behavior training

January 21 2024

MULE CROSSING: Myths About Desensitization

Kyle Davidson LTR Blog, Mule Crossing behavior training, desensitization, Meredith Hodges, Mule Crossing 2

By Meredith Hodges

You really don’t want to desensitize your animals to everything. Here is Webster’s Dictionary’s definition of the word “desensitize”:

1) to make (a sensitized or hypersensitive individual) insensitive or non-reactive to a sensitizing agent.

Some people have the misconception that, in order to desensitize an animal, you have to make it numb to its surroundings and any stimulus it encounters. Not true! What you really want to do is sensitize your equine to different body language and cues from you, as the trainer. So “desensitization” does not mean achieving a total lack of sensitivity. Rather, it should be approached as a way of training your equine (in a way that is quiet and calm) to be less sensitive to certain objects or events that may be cause him to be fearful, so he can move forward with confidence and the right sensitivity toward the communication between the two of you.

When incorrect, harsh or overly aggressive desensitizing techniques are used on equines, the handler is met with either a very strong flight reflex or a stand and fight reflex. In either case, an equine will either put up a fight and be deemed a rogue and, therefore, untrainable, or eventually just “give up” and succumb to the trainer’s wishes. This is a sad situation because the equine is not given the opportunity to make reasonable choices in his relationship with his trainer. The equine’s instinct to warm up to the person training him is hampered by his fear of more desensitization techniques. Thus, he becomes resigned to his work and is not fully engaged in the training process.

Often, trainers will put obstacles such as a trailer, tire or tarp in an equine’s pen in the hope of getting him used to it by making him live with it. But ask yourself this: How much rest would you get if someone put a blaring radio in your bedroom to desensitize you to noise? Equines have many of the same reactions to their personal space that we do, and they do much better when their place of rest is just that—a place of rest and comfort. And when lessons are approached in a considerate, respectful and rewarding way, an equine is more likely to approach them with an eager and positive attitude that facilitates better learning. It is always better to turn your equine’s fear into curiosity than it is to just assault his senses.

When doing obstacle training, it is better to allow your equine a gradual approach with small steps and great rewards for his honest effort than to whip and spur him through just to get to the other side. When his fear is converted to curiosity, the chance of his refusal to go forward is lessened and his trust in you as the trainer allows you to, eventually, ride through any obstacle at the slightest suggestion. This is because he trusts your judgment and has not been frightened, hurt or made uncomfortable during the training process. This is your equine developing sensitivity to your demands and learning to willingly comply so he can become a participating partner in each activity.

Some trainers believe that breaking down tasks for the equine into tiny steps is a waste of time and that giving a food reward prevents an equine from learning to respect the trainer, but I disagree. When you break tasks down into understandable steps in the beginning stages of training, you will eventually begin to get solid, reliable behavior from your equine. You will have to pay attention to a lot of little details at the beginning stages of training (and that can seem overwhelming at first), but if you take the time to pay attention to these small steps in the beginning stages and through the ground work and round pen work that will follow, when you finally do move on to riding under saddle the lessons will go much more quickly.

Each stage of training should become easier for you and your equine to master. For instance, it actually takes you less time to train in something like a side pass if you have done your groundwork training with the lead line and drive-line lateral training before you even get into the saddle. It also follows that the side pass will come more easily for your equine if he has first learned to move on an angle in the leg yield before having to move straight sideways. This is an example of taking things in small, logical steps, keeping your equine sensitive to his surroundings and tasks without fear. It also greatly lessens the chance for a fear or anxiety-driven blow up from your equine later on.

There is a physical as well as mental aspect to all of this technique. While you are training your equine to perform certain movements and negotiations over obstacles, his muscles, ligaments and tendons are all involved in his actions. When an equine is asked to do a movement for which his muscles have not first been properly conditioned, he will not only execute the motion incorrectly, but his premature attempt will undoubtedly compromise his muscles, ligaments and tendons. Even if he can adequately assimilate a requested movement while he is young, he could easily be creating problems in his body and joints that will cause him escalating problems as he ages.

If you were asked to go on a 25-mile hike with a 50-pound pack on your back, how would you prepare in order to safely and successfully perform this task? You would break it down into small steps, working up to it by first running a short distance with a very light weight, and then gradually increasing the distance you run and the weight you carry, which may take as long as a couple of years of careful training and conditioning. But if you tried to prepare for this kind of grueling hike by simply walking around the block a few times for a couple of days, you’d wreck your muscles, compromise your health and probably fail—all because you attempted to do the task when you weren’t physically or mentally ready. And depending on how much you strained your body, you just might discover down the line that the damage is permanent and will worsen over the course of your life. I use this illustration to show that, just as with humans, when it comes to training and conditioning your equine, it’s always better to take it slowly—one step at a time. Your equine will learn to enjoy being a partner in your challenges and goals if you give him the time he needs to be able to do these activities comfortably and with success.

An equine that learns in this sensitized way can also make judgments that might even save your life when you might not be paying attention. This is because when your equine is calm and well rested, he actually seems to be able to anticipate consequences, making him more likely to stop and wait for your cue. The equine that is “forced” during training will most often become anxious about a challenging situation and will seldom stop and calmly alert you to a potential peril—and he most likely will not trust your judgment.

It is because I have trained my mules in this sensitized way that I once avoided going over a 100-foot drop up in the Rocky Mountains while on a trail ride. On that particular day, I was in front, riding my mule, Mae Bea C.T. with four horses behind us. When we came to a giant boulder semi-blocking the trail, I told the people on the horses to wait and rode ahead. I soon found that the trail had narrowed to an impassable two feet wide and a rockslide had wiped out the trail ahead completely! It was straight up 100 feet on one side of the trail and straight down 100 feet on the other side and there was no going forward. The horses behind me were still on the wider part of the trail on the other side of the boulder and were able turn around, so they were safe, but backing my mule around the boulder on that treacherous trail would be very dangerous. I thought we were stuck. At that point, my mule calmly looked back around at me as if to ask, “Well, Mom, what do we do now?” I thought for a minute and then shifted the weight in my seat toward my mule’s hindquarters. This movement from me allowed her to shift her weight to her hindquarters. Then, with pressure from my right leg, she lifted her shoulders, pivoted on her left hind foot and performed a 180-degree turn to the left on her haunches, and with her front feet in the air, she swept them across the open precipice of the cliff and turned us back around to face the wider (and safe) part of the trail. After completing the turn, she stopped again, looked back at me to see if everything was okay and waited for my cue to proceed back down. I believe, without a doubt, that my mule’s incredible and calm response to a life-threatening situation was the direct result of the sensitized training methods I used that created our unbreakable bond of trust.

To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, TRAINING DVD #2 and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

October 5 2023

MULE CROSSING: Keys To Successful Training, Part 1: Your Working Environment

Kyle Davidson LTR Blog, Mule Crossing arena training, behavior training, equine training, Equus Revisited, grooming, Keys to Successful Training, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Open areas, Roundpen, Training Mules and Donkeys, Work Stations 0

By Meredith Hodges

The Work Station

It is important that your equine feels safe and comfortable in his surroundings. For this reason, you should use the same place each day to groom and prepare him for his lessons. In the beginning, use a small pen (approximately 400 to 500 square feet) that allows you access to your equine for imprinting, tying, leading and grooming, as described in DVDs #1 and #8 of my series, Training Mules & Donkeys (plus disc #9 when dealing with donkeys), and in Part 1 of Equus Revisited. All the while, you will also be teaching him good ground manners. Remember, routine fosters confidence and trust.

Once your equine has mastered tying and leading in the small pen, he can then move on to a designated work station where he will not only be groomed, but will also learn to accept tack in preparation for the round pen. This should be a place that has a good stout hitch rail and easy access to your tack and grooming equipment.

When working around your equine at the work station, pay special attention to his body language. If he becomes tense or skittish, acknowledge his concerns with a stroke on his neck, supportive words to him and a reward of crimped oats when he settles down. Always learn to wait for him to settle down before you proceed.

Don’t make too much out of unimportant details. For instance, if your equine is pawing the ground, don’t insist that he be still unless you need to approach him and do something specific with him. Many of your animal’s anxious behaviors get unintentionally rewarded by giving him too much attention, which can actually cause the behaviors to escalate. If you ignore pawing, cribbing, throwing of the head, pushing with the nose, stomping and other anxious behaviors, they will lessen over time, provided that you step in, ask him to stop and reward your animal, but only when he is being quiet.

Before you begin to groom your equine—whether you’re going to brush, vacuum or clip him—make sure you give him the time to figure out what you are going to do. He will exhibit his acceptance with a sigh, relaxation of his musclesor with a turn or dropping of the head. Once he has accepted the presence of the item to be used, such as a brush, vacuum or clippers, you can begin. Don’t forget to always start at the front and work your way back to the tail.

Keep an eye on the pressure you apply whenever using these various grooming tools. Different animals will have different sensitivity to these tools and will tolerate them better if they know you are not going to cause undue pressure or pain. Learn to brush the mane and tail starting at the bottom and working upward, and use a conditioner such as baby oil to keep from pulling or breaking the hair. (Baby oil will also keep other equines from chewing on the tail.) A shedding blade can be an uncomfortable grooming tool when used improperly. When using a shedding blade to remove mud around the head and ears and even on your animal’s body, be careful to minimize his discomfort by monitoring the pressure you apply to each area and working VERY slowly. When bathing him, be extra careful not to get water in his eyes or ears. These types of consideration for your equine’s comfort will help build his trust and confidence in you, and it will help make training easier and more enjoyable for both of you.

Tack and Equipment

In order to elicit the correct response from your equine, always make sure you are using the correct tack for whatever you are doing. If you are not sure about what tack to use when, go to the Lucky Three Ranch website for more detailed information, or ask the experts in your area. Make sure all tack and equipment fits your animal properly. If it doesn’t, it can cause adverse behaviors during training.

In the Round Pen

Once your equine is leading well in the small pen, he should be in consistently good posture with square halts, easily negotiating trail obstacles in the open and relatively relaxed while at the work station, he is ready to move to a confined area in your arena to work in the Hourglass Pattern in the “Elbow Pull” (see TRAINING/TRAINING TIPS on my website at www.luckythreeranch.com). When these exercises have been completed, he is ready to graduate to the Round Pen.

Once in the Round Pen, you will have an opportunity to assess your animal’s progress so you can begin work on balancing on the circle in good posture and conditioning the hard muscle masses in preparation for performance. The size of your Round Pen is important—45 feet in diameter is ideal. If it is any larger, as you will have difficulty reaching him with the lunging whip, which means you won’t be able to have enough control over him. If your Round Pen it is any smaller, it will interfere with your equine’s balance and ability to develop the right muscle groups. It should be made with relatively solid walls and be high enough so your animal cannot jump out. Your Round Pen can be made of a variety of different of materials, such as 2-inch by 12-inch boards and posts or stock panels. Never use electric fencing, pallets, tires or other non-solid materials. The ground surface should be a three- to four-inch–thick base of soft dirt or sand.

While working in the Round Pen, be aware of how your own body language and verbal commands elicit certain behaviors in your animal. If something isn’t working right, look to yourself and ask yourself what you might be doing to cause the adverse behavior you are seeing. Equines are very honest about their responses, and if they are not doing what you expect, it has to be in the way you are asking. Also, don’t hurry your equine. When asking for the walk, make sure that the walk is even in cadence, balanced and regular—not hurried. Only after your animal is correct in his execution of one gait, should you move on to the next gait. When first introduced to the Round Pen, it is not uncommon for an equine to begin work at the trot and then, as he becomes more comfortable with the new area, at the walk.

If you just let your equine go in an unrestricted frame, he can build muscle incorrectly, which will most likely cause problems later on. To be sure you are building muscle evenly throughout his body, in the correct posture and on both sides, use the “Elbow Pull” self-correcting restraint I devised, as described in DVD #2 of Training Mules & Donkeys. There is a lot of additional FREE information under TRAINING/TRAINING TIPS on my website at www.luckythreeranch.com.

As explained in DVD #1 of Training Mules & Donkeys, while you were doing passive exercises on the lead rope in the small pen, then in the Hourglass Pattern, you were also building the core muscle groups that are closest to the bone. Now that you are in the Round Pen, you will begin to build your equine’s bulk muscle in strategic areas that will strengthen him and make carrying a rider or pulling a cart a lot easier for him. It will also minimize the chance for soreness or injury, as well as resistant behaviors. Keep sessions short, 30-40 minutes, and only every other day at the most. When muscles are exercised, they need to be stressed to a point just before fatigue, and then rested afterwards for one day before repeating. This is the correct and safe way to build muscle. Any other approach will cause fatigue and actually start deteriorating muscle tissue. Remember to use relaxation techniques and warm-up and cooling down exercises with your equine before and after every workout.

In the Arena

The arena is the place to really start focusing on forward motion and lateral exercises to further strengthen your equine, and it is the place to begin fine-tuning his balance, first during leading exercises, then Ground Driving and finally while he is carrying a rider. The Hourglass Pattern in the arena is also a good place for you to fine-tune your own riding skills, so that you learn to help your equine maintain good balance and cadence, on straight lines and while bending through the corners. In order for your equine to correctly go through the corners, you will be asking him to bend the muscles through his ribcage so he can remain upright and balanced. Equines are not motorcycles and should not lean around the corners. The power should always come from the hindquarters to keep the front end light, supple and responsive to cues. If his front end is heavy and sluggish, your equine is not adequately stepping underneath with his hind legs and will thus, lose forward impulsion and power and will not properly condition his muscles.

Open Areas

Open areas are good for stretching and relaxing at all three gaits. They can be used for negotiation of obstacles and to execute large flowing patterns. You can also practice stretching exercises, as described in DVD #5 of Training Mules & Donkeys. Then proceed to working on more collection on the short sides of the arena, and go back to stretching exercises again before you quit the lesson. The open areas allow for a wide variety of training exercises by giving you the space to use numerous patterns and obstacles. Try using cones to mark your patterns—this benefits both you and your animal by helping you both stay focused. An arena without cones is like a house without furniture.

As far as the open road and in traffic, these areas are for seasoned animals only, so please do not even consider using these areas to school your equine—the results could be disastrous! With the heavy traffic these days, it is really safest to avoid heavily traveled roads entirely. For a pleasurable experience, stick to areas where you and your equine can trail ride safely and comfortablly. The important thing to remember is to follow this logical and sequential approach as far as the location and exercise sequence in your training practices to keep things easy and enjoyable for you both.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE and EQUUS REVISITED at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

December 31 2022

MULE CROSSING: The Mule Foal

Kyle Davidson LT Blog - Breeding, LTR Blog, Mule Crossing behavior training, foal, Good Posture, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Mule Crossing, Training Mules and Donkeys 5

By Meredith Hodges

Mules and donkeys have an inborn natural affinity for human beings, so raising your mule or donkey foal to accept humans can be a relatively easy task if you remember a few simple things. First and foremost, you must learn to be a willing role model and, at all times, be polite, considerate and respectful toward your foal in what you ask and how you ask it. Second, you must remember that, from the moment your foal is born, he will learn a great deal from his dam. He will spend the first five to six months with her, so if you want your foal to be friendly and cooperative, then you should first be sure that his dam is friendly and cooperative. A mule or donkey foal from a “sour,” or uncooperative dam will, despite his deeper instinct to be amicable towards humans, eventually learn to mimic her avoidance behaviors. For instance, if your mare or jennet leaves when you approach, the foal at her side eventually learns to leave as well—whether he is truly frightened or not—and this can carry over into his adulthood. That is not to say that you cannot teach the mare and her foal to both be more amicable at the same time, but it is much less time-consuming and frustrating to train your mare to be friendly and cooperative before she gives birth.

Mule foals are not too much different than human infants in their emotional needs. They require lots of attention, love, guidance and praise if they are to evolve into loving, cooperative and confident adults. In your efforts to get your young foal trained, bear in mind that he is still a child. If he is expected to fulfill too many adult responsibilities too quickly, he can become overwhelmed, frustrated and resistant. This is why it is important to allow your foal to have a childhood. You can turn this time into a learning experience by playing games with your foal that will help him to prepare for adulthood without imposing adult expectations on him when he is too young.

Mule foals love to play games and they have a tremendous sense of humor, so don’t be afraid to use your imagination in thinking up fun and interesting games to play with your foal. Once he figures out that you mean him no harm and you want to have fun, he will probably begin to follow you, even butting his nose against you to get your attention! One of my mules’ favorite games is tag. To teach your mule foal to play tag, just pet him a couple of strokes, then turn and trot away a few steps, then turn and encourage him to follow. It won’t take him long for him to figure out the game. This is especially fun for foals that do not have other foals with which to play. If your foal gets a little carried away and jumps at you, or on you, a firm tap of your palm on his nose, and a loud “No!” will define for him the limitations of the game and bad habits should not result. Directly after he has been disciplined, be sure to let him know his infraction has been corrected and forgotten, and encourage more play.

The first component of developing a well-adjusted adult mule is to establish a routine that will give your mule foal a sense of security and trust in you. Having a definite feeding schedule can help a lot. If you take a few minutes each morning and evening to scratch and pet your foal while your foal’s dam is eating and after he has finished nursing, he will associate you with a very pleasurable experience. If his dam is busy eating, she will be less likely to think about running off with him. If your animals are on pasture, a short visit once or twice a day with a ration of oats and plenty of petting while paying special attention to the intensity of your touch on his body will accomplish the same thing.

Once you have developed a routine, always pay close attention to your foal’s likes and dislikes. Each foal is different and has definite ways he likes to be touched and definite places on his body from where he derives pleasure. By touching, stroking and scratching him all over his body, you can easily discover his preferences. If he expresses a dislike for any particular touch, either modify it or discontinue it. Usually, once a foal has experienced the pleasurable sensation of your hands on his upper body, moving down to his legs should pose little or no problem. When he has grown accustomed to your touch on his legs, he will, as a rule, allow you to pick up his feet for short periods of time. All that I have mentioned thus far should be done while your foal is free and unconstrained because it should be his choice to stay with you. If he is tied or constrained in any manner while you touch him, he could become distracted, tense and frightened, and you could be perceived as a threat, which will produce resistant behavior.

Mules are usually about one or more years behind horses in their overall development. For this reason, it is unadvisable to begin formal driving or under-saddle groundwork training in a mule’s second year. During his first year, for good posture and balance, spend plenty of time on leading training, both on the flat ground and over obstacles. Don’t get in too much of a hurry to ride and drive him. At two years of age, your young mule is still a rambunctious child and will not necessarily take too kindly to being restrained or overwhelmed with adult tasks. Mules often seem like they are able and willing at two years old, but, because he is not yet fully physically developed, his resistance could prove to be injurious to him in the long run (not only mentally, but physically as well). It is better to teach only the simplest lessons at this age. Teach lessons that naturally follow the first year’s leading training exercises (lunging and ground-driving first in the round pen, and then in the open arena).

When your mule gets a little older and is ready to be halter broken, you can use your pleasurable status with him to your advantage. First, halter him and tie him to a fence with a safety knot (see DVD #1 n my Training Mules and Donkeys series). Leave him like this each day after breakfast for about half an hour, making sure to return to him every ten minutes. Each time you return, if he doesn’t become tense and struggle, untie him and ask him to follow you. If he refuses, just tie him up again and come back again ten minutes later and try again. If he comes with you, even if it is only one step the first time, take his halter off and play with him for a little while and then end the lesson. This will maintain your pleasurable status with your foal while he learns the things he will need to know as a young adult. In the next lesson you can ask for more steps before playing and ending the lesson

Once he leads fairly well, you can add the game of obstacles to begin to change his fear to curiosity (you can work on perfecting his technique over obstacles later in the year). Any chance you get, take your foal with you and discover things together while he’s on the lead line. If he becomes frightened, put yourself between him and the obstacle and allow him plenty of time to investigate the situation. When he does show curiosity rather than fear, encourage him to come forward and investigate further, then pet and praise him when he touches the obstacle with his nose. If he has been weaned and is now eating solid food, offer the oats reward. If he learns to stop and investigate potentially scary obstacles in this way as a youngster, he will be more apt to trust your judgment as an adult and will be a curious rather than a frightened animal. Just be sure to always let him know that everything is all right and that you are there to protect him whenever necessary.

When handling your mule foal, always be sure to give him time to relax and accept a situation…and he probably will. Never get in a hurry and do not try to force anything—or your foal will be happy to oblige you with more resistance than you ever imagined possible! And remember, you can catch more flies with sugar than you can with vinegar, so go out there and have a good time with your little longeared pal. He’ll be glad to be your best friend if you learn how to be his best friend.

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.

June 16 2019

MULE CROSSING: The Importance of Good Manners When Training

Kyle Davidson LTR Blog, Mule Crossing behavior training, lucky three ranch, Meredith Hodges, Training Mules and Donkeys 0

By Meredith Hodges

When I was growing up, my grandmother constantly reminded me of the importance of good manners. She would say, “You will never get anywhere of any consequence in this world without good manners!” And she would add, “Without good posture and proper dress, you won’t live long enough to enjoy it!” She made me read Emily Post’s Book of Etiquette from cover to cover. In retrospect, although reading the entire book was a real chore, the respect for good manners that she passed on to me has been an extremely valuable gem in my training experience with equines.

I think that the concept of combining equine training techniques with lessons in good manners is one that many people do not pay as much attention to these days as they probably should. Putting an equine in good posture with respect to his physical comfort is the most obvious form of good manners when communicating with your equine. When you apply the elements of good manners during the training process, you facilitate body and verbal language that equines really appreciate, and when you apply your own good manners and teach good manners to your equine from the very beginning of the training process, you can continue to move forward much more easily than if you do not incorporate good manners between you and your equine. When you run into resistance from your equine, take it as a red flag that you’re missing something in your communication with your animal and change your approach.

A common problem equine owners share is catching their equines. One of the elements of good manners that will help you in this task is being considerate toward your equine. When you are considerate about his need to have a routine that he can count on, he will quickly learn to look forward to seeing you at specific times during each day (at the very least, at feeding time in the morning and evening). His anticipation of your visit may appear to be only for the food value. However, when you interact with him at these times, what you say and do will lay the groundwork for your working relationship going forward, the next time you need to catch him, and during lessons. The food reward becomes less important to him over time.

If your equine spends most of his time in the pasture, the good manners of promptness and reliability on your part are critical, as it is the only time you will have during the day to really spend time with him, and he’ll count on you to show up on time each day. What you’ll get out of being prompt at feeding times is a self-discipline that will carry over into everything that you do and will determine whether or not you are a reliable partner in the relationship with your equine. When you feed the oats mixture at night and none in the morning, it gives your equine a reason to come to you after breakfast when you offer oats to catch him, and gives him a reason to come back in off the pasture after being turned out for only a short time in the spring when pasture time needs to be limited. Doing something when it is convenient rather than considering the equine’s need for reliability in the trainer is a recipe for chaos and causes anxiety in both the equine and the trainer. However, having a predictable structure to your routine will allow both you and your equine to remain calm and clear in your communication with each other.

If you want your equine to come to you, rather than chasing him, simply stand at the gate or doorway and ask him to come to you, offering the oats reward when he does. If you are kind, patient and consistent, he will most likely always oblige you.

Put on the halter politely, being careful not to make any abrupt moves and always being protective of his ears. Before you exit the pen or stall, give him a reward of oats for standing still and waiting for you to finish putting on the halter. Then give him another mouthful, which will keep him busy so you can exit the pen before he does. This teaches him to always stop and wait for your invitation to exit any area. Now he is learning the good manners of allowing you to go through any gates first, and the chances of his becoming a bully will be greatly lessened. When you have multiple animals in a pen and want only one at a time through the gate, just be sure to reward the others for standing back after you have rewarded the one you want for allowing you to halter him. This will also avoid anxiety in the one you are haltering, because he knows you will protect him and wave back the others who might otherwise crowd him or kick at him. The ones you wave back will learn that if they comply, a reward is coming.

During grooming, be polite and considerate about how you touch your animal over every part of his body. Pay special attention to sensitive areas (which is a part of imprinting), how you use your grooming tools regarding pressure over bones and around sensitive areas, and how much disciplinary pressure can be applied if your equine becomes agitated and uncooperative. This is the way to sensitize him to communicate with his trainer. When you are polite and considerate, your animal will learn to trust you and be curious rather than afraid of what is going to happen next. If he paws and shows anxious behavior, ask him to stand still only when you are directly working on him, and then allow him expression of his anxiety in between times. If you pay attention to these negative behaviors, they will only escalate, but when you don’t react to the anxious behaviors he may show at times, the behaviors will eventually subside with age and maturity.

Don’t expect to be able to control your equine’s vocal expressions. Allow him his vocal expression and feel free to engage in the “discussion” he is initiating. Eventually, his vocal expressions will become predictable (upon your approach, answering your responses, at feeding time, etc.) because you acknowledge his polite vocal requests for attention.

Being in good posture feels good to all of us and allows all the organs in the body to work correctly. When one is comfortable and amply prepared for physical activity, it is always more enjoyable. This is no different for equines. When you don’t consistently pay attention to your own good posture, neither will your equine pay attention to his. His movements will tend to be difficult and unpleasant, and the relationship between the two of you may begin to erode. But when your equine is encouraged to be in good posture during training, it feels good to him and, over time, will become his normal way of moving and resting. He will also be grateful for your kindness and consideration, and he will look forward to the activities he gets to do and the time he spends with you. When you pay attention to your own good posture right from the beginning of leading training and every time you work with your equine, he will be able to mirror your good posture. The result will be his own good posture, which will result in more comfort for him.

Being in good posture is not a natural thing for anyone—humans or equines—it must be consciously learned. So through self-discipline, you as the trainer, become the role model for the equine. When you work together like this, you both learn to be in good posture. However, if you are not in good posture, then it will adversely affect both of you, and your equine will be unable to find his own good posture, which will in turn, negatively affect his performance. In order for training to go forward smoothly from one step to the next, both you and your equine need to learn how to walk in good posture.

There will be times when it is necessary to employ negative reinforcement to stop bad behaviors that can escalate and become truly dangerous behaviors before they become persistent and uncontrollable. These corrections, which are covered in DVD #2 of my Training Mules and Donkeys series, are the equivalent of a firm and definite “No!” and help define the boundaries of your relationship with your equine. When boundaries are not clearly set, the result is disrespect from your animal, but when boundaries are clearly set and are consistently maintained right from the start, the incidence of bad behavior from your equine is greatly reduced.

It is critical for your equine to break things down into very do-able steps for which he can be rewarded. For the best and safest results in this kind of equine training and management, it is vitally important that you use good manners yourself to teach your equine good manners, and employ both good manners and good posture throughout your entire relationship with your equine. If you always practice good manners when communicating with your equine, you might even get a “Head Hug!”

Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.