Zen Horse

Training Tip of the Week:
By Clinton Anderson

Is your horse cinchy?

If your horse is reactive whenever you tighten the cinch, try this exercise to solve this problem for good!

If your horse is cinchy, the problem isn’t the saddle, but rather the girth pressure around his belly that is making him feel trapped and claustrophobic. An exercise that I’ll use to fix this is to take the lead rope and toss it around the horse’s belly. First I’ll rub the horse’s belly where the cinch will go, and then tighten the rope to simulate the pressure of the girth.

Pull the top part of the rope down and the bottom up and tighten the rope around the horse’s belly. Once you pull the rope tight, wait for the horse to relax. As soon as he stands still and relaxes, release the pressure. Each time you pull up on the rope, pull up a little tighter until you can pull as tight as you can and the horse just stands there. As soon as your horse is comfortable with this, start moving that rope in a seesaw motion up and down his belly, all the way back to his flank, tightening and releasing as you go.

Make sure that you don’t tie your horse up when you do this exercise. Instead, do it out in the arena or other open area so he can move his feet. When he does move his feet, just keep moving with him and don’t release the pressure until he stands still and relaxes.

Do this exercise for a few minutes every day, mate, and you’ll soon make your horse’s cinchiness a thing of the past!

Happy Trails,

Danna