Horse Mavericks

The buckskin colt trotted counter clockwise around the round pen.  His ears stiffened, his back arched.  The colt was getting ready to crow-hop.  Lanny West stood tall, shoulders wide and relaxed, his gaze focused on the colt’s girth.  He was driving him forward to keep his feet moving.  ”Don’t do it,” he said.  He slid his right hand up the lead rope and tilted the nose to the right.  Dirt exploded beneath the horse’s hooves when he changed directions.  

Tucker, a sorrel gelding, stood quietly by the fence inside the round-pen licking his lips.  Dee, a tall lean woman with brown hair rested her forearms on a crossbar and watched her colt respond to Lanny.  I stood on the outside videoing the entire thing.  This was going to be the colt’s first ride and Dee wanted the event documented.  

Lanny lunged the colt back and forth.  He pulled on the halter to make sure the colt would give in to the pressure and turn his head.  He turned the colt the other way.  

After a while, the colt’s head dropped and the muscles in his neck, shoulders and rump relaxed.  The colt’s inside ear faced Lanny and he trotted calmly around the pen.  Lanny crouched and stepped toward the horse’s rump.  He shifted his hind end around, faced Lanny and stopped.  They both stood quietly for a few breaths.  Then he picked up a slicker which was hanging on the fence.  He rustled it around the horse’s feet and over his body. He placed the coat on the horse’s back and let it sit for a few moments before he pulled it down to the ground. 

As soon as the buckskin’s head dropped, Lanny stopped.  ”A lot of people think sacking out a horse deadens him,” he said.  ”I’ve never had a problem with it.  The main thing is you don’t irritate them.  As soon as they start working, stop.  Over-doing it deadens them.”

“Tucker,” Lanny said.  The horse stood there.  ”Hey Tucker,” Lanny said louder.  The gelding blinked a few times, turned his head and approached Lanny.

Lanny held onto the colt’s lead rope and got onto Tucker.  He lead the colt around and went through the same exercises as he did on the ground.  He kept colt’s feet moving, he put pressure on the head with the halter to make sure he gave in and he sacked him out.  He whacked colt’s the saddle, leaned the weight of his body onto the seat of the saddle and then hit it some more.  

“Ok, Dee,” he said.  She entered the round pen and went to her colt.  She slapped the seat of the saddle. Lanny studied the horse’s reaction.  The colt didn’t seem bothered.   “Get on,” Lanny said.  She put the toe of her boot into the stirrup and swung her leg over.  As soon as she settled, Lanny led the horse around the pen.  He held his head high, his ears worked back and forth, but they didn’t stiffen.  He wasn’t threatening to crow-hop.    

“Some people like to sneak their first ride.  I don’t sneak around my horses,” he said.

Dee smacked the saddle, petted his neck and kept up one sort of ruckus or another.  Lanny lead the horse, put pressure on the halter and released as soon as the horse gave.  He changed directions often, anything to hold onto the horse’s mind whenever his attention seemed to drift.  

As soon as the colt settled into the new experience, Lanny stopped.  ”That’s enough for the day.”  Dee got down and loosened the cinch.  Lanny got off Tucker and they stood quietly for a few moments letting the dust settle in the pen.  Then Dee led both horses out.  

“There’s a lot of different methods people use to start a colt.  I don’t care what kind of method you use.  The main thing is you have to make sure the horse understands what you are telling them, and when they start working, leave them alone.  Don’t over do it.”

I led my gentle, well-trained gelding into the round pen and it struck me.  The principles Lanny West used to start the two-year old colt were the same principles he taught me to get along with my horse.  Make sure Gambler understood what I was communicating.  Don’t irritate him.  When he started to work, stop.  Don’t over do it.”

I lunged Gambler back and forth.  Then I got on a rode.  Lanny sat in the shade of a tree playing with his grandson and talking to his wife.  Dee stood on a hill videoing me.  After a while Gambler I started to get along better.  

Lanny shouted.  ”Get off.  Loosen that cinch.”