draft or draft cross
ground work & Mounted Training

 

 

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The Paint Percheron cross in the above photo was easy to train

 

Where do you Begin?  With an Evaluation! 

Proven experience tells me a proper evaluation with written diagnostic reports is a great method to use whether; starting, doing a refresher, fixing behavior problem, selling or purchasing a horse.  It is differently the best way to get your training off on the right foot or on track immediately.  These are practical reasons for doing the evaluation; however, there are other reasons such as developing proper horse specific training plans that:

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• ​​​​Prepare your horse; Emotionally, Mentally & Physically for work in the saddle.  Learn who your horse is, what it needs, how s/he thinks, learns and how best to communicate with your horse. Gaining some control of your horses five body parts & it’s feet; the head, neck, front shoulders ribcage and hindquarters.  The Foundation of Groundwork and riding exercises give you the confidence to establish the foundation for a safe, respectful and relationship with your horse.

• Gaining Respect & Control - Focus on gaining more control of your horse’s body parts & it’s feet on the ground and achieving true lightness, suppleness and collection in the saddle. Learn to soften and supple the horse’s five body parts for improved performance under saddle.

• Develop timing further and learn to cue your horse to do advanced maneuvers on the ground and under saddle with a light feel and softness.

 

Basic Handling

The draft horse is strong so; emphasize respect in your training or he can easily hurt you. Work on haltering and handling basics, emphasizing the importance of his not invading your personal space. Teach him to give to pressure, to reduce the odds he’ll pull back while tied. Ask him to lower his head by tugging down on the lead rope. As soon as he complies, release the pressure. Repeat this with other body parts, pushing on his shoulders and hindquarters until he moves away from you. Always release pressure immediately when he responds. Teach him to back away from you by standing 3 feet in front of him, wiggling the lead rope until he takes a step back. As soon as he takes one small step, stop wiggling the rope.

 

Move Forward – Go Forward Cue

Your horse needs to go when you tell him to. This is typically more challenging with draft breeds; when they do comply it’s typically with very little propulsion. You have to instill a forward-thinking mindset. “They have to be thinking ‘go’ all the time ... Once you get that forward obedience, they are very willing.” Emphasize this while lunging and riding, asking for a faster pace than you would with another breed. When you first ask him to canter, it may feel unbalanced. “This takes a long time to correct and usually requires a professional trainer."

 

New Experiences

As prey animals, horses prefer flight over fight. A draft horse is different. With more strength than speed, his odds of a successful fight are better than those of running. He may startle and bolt, he’s not likely to go far. You must train him to listen to you when he’s frightened. Incorporate “desensitizing” into ground training by exposing him to strange objects. When he reacts, give him a calming verbal cue. With most breeds, a good cue is to ask the horse to lower his head, but with the draft horse, you need to keep his feet moving, since the draft instinct is to stand still. Ask him to move his hips or shoulders over. When he listens to you, reward by releasing pressure. Do this until he no longer reacts to the frightening object.

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