Halter Broke

There's more to halter breaking a horse than just being able to lead him where you want him to go. Like all initial steps of starting a horse, what we do in halter breaking is crucial to the rest of the training process.

The halter is the first piece of rigging that ole Red is going to wear. If we introduce it to him right, everything else, saddle, bridle, blanket, and more, will go just as smoothly. Here, Paul lets him get to know that this scary rope is nothing to be scared of. 

Another way of showing him that is by putting yourself in between him and the scary object. 

Even walk him by them and over the top of them.

Slowly we took the halter from out in front of us and let him actually follow it. 

Again, showing him that it's not a snake. 

The more senses a horse can use to explore the nature of something, the better. 

Rub it all over him. Let him feel the texture of it long before you try to swing it over his neck. 

Introduce just the lead rope in the same fashion. 

Slowly you can start to bring it all the way around his neck. 

And eventually on his nose with no problem.

Let him walk around with just the halter on, well before you attach the lead rope. Helps him get a feel for it as it bounces around. 

Good boy. 

Red is so cool. He's everybody's buddy. 

The hooking on isn't just partial to Paul. Anyone who shows a respectful authority, he'll happily follow. 

Right away, you want to introduce the pressure and release mode of operation. Put a bit of pressure on the halter and once he gives that way, release! This is the mode from here on out. 

Time for the lead rope. 

Best way to start this action is by unhitching the hide quarters. 

Both sides. This is good because you drive a horse from behind his head, not in front of him. When your in the saddle, all the commands come from behind his head. Might as well get him used to it now. 

It's all still new to him. Ride out the blow ups and he'll calm down. 

Halter broke. 

Nice work. This is a great place to be. The progress is obvious. But the hidden lessons he's learned are huge. Once a horse learns to learn the transition into the saddle is a walk in the park. So fun. I'm thankful for Paul's expertise. Red has great potential. He just needs the right guys to bring it out of him. Stay tuned.