Training with Christa Petrillo

            Spring is here! Many riders ride their horses less during the winter for many reasons- it's too cold, it's raining, too muddy, holidays, illnesses in both horse and rider; whatever the reason our horse and ourselves are now out of shape. To prepare you and your horse for the coming riding season, here is a guideline/checklist of things not only to have done to your horse but also for you to do to make sure your horse is mentally where they need to be to be ridden again.
First it is important to make sure your horse is physically prepared. Your horse's teeth should be checked and most likely floated. Many people do not realize that most horses need their teeth floated once a year. Horse's teeth never stop growing and can develop points, hooks, ridges, and waves. A horse who has an uneven mouth is not going to chew their food properly which will prevent them from properly digesting their food; which can lead to weight issues. Also, horses with sharp points can cause ulcerations on their cheeks which makes it uncomfortable to flex and bend their head when riding. Making sure your horse is properly vaccinated is important as well since your horse will be exposed to other horses. Proper feet care is necessary for you horse's soundness.
Horses change physically year to year, especially if they are young. Check your saddle fit several times throughout the riding season. Saddles may not fit correctly at the beginning of the season due to the horse not being ridden much during the winter. Or perhaps the saddle fit early in the season but as the horse's muscular structure changes the saddle could start to pinch. More often than not, bad behavior can be attributed to improper fitting equipment.
Trailer loading tends to be a common problem after the winter. Practice trailer loading to keep it fresh in their minds. To train a horse to load in a trailer correctly you will need a dressage whip and a long lead rope. If the horse shows signs of nervousness then put a bridle on the horse and do bridle work by the trailer and slowly make your way to the trailer. Once at the trailer allow the horse to sniff and look around. Once you have allowed the horse to check things out ask the horse for one step forward by applying pressure to the halter/bridle and tapping the horse gently on the hip with a dressage whip. If the horse backs up keep tapping the horse until you have reached the spot you had originally asked for the step forward. Pause and pet the horse and then ask for one step forward. At this point you are wanting one step at a time. Every time the horse steps forward pet and stop tapping with the whip. Allow the horse to rest in the spot you have just asked them to move to. Keep this process until the horse take one step into the trailer. Once the horse has put one foot in the trailer back the horse out. This is important because you want it to be your idea for the horse to get out of the trailer and second you want to teach the horse that they can get out of the trailer and how to get out. If the horse tries to back out of the trailer without your telling then tap the horse on the hip until the horse is back where you told it to be. Repeat this step a few times then ask for the second foot. Repeat backing and loading the horse in the trailer. Then ask for three legs and then finally four legs. Once you feel the horse is comfortable with the process and will load and unload without hesitation take the horse away from the trailer and ask the horse to load without hesitation.
There are a couple of rules that go with trailer loading training.
- First you must not get impatient. Do not make a time limit.
- Second, once you are out the trailer you cannot leave.
- Third the horse doesn’t know what the end result is supposed to be. So if you find yourself running out of time or patience, find something to stop on that is positive. For example. Lets say the horse is frightened of the trailer, and it takes 15 minutes just to get 5 feet from the trailer. Well you can make the lesson for the horse to get to 4 feet or 3 feet from the trailer. Or perhaps the lesson is for the horse to just stand with their nose in the trailer or one foot in the trailer. Whatever you decide. You cannot start with your goal, which is to get the horse in the trailer. Your goal must be more simple. The more clear you are with the horse the quicker the horse is going to understand what you are wanting.

Things to not allow from your horse:
The horse stepping into you is a big no no. (this is dangerous as the horse can pin you or trample you)
The horse flinging their head to the outside of the trailer and looking away. (The horse is thinking about leaving and not paying attention)
The horse backing up. (The horse is not responding to           the go forward cue)
The handler turning the horse away from the trailer to get a running start. (Every time you take the horse away from the trailer you are reinforcing that the horse doesn’t have to get in and that if the horse waits long enough you will eventually take them away from it.)
Bribing with feed. (Feed is unreliable and sometimes you may not have feed to get the horse loaded, especially if they are sick and don’t want to eat or if it is an emergency and they are scarred)
Some of the exercises to practice on the ground are Round Penning, "Direction Lesson", and "Bridle Work". Riding exercises to do with your horse would be disengaging, serpentines, diagonals, stopping and backing. Stopping and backing seems so insignificant but it is so important. Whoa means whoa. Not whoa 5-10 steps later. It's like driving a car with brakes that don't work well. It could be problematic. Backing is also important. I can't even recall how many times I have had to back a horse on a trail ride where there wasn’t room to turn around.
Remember to keep the rides short as your horse is out of shape after a winter off. If your horse is sweating or breathing heavy, cool them out and put them up.
Training techniques referred to here in this article can be read about in John Lyons' books or in previous articles written by Christa Petrillo. If you desire to know more contact Christa at 707-688-4358 or  www.christapetrillotraining.com