Training A Horse for Shooting And Roping
The weakened economy has lead horse enthusiasts to tighten their belts. The horse market has become very soft and that means that young colts in training are no longer taken to shows to gain experience because travel expenses add up quickly. Even horses that are well trained and would do well in shows do not go. Some horses are even sold in yard sales for a small fraction of what they are actually worth. There’s even a story about a guy who went to sell his horse only to find that a stranger had dumped two more horses in his trailer while he was gone! Unbelievable! So what do the people who still own horses, who still enjoy spending time with their horses, and who are still willing to do some intense training do? They improvise to save money.
Improvisation in Training a horse
Even if you are in a financially sound situation it does not mean that you should not take advantage of money saving opportunities. Besides teaching my horse the same jump again and again until I’ve become Utah’s first one-jump sensation, what other resources do I have at my disposal to help me train my horse?
A Pistol and a Lariat…
A Pistol and a Lariat can take you a long way when it comes to horse training. Not to worry, I am not going to tie up my horse and shot her if she does not do what I want. But, I am going to use the pistol and lariat as part of my daily training routine. What am I going to teach my horse with these two tools? I’m going to teach her how to do safe mounts for roping and shooting, of course! Pretty much any horse can be used for roping, but if your horse allows you to shoot off of it, it is worth its weight in gold. Where I live, many hunters shoot off of their horses and horses that allow you to do this are very valuable. Also, there are many cowboy shows here in Utah. I could chose to participate or even sell my horse to one of the mounted cowboy shooters from the shows.
Be Warned, Training Horses With a Pistol and Lariat is NOT for Beginners.
Training a horse with a lariat is definitely not a good idea if you do not know what you are doing. Handling a lariat without hitting yourself in the head takes some practice and shooting a pistol (even one shooting blanks) off the back of your horse is a whole new ball game. You can still use the traditional horse training equipment, which will be a lot more familiar and easy to use.
Since, like me, you are probably working with low funds, trying to barter with experts who know what they are doing! You could make a lot of new contacts and at the same time teach your old horse some new tricks! You could even make some money if your willing to sell your horse after it’s been trained.
Amanda Spring recommends the Horse Training Secrets Revealed course to anyone who wants to learn how to train their horse properly and inexpensively. This course has helped thousands become better horse owners and trainers — check it out right now.
