How to Break & Train a Horse
Breaking and training your own horse can give you a real sense of accomplishment and help your equine companion get off to a great start. The right early training can create a safe mount who will be reliable for his entire life. Getting the initial training wrong could mean that the horse will never be completely trustworthy.
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Things You'll Need
- Rope halter
- Lead rope
- Lunge line
- Burlap sack
- Saddle blanket
- Saddle
- Long lines
- Lunge whip
- Round pen
Instructions
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Breaking and Training a Horse
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1
Place a well fitted rope halter on the horse's head, attach a lead rope and lead the horse into the round pen. If the horse attempts to charge ahead, calmly stop and ask the horse to back up a few steps. If the misbehavior continues, use the lead rope to lunge the horse, making sure he remains under control and stops when asked. Continue to walk the horse toward the round pen, watching for any signs of pushiness or attempts to move ahead.
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2
Remove the lead rope from the halter, place the horse in the round pen and use the lunge whip to free lunge the horse for a few minutes. As the horse is moving look at his body language to make sure he is attentive to you. An ear cocked toward you is a sign of attentiveness. Use your voice and your body language to ask the horse to change gaits, only moving to the whip if he fails to respond.
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3
Make sure a strong "whoa" is in place before proceeding. As the horse is moving around the lunge line, move toward him and say "whoa" in a firm voice. If the horse fails to respond, move further toward him and repeat the command. If this fails, place the lunge whip in front of him to impede his forward movement and attach the lunge line to the halter. This will give you additional control and allow you reinforce the "whoa" command with a quick tug on the line.
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4
Stop the horse in the center of the round pen and slowly rub the burlap sack all over his body. Before he can learn to accept a saddle and eventually a rider, the horse will have to learn to not fear being touched by foreign objects. Slowly rub the burlap sack across the horse's back, along his sides, along his neck and under his belly. When the horse remains still allow him to rest and relax for awhile before moving on.
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5
Repeat the steps you took with the burlap sack using the saddle pad instead. It is helpful to use a lightweight pad that is easy to move around. Casually throw the saddle pad over the horse's back, watching his body language as you work. Rub the saddle pad over the horse's back, rump and neck until he learns to accept this strange new object.
Saddle Up
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6
After the horse is accepting the saddle blanket without complaint, it is time to move on to the saddle itself. Place the saddle blanket on your horse and slowly swing the saddle into place. It is best to swing the saddle into place in a single fluid motion. Once the saddle is in place, carefully reach under your horse's belly and pull the girth toward you.
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7
Cinch your horse lightly, just enough to hold the saddle in place. Allow the horse to stand for a little while and get used to the weight of the saddle, then ask him to move out in the round pen. Some horses will buck in an attempt to rid themselves of the saddle, while others will trot around the round pen like they were born with a saddle on their backs.
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8
Bring the horse back to the middle of the round pen and re-tighten the cinch, making it a little tighter this time. Carefully place your foot in the stirrup and bounce up and down. After the horse has accepted this, you can place a bit more weight in the stirrup, then stand up in the stirrup and finally swing your leg over the horse. Slowly ask your horse to move out--a few steps is fine for a start. As your horse becomes more comfortable, the training sessions can become longer and more intense, but at the beginning it is best to take things slowly.
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Tips & Warnings
It is not necessary, nor is it desirable, to perform all of these steps in a single training session. Horses, especially young ones, can have a very short attention span, and if your horse becomes frustrated it could set your training plans back for weeks or even months. Frequent short training sessions work better than a single marathon session.
Horses can be dangerous and unpredictable at times. If you are a beginning horse owner it is best to leave the breaking and training to a more experienced horse person. if you would still like to break and train your own horse, it is helpful to enlist the help of a friend who has direct experience in this area.
