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Unless
they are used to it, most horses are shocked by a sudden stream of water
landing on their body. To them, it is threatening.
Instinctively, they want to get away from it - as indeed would you, if
some one pointed a hose at you!
The only
way any horse can get used to hosing is to go through the experience and
discover that no harm comes from it. The trick is to allow him to
follow his instinct and attempt to move away from it.
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Hold the hose in one hand and
the lead-rope in the other. Start around the withers with
a stream which is not too forceful.
The first move the horse makes may be a jump
forward. Don't worry about it, but direct the forward
movement onto a circle around you.
After the first shock reaction, and
finding there is no real harm, he should come back to walk
almost immediately. |
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If, however. he needs to trot,
make the circle even smaller. It's hard for a horse to
trot on a small circle - but he must be allowed to go forward.
As he moves round you, follow him round,
keeping the stream of water on him. Work your way up his
neck and back again. |
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Whatever he
does and wherever he goes, keep the stream of water on him.
Maintain an
attitude of 'we're going to do this whether you like it or not'.
You should find that as long as he is
allowed to keep walking, he is not unduly perturbed.
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Usually, the horse gives in
within about 5 minutes. He discovers that the stream of
water is not going to go away, no harm comes from it and moving
continuously round in a small circle is tedious and
boring.
He stops moving of his own free
will. As you can see, there is no restraint on the
lead-rope at all. The horse is now in a state of complete
submission.
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With the horse now completely
accepting, now you can tackle the back end.
The next time you hose the horse, he may
move off again, as he did the first time. But that's
OK. You just repeat the procedure. Eventually, he
won't bother to move off at all.
The essence of this procedure
is that you remain calmly purposeful. Move with the horse
in a quiet, workmanlike manner. Show by example that this
a job that needs to be done - end of story! |
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