Round Pen - The Great Equalizer

A slap, as harsh as it sounds to us, is not always about force. It usually does not cause a horse much pain, but it is intended as a shock process for a horse that already recognizes you as an alpha. Since this colt saw me as a playmate & equal, they possessed no fear of my slaps - my choice was to either escalate the physical force (which is usually not my first choice) or establish my dominance in a delicate way by the round pen.

Anytime a horse strikes at you (& a nip ought to be thought about a strike) it is important that you retaliate with conviction so they think two times about doing so again. But when I would give this colt a light slap they would  smirk to himself & try to nip me again! Was they being mean-spirited? No! This colt grew up with no significant discipline from his father & no fear of humans - they imprinted him from birth & thus they trusted us. Since they did not fear me, they thought I was one time engaging in some horseplay as any other colt would do.

With consistent round pen work, this colt soon learned that I wasn't a simple playmate - I was one time his leader. Although they could still enjoy each other's company, it had to be on terms that were agreeable to the both of us (no more black & blues!). Due to consistent round pen work, the leading, nipping & general disrespect issues became a thing of the past.

One time I established that slaps or verbal growls would not have any effect on this colt, anytime they would nip at me or try my patience together with his rebellious ways they would march straight to the round pen or enclosed paddock. While this colt found the notion amusing for the first minutes or so, finally the round pen will drain the "oats" from  any horse & they was no different.

I hope my example of this young colt showed the folly of depending on physical force to accomplish your goals - "outgunning" a horse is not simple, practical or desirable. Never accept poor behavior & do not feel your authority is measured solely by your raw strength; both are mistakes that are all often committed by horse owners. In lieu think about the use of a round pen (or in a pinch you can use a longe line) & find out how simple training & discipline can be when using the Great Equalizer.