Neck rope prep with an unhandled Mustang 
In training horses, preparation is key. Meaning that before we do something, we need to get ready to do it. Get our equipment/body/mind in the right place.
What’s just as important, and unfortunately sometimes overlooked, is that we need to prepare the horse for what’s coming too.
When it comes to unhandled Mustangs, people tend to want to get hands, ropes, halters, what have you on that horse ASAP.
And then what? “I don’t know.” That’s not a plan, that’s a crap shoot.
People somehow get a halter on a horse and then can’t get close to the horse to take it back off, sometimes for months. Same with ropes.
Now you have a terrified animal getting caught on or chased by the rope and no earthly idea how to help them. Or one that’s in a halter that’s too tight or too loose but too panicked to let you near them.
At the same time, in some cases waiting until the horse lets you walk up is not realistic and we tend to teach them to avoid us in the process of trying to initiate touch. So sometimes using a neck rope is necessary and, if done properly, very helpful.
We suggest that people don’t put anything new or potentially scary on the horse without a solid plan for how to remove it even if something goes sideways, and a safe, enclosed area to work in.
Here’s DG Rafiki, 9yo untouched and pretty spirited- whom I hadn’t to touched or been within 4ft of at the time – getting used to ropes touching him and the (slightly droopy from months of use) lunge whip rubbing his face and neck.
I’m also helping him learn to stay present and relax through it all through how I time the breaks I give him.
This prepares him for when I put the neck rope on AND use my hook on a stick to remove it because I’m not expecting to to get close enough or for him to be comfortable enough for me to take it off by hand the first time or 3.
Rafiki will be available for adoption through Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy once gentled. Please reach out via PM or email if interested. He is SA. Located in Guffey, CO.
We also offer guidance for adopters and gentle Mustangs for clients.
Please always train with the end in mind and have a plan. For your Mustang’s sake and your own safety.
#makingmountainmustangmemories
