Roping Tips: Train Your Horse to Behave in the Box Backcountry Bound 5Strategies for Keeping Your Horses in Camp Overnight Improve Your Rein Work with Todd Crawford How the Korkow Family Built Its Rough Stock Reputation Horsemen Building Bridges in the Great Outdoors $4.99 JUNE 2012 Sawtooth Shadows by Jason Rich WESTERNHORSEMAN.COM
Training, Gear, Health & Management Tips for Today s Horseman A calf-roping horse should be pointed so it is looking at the front of the chute, so it can follow the calf down the arena at the same angle. HOW-TO Better in the Box Champion rope-horse trainer C.R. Bradley corrects three common problems in the roping box. Story and photography by KATE BRADLEY Section Editor KATE BRADLEY kate.bradley@westernhorseman.com June 2012 WESTERN HORSEMAN 27
Three common problems seen in roping horses used in both rodeo and horse show events are anticipating leaving the box, popping up out of the box, and squatting in the corner. Here, Bradley explains how to work a horse through these problems. Like a runner coming off the starting block, a rope horse needs to come out of the box at just the right moment. In roping, the start sets the entire run. If you get out of the box well, it will set up for a smooth run, and if you get out late or break the barrier, your run can continue to go downhill, says multiple American Quarter Horse Association World Champion C.R. Bradley. When I start roping on a horse, I spend more time working in the box than on any other part of the run. Prior to extensive roping training, the Collinsville, Texas, trainer ensures his horses respond to basic cues. My horses should be able to move their hips in both directions while backing and being cued one-handed, he explains. I can move their shoulders and hips, and have control using one hand before I take them into the box. Champion trainer C.R. Bradley uses repetition and slow work in the box to keep his rope horses sharp. Young or old, a horse can develop bad habits that stem from its own nervousness or from soreness developed during training. Bradley advises that horses that develop a dangerous habit quickly like rearing up and lunging out of the box be checked for soreness by a veterinarian. Once soreness is ruled out, Bradley continues slow work in the box. Move Off the Hand, Not the Sound A horse that anticipates leaving the box, or a young horse that is nervous, is one I score on a lot, Bradley says. You score, or release the calf from the chute but do not follow it out of the box, to teach the horse to relax in the box. The idea is to release the calf without pressuring the horse to run after it. Repetition is key to Bradley s training process. Each time he walks a horse into the box whether on the heading side of the chute or on the calf roping and heeling side Bradley retraces the same steps. His goal is to relax the horse with the routine. A lot of horses work off the sound of the gate, he explains. I want the horse to listen to me and not work off gate noise. Scoring is especially good for a rodeo horse that anticipates having to run out of the box every time. The horse needs to remember to work off the rider and not off the sound of the chute gate opening. When I score, I tie a [saddle] blanket immediately behind the chute gate. This will stop or slow the calf or steer. Then, I open and close the gate until the horse stands flat-footed and relaxed in the box. Once the horse relaxes and begins listening to Bradley instead of the gate noise, Bradley will pull the blanket back so the calf can leave the chute. Once the horse relaxes and listens to me, I will reward him with that release for standing quietly, he says. Stay Flat and Low One problem seen in rope horses is a varying degree of rear, or pop up, when the rider sends the horse from the box. If a horse begins to come up with its front end, where it is lunging up and out instead of traveling forward out of the box, Bradley immediately begins to work on gaining forward motion. When Bradley enters the box, he uses a drill that relaxes the horse and teaches forward motion. He starts to walk forward prior to releasing the calf from the chute. 28 WESTERN HORSEMAN June 2012
Hanging a saddle blanket in the chute is one easy, safe way to practice scoring the horse. When the horse stands quietly and you are ready to release the calf, the blanket is easily lifted to allow the calf out. I walk into the box as I would for a normal run, I back into the corner and wait for the horse to stand flat-footed, he explains. Then, keeping my hand low, I ask the horse to begin walking. I walk one or two steps before I nod for the chute release. Ask for the chute to open when you feel the horse moving forward, but before you pass the middle of the box. I will continue this until the horse walks out of the box calmly. After I follow the calf out of the box at a walk, I always stop the horse straight and wait for him to take a deep breath and relax. In the box, Bradley keeps his rein hand low and in front of the horn. This cue tells the horse to stay flat and not come up on the front end when leaving the box. Bradley is careful to cue for the walk forward slowly by pushing his hand and not merely throwing his hand and weight forward. I always keep contact with the bit, and then, when I push my hand forward, that is the cue to release, Bradley says. When the horse breaks, I want him to come out smooth, with all four feet touching the ground not lunging out of the box. I want the horse flat and low. The more slow work done, and the less pressure put on the horse while in the box, the more a horse will learn to relax, Bradley explains. Bradley keeps his reins short so he has constant, light pressure when backed into the box s corner. By keeping his rein hand low by the saddle horn, he cues the horse to leave the box flat and low, and does not allow the horse to rear or pop up. June 2012 WESTERN HORSEMAN 29
Stand Straight, Don t Squat A lack of movement in the horse s feet or miscommunication in cueing often results in a rope horse that leans back or squats in the box. The horse that leans might be slower leaving the box because he will have to first stand up before he leaves the box, Bradley explains. I will score a leaning horse off the corner a few feet so he does not have anything to lean against. Bradley cautions that rider error may be to blame for a horse developing this habit. Most people will walk into the box, turn, and back right up. When that happens, the horse is already leaning backward, and his feet may not move back anymore, he explains. I walk in the box, turn, and then walk forward a few steps before backing all the way into the corner, he says. I back slowly, one step at a time. That way the horse is more likely to stand up. I work on backing straight and I am able to move the horse s hips side-to-side at a back. This way, I am not pulling the horse back and this keeps the horse from bracing against my hand. Once in the corner of the box, Bradley squeezes with his legs to ask the horse to stand square, and releases the pressure when the horse stands. If the horse turns its head away from the chute, Bradley increases pressure with the leg opposite of the horse s head turn to ask for the horse to stand square again. Scoring the horse while it is in the correct position helps teach it to stand square in the box. Bradley ends every training session by riding into the box, turning and walking to the center. There, he stops the horse, lets it stand, and dismounts. By doing so, Bradley says he shows the horse that the box is a safe place. If a horse is being bad in the box, leave the box, he advises. Go exercise your horse for a while and then when he is tired, go back and rest in the box. I never sit in the corner on a loose rein, but I will sit in the middle of the box and let the horse relax. Like anything else, if you have problems in the box, be happy with a little victory every day. For more information on C.R. Bradley and his training methods, visit crbradley.com. 30 WESTERN HORSEMAN June 2012