January 2019 12 When you first get on a green colt, you’re going to want to get to where you can separate the hind from the front. The goal is to get to where you can move either end, move any quarter of the horse. This is the same thing you’d be doing working him on the lead rope, where you lead him around you in one direction. Then when you ask him to change directions, he can roll the hind away, and when you open up, he can separate and roll the front on through. If he’s doing good on a lead rope, he’s going to pretty much operate in a pattern and be more apt to be able to do it when you get on him. There are two ways to get the base up under him when riding. One is to ride the hindquarters forward and the other is to ride the horse back over his hindquarters. If you were just getting started riding a colt and you were thinking you were going to back him over his hindquarters every time you wanted him over his hocks, you’d probably back him excessively, and then, first thing you know, you can’t even get him to back anymore. He’d be kind of fed up with it. So do this going forward, use your inside leg and rein to bend him and roll the hindquarters over and get his hips out of the way. That makes it possible for him – when you open up with your inside leg and rein and lay the supporting rein on the base of his neck – to bring his front across. You’re not going to pry on the supporting rein, it’s very gentle and very soft, but it’s a signal to him that he’ll get to understand means: “When you feel that rein on your neck, I’d like your front quarters to be moving.” (Whenever there’s a supporting rein, it means “front quarters” to the horse.) You don’t want to try to bring the front end through before you’ve got the hindquarters. Maybe sometimes when you’re going for the hindquarters, his front feet are still walking forward. If they are, he’s not ready. You have to get him prepared. You have to slow the front feet down and keep the hind feet moving. If you don’t bend him enough and the front feet are still walking, he can’t possibly get his hind feet any closer to his front feet. Sometimes you might not be untracking the hindquarters, but maybe you’re making a U-turn or swapping ends. You have to make sure you’re putting the horse in a position that you kind of shut that front end down so that the hind end can get closer to the front and he can get his weight arranged right so he can then move his front feet. When you get the hind to untrack, it doesn’t have to go real far, maybe 90, maybe 180 degrees. But if his weight is not arranged right – if it’s not off his front end or he is bent too much – it doesn’t matter how hard you kick him with the outside leg, you’re not going to get him to bring his front across. Through practice, you get to where you identify when the hind is staying put and he’s shaped up right and ready to bring his front across. You get to where you can feel how he balances on that hind leg, where you know what leg he’s on. It’s a balancing thing. It takes practice to feel this. At first, there may be any number of things he could be doing. Sometimes he might be untracking the hind and then just not making it with the front. But once you’ve done your best to prepare him by rolling over the hind, then you might wait there and just kind of keep working your outside foot a little, say to him, “Look, when I get the movement I’m looking for, I’m going to let go.” He might not do just the right thing right off…he might have to do a little exploring, and you have to get to where, through the seat of your pants, you can feel what’s taking place. And when that horse starts reaching, all you have to do is release and say, “Ah, that’s what I was looking for, right there.” Buddy Uldrikson Buddy Uldrikson Training at Rancho Rio Bonita: buddyuldriksonhorsemanship.com Bales Hay & Feed Sales LARGEST SELECTION OF BALED FEED IN ARIZONA We invite you to “LIKE” us on We Grow and Sell Alfalfa, Bermuda, Rye Grass, Paca Verde, Cow Hay, Oat Hay, and Straw WE ALSO CARRY O. H. KRUSE GRAIN We Load Your Pick-up or Trailer Family Owned and Operated for Five Generations 20600 W. Beloat Rd. • Buckeye Take I-10 West to Verrado, Exit 120, South to Beloat Rd. 623-386-2988 BALESFARMS.COM Se Habla Español 623-232-8225 theplumberguy.com Must have coupon. Not good with any other offer. Expires 1/31/19. Must have coupon. Not good with any other offer. Expires 1/31/19. Separation of Feet