Hi yall, After reading a thread about a crazy horse posted on here I got to thinkin, (I know thats dangerous for me) But i was wondering if anyone has ever layed a horse down in training to establish dominance towards them, My first experience at this goes back some 35 years ago on a 161/2 HH 11 yr old Appaloosa stud that was similar to acting alot like the horse in the thread, It actually took 3 of us and scared the crap out of me in the process but worked out for the best, He would actually charge people and other horses as they got close to his corral sometimes even breaking the fence, we put up a 6 ft chainlink fence and electric wire hoping to get him to stop but he would still charge up to close to the fence but didn't break it any more, He also could be haltered at times and was great but then sometimes like BOING the mainspring would go and he was crazy for a bit,
We ended up hobbling his front legs and pulling him over with a rope attached to his nose and running it down his side and around his rump, Then as he went down 2 of us jumped on his neck and head covering his eyes and holding him down like for 10 minutes (seemed like an hour as I was only 15 at the time and scared to death) as we let him up the 2 of us that were holding him down moved away from him as not to be seen so the first one that he did see was the owner, he raised his head up for a minute or so and then got completely up and the owner walked to him and pet him on the head and talked to him and the horse from that point on seemed to be a different horse as he worked with him, For the next several years the horse became a very obedient horse and stopped all the charging of the fence and people, Anyhow just curious if anyone has ever done or heard of this, and if this was actually a fluke or does it really work like this all the time. The owner was a native american (NAVAJO) and said they use this method on the reservation as he was growing up on the more aggressive horses to break them easily and prove dominance, I actually learned alot from him and have used most in training some of my other horses but actually haven't needed to attempt this on one yet. LOL Well I was just thinking of the other thread and kinda figured what the heck at this point would it be a last ditch effort and if it works it would be for the better and if it didn't I guess the only thing left would be to put it down for good unfortunately. Thanks
We have laid two of our horses down. It takes two people and we tie one leg up and around the stomach, gently pull them off balance release the pressure as a reward when they go down. At first they just bow but they do give in and lay all the way. We then untie the leg love all over them and let them get up after about 10 minutes. This can be a nasty process and can take some hair off your horse. They rear jump and sometimes fall, especially in the end when they get panicky and all the adrenaline kicks in. Do it in a very safe environment soft ground and don't be scared. I watched a video and read a lot about it before I was willing to try. I am very happy with the results and the horses showed no signs of being sore afterward.
Was there a specific reason for laying them down? Yes as I recall The horse had a small rope burn on the rump, We did however use a fairly large pen with plenty of room and he bucked and stood his ground well but eventually went down to knees then over on side, the fun part was tying to keep him down as he tried several times to get up, It actually was alot of work and I am too damn old to be attempting it now, LOL I admit back in the day we broke our horses the old fashioned cowboy way and it was as hard on me as it was the horse most of the time but now the new ways are easier on both not to mention more humane, in some ways it takes a bit longer with the training but the results are the same, It was probly the late 70's when I started hearing the word of the new ways by way of magazines and other horseman with their other teqniques and I have succombed to doing most of my training that way as well, although once in a while I do slip and try an old cowboy way, I was just curious if anyone had done this teqnique and if was used often and what the results were, Thank you for the response I appreciate it.
There are some videos on YouTube where a trainer uses this technique on problem horses. He is very skilled at it. I would love to know how to do this alone. One day I'll meet someone who can do it and I'll ask them to teach me. It is a great teaching tool for horses that have bad history, IMO. But I can imagine this must be done with a great deal of respect for the safety of all and the mind set of the horse.
I think it is very over done and is something that should be done in the most, most extreme case. It should not be used as a cure-all and it is not a cure-all. I think a lot of people jump to it instead of going through and actually correcting issues because they don't want to spend the time and they believe it is some sort of miracle that can magically make their horse behave. Sorry folks but it doesn't work that way. There are a lot better ways to establish and enforce guidlines, ways that aren't nearly so traumatic and over the top. If it has to be done, it should only be done by someone who really knows what they are about.
I don't like at all when "trainers" laying down horse to show it the dominance. Sorry, but it does look like an abuse to me (I'm not talking about trick training here as well as some totally crazy horses nothing else can be done with). The true trainer will find the better way to show the dominance (and love) to the horse then just knocking it down to scratch the belly.
The technique of laying a horse down can be a controversial issue to some. It is very effective and humane but should only be used on horses whose next step is to be put down. As in all techniques it should only be done by someone qualified to do so and under the safest conditions for the horse.
I've seen it done and it is more traumatic to those watching for the first time then it is for the horse. Once he is down, he submits to his handler very quickly and that is the purpose.
Let me reiterate, it is not a technique to be taken lightly and used as a shortcut to dominance but it is humane and effective.
I personally dont feel that horses to be made to lay down to show who's dominate. I feel the whole laying down should be kept to predators like lion, wolves, dogs, etc, where you see a similar act of that in the wild.
I just think its like the easy way out of training.
I would never lay a horse down unless he was so belligerent and out of control that the alternative would be giving up and shooting him. There are other ways to establish yourself as the leader that are much less "vulgar", for lack of a better term. I don't believe in forcing a horse into submission. If you take the time to develop a relationship with him, you shouldn't have to force him to do anything. When I'm working with a horse, I want it to be his choice to oblige to my requests. I also believe that laying a horse down is not conducive to a loving and trusting relationship with your horse. There are better ways to train a horse without using him as a doormat.
Thanks again for your reponses, I also agree that this teqnique should only be done to problematic horses as to which spurred on my question when I read the previous thread about a horse I believe a lady had that was out of control, Killed 2 other horses and 2 trainers gave up on it, The consensus of the posts from forum members were to put the horse down, the lady seemed torn to make a decision as to buy it and attempt to work with it or put it down, I just wanted to throw this out there and see what kind of exposure this teqnique had, I didn't realize I would get the responses from so many that had experience with this teqnique, If any of you have read the thread in question would you agree that this teqnique could be used on this type of horse to solve a dominance problem before attempting to solve behavioral problems, Making the people part of his problem as the alpha and being able to work with it on a better playing field for his behavioral problems, Now that is a contraversial issue but in my thinking it should maybe given thought before putting the horse down for good. I am sorry if I have ruffled any feathers but that was not my intent, Again thanks for the responses.
I remember that thread and "yes" had I thought about the technique at the time, I would have suggested it. As I said in my reply, it is a method of last resort.
I don't think that someone who has never dealt with a true outlaw horse can appreciate the effectiveness of laying a horse down. The method came to widespread awareness in the movie The Horse Whisperer.
This method was actually developed by Professor Jesse Beery back in the late 1800's. The good doctor was one of the first "natural" horse trainers, and apparently used this technique quite effectively. The most important part of the trick, however, is that once the horse is down, the owner stays with the horse, at his head, while a second trainer scares the animal by shaking bags, blowing whistles, etc. The theory is that the horse associates the owner with safety from the scary things.
This could be obviously dangerous both to the horse and people, but maybe a last resort, worth the effort.
I've read through much of Prof Berry's books (pamphlets, actually). You can still get them in CD form on ebay. The original clinician (LOL). He was one of the first to actually put on demonstrations and sell books on how to utilize his methods and equipment . Up to recently, Weaver actually made a copy of his bit.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!