushthe training session. Basically, any horse can become more tolerant of scary obstacles.\When teaching horses to cope with fear, Arbuckle starts with objects horses typically see when being worked with from both theground and under saddle. Brushes, brooms, plastic bags, paper andsaddle pads are used for starters. \with the first items, I despook with other objects such as beach balls,flags, kites and noisemakers,\Arbuckle's process is very gradual. \away from the horse, holding the object,\to three feet towards the horse and stop. If the horse doesn't tryto move away, I will turn around and walk away from him. Ifthe horse does run away, I know that the item is very frighteningto him and I must start by walking one foot toward him and thenturning around. Every time I walk toward him with the item, Iam raising his emotions. If the horse keeps his emotions in checkand stands, I walk away. This allows the horse to relax.\Arbuckle gradually gets closer and closer to the horse in thismanner until she is eventually able to walk up to the horse withthe object and have the horse stand. \smell the item,\continued on page 5250 Arizona Horse Connection May, 2026Kathi Turnerhighdesertcreations.comCustom RANCH BRANDS on commission witha design that combines your current ranch brand or one piece of your heart from the past.775.304.6756Kathi89445@yahoo.comHigh Desert CreationsCommission Brand Concho Hat Pins Available!standing: Cactus Quixote, aQHa & vernons venom, apHaRoping lessons for novice and youth.Mark Miller, trainerp.o. Box 6 • sonoita, arizona 85637 • (602) 531-5845