Over the last 15 years I have worked with many blind horses, probably three or four dozen. Most have been blind in one eye, and some totally blind. Through practical experience I’ve found that when a situation like this happens, the horse wakes up one morning and can’t see and life goes on. Unlike the human reaction where we, with our mental processes and rational minds, understandably fall apart until we come to terms with it. We must become familiar with what we have and with our space. We must learn to accept and cope with life. With a horse, blindness comes much easier. They don’t have the trauma of the loss of something and they don’t have the emotional stress. I think with horses that are blind in both eyes, they learn to rely on other senses just like humans, hearing and smell and a level of acuity. Like humans, they utilize their other senses to adapt to the best of their ability. Obviously, it is easier for a horse that is blind in only one eye but I have worked with horses that were blind in both eyes. I could take them out on the trail, do arena work and do probably 99% of the normal activities. The only difficulty would be with cutting because a horse has to be able to see to cut. Once you put a horse on a cow, the horse must start tracking that cow. That would be the only activity limited by blindness. 

With a horse that is blind in one eye or both eyes, it is really important to establish a foundation. With a foundation you establish consistent cues and they start trusting those cues. We have two horses here now that are blind in one eye. One used to be a cutter. Now we use him as a reining cow horse and take him down the fence. We have to show him when to cut into the fence but that is the only help that he needs. Both horses are fine on the trail and doing arena work. One is actually more calm and relaxed on the trail on his blind side. With his sighted eye he starts seeing things that he wants to react to.

I treat both sighted and blind horses the same. I sack them both out with objects and train them both to do round pen work with inside and outside turns. The thing to remember is that when you approach a horse that is blind in one eye or both eyes, it is important to let the horse know that you are approaching. Eventually, they gain a perceptual sense of where you are at. For example, we use a golf cart to pony our horses from one end of the ranch to the other. The blind horses that we have here now had to learn to gage their distance from the cart on their blind sides. We helped them learn this by teaching them to move off pressure with  ground work first. When, at first, they got too close to the cart, I just reached out with my arm and bumped them away. I also used a dressage stick which gave me more length to tap them on the shoulder to move them away and show them where they needed to be. We no longer need to do this. They have learned to gage the distance from objects through sound and feel.

When working with a blind horse, most people want to placate and protect it. In other words, they want to help the horse by limiting him. We are not helping the horse by making him feel handicapped. I don’t treat a blind horse differently than a sighted horse. I treat them just like a sighted horse when I am doing ground work. I start teaching concentrated circles and teaching them to back up on both sides. The only difference is that when I step over there, I cluck and let the horse know. With the horses I have now, I no longer need to cluck because they have learned to feel and sense my presence.

A horse that is blinded can still be very functional. We are teaching one of our horses to do ranch versatility since he has only one eye. A horse that is blind in both eyes can certainly do arena work and go on the trail. A totally blind horse can be turned out to pasture and can certainly be turned out alone in a corral. You have to let the horse know where the boundaries are. The horse can also be turned out with other horses and can benefit from a buddy but you have to make sure the other horse is not aggressive. You need to watch them closely at first to make sure they get along as a blind horse is easily bullied and can get hurt easier than a sighted horse.

The only things that may hinder the learning of a blind horse or determine how quickly he learns, are the horse’s personality, his emotional level and your consistency. If you have a willing horse, a horse that likes to learn and moves off pressure easily, he’s going to learn quicker. If you have a horse with a high emotional level, it will take a little longer for him to understand the lesson. How quickly the horse learns and how successful you are will depend on your consistency. Consistency means doing things in the same way each time. Treat the horse like a sighted horse but just be aware that he can’t see.

Charles Wilhelm

 Before we go on to the next phase, a word about treats being used to lure a horse into a trailer. I have heard it said, “my horse will go anywhere for food.” This is really not a true statement. When food is used as a lure, instead of proper training using a go-forward cue, a horse will probably load about 50% of the time. If, for any reason, the horse’s emotions are high, food will likely not be sufficient to get the horse into the trailer. For a horse that is spooked, in pain and needing to go to the vet, or just having a bad day, food may very well be of no consequence. The real beauty of the change-of-direction exercise is that once it is well established, where your horse truly understands the cues, you will be able to use this as a fundamental tool to calm him down and get his attention any time and place you have that need. Whether for trail riding, shows, anything new or spooky, this will become a reliable way to calm your horse and center his mind back on you.

 The next phase in trailer-loading is to add the crossing of objects into the exercise. A folded tarp, poles or anything you have handy may be used. Start the change-of-direction exercise asking the horse to go over the object as well. Make sure the horse is completely comfortable crossing the object, stopping, reversing and also standing on the object. Once your horse is consistently performing this exercise, you can start incorporating the trailer into the picture.

 If you have not done so already, you need to make sure that your horse has solid ground manners. Your horse needs to respond well when asked to move his shoulders and hips over, and he must have a very healthy respect for your space and not crowd you at all. This is important prior to asking the horse to load because horses understand respect and leadership through controlling space and direction. When they look to us for that direction, they naturally become more willing.

 The next step is an important area for your skills in the evaluation of your horse. You need to determine where your horse is comfortable around the trailer. Some horses get nervous with a trailer 100 feet away, some at 5 feet or not at all. You need to start doing the change-of-direction exercise, preferably with the objects, with the trailer in sight, at a point where your horse is comfortable. Really take the time to watch your horse’s body language and let him tell you where he is truly relaxed and confident. Again, this is not a timed event. Our goal is to school the horse for a lifetime of happy trailering. Take it slow and do it right. If your horse is a 100 footer, that’s fine. And if you’re not sure, then err on the side of caution and put more space between you and the trailer.

 Once you have your starting point, begin your line work. Just like you would with any scary object, when you begin the exercise ask the horse for the “whoa” when he is at the furthest point from the object (trailer) to allow him to be the most comfortable. As you continue the exercise and he relaxes, you can ask him to stop and stand closer and closer to the trailer.

 When your horse is solid at 100 feet from the trailer, you can move to 90 feet – again – let your horse tell you where it is comfortable.  Some people may stop for the day at 90 feet and move closer the next day. You should only stop when you have seen that your horse has made significant progress, but depending on how fearful of the trailer your horse is, the timing and distance will vary. The goal is to progress right up until you are doing the change-of-direction line work right next to the back of the open trailer. Once you are doing that consistently and your horse is relaxed, you can start asking the horse to enter the trailer.

 Next time we’ll talk about preparing the trailer, getting the horse to step comfortably inside and become used to riding. We’ll also talk about emergency loading and horses that strike out or rear.

Charles Wilhelm

Most horse trainers with solid skills can load almost any horse into a trailer in under 15 minutes. Those of us who specialize in working with problem horses can usually do it in less than five minutes. But loading a horse into a trailer is not a timed event. It is not measured by how fast a horse can be loaded; it should instead be about training the horse to be comfortable with all four components of trailering: loading, standing, riding and unloading. Those elements involve preparation and schooling.

Trailering has several aspects that make most horses nervous. First, we are asking them to go into a small, confined, sometimes dark, area. This is counter intuitive to their natural flight instinct. Second, we are asking them to “cross” an object either by asking them to step up into a trailer or to walk up a ramp. Again, the footing issue in both of these makes most horses naturally nervous. Third, we ask them to stand and ride in a small, enclosed (often loud) area while they are being moved somewhere over which they have no control. Finally, after they have been asked to remain upright and steady in a moving container, we then as them to back out into the unknown.

Let’s face it — trailering really does ask a horse to go against its natural instincts in a lot of ways. Do some horses seem to take to it very easily? Yes, there are those horses that are naturally compliant, with very low fear levels. If you have one of these horses, chances are teaching your horse to trailer will not be difficult. But, even with a compliant, accepting horse, it does not hurt to school the horse to be comfortable with trailering. The more confident and comfortable your horse is in trailering — the freer you will be to trail ride, show, or get your horse to the vet in an emergency. Having a horse that reliably loads under any condition is one of the best investments in training time that you can make.

So, where to start? We start with the go-forward cue. The go-forward cue is the critical foundation stone for so many different exercises, and this is especially true for trailer-loading. Please do not start working on asking your horse to load until you have a rock solid go-forward cue developed, at the hips using the same spot every time. Depending on how trained your horse is, this can mean going back to the round pen, but more commonly, going back to line work. The change of direction exercise is a great place to start. And, by the way, do not do these exercises near the trailer in the beginning. Do not even think of adding the trailer into the training program until the go-forward cue is 100% solid. Once you can ask your horse to go forward with good energy, consistently, stop its feet and change direction, then you have completed the first exercise for trailer loading. For these exercises I use a twelve-foot lead line, a string (also called cowboy) halter and a dressage whip.

The twelve-foot lead line gives you a fairly safe working distance, while allowing for a high level of control. The shorter the line, the more control you have. However, with a horse that is extremely emotional, out of control or just plain aggressive, I may start out with a twenty-two-foot line, and then work back to the twelve-foot line as the training progresses.

Your initial goals for the line work are pretty simple. You want the horse to move forward in the direction you ask, when you ask. You want him to stop his feet when asked. You want his eyes and overall focus on you. You want him to start seeing you as the center of his life, to be looking for you to give him direction rather than to anticipate. When these are accomplished, you will have gained his respect. Also, this line work exercise is a true cornerstone of foundation training.

So step one — I ask the horse to move out around me clockwise. Depending on the training and emotional level of the horse, you can use whatever “pressure” is required (a verbal cue, rope, lunge whip, etc.). The trick is to use as little pressure as possible, but as much as you need to get the feet moving in the direction you ask. And, no matter what, stay with it and follow through until the feet are moving. Then, the instant the feet are moving release the pressure to reward the horse. Only reapply the pressure if the horse stops again before you have asked for a “whoa” or halt.

In this exercise, I have the horse circle around me several times, anywhere from four to twelve rotations, then I ask for a stop. To teach a horse to stop his feet, you remove the slack from the line and maintain the pressure until he stops. When you are beginning to teach this, especially to a horse with no manners and no regard for pressure, you will have to do more than just take up the slack. You will likely need to start with twenty, thirty, or more pounds of pressure to get that horse to stop his feet. Just like when asking the horse to go forward, the key is to use only as much pressure as you need — never more than that — along with an immediate release of the pressure as soon as the horse stops (gives). Your eventual goal is to have the horse stop his feet as soon as you simply remove a bit of slack from the line. We want this cue to get lighter and lighter. This takes time and lots of practice. We don’t expect success up front as even this initial stage of the training  can take up to three or four hours of lesson time.

Once the horse has stopped his feet, I pause for a moment. The pause is very important for several reasons.  First, it is a reward — a respite from pressure, and as horses are by nature lazy animals, no movement is a reward in itself. Second, it helps teach the horse to look to you for what to do next and not anticipate. Third, you are training another fundamental building block lesson: the “stand.” Your horse needs to learn to stand to be mounted, at the wash rack, for the farrier, to be groomed, and for trailering. This is where it begins.

After a short pause, I ask the horse to do it all over again. Clockwise go-forward several circles, ask for a stop, pause (and praise as needed), and do it all again. Do not change direction or go on to something else until the horse is moving out and stopping his feet well, along with keeping his attention focused on you. Once those are happening consistently and the emotional level has come down, then you can change direction and start all over again in the counter clockwise direction.

The next phase of schooling for trailer loading is to add objects to cross. Next time we will discuss an exercise for getting the horse comfortable with crossing objects and making your horse comfortable around and near the trailer.

Charles Wilhelm

A Super Horse can do a parade one day, work cows the next, compete in a show the following day and more!

Charles Wilhelm offers a Super Horse Clinic at his training facility in Castro Valley.  The clinic is designed to help improve the rider’s control, and the teach the riders how to obtain a relaxed responsiveness from their horse while performing different manuevers.  The clinic is designed to challenge the horse and rider to excel in their abilities and improve their level of communication with their horse, while working on their horsemanship and equitation.

Skills are done at the walk, trot and canter, and the clinic is suitable for riders of any discipline and horses of all breeds.

“The goal is relaxed gaits at the walk, trot and canter, soft upward and downward transitions, including a relaxed hand gallop on a loose rein.  The horse should show balance and rhythm in all gaits and go on a loose rein or soft contact in English horses.  Riders should have soft stops and back-ups, and the horse should look willing and obedient, all while being able to perform a variety of tasks.”  says Charles.

Everyone would like to have a Super Horse, and this clinic is designed to help you get there!

Skills covered in the clinic include:

• Working with cows
• Jumping
• Carrying a flag
• Tarp work
• Pedestal work
• And Much More!

 Due to the popularity of this clinic another date is being offered, September 2-4, 2011, and there are just a few spots left.

Call the office today to reserve your spot!  Spaces are limited to 10 riders.

510-886-9000

           “I really like presenting for the audience at this event,” states Wilhelm. “They’re good-hearted people who want to give a mustang a good home, but don’t know exactly what to do with the animal once it’s in their possession. These folks are hungry for techniques and knowledge that will keep them safe and moving toward having a solid relationship with their mustang. They pretty much want to know how to go from zero to having a good trail horse, which is a respectable goal. I’m also going to bring a mustang that I rescued a year ago to demonstrate that these wild horses can become outstanding performance horses too.”

           In addition to the clinics presented by Charles Wilhelm listed below, the Expo features show classes (including a costume class), kids activities, mustang and burro adoptions, a silent auction, shopping, and even a burro fun class where volunteers from the audience can try their hand at showing a burro!

           The schedule for Charles Wilhelm at this event includes:

           Friday: 1 p.m. Controlling Body Parts for Better Performance and Better Trail Rides;

                             3 p.m. Transitions and Correct Leads

            Saturday: 10 a.m. Trick Training;

                              3 p.m. Four Exercises Every Horse Should Know for Better Control and Performance

            Sunday: 1 p.m. Teaching Your Horse to Accept Objects on the Ground and in the Saddle

For more information about Charles Wilhelm, his programs, clinics, DVDs, books and equipment, visit www.CharlesWilhelm.com or call 877/886.9001.

For more information about the Western States Wild Horse and Burro Expo and Show, visit www.WildHorseandBurroExpo.com.

Lectures, demonstrations and plenty of hands-on exercises will expose you to a tremendous education surrounding the art of riding, owning and even loving the horse.

Some of the topics will include:

• Veterinary Care
• Farrier Service and Soundness
• Buying your Dream Horse
• Grooming and Bodywork
• Foundation Training
• Responsive Riding
• Setting and Achieving your Goals
• Dealing with Fear
• Tacking and Fitting Bridles, Halters and Saddles
• Groundwork
• De-spooking

The cost of the clinic is $450 per person, or $750 per person with a horse provided.  Minimum of 7 riders, with a maximum of 10.  Clinic hours are 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.  Auditors welcome at $90 per person.  Stalls are available at $30 per night and guest lodging at $45 per night, when available.

Call today to reserve your spot!

510-886-9000  or email us at cwtraining@comcast.net

For a long time I was training horses and looking for reasons for bucking and trying to find solutions. Sometimes, what I thought was a training issue turned out to be a medical issue and the horse was in pain. Some horses, just like people, can handle pain and their threshold of pain is much higher than other horses. Through continuing to seek answers, I started utilizing chiropractic care for horses. But honestly, it didn’t come about until I started having chiropractic treatments myself. It is interesting how we find things in one part of our lives that can translate into other parts of our lives. My back had been bothering me for a long time but I grew up in the old school that you tough it out. Once I started going to a chiropractor and started to get relief for my own back problem, I started looking at the horses in a different light. Sometimes we look at horses as being different from us because they are animals, and in many ways they are different. But, if you think about it, they are flesh and blood, they do have a mechanical structure. Their bones can be out of alignment and that can cause discomfort.

When a horse comes into training now, we evaluate all possible health issues. I have a chiropractor that comes in once a month and we check out the alignment of any new horse or horse that is having issues. I have had horses here at the ranch that had difficulty picking up a lead because of bones being out of alignment and causing discomfort. I have found that chiropractic care is very necessary. This is probably true more so of horses that are stalled or kept in a small paddock where they can cast themselves and get hung up on the sides. Horses in pasture can have chiropractic problems but they are less likely to need adjustment. Usually horses can adjust themselves if they are in pasture. They can roll completely over, going back and forth, and a lot of times they adjust themselves. I have had horses come in that were out of alignment, especially in the axis area (the top of the poll) and through adjustment, they were freed up and then able to relax and move properly. Chiropractic issues can cause discomfort and if you are having issues with your horse you may want to have a chiropractor check him out. When people come to me that is usually the first option I suggest. 

One of the other things we do here at the barn is have the dentist look at the horses. There are a lot of trainers even today who do not use or believe in the dental care of horses. Generally, horses out in the wild in the right setting can maintain their teeth. For horses cared for humans and kept in pens, stalls and pastures, eating soft foods and grains, it is very important that their teeth be maintained. Dental care is part of the integrity of care. This is especially true for horses under age three and I recommend seeing the dentist every six months because their teeth are changing so much. For others, I suggest they be seen at least once a year. You usually do not have to pay an outrageous amount. There are people who do specialize in horse dentistry. When a new horse comes into the barn that has had his teeth checked by I veterinarian, I have the dentist evaluate the horse. This is not because I think the vet did a poor job, but I need to know for myself that the horse doesn’t have problems. 

When the horse dentist comes out, there is always a vet on hand to administer the shots and put a spectrum in the mouth and check to see that the horse is closing and chewing properly. A horse chews from side to side and it is important to know that they are not locking up or that there are no other dental problems causing discomfort. In training horses I have found that dental problems can be a huge factor. Dental problems affect behaviors such as throwing the head, not yielding properly, problems with lateral and vertical flexion and not being able to come through. Every time a new horse comes in, young or old, we always have the dentist look at the horse and make sure it is fine. Over 90 percent of the time something needs to be done to the teeth. As general maintenance for your horse, it is always good to have dental work done once a year and a chiropractor come out and look at your horse from time to time.

Charles Wilhelm

 One of the most important parts of a horse that we work with is the flight instinct or the emotion. Many of us are trail riders, and we do not want accidents on the trail. However, we can never guarantee that we won’t encounter something entirely new and frightening for our horses. Here at the ranch, we use objects that are uncommon, such as bicycles, flags, tarps and the ball, to get the horses accustomed to strange objects.

 The ball has become one of the tools we use in our basic foundation training. We show the horse that the ball will roll and then ask the horse to start moving it around. We work toward getting each horse to accept it.

 There is a difference between horses accepting the ball and tolerating it. When horses accept the ball, they start learning to play with it. They will push it with their feet and butt it with their noses. About 95 percent of the horses we work with really enjoy moving the ball around. About 5 percent will accept it but are just not into playing with it.

Benefits

The ball has a number of benefits for horses as well as riders.

 It acts as a distraction. A group at our barn has begun playing horse soccer. We started at a walk or jog but have learned that we can also do it at a canter. The game is a good distraction for horses and provides them with some fun after they have been schooled.

 It gets horses used to being bumped into. We do Ranch Versatility and cow work here and have found it beneficial to teach the horses to accept objects like the ball bumping around their sides. When we go into a herd to cut out an individual cow, our horses feel comfortable with the cows around them.

 It prepares horses for tracking cows. We also an electric cow from the Ultimate Mechanical Cow, to teach horses how to position and track a cow. Working with the ball first gets the horses used to tracking. It is a major plus when we go to teach them to track the flag on the electric cow.

 It helps riders relax. We spend a lot of time teaching riders how to use their hands, legs and seats. At times they get so intense that they begin interfering with themselves. I’ll sometimes have mounted riders push the ball from point A to point B to point C across the arena. The concept is that the rider must look ahead and see where the ball is going. The horse has to stay behind the ball and track it to each point. Using a combination of seat, leg, and rein aids, the rider must get the horse in position to maneuver the ball to the next point. This has turned out to be a fun way to get riders relaxed and using the aids without thinking about them. 

 In summary, the ball has evolved into a very effective tool. We use it for de-spooking, as a distraction, to get a horse used to objects bumping around their sides, and to begin teaching a horse to track a cow. I also use it in riding classes to help riders relax and use the aids without over-thinking. It is a fun and easy tool to use with the horses. They enjoy it and so do the riders.

Every horse, including a foal, needs to accept a farrier. For a young horse, it is important for the initial visit to go well. Horses have very good situational memories, so a bad first experience with the farrier can be hard to overcome. Whether you are getting ready for the first visit or overcoming problems with work done earlier, the foundation steps are the same, the only difference may be the time you have to spend on each lesson.

Your primary goals are straightforward. Your horse needs to accept being touched everywhere and to have that contact made by a stranger. These requirements represent significant pressure, especially to a young horse. These are cornerstones to your horse’s training and must be approached with careful planning, patience and consistency. Groom, pet and touch your horse everywhere. Encourage your friends and family members to groom and pet your horse. If your horse is at a facility where the vet and farrier visit regularly, ask them to stop by and briefly visit with your horse. Ask them to stoke, pet and give verbal praise to help get your horse comfortable with them when he is not being worked on. 

There are two common mistakes people make when working with a horse’s feet. First, they ask the horse to pick up his feet too high and for too long a time. Second, they rush through this part of the horse’s training. Horses are prey animals with strong flight instincts. When they give you their feet, they are giving up their ability to run, and that is asking for a lot of trust. Start by asking for the feet to be up only an inch or so off the ground and only for a few seconds. When you can do that with all four feet, ask for a few seconds longer, still keeping the hoof low. Over time you can bring the foot higher. Try not to release the foot if the horse is resisting. You want to release only when the horse is giving the hoof and is relaxed.  

Once the horse is comfortable with having the feet held up higher and longer than a farrier will want, get yourself a rasp and practice moving it across the hoof wall. Run the rasp back and forth to get the horse used to the feel and sound around his feet. In order to get the horse used to the extreme limits of the experience, tap the hooves and make more noise and contact than a farrier would.

I am often also asked about bare feet versus shod feet. I have a couple of horses at the ranch whose feet are like iron. When they are ridden up and down the trail, their feet hold up just great. However, the majority of horses’ hooves, in my opinion about 75 percent, don’t hold up this well. This may be because of poor conformation of the feet due to breeding or neglect, and those horses need shoes. Bare feet are popular right now and you may want to try this if your horse is at home and not being worked. If your horse is in training or being worked, shoes are a must.

Each breed has certain hoof problems. For example, racehorses have a tendency to grow a lot of toe and have low-slung heels. A lot of Quarter horses used as halter horses in the show world are bred to have small feet. Work with your farrier to determine if your horse requires shoes.

The general rule is to have trimming done every six to eight weeks, with eight weeks being the longest a horse should go between trims. Through experience I have learned that the bigger the shoe you can put on your horse, the better. Sometimes farriers want to put on a smaller shoe because it is less likely to be pulled off. I call this cowboy shoeing. On a large ranch when a cowboy is out riding, doing ranch work with his horse, he can’t afford to have a shoe come off. I have had farriers tell me a larger shoe will not cause a hoof to grow. This is true, a larger shoe won’t cause a hoof to grow, but when the hoof grows naturally, a larger shoe will allow the hoof to expand.

It really behooves you to be well informed about hoof care. If you think your horse has hoof problems, I recommend that you check with your vet and see that the farrier does what the vet recommends. The two of them should work together as a team. If the farrier is not communicating with you about what he is seeing with the hooves and what he is doing about it, consider getting a different farrier. You are the boss; the horse belongs to you. You have invested a lot of time and money and you want your horse healthy and sound.

Charles Wilhelm