Exploring Different Methods of Horse Training :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Exploring Different Methods of Horse Training The cowboy climbed aboard and gave a wild yell. The men holding the head of the horse let go and jumped back. Almost immediately the horse began bucking. The cowboy stayed with him though. The horse bucked around the pen slamming into the fence and off the post that was set in the middle of the pen. Finally the horse began to slow down and the cowboy got him under control. It would take another week of this before the horse would allow himself to be handled without blowing up.(Rashid 102) This is the way horses used to be broken to ride, but is that the best method to use? This is the oldest method used for breaking horses, but it is also the roughest. The first method researched is the old ranch method used. This method was used mostly on the big ranches in the west. The main reason this method was used was because they had to be able to use the horses immediately. The horses on these big ranches were usually started at four to five years of age. They were started at this age because that is when a horse is usually physically mature enough to handle the rough work on a ranch.(Campbell 55) To start a horse in this method, a cowboy would bring a horse into a pen. The horse would then be roped and snubbed up to a large post that was set in the middle of the pen. Two other men would hold the horse down while the cowboy threw his saddle on the horses back and cinched it down. The horse was then fitted with a rope Bosal. The cowboy climbed aboard and the horse was turned lose. The cowboy was then supposed to stay with the horse until he quit bucking. It was a rare thing for a horse not to buck when started this way. (Miller 25) Times have changed though people no longer have to have their horses trained in such a hurry. Very few horses are used very hard today. Not all horses were started in such a rough manner then either. The Spanish vaqueros of the 1800's used the bosal to start their horses, and they took their time in doing so. The Bosal The California Bosal or Hackamore is an oval nose band made of rawhide. The top piece of the bosal is called the nose button. Exploring Different Methods of Horse Training :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers Exploring Different Methods of Horse Training The cowboy climbed aboard and gave a wild yell. The men holding the head of the horse let go and jumped back. Almost immediately the horse began bucking. The cowboy stayed with him though. The horse bucked around the pen slamming into the fence and off the post that was set in the middle of the pen. Finally the horse began to slow down and the cowboy got him under control. It would take another week of this before the horse would allow himself to be handled without blowing up.(Rashid 102) This is the way horses used to be broken to ride, but is that the best method to use? This is the oldest method used for breaking horses, but it is also the roughest. The first method researched is the old ranch method used. This method was used mostly on the big ranches in the west. The main reason this method was used was because they had to be able to use the horses immediately. The horses on these big ranches were usually started at four to five years of age. They were started at this age because that is when a horse is usually physically mature enough to handle the rough work on a ranch.(Campbell 55) To start a horse in this method, a cowboy would bring a horse into a pen. The horse would then be roped and snubbed up to a large post that was set in the middle of the pen. Two other men would hold the horse down while the cowboy threw his saddle on the horses back and cinched it down. The horse was then fitted with a rope Bosal. The cowboy climbed aboard and the horse was turned lose. The cowboy was then supposed to stay with the horse until he quit bucking. It was a rare thing for a horse not to buck when started this way. (Miller 25) Times have changed though people no longer have to have their horses trained in such a hurry. Very few horses are used very hard today. Not all horses were started in such a rough manner then either. The Spanish vaqueros of the 1800's used the bosal to start their horses, and they took their time in doing so. The Bosal The California Bosal or Hackamore is an oval nose band made of rawhide. The top piece of the bosal is called the nose button.