How To Halter Break A Foal

how to halter break a foal

Whilst searching the net it appears ok to start socialising a foal from a few days old…?

by this i mean snuzzles and petting etc, moving on to being able to drape a rope over the neck halter lead etc… I would not consider breaking in/training until 3 (please don’t dwell on this its my personal preference and you won’t get me to start at 2)
How young though is too young for socialising picking up feet etc. Obviously i’m not planning on walking into a stall and grooming at just hours old, but i see the logic in the younger they start the less there is to startle them!
All answers recieved with thanks!

Imprinting a foal to human contact can be done within hours of being foaled. We always handle our foals as soon as possible (don’t get me wrong, we give the mare and foal time to bond) starting with the initial doctoring of the foal by just rubbing them and touching them all over. This helps in the latter days when you want to begin working with them. We then put a halter on them within a week, just to get them used to it. We don’t ever leave the halter on, as this can cause some major accidents. When ever we put the halter on, we rub them all over including down their legs. We slowly work on them to start leading, just a couple steps at a time. We will typically start this process and then give them a few days to themselves. By the time they are a couple of months old, we can lead them and then have our farrier (who is great with youngsters) come and trim their feet. We have never had any problems, so far. By 3 months, we can usually lead them fairly consistently and have also introduced them to getting bathed (just introduced to water, no full bath yet). If trained right and not using fear techniques, by the time they are ready to be weaned, they lead right in the trailer and no problems. During weaning is when we spend the most time as that is when they are looking for a friend. Just as a side note, babies that are shedding their baby hair are really itchy and love to be scratched and groomed, this also helps in them learning to trust you, just watch out for them trying to return the favor. Good luck and have fun with your foal, they grow up really fast.

Halter Breaking the Foal

gaited horse, gaited horses, horses that gait, what is the gait

A Very Simplified Description of the Gait
There are two gait genes. One gene is a trot gene, the other is a pace gene. All horses, regardless of breed, have 2 gait genes. Each horse will, therefore, carry a gene pair, consisting of trot/trot, trot/pace or pace/pace. Horses that have a 4-beat gait have an additional gait gene (sometimes called a gait or gene modifier). However, there can be a hundred variations of that gait gene. Therefore, the horse will be trot/trot with a gait gene, trot/pace with a gait gene or pace/pace with a gait gene or some variation of these pairs.
These genes are inborn and natural, as can be exhibited by a young foal, gaiting along side of its mom. The gait shows up in a foal as soon as the foal has its legs underneath him and begins to move. By understanding the genetic makeup of a horse, it is easier to understand where all the varieties of action can come from. Horses will have the ability to trot as well as gait, pace as well as gait and even trot, pace and gait. A talented horse (but a frustration to the rider!) will have a great variety of actions to choose from! An experienced and patient trainer will be able to teach the horse, on cue, to move into any or all the various actions.

Specific for the Gait
Many gaited horses, regardless of the breed, will trot and/or pace. Young horses, 2 or 3 years old, often do not have the muscle development or the coordination to perform the gait consistently for long periods of time. Exercise to build up the hindquarter muscle enables the horse to get the propulsion from the rear. Turns along the fence and back-up will engage the hind end. Loping or cantering can also help the hindquarters to engage. Immediate corrections when the horse breaks into a trot and/or pace, by asking the horse to slow down or turn, will tell him that the trot/pace is not acceptable. Riding up and down a hill will help the horse to find its gait. There are some specific exercises to encourage the gait. As mentioned previously, breeding has a lot to do with the gait. Collection and encouraging the horse to stay in the preferred gait are all part of riding the gaited horse. Some aids can be used. Certain types of trimming and shoeing (if necessary) can enhance the gait. Each horse must be assessed as an individual to keep trims as close to the natural angle as possible, which is always best for the horse. Many farriers believe in a balanced foot and trimming with a natural angle. There is concern that lameness and unsoundness can result if the hoof is trimmed outside the natural angle. Action chains or weights can be used to slow down or speed up the front or rear leg action to put the horse into proper movement. We are not talking about severe shoes, weights or chains. Often just the noise of a wooden chain on the ankle stimulates the correct leg action. There is NO PLACE in training for the gait for severe devices that can harm or injure the horse. If the 4-beat gait is NATURAL then all that needs to be done is, encourage the horse to the best of his ability. We believe that long shank bits are NOT necessary for correct head set or collection. They can cause more problems for the horse than they solve. A halter, side-pull, bitless bridle or snaffle bit work just as well, and in our opinion, give more control and direction to the horse. All bits and aids MUST be used properly. Training the Gaited horse is a process, as it is will all horses, and should be an enjoyable, pleasurable process for both horse and trainer.

About the Author

The Quilliams method of horse training results from years of experience. Dennis incorporates the philosophy of training from other Natural Horsemen. Dennis bases his philosophy of training on the mutual respect of horse to man and man to horse.Dennis began his love of horses as a young man (40+years ago). He lived in the middle of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. So he had to hunt to find that â€Ŕelusive dreamâ€Â. At the age of 12, he mucked stalls at a local riding stable in exchange for lessons. Beginning with riding English, he soon proved to be a natural horseman and advanced from riding to teaching. He trained his first horse within that first year.

Dennis went on to work at various ranches in Alberta, British Columbia & Saskatchewan, continuing his learning and training of ranch horses. He has worked with & trained Quarter horses, Appaloosas, Pintos, Arabian, Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and Trekaneners, to name just a few. For several years he worked as Manager and Trainer, on a gaited horse ranch, in Snoqualmie, WA. While on the ranch he trained Gaited Mountain Horses, Tennessee Walkers, Saddle Breds, Peruvians, and Paso Fino.

Dennis is available for clinics, both in Canada and the USA, and coaching for novice riders, teaching HorseManShip FROM THE GROUND UP. He is experienced with all ages and skills, including children with special needs. He specilizes in training the gaited horse and encouraging the best gait for each particular horse. Contact him to help you with your needs. Email Consulting also available. Childrens Horsemanship & Adult Riding/Training manuals available. go to http://horsesense4u.com

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