Full speed….ahead? nope…backwards.

If I could make a couple suggestions;  First look at the thread “trouble getting started” as some of these ideas will be related.   (under – training work animals).  More and more I find my self telling folks that I will give you two conflicting answers to think about.  I guess this is what makes it an art.

First – All ways pay attention to what is going on for the animal.  It is likely not the length of the pole or yoke height, but it could be.  It is likely a green horse that is unsure of what you want / intend.  It has also developed it’s own idea about what it would like to do.   Is the animal relatively calm, but just backing? or is it really nervous, or excited?  This helps determine how much pressure we apply to the situation.

Second  – block out what is going on for the animal.  Focus on what you are presenting to the animal.  They want leadership.  You should be calm, relaxed, and you should be certain that what you are doing is right and what the final out come will be.  You can send this message to the animal.  If you are not that certain you may need to fake that.  That makes it a little harder.

From the other thread; Carl’s pointed stick can be used effectively in this case.  Try to let the animal back into.  That will reduce the overall energy involved and they will believe they have done this to them selves.  Work slowly, calmly, and determined.

Realize please that plowing with a green horse and a green teamster can cause really problems.  If this horse is not ready for this difficult and challenging task, I would wait until the animal has successfully pulled other things.  Logs, harrows, stone boat all come to mind.

This doesn’t seem likely to be the problem, but I’ll mention it anyway.  Is it possible she has a check rein  (overcheck) that’s too tight, or perhaps she isn’t accustomed to having one at all?  Bob

When you ask her to move forward are you using vocal commands or kiss? I have a belgian named Prince thats 18H + and well over a ton, I know he can pull some weight cause I’ve used him skidding logs alone and he knows what hes doing in the woods, I tried tilling the garden with a walk behind cultivator and he wouldn’t move it one bit, he would hop and jump but wouldn’t pull it, I was green at the time, I feel it was two different reasons why he acted like this
A) He was hooked single on something he never did but at the same time very close to pulling a log, He didn’t have his team mate next too him like he normally did when I would hook them on a disk or something of that nature.
B) I was green, I was unsure, I wasnt confident in my self and that day I was having a bad day, I learned really quick horses read you off your body language and the moment they see you they know who’s gonna be boss.

Now I can take that same horse Prince and hook him with his team mate Randy and go out and be on a wagon or something and I’ll let them do their thing and not pay so much attention to the horses and I’ll be looking at the field or woods or what ever and Price knows that he will start to act up. All I have to do is stop him walk up to him straight on looking him in the eye and pull his head down from sky so hes on my level and say ” cool it, relax” he more or less gets over hyper and really wants to haul the mail and pull or go just all out and work, but I pet him on the head and just talk to him, he calms down and relaxes and away we go. He is the one horse I love to drive because after I got time behind some lines he is one horse that wants to work and enjoys working.