Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

Philip Easley wrote:
>        Once they learn to walk or hop with the hobbles, we have to watch
>them when grazing because they will leave and try to go back to the truck.

I have seen more than one run in a hobble, sometimes heading away
from camp and civilization.

I'm fond of old books.  A few that I have discuss hobble training
and advise you when first training to teach the horse (excuse me)
not to move too fast.  The idea is to hold a rope tied to one of
its front legs above the fetlock.  If/when the horse first tries
to move out, yank on the rope to upset its balance.  These books
also say to do this training in a soft pasture or arena with deep
sand.

On the other hand, some horsemen who hobble like their horses to
move out well enough to hop into camp on their own for water and
grain at breakfast time.

(Does anyone here have first-hand experience with these aspects
of hobble training?)

BTW, all methods of restraint, including none at all, work better
when the horse is tired and/or standing in good grass.  Duh, you
say?  Well, think about it the next time you're out in the field:
could you/would you dare simply let go of your horse right there
and then?  Why not?  What do you think your horse would do?  Can
you find a safe time and place somewhere, to actually test this?

        Una Smith
        New Mexico