anyone ever trained with nothing

Barry Godden · 12-05-2011, 12:49 PM

When my 11 yo Irish Draught, well schooled mare rumbled that I was aiming to work her without using either training aids or tack, she would teach me how to play: 'Chase me Charley'.

trailhorserider · 12-05-2011, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KatieQ

I can't really claim to have totally trained my horse with no equipment, but years ago I had a colt from birth who I spent a LOT of time with- at least 2 hours per day. I did halter break him very early, but a lot of the time I just hung out with him in his field and brushed and talked to him, etc. or even just sat and read a book. When he got big enough I began sitting on his back (I was his best friend so he didn't mind at all). He would walk around and graze, etc. and I could steer him a little with my legs. Sometimes I would just loop a leadrope around his neck and steer with that. We had really good communication as I had spent so much time with him, and when it did come time for me to train him he was a piece of cake. He trusted me totally and was the best horse ever.

I wish I could say this about my colt. If I sat with him he would chew on me.

I have the time but not the magical relationship. He thinks everything is a game and I am his entertainment director. I have been saddling him and putting my foot in the stirrup and leaning over his back. No reaction, nothing bothers him very much. If he ever took me seriously we would be doing great. If time equaled a great relationship we would be doing great. But I digress.

MHFoundation Quarters · 12-05-2011, 01:18 PM

Interesting in theory. I have several I can ride or do showmanship patterns without any tack but that came after training the good old fashioned way. I can't imagine getting them to that point of responsiveness and control without any outside aids to give them initial guidance & training.

Makoda · 12-05-2011, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHFoundation Quarters

Interesting in theory. I have several I can ride or do showmanship patterns without any tack but that came after training the good old fashioned way. I can't imagine getting them to that point of responsiveness and control without any outside aids to give them initial guidance & training.

Yes, exactly what I have been doing getting a lot of the horses I train to do it but they are always broke first that's why I wondered about doing it the other way around. It will be fun if nothing else.

And to an earlier post there are plenty of horses around here that never get handled until brought to the trainer. Trust me (unloaded out of the stock trailer into your pen and then told "should be easy to halter break just didn't have the time". Anyway that's not the point of this entirely, even a very green halter broke horse isn't going to have much understanding of being broke to ride. (halter broke and knows ground work like CA's horses that's another story)

Makoda · 12-05-2011, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iridehorses

Without aids .... such as a halter, lead, saddle, bridle, round pen or arena, lunge line? What do you consider aids?

I mean without tack, but I don't have an arena or round pen either so mine get broke in the pasture. Just me and the horse not even a rope, because that would make it too easy. Trust me I won't cheat.

I am also curious how the horses willingness will be after being broke this way because really they will have to give into the training on their own, so maybe they will be better for it, or maybe I will have an ad in the obituaries.

OwnedByAlli · 12-05-2011, 03:50 PM

I think its a brilliant thing to try! It could be dificult though, but everything is possible to do without equipment I suppose. The tack side of things I could live without though- no tack cleaning days!

kiwigirl · 12-05-2011, 09:35 PM

I think it would be interesting to see what your horse learns.

Saddlebag · 12-05-2011, 10:29 PM

That is how I now train - no halter, rope, pen, just the wide open pasture. One can't have a timetable to train this way or even an agenda but just play along in the moment. Anger or frustration have to be parked outside the fence. Failures happen because of how the horse reads us and not an act of beligerence. When it starts to come together there is wonderful trust.

christopher · 12-06-2011, 01:09 AM

I've done it. Probably wouldn't do it again because of the time it takes, and frankly the equipment people use is there to help, and shouldn't be avoided. It was a good experience but in the end all the same rules apply regardless of what you (don't) use. It's a good test to see if one relies on anything other than their knowledge of horse behaviour to train.

Makoda · 12-06-2011, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christopher

i've done it. Probably wouldn't do it again because of the time it takes, and frankly the equipment people use is there to help, and shouldn't be avoided. It was a good experience but in the end all the same rules apply regardless of what you (don't) use. It's a good test to see if one relies on anything other than their knowledge of horse behaviour to train.

So how long did it take you and how far did you take the horse (go, stop, back, sidepass, collect, etc)?

And how did you feel the horse turned out compared to others you've broke?

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