Page 53 - November 2016

“Those horses take a little longer, but once they become acclimated to a specific procedure or event, they realize it’s not so bad and they don’t panic. Understanding the personality of the individual horse is very important. Some are very accepting and very calm about almost everything. A lot of horses fall into this cat- egory if they are handled with basic horseman- ship and you don’t do anything to make them afraid,” Johnson says.
“Keeping a horse relaxed comes from train- ing and consistent, calm handling, and your own confidence in yourself and in the horse,” says Nelson. If you are nervous or afraid of the horse, this doesn’t create a trusting or relaxed partnership.
“The horse in a herd is continually aware of what herd members are doing. If one of them becomes alert or afraid, the others get this signal and are immediately ready to run.” This was their survival tactic: to pick up on cues from other herd members that might have seen, smelled, or heard a predator approaching.
“If a horse in the herd was afraid of some- thing, this meant there were probably tigers in the brush and they should all be ready to leap away and run,” Nelson says. “The horse consid- ers you part of the herd. If you can breathe and relax while working with your horse, you are not tense or afraid. If you are afraid, your horse will be afraid.” When training and handling horses, we need to focus on staying calm and relaxed.
“Each horse is an individual. Some are high strung and some are calm. You need to figure out how to work with the nervous, flighty individual. If a high strung horse and a high strung person are trying to work together, you may end up with a wreck,” says Nelson.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ENDORPHINS
There are numerous acupressure points
and pressure points on our bodies and on the horse’s body. When pressure is applied in these areas, it tends to relax a horse and minimize pain sensations, when properly done. Pressure points behind the horse’s ears and beneath
the top lip, next to the gum, are just a few examples. When these areas are pressed, it stimulates release of endorphins, which are natural narcotic-like substances produced by the body. Endorphins block pain and make
the animal feel calm and relaxed, making him feel good. This is why a properly applied “war bridle”, Stableizer, twitch, or lip cord/chain can relax a nervous horse. Applying pressure on the upper lip/muzzle with your hands in a “nose twitch” works the same way.
Sometimes the same effect can be had with- out much pressure at all, just by stroking cer- tain areas (like stroking a cat’s ears). “If I run my fingers inside the horse’s upper lip and just
rock my fingers back and forth gently without any pressure at all, stroking inside the corner
of the lip where the gums and lip meet, this works,” says Nelson. “Gently rubbing without
a lot of pressure seems to calm and relax the horse.” This is similar to having someone rub your back, if you are a person who likes a gentle back rub. It tends to relax you.
“With this technique - gentle rubbing/ stroking, I know I am not hurting the horse because the horse seems to enjoy it,” she says. If the horse is relaxed and enjoying this sensation, it takes his mind off the things he was worried about or afraid of.
COMMONLY USED RESTRAINT METH- ODS FOR KEEPING A HORSE CALM
The important thing in using any restraint technique is knowing when to use it and when not to, and determining what might work best for a certain horse. Getting the horse used
to various restraint methods can be part of a young horse’s early training, rather than wait- ing until a do-or-die situation such as when the horse is injured and in a panic about a treat- ment procedure, which is usually when people reach for a tranquilizer.
Different horses have different levels of tolerance for uncomfortable/threatening situations and may require different types of restraint. A good restraint can keep the horse calm, make an otherwise difficult or impossible task feasible, and enable you to get it accom- plished quickly without a lot of fuss or fighting the horse, or resorting to a sedative or tran- quilizer. Choose a restraint acceptable to the individual horse for best results. Some horses resent the application of a twitch, for instance. Here’s a list of commonly-used restraints and how to apply them.
CHAIN OVER THE NOSE
“The first level of restraint for a horse that won’t stand still could be a chain over the nose,” says Johnson. “This gives you an ad- vantage if the horse wants to leave rather than stand when you are doing something to him. If you only have a rope snapped to the halter, you really have no control if the horse decides to take off. A chain gives you a little more control,” she says.
The chain on the end of a lead shank can be passed through the side rings on the halter, then hooked back to itself. The shank can be passed through the left ring on the noseband, over the nose, through the right ring, and then passed through the ring under the noseband. Or, it can be passed up to the halter ring near the eye on the right side of the horse. Any way, it puts pressure on the bridge of the nose when the shank is pulled, giving the handler more control over a headstrong horse.
If done properly, a lip chain can be helpful in restraining an unruly horse by slipping the nose chain down under the lip and onto the upper gum. This can create an endorphin release to calm the horse, but can cause pain and backfire
if used too roughly.
LIP CHAIN
“The next step would be a lip chain,”
says Johnson. If a chain over the nose is not adequate, the chain can be slipped down under the lip onto the upper gum surface between gum and upper lip. The pressure of the chain against the gum works to restrain many unruly horses.
“Used correctly, it can be very helpful in managing a horse that is a little scared since
it creates endorphin release (utilizing pressure points at the top of the gums, beneath the up- per lip). It’s not something you’d want to use all the time, but if you need it, this works well.” Used too roughly, however, it will cause pain
as the lip chain can cut into the gum or lip and may send a sensitive horse into orbit.
The chain should pass under the upper lip in such a way that you don’t need any pressure on the shank to keep it in place. After lifting the lip and putting the chain against the gums, you can then apply whatever pressure is needed to hold him still. “Learn how to put it on and use it properly (not yanking on it), applying steady pressure. The person holding it must
be paying attention and not texting or doing anything else that might take attention away from the horse,” Johnson says. The lip chain must have the proper amount of pressure for endorphin release.
A chain over the nose can give you more control over a headstrong horse by putting pressure on the bridge of the nose when the shank is pulled.
SPEEDHORSE, November 2016 51
EQUINE HEALTH