Quite Down a Horse

[Old Dog/New Tricks]

Hosing Your Horse Down
A qiuck an easy way to quite a horse down or cool it out any horse. (If cooling a horse down always walk it out to finish the cooling-out) Most horses don’t like to be hosed down the first time. Especially around the head and ears for good reason.

To often people squirt water into their ears, horses (most animals) hate that because they can't get rid of it. How do you like that?

Take a young horse that has never been hosed down before, this can be dangerous and calming to both you and a horse.

Here are a few tips to help.
• Don't tie your horse up
• Hold the lead rope about 3’ from the head
• Do it in a well drained area but never do it on cement -(we have a "Livestock Wash Rack" made from railroad ties bolted together)
• Standing directly in front of the horse
• Start by training the hose upon the front hooves
• Keep the horse facing directly towards you
• Don't let it turn sideways to you
• If the horse goes backwards, go with it but never stop hosing the horse down

You can use the hose to keep the horse where you want it by keeping the water stream on the horse. If the horse moves left, squirt the hose to the left side of the horse and it will move right turn the hose on the right side of the horse and it will move left. Soon your horse will stand quietly and square in front and facing you.

• Move the water up and down the front legs, slowly as the horse accepts the water move to the chest area.
• When on the chest gradually move the stream around the chest and over the shoulder area. If your horse moves away sideways switch the water it to the other shoulder.
• Slowly, easily, and bit by bit you will end up doing each side and the back of your horse.
• Now comes the back legs. (Note: Many horses will Tense-Up when you squirt under the flank area. A soft, easy, hit and miss, spray will stop this.)
• To get to the back legs the temptation is to walk around the horse to do this but this will allow the horse to circle you and may even escape from you.
• Bend down and squirt the water between the front legs and onto the lower part of the back legs. The horse may kick, so, it will get used to it. This way you can keep the horse under controlled by keeping it faced to you.
• Stay with it if it moves backwards, and keep hosing. If you run short of hose, go back and start again.

Hosing The Head
• Stand back neer the end of the lead rope.
• Use a spray not a jet of water.
• You must be absolutely straight in front of the horse, not off to either side.
• "Off and On" spray the horses head for just a few seconds at a time. The horse may put it's ears flat back to protect them from water.

Note:
In 1957 - I had always been taught to walk a Hot Horse out until he cooled. My first day as a cowboy in Yuma we started work at 2:00 AM. When we finished it was 8:00 AM, Hot (over 100°) and my horse was Ringing Wet. I pulled my saddle and started to walk my horse out. “Ya Trying Ta Kill That Horse kid” yield an Old Timer. “Hit him with da hose”.
That is how I learned to cool a horse THEN walk it out!

PS - I have taught my dogs not to shake as I wash them (NO SHAKE) - when it OK for them to Shake I stick my fingure in their ear and say "SHAKE" - - the fingure in the ear does it!
© 2006 by Dennis

 

[alacattleman]

im trying too stay with old dog come back in from left feild and lets have a chaw. i figure you got enough cowboy in you i can learn something :hat:

 

[Old Dog/New Tricks]

UnEdited Story

Well some Good Horses and Good Cowboys Have Kicked some Since into my Hard Head - - Many of my Ideas are Old School - - Many of the young ones have many new ideas that work but as I read these Idea's I find most of the ones I think will work have their foundation in the Old Ways. Those Ol' Cowboys were Dam Smart.

I have never been a "KNOWN" horseman, other than locally, but I was taught buy one of the best "Charlie Maggini" - there was a movie on this life "The Bridle Man" I think it was called – I knew him a “Hackamore Man” - Many of today’s TOP HORSEMEN talk (Brag) about riding a week or two with Charlie. I was lucky - an Old Hay Farmer/cowboy taught me to STAY-ON almost anything - He had a Switch in his hand and all I had was a hand-full-of-main - 4 hours later, buckets of tears, and cries of "I Don't Want To Learn" I thought I was a Horseman!

Then George Hoenck told me:
Now that I've taught you how to stay on a horse go up to the Pal A Sol Ranch (sp) and see if Charlie can teach you anything.

I was around 8 to 13 then in the mid 40's early 50's ('47 to '52)

I'd ride my bicycle the 4 or 5 miles UP-THE-Hill, 2 or 3 times per week to just watch Charlie "Train Horses"! Charlie being an Old Time Cowboy in his 50's+ then would never talk to me but I'd watch him then go home and try to COPY what I'd seen him do!

Years later, when I was around 13 Charlie rode up to me and said:
"What the *&%% are you doing up here all the time Kid".
"You wanta learn ta Ride Wyild Hoses?"

He had me saddle this big bay and commented
"Well least ya knows how ta saddle a hose".

In the middle of his arena he told me I could sit on the horse, watch, and ask questions. As I forked the horse it dropped it head and I landed in the dust. Each time I ate dirt he ask - "Ya still want ta learn ta ride Wyiild Hoses?"
"YEA!"
"Then get back on!!!!"

Must have been around the 3rd or 4th time I ate dust he rode-up-to-me and I can still see him - Sun coming over his right shoulder, both hands on this saddle horn as he said:
"By God! You might just make it!"

I rode and learn't form Charlie once or twice a week until I went into the service in 57. When I got out of the service he had a new wife and was riding/working on the Henry Coe Ranch. In his 80's with a wife in her late 30's/40's Charlie would feed his horse cross the road from his house and rake about an acre of Red Rock around his house, saddle up, and ride over the hill to the Coe Ranch.

Everyone that worked or had anything to do with the Coe Ranch had to have a bunk in the Cowboys Bunk House. I had a bunk next to Charlie's were we shared many a gallon of Deggo Red and stories!
© 2006 by Dennis

 

[alacattleman]

this is the kind of sht i can listen too all day how come you been hiding :hat:

 

[Ryder]

this is the kind of sht i can listen too all day how come you been hiding :hat:

Me too. Sounds real, not so much prim and proper junk.