The Vaquero Way and Bridlehorses

I recently picked up an Arabian and after having my dentist chiropractor horse whisperer Loren Hardie come inspect him, I decided to see what he knew. I realized that this horse had a lot of buttons, and I had no idea how to go about riding him. I took Loren's recommendation and got on him bareback with a halter and lead rope to.

When I purchased this horse, I was told that he is very responsive and was trained by hispanics down by the Texas/Mexico border. The can mean many things, so I still wasn't sure what I had.

Now, I have ridden this horse several times under saddle (Western and English) and tried three different bits on him. He hates bits. I have to give him treats to accept the bit. This horse was good, responsive, but not nearly as responsive as he was with nothing on.

He side passed, spun around both ways for me, and could perform a dead stop, not a sliding stop. A dead stop. So I asked around and learned that I have a bridle horse on my hands. How cool is that! So now I must learn.

The goal of the Vaquero was to get a horse that worked one-handed (since they needed to rope) with the lightest of cues. The spade bit that is traditionally associated with the Vaqueros was intended not to be harsh (despite their appearance) but, rather, to communicate very subtle cues from the rider to the horse. A working bridle horse will look very similar to a Dressage horse in that it operates in a very collected manner. The difference is that a bridle horse does this with very little rein input. The cues to collect are mainly seat and legs with only a miniscule input from the reins. (the finished horse can actually be
ridden bridleless and show his refinement


The traditional Vaquero training procedure was to start a young horse (about 3 years) in the snaffle bit and start teaching it to work off a direct rein. Then, still in a snaffle, they start using more neck reining.

After the horse is going good in the snaffle (a year or more) they will switch to the bosal. This moves the cues from the cheeks to below the jaw and starts to prepare the horse for the feel of the spade bit. You also continue the change from direct rein to neck reining since you can direct rein in a bosal without mouth pressure. The hackamore is usually 3/8″ to 7/8″ in diameter.

The vast majority of horse owners use leverage bits. The leverage bits are simple to understand; pull until they stop, and if that doesn’t work, pull harder. The spade is what is known as a “signal” bit. The long tapering port, complete with spoon, cricket and copper covered braces is configured in such a way as to encourage and allow the horse to “pick up” the bit in his mouth and “carry it.”

According to Traci Davis: "The end result of a true bridle horse is called “straight up in the bridle”. This means to have a horse educated enough that he can be ridden and work in a spade bit..Although the path may change from person to person the most common sequence is snaffle bit, hackamore, two rein and then straight up.

Next they go to the two-rein where the bosal and spade bit are used simultaneously. You start out with the horse just carrying the spade and the bosal providing the cues and end up with the spade providing the cues. Finally, the spade is used by itself. Despite the apparent size of the spade it DOES NOT jab the horse in the roof of the mouth. The side of the spoon (the end of the port) presses against the roof of the mouth over a fairly large area. The other areas of pressure are the bars and the chin- just like any curb bit. The other parts of the bit like the roller (called a cricket) in the port are intended to give the horse something to play with their tongue and help keep the mouth wet. You can hear them buzzing as they play with them even when standing still. The braces (curved wires going from the hinge at the cheekpiece to the spoon are intended to help keep the horse from ever getting its tongue over the bit. It doesn’t have a pressure function.

There are "weekend cowboys and cowgirls" who ride with their hands and not their bodies, some, if you took the reins out of their hands they would fall off. The Vaquero style of riding is body and leg cues. So many riders are just passengers on their horses and are happy with just riding and not becoming refined or learning a technique. This is a choice each of us make, we can decide to stay where we are in our horsemanship or go further and learn more about ourselves and our horses with the goal of truly becoming one."

Training Technique Videos 1,2, and 3

Training Techniques 1

Training Techniques 2

Training Techniques 3

Prerequisites:

1. A mature horse that is broke and willing is required. A green colt will not work for the class. The student must have complete control over the horse, leasing a horse will not work for the class. You must be the only one riding the horse and you must be able to use our methods of training on the horse. If you lease a horse most people will not let you do any training on the horse and this is a training class not just a riding class.

2. The student must be able to ride a horse at a walk, trot and lope with a secure seat. If you cannot lope a circle without holding on, and feel in control of the horse this is not a class for you. This is a training class not just a class where you pleasure ride a horse.

3. The horse must be able to walk, trot and lope. A horse that will not walk, trot or lope cannot be used in the class.

4.The horse must be conditioned and physically in good shape. You cannot take a horse that has not been ridden, and is on a full feed of hay with a big hay belly and ask it to do the exercises. You must ride the horse ahead of time and have him in an athletic condition.

5. The rider must be in good physical and mental condition with no upcoming medical surgeries or problems that will keep them from riding. Your schedule must be arranged so you can ride at least 5 days a week. If you have something that is going to keep you from being able to ride on a regular basis you need to put off taking the class until you have the time.

6. For the Techniques of Training 2,3 and 4 you must use the same horse you used in the previous class. If a situation arises where you have to change horses the new horse must be at the same level of training as the original horse and you must have the approval of the instructors to change horses. This may sound strict, but we have found out that when most people change horses the new horse is so far behind in the exercises that the student is not able to pass the class.

7. The student cannot use a riding instructor to help train the horse, the student must do all of the training on their own.

Checklist for techniques 1:

Conduct Soundness exam
Saddle horse on a loose lead rope
Back the horse from the ground
Get the horse to move the hip around (practice with bridle instead of lead rope- bend the head a bit to get them to plant the front leg. Start with 1 step, work on it all week until you get 1 full circle)
Move the horses shoulder around (start with 1 step, work on it all week until you get 1 full circle)
Ask the horse to drop his head
Lunge the horse on a lead rope both ways
Bend the head around to each side (make a supple horse)
The the horses head around to its side with a bungee so they get used to pressure release
Put the bridle on the horse and attach bungees to D-rings, so the horse learns how to break at the poll (technically the 3rd vertebrae)
Mount the horse and ask them to bend head around (lateral flexion) while keeping the poll flexed at 180 degrees (vertical flexion/perpendicular to the ground)
Walk and trot small circles keeping the horse flexed laterally and vertically
- Keep your body (hips and shoulders turned in
- lift inside hand up towards saddle horn to get them to bend the rib,
- Use inside leg to push the rib to the outside,
- step to the outside, but don't lean,
- keep elbows bent and thumbs up.
- Bend the elbow and lift the hand up - this will open the horses shoulder. Don't drop your inside hand- instead.
Collect the horse:
Sit the trot, don't post. You need to use your legs and seat
Actively ride with hands, legs and seat
Push the horse into the bit with your seat and legs, this is not just about pulling their head back to you.
Ensure the horse is flexing at the poll - if the horse isn't responding, try a jr. Cowhorse bit.
Work on collection and keeping the horse in frame at the same time

Checklist for Techniques 2:

1. Bit-up the horse (use reins through the D-ring on the saddle) or some type of elastic reins
2. Leave the horse bitted-up and make him walk, trot and lope around the pen,
3. Get him to go around the pen by putting life in your body and then to stop by taking the life out of your body.
4. Get on and trot him around a round pen or small pen (IT MUST BE A SMALL PEN). Put life in your body to make him go and then take the life out of your body and sit down to stop him. If done correctly, with enough patience, he will stop on his own with no hands. You may have to trot him around until he gets tired and is looking for a place to stop.
5. Put draw reins on and get on and walk and trot him around in several small circles with him collected and broken at the poll (be sure and ask slowly at first and give and take). If he does not seem to want to give to the draw reins you can do like I said in the riding assignment, you can just walk along side of the horse and ask him to tuck his nose from the ground.
6. Put a set of rings or martingale on and walk and trot some circles, collected and broken at the poll.
7. Walk and trot several circles and stop several times using the 1-2-3 method.
8. Fence him straight across the pen and stop at the fence several times at a walk and a trot.
9. Stop and back up several times. Keep your hands low. Use a corner, if you need to.

Checklist for Techniques 3

1. Start off with the 5 ground exercises to get your horses mind. (do them with the bridle on)

a. move the hip- at least 2 full circles each way
b. move the shoulder- at least 2 full circles each way
c. back- at least 20 feet
d. put the head down
e. lunge on the end of the rein, both ways

2. Walk and trot several medium circles in frame and collected. Be sure your horse is collected and in-frame.

3. Do a forward lateral flexion around the round pen or just a small pen. Keep the body going straight and bend the head neck only. Go each way several times.

4. Walk and trot several large circles in a forward lateral extension and decrease the size of the circle until it is about 6 or 7 feet in diameter. The outside front leg should be crossing over in front of the inside front leg.

5. Walk a forward lateral extension around a barrel, 3 or 4 times each direction.

6. Fence your horse at a trot, stop him at least three times each way. When you stop, back up and pivot and then go to the next fence. Be sure and use the 1-2-3 method of stopping each time.

7. Trot several round circles each way. Be sure the horse flows around the circles.

The Perfect Feed Combination

Did you know that Alfalfa is an all encompassing food? If a horse had only alfalfa and water, it would be just fine. However, there are drawbacks. If you fed only alfalfa, a horse would eat himself until he weighted 1,500 pounds and was severely obese. You might hear skeptics say that alfalfa causes stones and you should not feed it, but, the people who say that typically are not getting their hay from New Mexico, Colorado, Texas area where alfalfa is very nutrient rich. If you go to New Mexico, many horses only get alfalfa because that is what grows there. A friend of mine who runs the horseback division of Customs and Border Patrol area in New Mexico only feeds her horses, and the Border Patrol horses alfalfa. The horses have never had issues with stones. East and West coast people expect crappy alfalfa, where as the mid-west has great alfalfa options. 

Did you know that Equine Senior was a revolutionary advance in horse feed because it too can be the only thing that a horse eats, and the horse can live to have a long healthy, fruitful life? A horse can live solely off of Equine Senior and water and live to be 35. I asked about switching my horses to Senior since they need to gain weight, but my vet explained that many horses don't like the taste of it, and you can find a lower priced mid-range feed that will do the same thing. According to my vet, adding one cup of canola oil to each feeding will help them put on the weight I am hoping to add, and I might not have to go all the way up to 1% of their desired body weight. Speaking of this, everything I read on the internet talks about feeding a percentage of your horses body weight. My vet clarified that it is a percentage of the horses DESIRED or IDEAL body weight, not their actual weight.

The reason I am writing about feed is because I recently had a horse colic from a dorsal torsion (twisted gut), and anybody that has dealt with a colic knows that the first thing an owner does after a scare like that is reassess their feeding regime. During my research, I found a great online feed calculator, but I decided that I needed my vets input on my specific situation of my three rescues.

Case Studies: 

1. Gypsy - an 8 year old QH mare, she is 14.1, used for Rodeo Drill Team twice a week and long trail rides between 6 and 15 miles about once or twice a month. Moderate workload. She weighs about 950 pounds. She needs to lose a few pounds
2. Titan - a 12 year Appendix gelding, he is 16.3, and is in training, used for trail rides mostly at a walk and trot pace, training to be a rodeo drill horse. Light to moderate workload. Recently colicked, dorsal torsion, was very dehydrated, weighs about 1,050 pounds, should weight closer to 1,200 to 1,300 pounds
3. Sampson "Our First Affair"- a 9 year old OTTB gelding, used for light trail riding and jumping. Endurance prospect. Light workload, weighs about 900 pounds, but should weight 1,200 to 1,250. 

With these horses, there are several options, it truly depends on what is financially feasible in your area, but here are some options:  

Currently they all have access to unlimited coastal hay on a round bale. So some options would be:

- put 2 and 3 on unlimited alfalfa/coastal and water

- feed 2 and 3 five pounds of pelleted feed 2 times a day, add a cup of canola oil to each feeding, add alfalfa twice a day. 

- Combine lots of alfalfa, and less pellets with unlimited coastal to find a happy medium. 

- horse 1 should only get 2% of her ideal weight in coastal (~18 pounds), with just a handful of grain to keep her mentally happy and not too jealous of the others. She also will get alfalfa on rodeo days as a treat for the trailer ride. 

Horse Behavior - Catching a Horse and Spray Bottles

Background

Recently, a good friend rescued a horse, Dodger, from a kill pen up in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland and had the horse shipped down to her. She planned to board the horse at a local prestigious hunter/jumper barn where she was taking lessons. This is her first horse, so as you can imagine, the process was not nearly as smooth as she expected. Upon arrival, they quarantined the horse, which had a fever, lots of scrapes and was diagnosed as having pneumonia and low pasterns. The vet who examined the horse didn't even take the blanket off or touch the horse for fear he had strangles (which was extremely likely). Anyways, $200 later and some antibiotics, the vet tells her that the horse can't stay at that facility and needs to be moved to a more appropriate place. The horse ended up at a rescue, where they had a great setup for quarantine, but it was with several horses, which of course, all had their own ailments. HIs fever was still high upon arrival, so the rescue lady, Sharon, administered banamine. (Note: if a horse is suspected of having strangles, banamine is not a suitable treatment, as it can cause strangles to travel through the body and potentially kill the horse. Bute will alleviate the fever, no other medication should be given, and a vet is only required if the horse stops eating or drinking, likely because its passages feel blocked. At this point a vet will need to drain the abscess. This is information from my experience and from my veterinarian.)

Within a couple of days, Dodger had his horseshoes removed and initial teeth floating. He has very angled teeth as if he were only chewing in one direction using the circular motion that horses use, so his teeth wore to one side. Two days later, Dodger showed severe lameness in his front foot. Again, she called the vet, who determined that his hoof was likely trimmed too short and he probably had an abscess. Another couple hundred spent. I arrived in Maryland from Texas, and wanted to meet Dodger. My friend had mentioned a few behavior issues and of course medical concerns and I was hoping to help her address them and show her a few things that might help save her some cash on vet bills in the future.

Behavior

Catching a Horse

Upon arriving at the horses field, she warned me that although he has a halter on, he will not let us catch him. I pulled the old "I'm not paying attention to you, I want THAT horse over there" trick. This is where you walk out near the horse, don't look at him at all, and look in another direction, preferably toward another horse. When you sense that the horse is not feeling threatened, you might take a step closer to him, again, without looking at him. This takes time and patience. It took me about 3 minutes to catch him. Of course using grain is much easier and faster, but I think it is important that all new horse owners understand some horse psychology. You do this until the horse becomes curious. Perhaps put your hand out like you don't care what he is doing, because you are focusing on something completely different, another horse, a tree, anything but the horse. The horse will probably sniff your hand, and start looking for attention or affection. Perhaps pet him on the head, then catch him, but always let him come to you. Chasing a horse can be a daunting task

Spray Bottles

Another concern that my friend had was his cuts and scrapes. So she concocted a mix and put it in a spray bottle. She went to spray the horse and he took off. So I wanted to address the issue while I was here. It was as simple as being assertive, starting at the legs with a soft quiet spray and let the sound get louder and louder. Most people don't realize that it is the sound that concerns the horse, not the surprise of liquid landing on its body This is the complete opposite of a dog. So I sprayed his legs, moved on to his body and as soon as he showed signs of nervousness after 10 or so sprays, I stopped. I turn around and don't look at him. I wait for him to lick his lips, or blow, or chew. These are all signs that he has absorbed what you were doing, and has collected himself. He is now ready for round two. Continue doing this until he is letting you spray his entire body at a loud spray. Move towards his head once he is comfortable, but remember, no horse likes to be sprayed in the face, just like you wouldn't like that. So ALL horses will react to a face shot.

All training should happen like this, in small doses and with lots of breaks and chances for the horse to recoup. This will make him trust you and build his confidence, in addition to the learning of whatever activity it is that you are teaching him. Take your time when building a relationship and working with a horse.

Creating a Supple and Willing horse with Forward Lateral Flexion

The following exercises are based on the below diagram for hand and leg position:

For a forward lateral flexion (asking the horse to bend his head to the left while moving in a straight line forward) to the left the left hand should bend the head to the side and then lift towards #0. By lifting toward 0, you are asking the horse to lift his shoulder, which will keep him moving forward instead of turning left. 

For a forward lateral flexion to the left the left leg should move to position #1 and hold the horses shoulder straight, so he does not turn to the left. This will apply pressure right behind his leg keeping him going in a straight line.

For a forward lateral flexion to the left the right hand should move to position #3 and use just a little pressure to get the horse to tuck his nose to keep him collected.

For a forward lateral flexion to the left the right leg should be about position R2 and help to urge the horse forward

For a forward lateral flexion to the left the body should be straight ahead because that is the direction you want the horse to go

Resistance Free Riding- Asking for a Simple Collected Circle

Using this Diagram as your guide:

To ask for a circle to the left in-frame and collected:
-  The left hand should for a left hand circle lift and move to position #2 and then move to #0, to tilt the nose in and to lift the rib. 
- The left leg should lay it against the horse softly in position # L2 to move the rib over 
- The body should turn to the right at the hips
- The right leg should move to position #R2 urge the horse forward and should lay against the horse to push the horse around in the circle.
- The right hand should stay in a neutral position and apply a little pressure to keep the shoulder from moving out and to tuck the nose for collection. 

Remember that the horse reacts to your movements. When you drop your inside hand it will:

1. Drop your inside shoulder and lock up your horse's shoulder.

2. Pushes your horse's hip to the outside.

3. your inside leg pushes your horse out of the circle.

When you lift your inside hand, it will:

1. it moves your weight to the outside seat bone.

2. it lifts your shoulder.

3. it opens up your horse's shoulder so it can step around.

4. opens up your inside seat bone.

You want to always be sure to create an area of no pressure, that is where the horse will go. If ou create an area of pressure, the horse will want to get away form that area. Now it is up to you to recognize where your body creates pressure as you go through exercises in the arena. Your body can create press in the leg, seat bones, and rein. Be sure that you are creating pressure that you WANT to cease in order to ask the horse to do something, not on accident or because of your lack of muscle strength. 

This information was learned and derived from classes taken at the Global Equine Academy

Good riding habits and Training Techniques

Before you get out there and saddle up your horse and take off to the nearest open field and settle into a nice canter so you can feel the wind through your hair, and the sound of hooves hitting the ground in a steady pace that seems to align perfectly with your breathing, and allow that exhilarating feeling of freedom to take over your soul in the way that only your 1,000 pound friend can do, you might want to consider implementing some good practices that will get you and your furry friend off to a great focused start with each ride you go on. There are a few practices that will get your horses mind on you, and take it off of every thing else.

To start, you should do a soundness check. Check for wolf teeth if you haven't done so. Check to see if they are full or gant, and if they have a bright or dull eye to see if they are feeling well.

Next, you can do these quick exercises before you even hop on your horse.

1. Back: Ask the horse to back up for several steps. This will get their attention

2. Disengage hip:bring head towards stirrup to limber the neck and lock the inside leg. apply pressure at the hip until he steps his foot in front of his back foot. If he isn't listening, put some life in your body. Do a few circles to each side.

3. Disengage the Shoulder: come at him at the shoulder, and apply pressure if needed. Add life to your body, lift your arms. Do a few circles on each side.

4. Lower the head: swivel his head down until he responds to the pressure.

5. Bring head to cinch: Bring his head around to his cinch, and ask him to leave it for a second. This makes him focus. If he gives to pressure, that is one thing, but leaving it for a second is them demonstrating focus.

6. Longe them in a few circles on a long rein: You might need something in your other hand. Be sure their head is in the circle toward you. Add life to your body, be active if you want them to be active. When you become inactive, so will the horse.

Ground Limbering exercises:
Tie head to rear D-ring with rein or a bungee. Ask the horse to move around until they start to follow their nose. Be sure to switch sides.

"Bit up the horse" This is a term used when you tie the reins back on the horse, teaching him to give to vertical pressure and break at the poll. For this Exercise, you can run your reins through the D on the cinch, over the saddle and tie them at the seat. This is a little harsh for the mouth, so I prefer to use bungee cords and a tie down or a bucket hanger or something to make it long enough. Run the strap/bungee concoction to the front D ring on the saddle. Be sure they are the same length, and that it brings the horses head perpendicular to the ground. You will want to do this in the round pen so the horse can move out both ways safely. If this is the first time you are doing this, let the horse stand there for a few minutes and get used to the idea. After the horse looks comfortable, ask him to move forward by driving from the hip.

Mounted Collection Exercises:

Once you mount the horse, check your hand and leg positions. Be sure you are level, your foot is level, you are up on your seat bone and then ask for the following:

Bend his head to the cinch for lateral flex, and tip his nose down for some vertical flex.

How to:

Asking for lateral flex: Pull his head toward the cinch, and add a little pressure with the inside leg.

Asking for lateral and vertical flex: pull with your inside hand, and give a little pressure with your inside foot, and use your outside rein, held a little lower to ask him to tuck his nose. If he backs up, that is ok. He will stop eventually. Now try to move the head from side to side keeping the nose tucked. When his head is in the middle, you should have pressure on both reins. Remember pressure and release. If he gives his head, give some back. If you need to, do a back and forth with the reins. If he started backing, give him some pressure with your legs.