Why Less Correction Can Make a Better Rope Horse

The art of training a horse today is different than it was years ago. We’ve bred these horses to be smarter and designed for the job we’re doing, so for me it isn’t about correcting and fixing and making the horse do what I need. It’s more about letting the mistakes happen.

Correct a Green Horse Without Making Him Tense

I’m not saying we don’t correct them. But it has to be a kinder way, because the way a horse interprets getting fixed matters. If I’m hard on him, the next time I put him in that same spot, he’s going to tense up and get ready for me to correct him. So instead, I set the table so the right answer is the easiest way to go.

Let a Young Horse Fix His Own Mistakes

That doesn’t mean I don’t ride my horses. But when they’re wrong, it’s about letting them figure out how to fix it. I hold them enough that I’m still in control, but when they mess up, I make that part more work—now they’ve got to take the long way around the tree to get back into position. It’s not “I’m in trouble.” It’s “OK, now I’ve got to work back through this.” The more that becomes a game, the more they just start picking the right answer.

What to Expect Competing on Young Horses

That matters when you’re competing on them. We’ll run 40 or 50 steers on young horses, and we’re not going to get 40 badass runs. We’re going to get 10 or 15. The rest is: Can they let me catch and look presentable doing it? The more it’s a game, the more I can still compete, still catch—and still know there’s more in the tank.

Holding a Horse Together Through the Turn

A lot of this lives in my left hand. Going through the turn, I’m not pulling. I want that horse to collect up and honor my hand. We know the steer is going to turn left and we know we only have so much time, so we rush it. But the longer I rope at home, the more I know that if I stay steady and wait, the light bulb comes on.

How Much Pressure to Carry Through the Corner

Say I want to ride him through the turn with 5 pounds of pressure on his mouth. When he gets out of position, his head goes out, his body gets longer, and now he’s putting 3 pounds on my hand. Our tendency is to pull back. But if I pull, I’ve just added three more pounds that didn’t need to be there.

Why Pulling Back Gives a Horse Something to Lean On

It’s like a door. If we know it’s shut and locked, we’ll lean our whole weight into it. But if it’s open and we push, we fall through a couple of times and learn not to put our weight there. When I pull back against a horse, I’m handing him a locked door to lean on. I don’t want to give him something to push against.

So I stay steady. If I sit still for a minute, that horse brings himself off of it—no fight, nobody’s feathers ruffled. That’s what keeps them calm and working cleanly.

—TRJ—