Most horse owners prefer good cutting horses. In fact, some of them would even make up various reasons to prove that their horse is a good one. It’s hard to tell when a cow horse is a good cutting horse; this usually happens with inexperienced horse owners. To have a little idea about horse training cutting horses, you need to know the common myths about the animal.
1. A colt chases any animal (e.g. dogs) or human that goes into the pasture.
This is not a reliable sign to determine the potential of a good cutting horse. Colts usually are playful and your horse may not be acting as a cutting horse but simply playing or having fun with animals and humans. Humans and other animals (cow not included) look very much different from the cow and besides, colts don’t have riders to command them.
If you train a colt to be a cutting horse, it will immediately learn that cutting is not the same as playing. As a cutting horse, he needs to work. A good cutting horse will work cows with style, proper form, and precision. A horse that aimlessly runs through the pasture is not a good one. Most colts hate working and it is in their age to be playful. Certain horse breeds are inclined to do cutting work and so you need to choose the right colt breed. Take note of the dam and sire of the colt; if they were successful cutters, then the colt may follow the same course.
2. A colt shows no reaction when they see a cattle for the first time.
Although most horses are bothered or frightened to see other animals like cattle, certain horse breeds don’t get frightened easily. However, this is not an indication that it can be trained to be a good cutting horse. In most cases, good cutting horses react aggressively to the first sight of cows or they might be fearful at first, keeping the other animal at a secure distance. Cutting horses should be able to dominate cows or cattle. Millie Montana and Doc N Missy are champions when it comes to horse cutting.
3. The colt is foundation bred.
Certain horse breeds are great cutting horses but this doesn’t mean that they will also do well in competition cutting. A foundation bred horse is not as good as the well-bred cutting horse. Oftentimes, trainers find it hard to train these horses to do well in competitions because they tend to be slow learners and do things their way. They also lack style and athletic ability. It would be best to get a horse with strong bloodlines of cutting horses.
4. The colt will be handled by a great trainer for 6 months.
Horses are different and so is their learning pace. Some horses learn fast while others are slow learners. The length of the training is not an important factor. Cutting horses are trained until they reach the level of being an effective cutter. There are cutting horses that learn for only a year of training. If you want to join cutting competitions, your colt should start training early on.
Cutting horses still need good riders. Even if the horse is experienced and skilled, mistakes can be committed if the rider is inexperienced. Start horse training now so that your cutting horse will learn everything it has to know.
Horse trainers have to have different approaches when dealing with young horses. One is by leaving the horse alone to learn the different skills and the other one is by training the horse at a very early stage. Horse training requires careful thinking in order to be an effective trainer.
Even without the presence of humans, a horse can learn the basic skills. Some horse trainers allow the young horses to learn everything on their own on the first two years of their existence. Herd dynamics can be learned even at this stage. When your horse reaches the age of 2-3 years, you can now start horse training. Other trainers prefer to train their horse after birth. They want to build a strong foundation for future partnership. So everyday is a learning process for both the horse and the owner/trainer.
It’s up to you whether you follow the first thought or the second one. Young horses easier to train as compared to older horses. But since you’re dealing with a young one, the training should be logical, progressive, and introduced in a slow approach. You will use this approach to weanlings, foals, and yearlings. You should value time because this is a very important factor when training young horses. Before you even think of mounting a young horse, you must first accomplish the many tasks involved in horse training.
If you want your horse to learn the basic skills, you can leave him alone for a while. Allow your horse to learn all there is to know at his own pace. You must learn the horse’s language so that you can easily tell when you’ve pushed your horse to the limit. Daily training is essential but you should limit it to only 20 minutes each day. The horse’s brain is continuously developing and daily training can help. Make sure that you teach simple and short lessons everyday.
As the horse ages, you can gradually add lessons to the training. It’s not a good idea to turn loose young horses after their lessons; instead, secure the halter and lead it in place so that the horse is always near you. You can take your horse when cleaning the stalls, working on the fences, or even on trail rides. You must provide ample time for hanging out or what the vaquero’s call ‘colgado’. This is an effective way of teaching your horse about daily tasks and routine. By building good habits and a good relationship, it will be easier to teach the horse more complicated lessons in the future.
While you’re ‘hanging out’, you can already conduct incidental training; for instance, you can ask your horse to step back, sidestep a few steps, or disengage the hindquarters to make more room or space where you can work on. When your horse immediately obeys, you can give him a reward. For the horse, this is already a way of establishing a strong foundation and relationship between the horse and its trainer.
Always keep in mind that lessons should be simple. If you think that the lessons are a bit difficult and the young horse can’t catch up, try to break it down to smaller components. Observe conciseness to avoid confusion. Being consistent in all your dealings is essential to successful horse training. Repeat the simple lessons until the young horse masters it and proceed to a new lesson.
Don’t exhaust your horse during the training to avoid any reluctance on the part of the horse.
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