Love Learns Stall Door Rules

Love is learning to stay behind the door sill until invited to come out.

Love, a Dartmoor pony, is my demonstrator for this skill, but the same principles apply no matter what the size of the equine. If you need a chain and / or whip to be safe with a horse, then work is also needed on basic ground manners. Encouraging the horse to synchronize with your body language is a good start. This article shows how to get started. Body Language: Copying A simple way to teach this skill is to offer a treat just before you open the stall door, so the horse waits to get the treat. Then cue him to walk out. For safety, stay beside, not in front of him. When he reliably looks for the treat, you can open the door before giving it. When waiting has become a habit, give the treat only at random intervals, gradually less and less often.

I taught her "stay", like the dog training command.

The stay command can also be taught outside a stall by standing the horse's front feet inside a hula hoop. The hoop helps clarify that the feet stay in a designated place. Starting on lead, first turn to face the horse, give the "stay" hand signal and say "stay", then return to leading position. When her feet stay still for that, then turn to face the horse and back up a step before returning to leading position. Work up from there. As with dogs, always teach stay by returning to leading position until the stay is well understood.

This is permission to come out: I round my shoulders, lean forward, and make a big "O" with my arms.

If there is any question of safety, stand beside the horse, not in front, and hold the lead. Here I am coaching Love on the next level of stall door manners - feet stay behind the door sill until you are invited out, even if no one is holding the lead.

When she began to walk forward without permission, I quietly asked her to back up.

Horses learn faster with quiet patience because that allows them to stay calm, and focus on understanding what we want. When we want a horse to be quiet and still, it is extra important to be quiet in our own manner so we model what we want.

Bronzz waits for his hay

Bronzz demonstrates exemplary stall door manners, waiting at his open door while I go to the end of the aisle, weigh out his hay, and deliver it to him. Notice the right front hoof right at the door sill. Bronzz takes this boundary very literally.