From: Barb
We have a horse named Snortin' Norton. He's a cremello Missouri Foxtrotter that was a pasture ornament for 12 years. He was an orphan foal, and imprinted on people and dogs. He was "broke" as a 2 year old; ridden for about a year; turned out alone in 25 acres of pasture; ridden at the age of 7 for about 6 months; then forgotten about in the pasture again. Never had shoes; shots; worming; got trimmed twice a year (whether he needed it or not!); no stall; no amenities. He is disgustingly healthy, and was 300 pounds overweight when he was given to us! He is just adorable and is extremely friendly.
We took him to a professional trainer when we got him, and this man did a wonderful job in 60 days refreshing his training, and getting his weight down. It was the Jenny Craig Boot Camp for Horses! Snort is quite a character; has a very playful attitude, and doesn't mind anything you do to him. We've ridden him on trail rides, and he's just a doll. Sweet, compliant, happy-go-lucky, isn't afraid of "monsters" in the woods, is respectful of the other horses on the trail. There's just one thing.
When we took Snort to the trainer's, he was taken off of pasture and put on hay and a SLIGHT amount of grain for weight reduction. I know this was a hard adjustment for a horse with his background. Since we've had him we have changed from a boarding situation (where he had NO pasture!), to owning 8 acres of our own. We used to have battles when we would ride or lead him past grass. He was quite obsessive/compulsive about grazing. One day it took my husband about 20 minutes to convince Snort that leaving the meadow we had been riding in to go home, was what was going to happen. He never bucked or reared, but I had no idea that gaited horses could do such beautiful airs above the ground and lateral work! HAHA! It was a battle of who's will was stronger, and Greg finally prevailed. I was proud because Greg never lost his temper, or hit Snort, and was riding him in just a full cheek snaffle bit. It was truly a study of timing and release and two indomitable spirits.
We figured that once he was on pasture at the new place, he would drop this compulsion about grazing. As long as we keep him moving on rides now, he's fine. But if we are in a meadow and stop to rest, or get our bearings, the battle starts. He gives us several clues; mainly pawing and dropping his head. Keep in mind that we just moved here in September, and our pasture didn't run out of nice grass until December. We didn't have the opportunity to ride him until 2 weeks ago. So the only "nice" grass he had seen in a while was in this meadow where we stopped on our last 3 rides.
Our solution to this is to keep him moving. We give him the go forward cue, or ask for side movement, backing him up, whatever we can to keep his feet going our direction, and keep his attention on us. He seems to challenge me more than my husband, but I ride him less often. My level of awareness with him isn't what my husband's is.
My question is this: is this "just one thing" something that we might need to cut him some slack on? He was on pasture 24/7 for 12 years; can he learn that under saddle means NO grazing? And is it such a bad idea not to let them graze under saddle provided YOU tell them when they can, and when they can't? What about a grazing cue? I've heard some endurance riders do this quite often.
On one hand I think that for the few hours he's being ridden a week, he can stand not to graze. Yet I'm also trying to consider the horse, and be compassionate. He is to grazing what I am to chocolate! Is it a possibility that once spring gets here, and he's getting his fill of pasture at home, he won't be so ADD when we pause on a trail ride?
Thanks for your help. I hope someday to meet you in person. Snortin' Norton is quite a success story for us; we are relatively new horse people, and have used "natural horsemanship techniques" with him. His progress has been nothing short of stupendous, and we are quite proud of him.
Barb
Your horse is nice and predictable, since he paws and drops his head when he wants to graze - that's a convenient built-in warning system.
There are several ways to deal with the grazing-under-saddle problem. But first, be reasonable. While you're teaching your horse a new skill - the skill of standing WITHOUT trying to graze - don't make his life more difficult by tempting him. If you're going to stop and stand on a trail ride, and you know perfectly well that there is no good grass in his pasture, but lovely grass in the meadow, find somewhere else to stop and stand. Make it easy for him to do what you want him to do; stop and stand when you're on a less appealing, less edible surface. Later, when he understands his lesson and has had a lot of practice, you can begin testing him in more tempting spots.
I would cut him some slack, yes, especially when you are riding him through grass that he doesn't have at home. Horses adore new grass, and it IS their natural food - you don't have to allow Snort to stop and graze every two minutes, but do understand why it's natural for him to WANT to do it. And don't expect him to learn that "saddle = no grazing" - if "saddle" comes to mean "no grazing, PLUS lots of pulling and whacking, no comfort for me!", Snort will soon learn to run the other way when he sees the saddle, and that's NOT what you need.
Especially if you go on long trail rides, it's much more reasonable to let horses have an occasional pause that includes, when possible, a chance to graze and a chance to drink. Your other idea is much better.
Yes, you most certainly CAN teach a horse a grazing cue, and it's actually quite easy to teach a signal that means "Okay, NOW you can graze". Once you've done that, you'll find it much easier to say "NO" at other times, because he'll understand that he needs to wait for the signal. The signal itself can be anything you like, just so long as it's very clear - and a signal you don't use for anything else. With one horse rather like your Snort, I used a combination of three taps on the right side of the crest and a verbal "Eat grass now" signal; after just a few days, the taps were all the horse needed. People-oriented horses really enjoy showing how well they understand signals, and Snort is obviously very people-oriented, so you have that much going for you already. If you have any difficulty with this, you might try using a little bit of clicker training - it's a very good way for you to make it clear to your horse that you are rewarding the moments when he stands quietly on a loose rein with his head UP instead of diving toward the ground.
And speaking of reins - one problem that afflicts the riders of horses-that-dive-for-grass is the tendency to hang onto the reins too tightly and keep them far too short. If those lengths of leather - and your biceps - are all that's keeping your horse's head off the ground, you will quickly develop sore hands, arms, and back, and your horse will quickly develop a sore mouth and neck (and, eventually, back). You need to be able to ride - even on the trail, even through the meadow - on a long rein with soft contact (if you are riding English) or on a loose rein with no contact (if you are riding Western). It's just about impossible to make yourself give the horse a long rein if you are worried about him snatching ALL the rein and eating grass... but here's what happens when you shorten the reins and keep them short:
1 - your horse's mouth hurts, and he tries to push away from the pain by - you guessed it - extending his neck forward and/or dropping his head 2 - this, to the rider, SEEMS like an attempt to graze, so the rider typically jerks the reins and tries to pull the horse's head up 3 - the horse becomes steadily more uncomfortable in the mouth and the neck, as the neck muscles will soon begin to cramp, at which point the horse, desperate to avoid THAT pain, will typically plunge its head and neck forward and down... 4 - at which point the rider either lets go or falls forward, allowing the horse to stretch its neck (and grab some grass whilst its nose is close to the ground).
What the rider "learns" from this is WRONG, but understandable: that s/he is helpless and needs to keep the horse's head as high and pulled-in as possible at all times.
What the HORSE learns from this is inconvenient, but accurate: that the misery of a sore mouth and cramped neck are the result of the rider constantly pulling the horse's head up and in, and that the only way OUT of the situation is a deliberate, hard plunge of its head and neck toward the ground - and that this is rewarded with a longer rein, a chance to stretch the neck, and even, on particularly happy occasions, some grass.
Endurance riders do, indeed, let their horses graze and drink during long rides, but their horses aren't allowed to graze as they please throughout the day. The riders use signals - cues - ways of saying "Okay, eat NOW" or "Go ahead, have a drink NOW". This saves time, effort, and argument along the way. Endurance riders also, as a group, are always preoccupied with their horses' soundness and comfort and enjoyment of the sport - it's one reason, by the way, that I love working with endurance riders! Because of this, they make every effort to teach their horses to work efficiently, at a steady gait, with head and neck extended and lowered (or raised) to whatever degree the terrain requires. They are always listening to their horses - and their horses, in return, listen to them.
This is basically what you want to be able to do with your horse - ride him forward, easily and steadily, letting him take the responsibility for finding a comfortable working position for his head and neck. Since he doesn't get ridden very often, you'll have to make a special effort to ensure that he is allowed to relax and stretch his neck regularly (see the HORSE-SENSE archives for more on this subject). Carrying tack and a rider is work for a horse, and moving in a way that it would not normally move is also work. During work, it's nice to have good working conditions, and it's nice to have breaks - and that's where the "Okay, graze NOW" signal will come in handy, because you don't want to have your horse's nose plunge toward the ground automatically, as soon as you stop.
You are very clever to have figured out that your level of awareness matters. When it comes to shaping the behaviour of any animal - equine or human - you'll do best if you are very aware of everything that is going on, so that you can make any needed changes or corrections BEFORE there is actually a problem. If your horse is moving forward steadily and begins to slow down and move with a less regular gait when there is grass underfoot, that's a signal that says to you "I'm starting to think more about this grass than about YOU." At that moment, you have choices. You can choose to wait until the horse stops and grabs the grass, or you can do what you have been doing - keep the horse moving, and praise it for paying attention. When you stop and stand, on the other hand, you probably won't want to have to put the horse back into motion just to keep it from diving for grass. That's where a grazing cue can help, because if your horse is waiting for the cue, it won't dive until the cue is given.
You may also want to teach a cue for "We're going somewhere, head UP please" to get your horse's head OFF the ground when it's been grazing (with permission) - it will make your life easier and your horse's life more pleasant. NO rider should need strong biceps to ride a horse; no horse should have a rider hanging on its mouth.
While you're at it, work on your leading! Practice leading Snort all around your property, making your wishes VERY clear, and rewarding him for staying in position and paying attention to you. When you stop, he should stop too. When you give the grazing cue - and not before - he should be allowed to graze. Then when you move on, he should be back in position at your shoulder, paying attention to you, and not varying his pace or making attempts to go anywhere you haven't asked him to go, or do anything you haven't asked him to do. The work you do when you are leading him will be reflected in his increased attention and improved cooperation under saddle, and your work under saddle will improve his behaviour on the lead rope.
Snort sounds like a lovely horse - and I'd say he's lucky to have you for an owner. I hope you enjoy many pleasant years together, with regular grazing on cue - and no heavy pressure on either end of the reins. ;-)
Jessica
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