Training a young horse is not an easy task. Just jumping on their backs and hanging on is a great way to get really hurt and do more harm to the horse than good. A much better approach is a slow and steady means of educating them. Some riders claim they don’t care if they crash. That is not the best way. It is very important that a horse never even learn that it can maneuver out from under a rider. So beginning training efforts in the confines of a horse stall is a good first step.
Horses are herd bound animals. Just like fish in a school or birds in a flock, these beautiful creatures find security and safety in numbers. Predator animals hunt by themselves. But horses always stay together. So when a young horse is lead away from the others it likes to whinny and turn around and try to return to the herd. For a horse to be useful for riding, driving, or just enjoyment for its owner, the herd bound tendency needs to be overcome. A good way to begin getting the horse to bond to the person and less to the other equines is to place them in a box stall by themselves. A box stall 12×12 feet is size is a good measurement. Because the youngster may not think it is very good to have to stay by himself, it is imperative that the stall be very solid and have high wooden sides. It is normal for a horse to kick and paw. The danger with horse stalls that are built with low wood sides and more bars is the danger of the horse putting his hoof through the bars. With this in mind, it is best to have the wood sides of the stall be at least five feet high before the bars or wire starts on the top of the wall. Horses can feel trapped at times, so it is best to have bars all the way around the stalls. Many layouts have solid wood all the way up between the stalls. This can be scary to some horses and make them feel claustrophobic. So it is best to have the bars so they can look stall to stall down the length of the horse barn.
Horse stalls Guide, My Inspiration
It is a good idea to separate the young horse for at least one hour a few times per week. After he begins to stand fairly quietly instead of running circles in the stall, then it should be safe to enter the stall. Some horses never have an upset period and they accept the horse stall just fine. Normally a youngster is already accustomed to coming into the barn and going in a stall to eat by itself. This is good and helps progress the first stage of separation.
Once a horse is calmed down brushing it, picking up its feet, and teaching it to tie are all great things to do in the stall. The best way to tie the horse is to have a ring mounted on the side horse stall partition, half way between the front wall and back wall of the stall. The ring should be bolted at a height of about five feet or wherever the wood and bars meet. This limits the horse from reaching the corner hay manger, horse feeder, or water. The attention of the animal needs to be on the person and the lesson of tying– not on looking for lost grain and hay scraps. Also locating the young horse in the middle of the wall allows the handler to move freely around it.
Another good lesson to teach a young horse is to wear a saddle and girth. Sometimes a young horse will think that a saddle is a threat to them. One of the best ways is to get a small children’s saddle that is old and putting it up on the horses back. Leaving him loose in the stall with it on for a hour is not a bad idea either. They become accustomed to the feel of the cinch around them, the saddle pad on their back, and the saddle on top.
The final thing that the confines of a horse stall can help with is turning. A bridle should be fitted with a smooth snaffle bit and put on the horse. Then the young horse can be turned from the ground. The owner can stand next to the horse; turn its head to the side with the rein while pushing on the horses flank with the other hand. The horse should walk a small circle around the stall. Once this is done in both directions, then taking the horse outside and leading it around with the saddle and bridle is very constructive. When going through the door of the stall the handler needs to be sure the door is open all the way. When box stalls are constructed the doorways should be made higher than the normal horse stall kits come with. Door openings should ideally be made as tall as the interior of the barn allows. A horse can rear up in a door way or a rider can have a runaway horse dive in a stall with the rider still on board. Just like in a cartoon, a very real accident can occur where the rearing horse or the rider still on board can crack their head on the beam over the door. So keeping that lintel just as high as possible is very important.
Horse stalls and training young horses go together. Following our horse stalls guide can give many other ideas to you for horse stall mats, horse stall designs, and horse barn layouts. This website focuses on a passion of mine. Feel free to leave a comment or question. I always enjoy reading and answering questions on this, horse stalls and the love of horses.
