By: Rhett Russell
One
of the things that great horsemen have along with the ability to "read"
a horse's body language is their skill with a rope. The average english
and western rider can't accurately direct a rope at an object and hit
it. You don't need to be a rodeo star, but you do need some basic rope
handling skills. Thankfully, the basics -- all you need to know to get
going, can be learned in a short amount of time. Direction and power are
the two most important concepts that you need to understand when asking
your horse for movement, yields, or posture.
IMPORTANT: Always start with as little pressure as you want to end up with. This sounds confusing, but if you want a horse that responds to an ounce of pressure start with an ounce, but be prepared to use 100 pounds if that's what it takes. Always start with where you want to end up.
There are many things that you should be able to do with a rope, for purposes of an example we will use longeing with a 12 foot lead rope -- these are the basics:
Direction:
This is simple, where do you want to the horse to go? Use the lead rope
with pressure to ask for movement in a particular direction. When the
horse moves into the pressure, release the pressure on the rope immediately.
This is the same concept that you would use to ask a horse to lead, moving
into pressure.
Power:
This is how much or what level of energy you want the horse to use in
the direction you asked. On a 12 foot longe line you would ask your horse
to move off by raising your hand to your side with the end of the lead
in your hand. If the horse doesn't respond you may need to direct energy
by twirling the rope overhand at the horses rear. Once the horse moves
off with the energy you asked for, drop your power hand. If the horse
slows or stops without you asking, raise your power hand and be prepared
to twirl the rope again. One of the most common mistakes that people make
is leaving the power on, by this I mean getting the horse to move off
with the desired energy but failing to lower their power hand or continuing
to twirl the rope. When twirling the lead rope, always twirl it overhand
at an object.
Another important thing to consider is that the horse needs to be able to tell the difference between the direction and power hand. If you hold them both out at the same height the horse is going to look at you and then make a guess at what you are asking (at least they'll be right 50% of the time). Hold your power hand higher than your direction hand so that your horse can easily see the difference.
The following pictures illustrate different uses of the lead rope and what you should be looking for with each concept:
Energy
side to side - asking to back: Asking a horse to yield backwards by
moving the lead rope side to side. Remember to ask with small movement
side to side first and escalate to large side to side movement if necessary.
Quit moving the rope immediately when the horse has responded correctly.
Energy
up and down - telling the horse to stop: Asking a horse to stop moving
by the rope up and down. Remember to ask with small movement up and down
first and escalate to large up and down movement if necessary. Quit moving
the rope immediately when the horse has responded correctly.
Direct
the rope at an object: You may need to move a horse out of your space
quickly and your lead rope is the safest tool you can use. In order to
use it you need to be accurate with it. It may sound strange but in a
stressful situation, like a horse suddenly moving it's rear into your
space - could you quickly and accurately use the end of the lead rope
to make contact with an object by twirling it overhand at the horse's
rear? Practice by trying to hit a milk jug with the end of the lead rope.
These are some of the basics, there are many more things that you should work on with your horse and the rope, but you have to start somewhere Remember, always reward your horse when it has responded correctly.
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