My horse has a bad habit of trying to eat whenever he gets the chance. It's not really because he is hungry, but because it is there (ah, the temptation!) and because he is confident that he can. I like to point out that I have never "let" him eat, he is just smart, strong and fast enough to outwit me - and I didn't have a Dually until he was 4.(He is 7 now.)
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The Dually has made a big difference for us. When in a Dually or with someone else walking by his head, he knows to come along, but as soon as I am alone and behind him - he is back to his old tricks.
This becomes a problem when we are out long reining. Every little tree plant is in danger of getting its top or boughs snipped off and high grass is a given that it wants to be eaten.
If I am super fast I can stop him but since he is larger than me, and I am walking behind him, I don't always see what he is thinking. Consequently, he wins more often than he looses, and so he continues this behavior.
Clicking my tongue while he has his nose in the grass is futile, because he is focused on eating, not me. So we are left in a tug of war where I struggle to get his head out of the food so I can get his attention back. In this case, it doesn't matter if I use a bridle or the Dually.
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I ended up on the side of the road the other day, on grass, and it took me 10 min of circling him around there in tight circles and 8:s, until he gave up and left the field - only to step right back down and we were back on square one.
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Anyone having a good idea how to train away this bad habit? I realize that being two is helpful, but I rarely have the chance of getting some assistance on the regular basis that incremental training demands.
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Horse Behavior and Training
Bad eating habit during work
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Maybe shrinking your work area for awhile will help. If you have a round pen or small arena, try scattering some hay or other temptations inside and working with him there.
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Perhaps the way to train him to stop snatching snacks, is to work him in the round pen around hay until he tries to grab some, then drive him away quickly and make him work hard; turning directions, cantering around, backing up, ect. Then take a few second break, and continue working normally.
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Before putting out hay though, make sure that you have a way to get him to move away from you fast and immediately; maybe use some plastic on a stick and wear a rain poncho to make yourself dramatically bigger, just something to convince him to move away from the distraction very quickly and work. You'll probably have to practice getting him to send away from you for awhile before putting out distractions.
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Hope this helps :) Good luck!
Hi. I agree but I suggest adding elasticated side reins. In riding schools, when a pony took advantage of an inexperienced rider & made a habit of stopping to eat, strings were attached to the 'D' rings of the saddle onto the bit. When going forwards these strings were loose but too short to allow grazing - I've seen a child slide down the neck of a persistently grazing pony. Elasticated side reins allow movement & relief from pressure. You don't need to have them overly tight to achieve your goal. Good luck. Cheers, Jo.
Thanks for the suggestions! :)
I think I will go with what Jo suggests since I don't have access to a round pen and scattering grass or hay in the well kept riding arena will not make me popular at all. LOL!
My Connemara is a monkey for snacking. All he thinks about is food. He is very placid when working in the pen but while tacking up in the yard, and grooming, he is looking for food all the time and won't stand still. Should I just train him with the dally in the yard while there is food around?
Cheers Kat
Hi Kat, yep, Dually is the way to go always :-) Standing still is very important however, make sure it is the food that he is after and de does't have a valid reason for not wanting his tack on/being groomed just in case they are not related!