by Todd Page with Tricia J. Senkiw
You’ve experienced them — the horse that is moving off when you’ve barely stepped in the stirrup to mount or the horse that paws the ground feverishly while tied to the trailer or the horse that won’t stand still for grooming. Perhaps you even have one in your barn? All are examples of not only rude but potentially dangerous behavior. Break your horse of these habits for good with methods I have used in a quarter century of horse training.  
 
In order to teach a horse to stand still and be polite, you will also teach him to respect restraint. Hobbling, if done correctly, is an effective way to not only contain a horse, but also teach patience. Hobbling is standard in my training regimen, regardless if the horse is headed for a show, performance or ranch career. Think of all the times patience is required of your horse — while tied at a trailer, waiting for a class or event to start, taking a break on the trail, while having his hooves handled by the farrier and on and on.  A mannerly horse is a pleasure to work around and your horse can learn to stand quietly, despite what is going on around him.     
 
Starting Out
To hobble a horse for the first time, you need a secure area with soft and nonabrasive footing. An arena at least 40’ in diameter with safe, sturdy fencing is preferred.  
 
1) If the horse is fresh, you may opt to longe him for 5-10 minutes. He needs to stand without fidgeting, but be bright and curious, not worn out.  
2) You will want to outfit the horse with a halter and lead rope.
3) With your horse standing squarely, place the hobbles around the off-side pastern first, twist between the forelegs either once or twice, then secure around the near leg pastern. An inch or two of slack is okay, but do not allow enough slack that the hobbles could slip off.  
4) Next, stand back from the horse, while holding onto the lead rope. (Don’t panic! Your horse will have a fit when he realizes his left leg is tied to his right leg, but let him work it out. Stay calm and out of his way.) He may rear, kick and generally have a tantrum, but after 3-5 minutes, he will realize it’s best to stand still and keep all four feet on the ground.
5) Once he has been standing still for 5 minutes with no resistance, step to the left of him and pull on the end of the lead rope, asking him to bend and give the end of his nose, by tipping it towards you. He will try to take a step in your direction and fuss again. Be patient and let him figure it out. He will realize, again, that it is best to keep all four feet planted and just give you the end of his nose. You want to do this repeatedly from both the near and off sides.
 
After your horse has given to pressure by bending his neck and head left and right while hobbled, (this could take a day or an hour to master, depending on the horse), he is prepared for more advanced techniques.
 
Special note: Use common sense — I have never had a horse get hurt learning these steps — and once you hobble a horse, you need to see the lesson through and let your horse figure it out. However, if your horse is overly stressed to the point of risking injury, release him, let him calm down and then try again.
 
Next Steps
Having a horse that will stand until you ask him to untrack is a necessity. Regardless if you are on the ground working around your horse or attempting to step up on him, he is required to stand still. At this point, your horse has mastered the ability to stand while hobbled with a halter and lead rope. Next, to take the lesson further, you will saddle and bridle him, and lead him again to a secure area at least 40’ in diameter with soft, nonabrasive footing.
 
1) Again, with your horse standing squarely, place the hobbles around the off-side pastern first, twist between the forelegs either once or twice, then secure around the near leg pastern.
2) Let him settle and figure out he is hobbled while you have a hold of the bridle reins from the ground.
3) Once he is standing quietly, take a hold of the bridle reins with your left hand (as if you are about to mount); take them up short enough that by moving your hand 2-3 inches, you would be in contact with the horse’s mouth. (This is so if he were to attempt stepping off, you can smoothly and quickly have a hold of the horse to correct him.) Now, reach with your right hand to the saddle horn, instead of the cantle. Place your left foot in the stirrup like you are going to mount. (With your left hand on the reins, right hand on the horn and left foot in the stirrup, you are in a better position to control your body in case you need to make a little hop-step along with your horse, or quickly get away from him) Stand with your weight in the left stirrup, then step back down. Do this over and over until the horse is used to standing still while you step up, then step down.
4) Once he is standing quietly for Step 3, then progress to stepping up and sitting in the saddle. Dismount and do it again and again, until the horse is used to standing still while you mount and dismount.
 
(Special note: Another measure I take while training horses is to perform Steps 3 and 4 from the off-side as well. For most people, this is going to feel awkward, but this works both sides of the horse equally and prepares him for different experiences.)
 
5) Once he has this mastered, take the hobbles off and toss them aside, making sure to not ask your horse to move (let him think he’s still hobbled). Now do Steps 3 and 4 again, without the hobbles, eventually asking him to untrack and move off at a walk.
 
These steps are the foundation of creating a polite horse that will stand quietly in any situation. Being consistent in requiring your horse to stand still makes all the difference in ensuring this lesson ‘sticks’ with him. Now that your horse understands hobbling, you can use this method to refresh his training as needed in the future.
 
Clinician Todd Page has been training performance and ranch horses for over 25 years and resides in Henrietta, Texas. Horses he has trained enjoy useful careers in the show ring, performance arena and in everyday ranch work. Tricia J. Senkiw, a carded judge with the United States Equestrian Drill Association (USEDA) and journalist, owns and operates an equine facility in Bellbrook, Ohio. For more information on Todd Page clinics, or to submit a training question for Mr. Page to answer in an upcoming column, email: info@horsenanny.com or visit www.horsenanny.com.