Halter Breaking, and Early Training of Fenella

My filly, Fenella de Festina Lente was born in early May.  She is the first foal I have ever been able to handle and train, so I wanted to be prepared.  As the time was drawing near when Fannie was due to foal, I began researching various training methods, trying to come up with a plan for training the foal right from birth.  I knew that I wanted to begin its education as early as possible and not wait until it had formed bad habits, or developed a fear of humans.  Very quickly I decided that I wanted to imprint it, if possible.  What I read about imprinting just made sense to me.  After all, it is reasonable that what an animal is exposed to on a regular basis from the moment of birth should seem normal to it in later life.  I did not want to be too extreme with my imprinting; rubbing the baby with noisy clippers and plastic bags just seemed like a little much, and I didn't want to stress Fannie too much.  So when Fenella was born, I simply rubbed her all over, handled her feet, ears and mouth, tried on a foal halter, and talked to her gently.  My theory was that I would build trust, and introduce her to the clippers, plastic bags, etc, later, rather than desensitize her to them at birth.

     So Fenella was introduced to a soft foal halter before she was an hour old, and by my handling I was laying a foundation for trust later on.

     I was determined to train her to lead as soon as possible, since it is much easier to control a 90 lb foal than a 300 lb yearling.  I put the halter on her every day, and rubbed her all over.  I also would put my arms around her and push her around quite a bit, and lay her on the ground sometimes to rub her.  This constant handling taught her that I was the boss, but not scary or mean.  Fannie was not neglected.  I would bring a treat (usually a handful of grain) out with me when I came to see them, so Fannie was usually glad to see me.  Of course, her baby picked up on mama's positive attitude towards humans very quickly, and though I still had to pen her up to catch her, she was not panicky when caught.

     When she was 4 days old, I gave her the first halter breaking lesson.  After I handled her as usual, I took hold of her halter and pulled forward a little.  Of course, she pulled back.  I continued to pull forward, and put my hand on her rump, applying pressure to drive her forward.  As soon as she took a step, I released all the pressure.  She figured out pretty quickly that it was no use pulling back, and began trying to escape by moving forward at a quick gait (largo).  I let her, just keeping alongside, and guiding her.  After a short lesson, I chose a moment when she was obeying the halter well to stop and release her.  Of course, I petted, stroked and praised her lavishly.

     I did this for several days, and then intensified the training.  Putting her on a lead, I would step forward, asking her to follow by applying light pressure to the lead.  If she did not, I would pull her quickly and firmly forward, then pet and praise her for coming alongside me.  At first she would resist, but very quickly she learned that the rope was not giving, and was soon trotting willingly beside me.  For the first week or so, she would balk occasionally, but not for long, because she never got away with it.
     When I first read of this training method, I did not much like it because it seemed harsh.  I want this filly to like people, but at the same time, I know she must be respectful, and know I'm in charge.  The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to teach her right away that the rope is stronger than she, but as long as she obeys it, she is fine.

Emaline (7) leading Fenella.

     Sure enough, she now leads beautifully, and is progressing well as I train her to tie.  We have ponied her several times on trail rides, and she is learning from watching her mother, who is a fearless trail horse.  I have also been working extensively on desensitizing her to various things that young horses find frightening, such as rubbing water, flapping sheets, crinkling tarps, and especially noisy children.  Because I have 10 younger siblings, and lots of young friend and cousins, she has had ample exposure to children of all ages from her birth forward.

Learning to tie.

     It was also important to me that she be willing to pick up her feet, and stand for the farrier, so every day I would pick up all four feet.  At first she had very strong objections to this, but eventually, by dint of perseverance and gentle firmness, she learned that it's really not that bad, and submitted to stand quietly while I tapped each hoof, and "filed" it with a stick.

Anna-Frances and Fenella.

     My two year old sister, Anna-Frances, especially loves Fenella, and enjoys petting her every chance she gets.  I still have to watch her to make sure she doesn't try to play with that fuzzy, delightful tail too often though.  While Fenella has never threatened to kick her, I certainly don't want to provoke her to try.  She is very friendly, and will frequently walk up to its in the yard to be scratched and loved on.  In fact, she is much easier to catch than her mother, who is a bit independent.  She has also made good friends with our POA gelding, and the goats.  Sometimes we get a good laugh when she has a standoff with our four month old Jersey bull; skirmishing round him, threatening to nip or kick him, and then finally tiring of his stolid indifference and galloping off to find something more fun to do.

It is so much fun to ride with Fenella!

     Fenella is full of life and fun, and it is so special to get to watch her grow up, and guide her through this first part of her life.  The training she receives now will equip her for a long, useful, and happy life.

Below is a video of halter breaking Fenella.  I apologize for the poor quality, and continuous music (Vivaldi's Seasons).  I am only just learning how to use the YouTue editor, so I know I have a long way to go.