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Message |
    
Susan M. Herrick
Member
Username: Quatro
Post Number: 181
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, Jun 26, 2005 - 10:42 pm: |   |
Hi all, just a neat trick you all might try if you have to call horses in from the pasture. Dusty, our old horse, had a scar on his nose because his previous owner never took off his halter, because he was difficult to catch. I train dogs, and have taught sound conditioning. This is where you feed your dog, and while they are eating you blow a whistle. After conditioning the whistle to the ingestion of food, you eventually use the whistle to get their attention when you call them. Sometimes they get food others just a pet on the head. A client of mine went home and practiced this on his 9 horses, and relayed his success to me. I blew a whistle while my horses are eating their grain, not before, but during the chowing down. After several weeks of this, I went out to the pasture and blew the whistle. Out came the thunder of hooves and they fought their way to their stalls and the food bowls. I no longer have to chase them down when the farrier arrives, or the vet or when it is time to go for a ride. They run to the whistle, like a dog responds to the sounds of keys jiggling for a fun ride in the car.
Just a tip that has made my life much easier, and Dusty much happier.
Suz |
Holly Wood
Member
Username: Hwood
Post Number: 684
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 12:56 am: | |
Neat! Here at the ranch, there are a couple of 5 acre pastures, and over the fence there is another 300 acres that goes over mountains and down into valleys . . . I don't like to turn the horses out there because I may not see them for two weeks or more . . . but if I had a loud enough whistle (and sounds really DO carry up here) it might be possible to turn them out and call them back for evening feedings . . . But it would have to be a VERY loud whistle. |
Lori
Member
Username: Maggienm
Post Number: 78
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 8:35 am: | |
At the barn where my horses are the horses know the sound of their owners vehicles engines.
No, really! When I hear a vehicle coming I know who it is by watching which horse perks up and starts talking. |
Ellie Leo
Member
Username: Skye
Post Number: 106
Registered: 5-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 9:02 am: | |
I don't know if it would be loud enough for your purposes, Holly, but I have an English bobby's whistle, which I used to use to call in my child after a day outside. It's very loud--but he didn't roam on 300 acres either. |
Sara Wolff
Member
Username: Mrose
Post Number: 745
Registered: 1-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 10:48 am: | |
Our horses all recognize the sound of my truck and come up to the fence near the house when I pull in. They also look quite worried and upset if my truck leaves before they have been fed.
My horses all come when I call their names and raise one arm straight up. I always call them when it's time to come in, time to be fed, etc. I'm sure they equate it with food.
I initially taught our colts/stallions to come when called so I could catch them in Liberty Classes at the shows. This "trick" came in VERY handy one year at a large show in Reno. A helper let one of the stallions, then a 3 yr. old, get away from him while walking to the trailer. He was in a panic as here was this 3 yr. old colt running around amongst the barns, displays, etc. I dropped what I was doing, calmly went to where the colt could see me, raised my hand and called his name. He came running up to me looking very relieved (Oh, thank god, I found you. Save me!) Needless to say I was also very relieved and then and there decided to get all the horses to come when called. |
Holly Wood
Member
Username: Hwood
Post Number: 685
Registered: 3-2001
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 10:58 am: | |
Hmmmm . . . might work, Ellie. Might have some of the gangs and burglars around here lookin' over their shoulders more often, too! |
Cheryl Hohler
Member
Username: Chohler
Post Number: 286
Registered: 8-2004
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 2:45 pm: | |
Heheheh, I used to work cows with a guy whose wife would bring him lunch, every time his horses heard her truck , they would stop doing what we were working on and run towards the truck. That was fun to condition out. |
sheri herrin
Member
Username: Herrin
Post Number: 7
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 3:09 pm: | |
I read an article a few years ago about some ranchers out west that put a pager on the "lead" cow in a herd. They conditioned her to come when they paged her and all of the rest of the cows followed her up to the barn |
Sara Wolff
Member
Username: Mrose
Post Number: 749
Registered: 1-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 4:49 pm: | |
Sheri - now that's what I call putting modern technology to work for you! Wonder if kids could be trained as well as his cows were? |
Leilani Clark
Member
Username: Leilani
Post Number: 90
Registered: 4-2000
| | Posted on Monday, Jun 27, 2005 - 10:50 pm: | |
Great post; my horses all know the sound of my diesel and stop whatever they are doing and come-a-running. I believe I am the feed bag in a truck. |
Sherri L. Hueser
Member
Username: Tangoh
Post Number: 485
Registered: 3-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005 - 8:44 am: | |
We were trail riding this past weekend and were having this very same discussion on the trail with some people we had just met. They told us how their daughter has trained the horses to come in from the pasture. We couldn't wait to get home to try it out on our 5 horses.
We use a set of 'jingle bells' or 'bear bells', the kind you would attach to a back pack or attach to a sleigh...to bring our horses in from their 30 acre pasture.
The first time we had to jingle them while we were walking out to get them with a bucket of oats. They were so curious about this new sound that they ran right up to us to investigate. We continued to jingle them all the way back in as they followed the bucket of oats and the sound of the bells.
Once in the corrals we gave them their oats, still jingling the bells while they were eating their treat.
After just this first initial experiment, they now come a runnin' when they hear the bells jingling. |
