Clayton riding Commander.

Watching nature is very interesting.  The behavior of horses is one thing that I have been watching lately.

I told you about our horse, Commander.  Since he has been here on our ranch, he has been at the bottom of the totem pole with the other horses.  They kicked at him, bit at him, etc.

As far as a riding horse, Commander was great.  He would do anything that you asked him to do.  He was a pleasure to ride.

But something has changed.  Commander is asserting himself with the other horses and with us.  He has earned himself the title, “Boss Man of the Herd.”  When all the horses are out of their pens and together in the big pasture, Commander is telling the mares when they can move, where they can go, etc.  He is also driving the other gelding away from the mares.  Angus has to graze alone on the other side of the pasture.

Commander is using his body language to control his newly-claimed herd.  With a turn of his ear, the mares will obey him.  He has fought Angus and apparently won as top horse.

I do not care which horse is in control of the herd; however, I do care when a horse asserts itself on one of us.  Now that Commander is numero uno, he is being difficult with any rider.  Regardless if it is PawPaw or my brother, Clayton, riding him, Commander has been rearing up and bucking.  He is no longer a pleasure to ride.

What to do with a misbehaving horse?  Clearly, show him who is boss!  PawPaw has taken Commander back to school.  Several days a week PawPaw works Commander hard in the round pen.  Commander is slowly realizing that PawPaw is still the boss of him.

Hot-blooded horses can be really wild.  They buck, jump around, try to bite you when you are riding, etc.  They are not easy riders.  You have to ride them down before you can enjoy a pleasure ride with them.  They are very spirited horses.

Cold-blooded horses are calm and gentle.  These make great kid horses.  However, you have to warm these horses up to really enjoy riding them.  My horse, Ladd, is a cold-blooded horse.

Whether your horse is hot or cold-blooded, you still need to do groundwork with them.  Knowing what kind of horse you own helps you to create a groundwork schedule that is individualized to your horse’s needs.  For example, we have Cheyenne, who is a hot-blooded horse.  She is a great horse and very sweet, but she can run forever and is extremely quick.  For Cheyenne, we teach her patience by tying her to a post.  We also longe her in a trot or lope before riding.  My dad, who rides her the most, always starts riding her in an arena before going out into the pasture.  He also flexes her neck.

On the other hand with Ladd, I longe him with the saddle on in order to warm him up.  We work up to a trot slowly.  Ladd is not lazy; he is old.  When I mount him, I make sure that he is warmed up before loping.  This is good for his muscles and joints just like any person going for a run.  You must stretch and warm-up first.

Determine if your horse is hot or cold-blooded.  It should not be difficult.  Once you know, work to either cool down your horse or warm it up before riding.  Either way you will have a more enjoyable ride when you work with your horse’s needs and not against them.