Wanted to go on a nice easy ride, and wham, your body slammed into the dirt, or grass, or even the manure?
Some horse are labeled as cold backed horses. Meaning they have the tendency to buck or get a big hump in their back when you first saddled them, or first climbed on them to ride.
I bring this up because of a horse we have had in training recently. This horse is a nice, easy going, slow walking half draft, but he is a cold backed horse. Not at all convenient for a ranch horse.
Why do they do it? I don't know exactly, could be a wide range of reasons, bad saddle, soreness, pain, or other physical ailments. But a lot of the time, that's just the way they are. That's right certain breeds, and bloodlines carry this tendency and its as much a part of their personality as narcissism is a part of Charlie Sheen's.
So how do you fix one of these horses? You can't. But you can still have a working relationship with them if you show a little respect and understanding for their quirks and imperfections.
Generally a "cold backed" horse is only that way at the beginning or the start of a ride. Once they warm up, or get moving they free up and relax a little bit. So the key to keeping them from bucking when you get on is making sure that they are adequately warmed up. That doesn't mean run them around the round pen 3 times. You have to really get them warmed up, with a sweat breaking, without scaring them or working them up while you do it. You can do this in a number of ways:
- Put them on a walker for 30 minutes or so(preferably saddled).
- Lunge them on a line or in the round pen for 20 minutes or more.
- Pony them with an older, more experienced horse for first 20 minutes of a ride.
Are any of these methods easy or convenient, or even a sure solution? Not really, but they are much better alternatives than starting every ride with a rodeo. Horses are animals with personalities and their own fears and quirks. They don't come custom built like a vehicle can. Can a "cold backed" horse get better, or even completely get over it? You bet, but until that happens we have to respect that part of their personality and make the adjustments for any success to be possible.
A good training program isn't made for convenience, its made for results. We can't force horses through a cookie cutter training program, we have to adjust and customize the program to fit the skills, talents, and personalities of each individual horse, giving them the specific tools they need to be successful.
Remember ... Whether cold backed or not, most times the best horses are tired horse.
- Pony them with an older, more experienced horse for first 20 minutes of a ride.
Are any of these methods easy or convenient, or even a sure solution? Not really, but they are much better alternatives than starting every ride with a rodeo. Horses are animals with personalities and their own fears and quirks. They don't come custom built like a vehicle can. Can a "cold backed" horse get better, or even completely get over it? You bet, but until that happens we have to respect that part of their personality and make the adjustments for any success to be possible.
A good training program isn't made for convenience, its made for results. We can't force horses through a cookie cutter training program, we have to adjust and customize the program to fit the skills, talents, and personalities of each individual horse, giving them the specific tools they need to be successful.
Remember ... Whether cold backed or not, most times the best horses are tired horse.
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