Frequently Asked Questions
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Training Tips
Starting Your Foal Out Right
When should I halter break my young horses?
I've been starting colts for over 35 years. The more I train horses and teach others the more I realize that starting the training process at a young age is one of the keys to making it easier and safer for both you and your youngster.
Take every opportunity you have to touch and handle the foal before halter breaking. If you are fortunate enough to be around when your foal is born take this opportunity to rub him all over. This will go a long way in quieting him down when he is at this very impressionable stage. I like the foal to trust being around me before I start any training. Once the foal has confidence in me and allows me to come up and scratch him I'll then start the halter breaking process.
Slow and easy is the key. Never pull on the lead shank from straight in front of the foal. Always try to lead the colt from a position slightly to the side. This will encourage the foal to come ahead and not lock up on you. Tug very lightly, wait and be patient. Don't pull too hard. If the foal starts to back up pulling against you, release the pressure quickly before he panics , flips over and injures himself. Don't try to rush the process and force things on the foal.
Remember when teaching a foal to lead, tug on the lead shank from the side at about the 1 or 2 o'clock position. Lead your foal one or two steps to the side and stop. Rub him and give him a few seconds. Then start again. Teach your foal to lead in circles in both directions before teaching him to lead in a straight line. Once I'm at the point of working on leading in a straight line , I use a short 4' stock whip to tap his hindquarters. Each time the colt stops, I'll tap his hip lightly until he moves ahead. Eventually, he learns to walk beside me to avoid getting tapped.
You may have to rub the foal all over with the whip if he is scared of it. At this time I sack the colt out with a flag to get him over his fears. I use a plastic bag like you get from the western stores to tie on the end of a 4'whip to use as a flag. Sacking the colt will help desensitize him from sounds plastic or vinyl make. Again, I repeat go slow. Remember you are working with a young horse whose flight instinct will cut in quickly with very little warning. You want to be careful not to scare the foal into pulling against you.
Once the foal is leading I take him with me while I feed the other horses or to do little jobs around the place. He gains confidence as he is led around seeing new things and being exposed to people moving around him. I get some work done and am able to spend time with the young horse.
Only after the foal is leading well will I start to tie him up. I will tie him up where he is close to other horses so he doesn't get upset being by himself. A lot of the time a foal will throw a fit and try to get away because he wants to get back to the other horses.
When working with foals take one step at a time so not to overwhelm the youngster. Don't try to overpower the foal. It is too easy to hurt the foal at this age. You'll only instil fear and make it harder for you to gain his trust. Once the foal leads and trusts me I progress to teaching him good ground manners. I'll teach the colt to give to pressure. For example: to move away from me. I don't allow my foals to become pushy or rude. This is the time to teach your foal to respect your space.
At this time I'll start to bring the youngster into the barn to be tied and give them oats and supplements. Soon they become very familiar with this routine which will be of great benefit later on in their life.
The sooner we teach our foals these simple basics, the easier it will be on them when you start their 2 year old training program. These simple colt starting basics could be compared to kindergarten. Once the foal is a yearling he needs to attend grade one to be taught "Basic Ground Training Exercises"