Halter and Lead training

One of the most rewarding days on the ranch is haltering and lead training the horses. This is one of the first opportunities we have to work with some of the youngest horses on the ranch one-on-one. We see how quick they are to acclimate to new experiences; how comfortable they are away from the herd and working with a person. It's a wonderful opportunity to gauge the individual personality and brain of each horse.

BCR MistyBlackburn16

Old Foundation Quarter Horses remains committed to raising horses as naturally as possible with acres of open range. Over the years we discovered that by giving the colts and fillies more time on pasture with older horses, they're far more comfortable coming in as a 2 year old, than as a weanling for halter and lead training. They pick up what people ask of them much faster, and stress themselves out less.

Sissy Blackburn 16

We generally set aside 2 or 3 days, depending on how many horse there are to work with. Each horse is handled at least twice during that time, and the difference between day one and day two is extraordinary. Because we focus on positive interactions and making sure to end on a positive note, the horses quickly grow to understand that working with people isn't a scary prospect.

The work put in is a bit like a dance. It's a practice of give and take, and for the horse, learning to partner and work with people. The horse gets to earn the respect of people, and we work hard to ensure that each horse understands we have it's best interests at heart. The handlers make sure that no matter how much a horse struggled with the idea of following, each interaction ends on a positive note.

Sessions with each horse are kept short, on average horses are handled and worked with for about 30 minutes. If horses respond quicker and seem inclined to keep learning, we work on touching all over; scratches around the ears so they're comfortable with hands near their head for haltering, hooves are picked up for future trims.

The horse above, BCR Tivio Blackburn, is a 2 year old gelding who has been able to spend the first two years of his life on pasture. First with his mare until weaning, and then with a herd of older horses. They come through the corrals occasionally for gelding, routine medical care, or sorting, but by and large are left to grow and learn the herd dynamics without mom by his side. The first two pictures were at the start of his session, essentially as an untouched colt. Within 25 minutes he was quiet and happily following behind on a lead.

After all of the horses have been worked with, it's back out to pasture for them, awaiting for their number to be called to be sent out for training.

If you have any questions about the horses pictured in this post, feel free to email info@oldfoundation.com or contact Brett at (308) 458-7725.