|
BRIBERY
IS A USEFUL TOOL
He
doesn't seem to like me, won't be caught, stand still or load. Oh
yes he will! Just give him a good incentive!
|
Bribery has several
uses. The first is to establish that you are a
good person to know. It is said that the way to a man's
heart is through his stomach. This may or may not be true,
but it's certainly true of the horse. There is nothing he
likes more than tasty food.
We use
Pony-nuts/Cooling-cubes as being small, dry, not too sweet and
easy to carry in a pocket. You never know when a few
Pony-nuts will be useful!
Whenever a new horse comes to me, I start
straight in with a regime of bribery. I leave him with a
good taste in his mouth and greet him with another one.
NB. If he is greedy
and pushy for more, I soon find out. This horse is already
friendly enough and must have treats withdrawn. |
|
Later, the
treat on arrival, along with a few kind words and a little friendly
petting becomes part of the greeting and makes the horse more inclined to
be caught. On leaving, the treat is a 'thank-you' for being a good
boy and putting up with me. I love the moment on turning out when
the horse looks for his customary treat. It's only a little handful
of Pony-nuts, but our horses are always pleased to be given it.
Catching
Bribery
can also be used to catch a difficult horse, all the more so if he used to
getting a few treats when appropriate. A classic example was
Brandy, an affiliated show-jumping pony. He always knew on the
morning of a show and walked away when Jess went to catch him. Any
other time, he was fine. All
she had to do was fetch a few Pony-nuts in a bucket and rattle it.
Incredibly perhaps, it worked every time.
Loading
In a
similar vein, bribery can be used to take a horse where he doesn't want to
go, but this has to be done judiciously. First, you show the horse
that there is something tasty in the bucket. Let him take a good
mouthful or two. Then you move the bucket just out of reach and make
him work for the next mouthful.
Let him
take no more than a mouthful, then move the bucket a little further and
repeat the process. The trick is to allow only a small reward.
If you let him munch his way through half a bucket, he won't be inclined
to work for more.
Standing
still
This is a really good one which is useful for mounting, picking up
feet, putting the saddle on, vet inspection and anything else where you
want the horse to stand still. Using mounting as an example:
| 1. Start by showing the
horse what's in store for him while the rider prepares to mount.
As you can see, there is no control on the
reins or any other restraint. The treats give the horse the
incentive to stay where he is and in many cases, turns a bad
experience into a pleasant one. |
|
| 2. Keep the supply coming
while the rider continues the mounting process.
The essence here is what I call 'drip
feeding'. You deliver a few at a time with barely a break in
between, so the horse is kept constantly preoccupied. |
|
| 3. As the horse shows willing, make
him wait briefly for the next delivery.
This, you must play by ear. Some horses
get the message quickly. Others take longer. Watch the
horse carefully and use your judgement to decide how often and how
much.
The person feeding must also remain calm
throughout. |
|
With all
bribery, the objective is to slowly withdraw it by making the gaps in
between delivery longer and longer until it is no longer needed at
all. It is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Think of it as
friendly persuasion through which the horse learns to do what we want. If
you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
|
