The sleek bay Thoroughbred emerged from behind the barn, his head lifted, his nostrils flared and his ears pricked sharply forward. He surged proudly forward, hind quarters fully engaged, every muscle tensed. At the end of the lead rope, the end next to the halter, the young woman gripped the rope and leaned back, bracing against the relentless forward motion. The picture was one of perfect unity, moving as one, together in an oblivious struggle of disharmony.  

  Her feet reached out ahead of her, seeking the ground ... and balance. I watched as the struggle progressed across the field toward the turnout area. The gelding was in firm command, his head and neck curved away while his shoulder pushed into her, a brace with a definite advantage. She was putting great effort into keeping her feet from being tread upon. "Would you like some help?," I asked. Her predicament almost didn't allow her to answer me, however she did manage, "He's just high."  

 Resigned to a spectator role, I watched as the horse continued to build up, getting more anxious and determined. Somehow, they managed to reach the turnout still attached. Now the whites of his eyes showed wildly, his tail lifted and he braced his hind quarters setting himself to pull away. The woman gripped desperately, still firmly fixed just beneath the halter, while he dragged her across the arena. Feeling somewhat constrained, and a bit surprised that he hadn't freed himself of his burden, he paused. Sensing the opportunity, she reached up to unbuckle the halter. I winced, knowing what would come next. The horse knew too! The halter was half unbuckled when the gelding whirled away. He ripped the halter out of her hands, aimed a kick that narrowly missed her shoulder, then went running and bucking crazily down the arena. Seemingly undaunted, the woman picked up the halter and walked from the arena. "He just needed to run," she said. 

 This excerpt is typical of a scene that I have seen many times. It is not only dangerous for the handler, but also sets up the horse for undesirable patterns of behavior that can flavor all aspects of the horse-human relationship. 

  CONSCIOUS AND CONNECTED 

  The horse is in our world. We are not in his. We have a responsibility to help the horse fit into our world while keeping his spirit intact. If we don't step into the role of leadership in the horse- human relationship, the horse will. It is simply his nature and way of survival, and it could be dangerous for you and for him. 

  Maybe you haven't been aware of what takes place when you turn your horse loose. Perhaps you haven't seen any importance in it. Maybe you think that the session is over when you step down from the saddle, or when your horse steps through his paddock gate or stall door. The horse is highly aware and is learning every minute. He could be learning something useful or could be building on things that will make both your life and his more difficult. So, how you turn your horse loose may seem like such a little, insignificant thing, but it means a lot to the horse. How the horse is turned loose is a vital ingredient in the cultivation of a willing, connected and respectful horse. The last impression you leave with your horse is one he has time to assimilate. 

  PREPARING THE HORSE 

  Preparation for turning the horse loose begins with your initial interaction with your horse. Try and build in positive responses during the time you have with your horse, especially when the horse is relaxed and receptive. When you find yourself in a difficult situation, the more tools you have to draw on, the easier it will be to help the horse come through to a positive place. 

 Do you have the horse's attention? Are the horses' ears aware but relaxed? Is his eye soft? Is the horse relaxed in his body and his manner? Does the horse follow your direction easily? If not, you may need to do more to prepare the horse. Make sure you allow enough time to work with your horse to be able to get together and finish in a good place.  

 If your horse fits the description at the beginning of this article, you may need to keep your horse fairly busy at the end of the halter rope (the other end), before he is ready to have you slip the halter off over his nose. When the horse has that much energy, you may as well put it to good use. Your horse can probably get quite a bit more together at how he carries himself and more accurate at placing his feet to your direction on the halter rope. Send the horse around you on well rounded circles. Ask for up and down transitions. Bend the horse, yielding the hind quarters away from you, then step the forequarters across in front of you and send the horse the other direction. Ask the horse to follow exactly behind you, keeping his distance on the lead line. Lead him straight up toward you then back the him straight away from you. Have the horse stand and get centered at the end of the halter rope. These are just some of the things you can ask of your horse to help him get more with you. 

  TURNING LOOSE 

  Check in with yourself. Are you feeling relaxed and confident? Are you breathing? Are you aware and focused? Are you with the horse?  

  Support the horse with one hand across the bridge of the nose while placing your other hand over the horses' poll, just behind the ears. Ask the horse to bend his head slightly toward you with a soft give through his neck. Now ask the horse to lower his head. The horse should respond to a light downward feel on the poll and lower his head. Release all pressure when the horse first starts to move downward. Make sure the horse is following your feel down and not avoiding it by taking his head away from you downward. 

 Allow the horse to raise his head, then check to see that the horse is soft in his neck and jaw. With one hand across the bridge of the nose and the flat of the other hand supporting the horses' jaw, tip the nose toward you while the head pivots on the cervical vertebrae. This is a small movement, just far enough to have the horse turn loose to your feel. Now if the horse is soft and relaxed, move the halter around as if to undo it. If the horse reacts by stiffening, take more time to help the horse soften and let go. If the horse tries to pull away, yield the hind quarters away from you while keeping a bend in his body toward you. The horse should step the inside hind leg across in front of the outside hind leg, disengage the hind quarters and soften.  

 When you have the horse with you again, start over. Help the horse stay with you through the whole process. Be sure the horse stays soft while you undo the halter and loop it around his neck. Rub or scratch the horse around the head and ears and upper neck. If the horse tries to rub and push on you, stop rubbing. Continue rubbing and scratching when he settles. Try and have your timing be as accurate as possible so that the horse learns that he gets rubbed when he is quiet. Have this be a very pleasant moment. When the horse is completely with you, soft and balanced, release the halter, then turn and walk off. 

  GOING BEYOND 

  If a horse can respond to my direction at a higher level than I need in normal circumstances, then working at routine levels is effortless for both of us. An approach that has worked quite well for me with horses who exhibit a lack of patience while being turned loose is to help them learn to wait at the gate while I turn and walk away.  

  A round pen is the ideal enclosure for getting this to work but you can accomplish the same results in a square or rectangular paddock. It is important to have the horse able to hook on and draw to you on cue. If the horse leaves before you are ready to leave, hook the horse on and have him follow you back to the gate. Don't make a big deal out of it, don't be urgent, just set it up again and let the horse work at it. Repeat this process until the horse can wait as you leave. When the horse's attention carries beyond the gate and follows you as you leave, significant changes are taking place. 

 If you turn your horse loose in a connected way, chances are that the next time you want to catch your horse to go for a ride, your horse will be looking for you. 

  CHECKPOINTS 

 1. Are you with yourself, with the horse? 

 2. Ask the horse to bend slightly toward you. 

 3. Ask the horse to lower his head softly. 

 4. Ask the horse to let go in his neck and jaw. 

 5. Move the halter around to check for anticipation. 

 6. Undo halter and loop it around horses' neck. 

 7. Rub or scratch horse all over head and neck. 

 8. Release halter when horse is soft and balanced.