News: Articles: Take A Step Back To The Basics

Take A Step Back To The Basics with
Bob Battaglia

As told to Linda White

One of North America's foremost trainers of National Champion Arabian performance horses, Bob Battaglia, has won 49 U.S. and Canadian National Championships, 250 National Top Tens, and more than 500 Regional titles since 1972, the year Bob won his first U.S. National performance championship. Twice voted APHA Horseman of the Year, and 1993 APHA Saddle Seat Trainer of the Year, Bob Battaglia is a proven master at selecting and starting the English horse.

When selecting an English prospect, I look at the horse's overall conformation for an individual with a long, well-angulated shoulder, good withers, and a long, shapely, well set neck which will enable him to elevate his front end and look through the bridle. In addition, the horse should have a long, strong, well-muscled forearm and long, strong pasterns whose angle matches his shoulder angle so that he can get adequate elevation at the trot, and stay sound. Remember: we want a horse constructed to withstand impact-related stress. The shorter and steeper the shoulder and pastern angles, the less ability the horse has to absorb shock.

Strong coupling is important, because the rear end is where the power comes from. The horse should travel with his hocks well under him and go an honest, four-cornered trot, because a horse who "leaves his hocks behind" has a harder time getting lift off his front end.
Finally, while a horse may have nearly ideal conformation, he won't become a successful show ring performer unless he has the right attitude: he has to WANT to perform the tasks you ask of him. I always look for a certain brilliance and charisma; a snorty, "Hey, look at me!" attitude in a prospect. He should seem to enjoy an audience. By the same token, other observable characteristics such as timidness or too much aggression can be undesirable. There's a certain amount of intuition attached to defining a horse's attitude. It's great if you can deal with lots of horses over a long period of time, or can watch a colt developing his personality from the time he's at his dam's side.

Once you have identified your likely English prospect based on conformation and attitude, he needs to learn to accept grooming, tying, bathing, being clipped, and being handled on a daily basis. Then, he should learn longeing. The very first lesson in longeing is WHOA!  Then, teach him to go forward, responding to a cue (clucking or a pop of the longe whip). I teach him to move forward always forward in both directions of the pen. I prefer a 60-foot diameter round pen for longeing, either on a line or free-longeing, because a smaller pen puts a great deal of stress on the joints and tendons. If the pen is larger than 60 feet across, the horse can get out of reach. He then needs to learn to stop, to turn calmly, and to stand quietly. Often in the beginning, I turn him out and allow him to play; to just be a horse.

Our next step is the bitting rig. I start youngsters out with a big, smooth snaffle attached to the halter with bit clips (available at most tack stores). After three or four days, when he is comfortable with the bit, I introduce the curcingle (and crupper, if the horse will stand for it). I lead him around quietly, never rushing him. The process of familiarizing him with the curcingle may take from a week to ten days, depending on how quickly an individual learns. One step at a time in a relaxed, pleasant manner, never rushing him and only moving on to the next step when the horse understands the previous oneis critical. Rushing a horse during early training can do a lot of damage.

Introducing a bridle or headstall comes when the horse has stopped fussing with the bit and is comfortable with the curcingle and crupper. I then attach side reins, loosely at first, observing how the horse learns to handle himself as I gradually tighten the side reins. This process may take up to a month as the horse learns to collect himself walking, trotting, and cantering in the round pen.

Remember always that timing is critical: if you work a young horse too long, he may go past the point of concentration; you may wear him out. I've found that as I increase the demands, I gradually increase the time of a lesson: from ten or 15 minutes a day to 20 to 30. When your horse seems to reach a learning plateau, give him a day off, and let him play.

Another critical point may come when and if the horse begins to take advantage: to cheat or play instead of working. Once I have assessed his ability to learn, I may decide to push him past this point. This depends on the individual horse and his ability to retain information. The important thing to remember is that the young, untutored horse is a blank slate. As the trainer, you are filling up that slate. He will learn what you teach him, good or bad. Horses have an astonishing capacity for learning more than any other domestic animal. They never forget anything, good or bad, so keep in mind that what you teach a horse will be with him for the rest of his life.    

There are two important things to keep in mind when working with all horses, and young horses in particular. Firstly, they are volatile, and they can hurt you. Always proceed slowly and carefully, be aware of the horse's reactions, and don't take unnecessary risks. Secondly, the training should be a positive, pleasant experience for the horse. I always try to end each session on a positive note, even if that means returning to some simple, familiar task he can perform well. This way, the next time you work that horse, you're not having to overcome leftover, negative feelings from the previous session.
The next step is ground driving. Actual driving is a complex, separate procedure worthy of an entire article, but ground driving, or long-lining, comes preparatory to getting the horse under saddle. To the curcingle, or backsaddle, I add a running martingale, fairly loose, and attach my reins (long lines) to a smooth snaffle. I prefer round lines made of cotton or clothesline. Flat, nylon lines can cut or burn your hands very badly; you can even lose a finger. Soft, round lines are much safer for you and the horse because they're less likely to cause abrasions.

Run the lines through the martingale and the eyelets on the backsaddle or curcingle, then teach the horse to move forward at all gaits, to turn and stop, and to stand quietly. We're still in the round pen at this point, where we have optimum control, and the horse is confident. I now begin to substitute rein pressure for voice commands. I teach the horse to turn toward the wall, and to walk, trot and canter in both directions, gradually asking him to turn, bend, and move off more quickly. Remember that we are teaching not forcing him. If the horse becomes confused, always give him the benefit of the doubt.
Patience is the foremost element here. I usually spend around three weeks ground driving in the round pen, working very quietly, very patiently until the horse is supple, obeys commands promptly and willingly, and understands everything I'm asking of him.  "Whoa" is important here, and I ask the horse to back, one step at a time, going very slowly so that the horse doesn't become confused. I do this with even pressure on both reins, combined with voice commands. You want him to learn to tuck his nose in and back quietly, keeping his mouth shut.

I always work a young horse in a loose cavesson so that he learns to keep his mouth closed, and finds a place for his tongue. If you start him with a tight cavesson, he is constantly resisting the pressure, and never learns to keep his mouth shut on his own. Let me add here that it is imperative that the horse have his teeth floated and any wolf teeth extracted by a veterinarian before any bridle work begins. I give the horse a few days off after his teeth have been floated and any wolf teeth removed, to allow his mouth to heal. Now, comes the overcheck.

I prefer an overcheck to side checks. I begin by putting it on loose not so loose that the overcheck bit falls down in his mouth but loose enough to be comfortable. Over several weeks I gradually raise his head, teaching him to collect himself and to carry his head perpendicular to the ground. Keep in mind that very few Arabians are built with their necks rising perpendicular out of their shoulders, like Saddlebreds. Most Arabians' necks are set on somewhat lower. If they're checked up too high, they hollow out their backs and lose cadence behind, or swing from side to side.
The most important thing the overcheck does is to teach the horse to raise his front end, causing him to drive off his back end: to come strongly off his hocks. Horses naturally carry 60 percent of their body weight in the forehand. In order to appear light and 'airy,' the English horse must learn collection so that he doesn't appear heavy in the forehand.

We're still in the round pen. The horse learns to wear the overcheck comfortably, to turn, stop, back, and move forward at all gaits with subtle commands and rein pressure. This is not an overnight achievement. Each horse has to learn at his own pace. Again, patience is the key.
When we have accomplished these things, we're ready to get on him. I may have been working him in a twisted wire snaffle to keep him light, but here I move him back into a smooth snaffle, with a running martingale fairly loose, so we don't intimidate the horse and double reins. One rein goes through the martingale, to keep his nose in; the second rein does not go through the martingale, but acts like the snaffle would in a full bridle. This gives us more control than we'd have with only one rein.

I usually longe the horse in the round pen that first day to get him used to the feel of the saddle. Then, very slowly, from the ground, I put weight in the stirrups, and lay against him to get him used to my body. Then slowly, I mount and settle myself in the saddle. If the horse is apprehensive, I wait until he's quiet and at ease. Then, in a calm, quiet voice I ask him to slowly walk forward. My weight on his back changes his center of balance, so I ask him to walk forward both ways of the ring, and to turn in each direction, learning to collect himself with my weight on his back.
When he seems to feel comfortable, I ask him very quietly to trot. I just guide him, not worrying about collection this first day. If he wants to canter, it's okay, but I don't encourage it on the first day. Then, quit while you're ahead. Don't wear him out or allow him to become confused. Ten minutes is enough for the first day. Just like a child, a horse ceases to learn when he gets tired.

Dismounting is crucial at this stage. Dismount very slowly. I slip my right foot out of the stirrup, lay across his back, slip my left foot free and slowly slide down to the ground. I never just step off a green horse. Both feet should be free of the stirrups when you lie across his back and slide down. (You only have to be dragged once to learn that lesson!) Now, praise him, pet him, and give him carrots. End on a happy note: you're teaching, not forcing him.

Some horses may have a change of heart the second day, but not usually. Repeat your procedures and today, introduce a little leg pressure. Ask him to walk, trot, turn and stop in both directions. If he wants to canter, let him, but don't allow him to crowhop or go too fast. Also, don't ride him past the point where he's tired and has ceased to learn. Ten to 15 minutes is plenty.

During the first few weeks under saddle, I begin to collect the horse by gradually pushing him up into the bridle with leg pressure: not a lot, just more than before and very slowly. After the fourth or fifth day under saddle, when the horse is comfortable and unafraid, we move out of the round pen and into an enclosed paddock or riding ring. Sometime during the second week, I ask the horse to back, using a voice command and an even pressure-and-release, pressure-and-release on the reins. I ask him to back one step at a time. He has already learned to back in longlines, so he should get the idea fairly quickly.

About the same time, I begin to work on head set. About the fourth week, I begin to use more leg pressure to push the horse up into the bridle. I push him up into the bridle, but he cannot go beyond the point where his head is perpendicular to the ground. What happens? He lightens up in front, and gets his rear end under him. Now, we can begin to ask for more speed at the trot. Our objective here is twofold: to create a pretty picture, with the hocks well under; and to gain more speed and elevation without losing collection at any of the gaits. Sacrificing collection for speed gets you nowhere.

As we go along we're also teaching the horse to be more supple, and to move away from pressure. I may put a twisted wire snaffle on for a few days to lighten him up, then go back to a smooth snaffle. Don't be afraid to change bits around. It helps during this time to have someone on the ground who knows what he or she is looking at, or a really good rider you can put on, so that you can see how the horse looks.

The time frame here is from two to six months, depending on the horse's attitude and ability. The important thing to remember is that the horse learns through repetition and that when he gets tired, he ceases to learn. It's up to you to quit before he does; to end each session on a positive note; and above all, to be patient.

Related Links:

Show Results
Recent Sales
Articles
Calendar