PUT YOUR SADDLE HORSE TO WORK

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A STEP AT A TIME

To begin training my horse to accept a harness, I ran a set of long reins through her stirrups and guided her-from behind-through areas she was already familiar with ... introducing the words "gee" (right), "haw" (left), and "get up" in the process. (Gypsy already knew "whoa" and "back".) Your horse will want to keep an eye on you, so-while standing behind the animal-you can extend an arm to the right or left to help reinforce the spoken directions.

Once Gypsy was fairly adept at following word commands, she was ready for the harness. It's wise to let any horse take a good look at (and smell of) this apparatus before you put it on. Make the necessary adjustments and be very wary when you fasten the crupper (the strap under the tail) . . . if your harness has one. After that's done, let the animal have a moment to get used to the feel and sound of alt those straps and chains.

When the horse seems unconcerned . . . walk it in a familiar area-while you guide from behind and practice commands and backing. (This first harnessed stroll should be all that's attempted in a one-day lesson.)

After your beast will walk in harness calmly and willingly, the animal is ready to learn to pull. I introduced my mare to the task with logs. Some folks say it's best to fasten your "novice" to something that won't move too easily .. . like a sled full of stones. Perhaps such weighty "insurance" is necessary for unmanageable runaways, but a properly prepared horse is unlikely to bolt. You see, your worker must learn to ease into the pull if the animal is to use its weight and power to advantage ... and a calm and confident horse will soon do this smoothly and consistently.

DON'T PUSH IT!

One cold winter day in Michigan, I used Gypsy to haul some big logs up from the river bottom. The snow was fairly deep-and the uphill pull made for some pretty rough going-so she paused momentarily . . . lost her momentum . .. and the large log packed into the snow.

When Gyp tried to continue, the timber wouldn't budge. I, of course, encouraged her to pull again ... upon which she reared and plunged. Still, the log didn't move. I unhitched the horse, and she got really nervous and started to run around and around . . . too frenzied to cope.

In the meantime, a friend cut the tree trunk in half . . . and I backed the old girl (again in her harness) up to the log one more time. That was the final straw! She plunged ahead and galloped up the hill . . . dragging both the length of timber and me!

That experience taught me not to get between the horse and whatever it's pulling . . . and never to overburden my beast Gypsy, however, was much more upset than I was . . . it took months for her to regain her calm while being hooked up, and I had to teach her to ease into the pull all over again.

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