Day to day starting of Hamid Karzai Bascar
We would like to share with you how we work with young horses. But first we would like to clearly state that this is NOT a guide on how to start a horse. Every horse is different and needs his own approach. The horse we choose is a special horse that might prove to be a challenge from time to time, just to make it more interesting. Hamid Karzai Bascar is a Quarab, his sire is a pure blood Arabian and his dam is a registered Quarter horse. Hamid has been in a herd of horses all of his young life. He hasn't had a lot of handling by humans. This is his story...
Day 1
Hamid arrived at the ranch a few days ago. We gave him a bit more time to get accustomed to his new surroundings. The young ones that we get for starting get the first day they arrive to settle in, the next day we start working with them. All new horses get their own private paddocks. We feed them twice a day, which gives us the opportunity to get to know them a bit and keep a good eye on them.
Day 2
Today's the first day we start working with Hamid. Hamid didn't accept the halter in the paddock yet, so we used Winchester (our all round gelding) as a pony horse. We got Hamid to follow Winchester into the round yard. We started as always with a join up and follow up. After Hamid did this really well, we brushed and touched him all over and picked up and cleaned his four hooves. This was the time to practice to put the halter on and taking it off. He is very sensitive around his pole and ears but reluctantly let us put the halter on him. To get his mind of the halter we put the saddle blanket and saddle on his back. He accepted this without any trouble. After letting him go through the walk, trot and canter with the saddle on his back we decided it was enough for his first day.
Day 3
We wanted to see if we would be able to put the halter on Hamid in the paddock but he wasn't ready for it yet. So with a little help and mental support from Winchester at the gate we could get Hamid to accept the halter in the paddock and bring him on the lead rope to the round yard. We did another join up and follow up. Brushed him and cleaned his feet. He did all of this well. Time to put the bridle with bit in. Every time we wanted to put it on, he took off. We worked him some more until in the end we could get it on. But he wasn't happy with it at all! It's clear that we have to take it easy on him and give him heaps off trust and confidence. After we got the bridle on we saddled him and let him walk with the saddle a bit. He accepted it again without a worry. We took saddle and bridle off and practiced a few times putting the halter on and off. After almost 2 hours, which is a long session we brought Hamid back to his paddock and gave him his evening meal.
Day 4
We still had to use Winchester at the gate to let Hamid accept the halter. We don't worry about that too much. When he will get more confidence and trust he will turn around. After the long lesson yesterday we decided that we would make this a shorter session. And we would make it easy on him so he would gain some confidence. We brushed and touched him all over again and he was less flighty as the days before. Even in his pole area he was better. After practicing the halter a few times it was time for the bridle. Because he took of yesterday I held him on a lead rope and halter today. First time I tried to put the bridle on, he took off again. But because I still had the lead rope I could stop him and ask him to come back straight away. Now he knew that he couldn't get out of it. After that he let me put it on and he settled down. Very well done! It was a big step for this horse. And that was it for today. It pays off to stop at the right time so the horse feels good about it all.
Day 5
Today Hamid has a day off. We work our horses 5 days a week, to give them a break and let the lessons sink in. Hamid needs a lot of groundwork done. Most horses we get in are already more accustomed to human interaction. We move them trough the steps quicker, by day 5 we might already be riding in the arena. Every horse is different and needs his own time. Hamid will catch up soon enough. More important is that all training is done thorough before moving to the next step. We want all experiences to be positive, this way the horse gains more and more trust and willingly takes the following steps.
Day 6
This is Hamid's big day!We were able to walk into the paddock and put the halter on him without any difficulty. He followed into the round yard where he got his routine of touching, brushing and feet cleaned. Hamid is a lot more relaxed and calmer while handling him. So relaxed that we decided he would be up for a challenge. We put the bridle and saddle on him and Erwin put a step next to him. He didn't agree with it that Erwin went to stand on the step. It scared him away. After a couple of tries he stood still and we could start putting some pressure on the saddle and in the stirrups. We kept that up for a while until he felt fairly confident. Then the leg went over and Erwin was in the saddle. Hamid scared and took off in a canter. After a couple of rounds he stopped and stood still. We praised him and told him everything was ok. When he was relaxed again, we slowly started walking him around and stopping him. He was still very wary of every movement of the rider but he didn't take off anymore. Only when Erwin got off he side stepped away from him. All in all a good day for this nervous young horse.
Day 7
Today will be the second day under saddle. Getting the halter on in the paddock isn't an issue any more, we are past that problem. After grooming him we chucked the saddle on and did the same routine as yesterday with the step. He didn't worry about it at all, so on we went. When Erwin got on him, he didn't take off. He was still a bit nervous but we praised him for his good efforts and let him stand for a while. Then we walked him around the arena, I walked beside him to give him some moral support. Movements from Erwin's side in the saddle yesterday made him spook, so we trained on that. While walking around Erwin started to slowly flap his legs, wave his hands and make noises. With this horse it's important to take it slow and give him trust each and every step of the way. While getting out of the saddle he was a little nervous, did half a side step but was relaxed. Just for the practice Erwin got on and of again and he stood just nicely. That was enough for today. Because he still doesn't like the bridle to go over his face we will work on that tomorrow. Continue ...
