Buck Back Straps

It was suggested to us by some hitch folks to do this and it seems to work for us when we use it. When they are going really uneven try to get them in step with your hands. I will reference a “Centered Riding” illustration, picture the lines in your hands as two baby birds or other vulnerable little animals, you want to hold onto them without crushing them, and without letting them go. Now picture a see saw action with your hands, but very slight and gentle with your hands, this action should be at a pace that you want them at. After a bit of all of you getting used to this, you will hopefully see them come into cadence together. It won’t work 100% of the time, but the more you get used to it, the easier it gets. You may need to talk Ozzie down and encourage the Canadian to step up a bit to make it work.

I find it most useful here when one horse is a little hyper and the other not. I can just quietly direct them to a pace that I want them to travel at. It comes in handy around tight turns too. Just remember it is very subtle, not like using a wire saw and even softer than milking a cow, it is done right when no one can see you doing it.

I think this speaks to the dichotomy of perspectives that raise their heads time and time again for us as we work to improve our skills as teamsters.

Are we trying to get the horse to figure out the situation, through gizmos, restrictions, exhaustion, desensitization, or conditioning?

Or are trying to develop ongoing communication to direct the animals into and through each new situation?

I see the buck-rope as part of the first solution. I see Erika’s comment as part of the second.

Some horses will calm down all on their own, falling into habitual action with only minimal guidance, but as I have written before they then tend to also not take much guidance very well either. However most horses are actually looking for guidance, or at the very least demonstrative communication.

One challenge we are faced with when driving teams is the inter communication between horses. This is where Erika’s comment is so important. Rather than letting them work it out between themselves, we need to step in and guide them both more actively.

I have had a similar problem with my blind mare, who was so tuned into me that she was mentally (and physically) two steps ahead of my gelding. This was disturbing to the gelding. At first I thought it was just that he was lazy, but eventually figured out that he was actually responding to her heightened sense of confidence. He was not getting the subtle signals that she was picking up on, so he was confused about what was expected from him, and he was focusing more on her than on me. I had to find a way to drive him so that he could be up to speed with her, and confident in my leadership.

Remember the actions of these animals are more about what we are not doing than they are about some prethought on their part.

Carl

Agreed Carl (NY) See sawing is a common term for a runaway problem. I was having trouble illustrating my technique with out it. Maybe if we sleep on it we can think of a good term, it is really just a slightly specialized give and take of the tension.

Great day to be in the woods, off to harness up 🙂

Hey other Carl, that sounds like a good one, RLP’s…I was thing something like alternating pulsation but that is what see sawing is, I never thought of putting regulated in front of it. RLP sounds good.

carl ny