Solomon's first time ever in a surcingle

Solomon has always held his head really high while working. Previous owners have used a martingale or bungee to make him frame up. We are hoping to teach him to hold his head in the right place so that he will not need to have anything extra tied to him while working.
Why do it?
Because he needs to hold his head and neck in the proper position to safely work without injuring himself. With his head up high, he hollows out his back, which causes all sorts of chiropractic issues, and makes him work the wrong muscles all along the length of his body. He needs to round his back and use the muscles on the top of his neck.
This is his first time in a surcingle, at least with us, and it is going to take him some time to figure it out. The key is to never apply too much pressure on the horse while working him with one of these, nor use it for too long. A horse in a surcingle who panics can be a serious wreck... so one needs to do the work calmly and steadily, using it as a training tool, NOT a shortcut.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• horse
• grey horse
• rescue horse
• surcingle
• horse training

[evergray]

@rachaelray1515 Yeah, he actually turned out to be almsot 10 years older than originally thought. He's an old guy, not so great at multitasking any more!

[rachaelray1515]

He starts walking and then just stops and does a poo LOL!

[evergray]

Hey there! My biggest piece of advice is to go nice and gentle, slowly, with little pressure, especially the first time. The horse needs time to get used to it- you don't want him to panic and flip. Start with only walk, and then maybe some trot. Canter is later, if at all. It's to teach the horse that there is a release of pressure when he or she is in the right position, which can hopefully get phased out as she learns.

I'll see about posting more!

[Tbredrunner89]

This is very informative. I'm getting ready to start training a young horse and my friend suggested using a surcingle, for the first time, to teach it to place it's head in the proper position. If you plan on uploading any more, or have any advice, i'd love to hear it!