Teaching a Horse to Tolerate It's Head Being Washed
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- In this training series, Warwick Schiller shows you how to use the mantra Make The Wrong Thing Hard And The Right Thing Easy to solve common horse problems.In this first episode, he shows you a surprisingly simple way to have your horse lower its head while you hose it.
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This is one of the first videos of yours I ever watched. It’s important to me bc it was my introduction to your insight, and since then, I’ve binge-watched your videos and had so many light bulbs go off in my head.
It’s hard to even know where to begin on how drastically you’ve impacted my life. You’ve helped me be more empathetic and patient not only with horses, but with people as well!! It all transfers over when you start changing yourself so you can change your horse.
I could never thank you enough for putting your content on CZcams.. I went on to pay for the subscription for a while and have almost filled a notebook with your techniques and philosophies.
“I’m not brave, I’m thorough.” Where I live, people still believe in the old cowboy way of working with horses, which isn’t always safe for horses or humans. Most horse people around me don’t believe in doing things the slow/kind way, but bc of you I know it’s possible. ☺️
As for a specific example of how you’ve helped one of my horses: when I first got Rooster, he was terrified of humans. He’d obviously been through some stuff. The first time the farrier came, Rooster had his head up high, the whites of his eyes showing, and he was snorty and tense, and the farrier hadn’t even gotten to him yet. I’ve spent a ton of time doing basic groundwork your way, and spending time with him and counter-conditioning.. and the second time the farrier came, Rooster was falling asleep waiting for his feet to be done.
Of course I have so much to learn, but my horses and I thank you so much for bringing more connection and understanding into our lives.
#journeyon20
G'day JustHorseGirlThings, thanks for your response! You have won yourself a free year subscription! Just send me an email with your information and I'll get you sorted.
warwick@warwickschiller.com
Per a comment in the video, horses put their heads down in the rain because the rain comes from above - it doesn't usually blow upwards in their nose and ears. Try showering his head from above instead.
always clever ways of resolving issues...always a pleasure and I learn a lot on many different levels.
Probably the best video out there demonstrating this! Thank you for turning my giraffe back into a horse (and a clean one!)
You do not need to do this. A stupid video.
I've always thought about this but never tried it out for being afraid of water slipping into the ear canal. I guess if you're careful and the horse doesn't have the inside of the ears clipped, it's fine. Thanks for the video.
I did this yesterday with the horse I ride. I was expecting him to take a long time to accept it. In fact, only the first time did he step backwards (they don't have a wash bay), and almost immediately, when I maintained the pressure to bring him forward, he dropped his head. I did it a few more times, until he was happy with the water coming over his face with his head down. I will continue to do this until he no longer raises his head. Thanks so much!! Am utilising a lot of your techniques!!
the weather got to 33C this summer in the UK and i couldn't bring myself to hose my horse off because she is terrified of the water, but hopefully when it warms up next summer i'll be able to give her a good cool-off, and maybe even a cool bath! thank you warwick, you're a life-saver!
This horse is so cute
Love the saying of "make the wrong thing hard and right thing easy," and you can see how clear this is to horses too. My horses will also step forward to try to avoid the water, should I push them back or just stay on and not let wiggling around be an evasion?
This video helped me out and worked wonderfully. Every time I had washed a horses face before I felt so bad because they really hated it it seemed but once I did this with charlie he began to do everything in the right direction and eventually he was cocking his leg and enjoyed it once he knew it wasn't going to do much to act up anyway. Thank u for the vid! :)
For those of you who say this is hurting the horse by sprayimg water in his face need to look at it differently. My shower sprays harder than this and I spray water in my face/head and it doesn't hurt horses are tougher than us they can handle it. Its not like he was using the jet setting that would hurt me if I sprayed it in my face so I wouldn't do that to my horse either.
Nice, I will try this with my Mare who is actually afraid of the hoses, not the water. I always wondered how I was going to teach her, but now I know. Thanks.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but honestly, people who think this is an unkind method, the horse is sad, you need to get wet so the horse thinks you'll like it so he'll like it too, etc... Maybe go out and look at some of the best horsemen I know of, Ray Hunt, Bill Dorrence, Buck Brannaman, Clinton Anderson, Martin Black, Ian Francis, (to name a few), and Mr Schiller himself... You wont see any of them walking through a creek or swimming across a river just to show a horse it's okay. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but the difference between being able to get a horse used to a situation and avoiding it altogether... Maybe you should ponder that for a moment... or a lifetime if necessary.
Nikki Hunt. Does your parents know that you're leaving comments?
MγsTIc DEMON Tbh that doesn’t sound like something he’d say....ever 😂. Where did you hear this from?
Jerry H Does this person sound like a child to you??
They put up with rain in thier face. At least all 30 of the horses at the place i keep my horses at do. They actually prefer to stay out in the rain rather than use the walk ins. This is not torture....it's teaching the horse to deal with something it usually deals with in the pasture, out of the pasture. I do rather use a sponge than a hose because it's just easier to get dirt off that way but this is not torture.
wow what a smart horse! I cannot believe it only took him 5 minutes to learn that! makes me appreciate horses.
I have watched a half a dozen of your videos this morning and so enjoy watching you work problem horses with calm and consistency and logic.......will be back for more, going to the barn to work on a few of these! Thanks for posting!
What a beautiful horse!
Great looking horse !
Clear and concise video, clearly showing why to do it and how. Not only does Mr. Schiller show how to teach this one behavior but how to relate it to other behaviors a person might want his horse to learn. It was really worth my while to watch.
This really seems to work for horses who are a bit finicky about face washing (as long as your horse doesn't go too crazy about the water - then I say it might be a good idea to either go a bit slower/gentler or maybe rethink the approach - not every technique works for every horse).
I've found this "off the top" technique also works on horses who get fidgety about their ears being touched. Great tip.
Agree the training method is solid about making the right thing easy/wrong thing hard and clearly works in this scenario. Noticed a lot of comments about the ears. I'm more concerned about the eyes especially considering different water pressures. I use a sponge too and it works great, my horses like it just fine and are cooperative. I like the "make it rain" idea also as that would help prevent eye/water pressure issues. Great video Warwick...thanks !
Thanks Mister Warwick I found the video 👍👍👍
Looks so familiar!! Thinks for the tip Warwick: I'll try it when the weather gets warmer here in Europe.
im really short and its hard for me to reach up over the horses head to spray I used a stepping block and your method helped a lot!! I just had to get use to the water running down my arm!!!
Same here haha!!
Was just watching a video using positive reinforcement behavioral method to achieve a same result (using some clicker training). Good contrast to your use of a negative reinforcement behavioral method. Thanks for the video. Timing is everything on both methods.
For anyone doing their horses head, then make sure to be as good as Mr. Warwick about not getting water in the horse's ears.
I am interested. Can you please point me towards the positive reinforcement videos?
I seem to be only subscribed to trainers who use the usual negative reinforcement method, and I'd like to learn new things to broaden my knowledge. Thanks :)
thank you, this was very helpful!
I dont see any water getting sprayed in the horses ears.... The horse has his ears back to stop that, which is a completely natural reaction the same as you see in the paddock when it rains.
I dunno, I like to desensitise my horse to all kinds of things - including water. I might not spray him in the face all the time for the hell of it, but I wanna know that if it happens, it's not gonna be a big deal.
Whether riding past sprinklers or down the beach. My horse has actually come to LOVE water on his face - yes even with a spray nozel! He loves having a wash after a ride, and will actually turn around while I'm spraying his girth area so he can get some on his face.
Would be really interesting to know if the "older Warwick Schiller" would do it any different today. "If you change the way you look at things, things change..." To me such an exercise is a good example. In the past I did it like he does in this video. Today I would start from a spot where the horse accepts the water and from there work onward to its head. Every time the horse moves its head away, I would take the shower away. "yes - I understood you don't like it - but we have to do this". If I repeat this exercise, I'll get the same result. The difference is that the horse is now cooperating because it knows that at any time it can interrupt the procedure (Surprisingly it does this not very often.).
Thats probably how Id do it these days too
I wish I had a wash stall like that!
Thinking keeping your hands on the horse and not in your pockets is the key, also keep the water smooth nd low with your hands in the water stream, they know when to expect what when. Yes you get wet too but thats fine.
This is the video I remember when I found Warwick Schiller.
I didn't need to wash my horses head but the principle of how a horse does learn is pretty obvious in this example.
In addition he explained in another video all those steps needed to be done to have this video done. Like learning to stand still in ties knowing the hose and the noise it makes ...
To me it's not about the hosing itself.
#journeyon20
Each horse is different. My horses are very sensitive, and this a good thing for riding for me. They are extremely brave and absolutely don't mind water at all, this comes from training in water. How ever If galloping through water they tend to elevate their front end including head and neck and this is a good and natural thing because if they snorted up water they would be in trouble. If your horse is primed for performance, high energy feed and super fit they tend to react more to hosing.
Very nice, never thought about doing this, but I think I might give it a try when the weather warms up!
Don't he is wrong. Spray the body first then take a wet rag or towel and wash their face and head. From 30 years of showing and washing Paint horses. Please don't spray them in the face.
Georgia Miller yes, this! Thank you!
what a handsom boy
That was an excellent, informative and easy to understand lesson, thanks so much Warwick! Brilliant.. Now I'm going to go searching for your float loading videos, I'm having real problems with my young horse float loading atm.. Thanks again :)
He clearly states that horses put there heads up when you wash there faces, this is about teaching them not too. With a simple pressure/release technique, Warwick's theory is right, have you ever seen a horse standing with his head in the air when it rains.
no different from teaching any half wild young thing (up to and including toddlers😁) right from wrong gentle respectful and consistent.
Looked like once that initial worry was over, the horse was rather enjoying it. Even leaning their head into the water a few times.
Thank u my pony never wonted his face sprayed /washed thank u it helped a lot
This is great but I think it's more "teaching a horse to tolerate it's head being washed". Still, nice video!
Great video thanks!
Thank you so much! It worked! @FashionJunkee: Just buy a lighter "rain" spray hose! Once the horses puts his head down, water wont get in his ears.
Do that horse are already start on training or this is one of the step, If the horse drive crazy, do we still do it or we need to take a different way?
that horse looks like he's enjoying it lol !
No he is not
but how do you get a horse to tolerate water period?
Pretty much the same technique but on other parts of their body.
So step 1 would be to start dragging hoses around them until they stop reacting. Being able to touch them with the hose and them not reacting...
Step two would be getting them used to the hose spraying water on the ground around them.
Then start on their leg, spray until they stand still and take the water away... repeat until the horse doesn't react, then move to a different area.
I love it u have t read horse BC they read u
Hi Warwick, id like to teach my TB thi, but my issue is that he's afraid of it being near his head instead of being an attitude.
my horse doesn't do this, he actually loves having his head washed. instead, he hates having water anywhere else and runs to the back of the stall as soon as i turn the water on his body. any tips for this problem?
Lol I can't help but think that if I even attempted to try this with my horse then he would first kill the hose and then me. I can barely get to wash his muzzle with a svamb!
Your horse doesn't have enough ground work or maybe none. You can follow Warwick's video on that and it will change everything.
slytherinchiefette 7
Finally! someone with a brain! great video :D
Thank you! I'll try this(:
WarwickSchiller
Having studied a bit of sports science coaching, would you agree this is negative reinforcement? As in, withdrawal of a negative stimulus when the desired response is achieved. Also, are you still producing videos of this style?
Thanks for the comprehensive and informative answer. I can definitely see where you're coming from.
Another way to think of it is that you are applying "pressure" and then when the horse does what you want, you release the pressure.
This is the difference between new humane way to teach a horse and the old cowboy days when they would just beat the horse till they lower there head. I've heard of cowboys using a 2 by 4 and slapping it on top of there head. So messed up. I'm glad we all are learning a new easy humane way to train and teach horses. Still needs a lot of work though because there are STILL people using mid evil crazy un humane ways to train horses. Same with using bits. By now everyone should be riding with just rope halters and no bits. Bits are like mid evil to me to.
Whats funny if you read the comments is many people were horrified how I did this.
Yeah its crazy. I bet the same folks who hated how you did this whip there horses to do things. You are a great horseman. You do things the long and the humane way to do things. Its great to see this.
@@WarwickSchiller I've washed and shown Paints for 30 years and never sprayed them in the face. I hate people to do this and you are teaching them incorrectly. Wash the body then use a wet rag or towel and rub their face and head. Gets it perfectly clean and I guarantee a lot less hassle. And yes this is inhumane and I have NEVER whipped or beat a horse.
Totally needed this!!
Hey warwick... do you suggest tying a horse up the first few times that you wash them, I found that my horse runs around me when im hosing him on halter.. and then the pressure goes off him because the hose gets a knot in it from running around in circles and me trying to keep the pressure on him till he stops is almost impossible because the hose gets all tangled up... how would i fix this?
No, I will never tie a horse up to do anything they cant do untied, yo will just create panic. Start spraying away from the horse , and slowly get closer. If the horse moves, stay the same distance from the horse until it stops, then stop spraying. At this point it is not important if the horse gets wet or not.
yes what if water goes in their ears doesn't it hurt or do they get ear aches
good advice ty =) we rescued a horse that had almost been drowned by some idiot that hosed the horse off and didnt remove the water when they were pointing it at their nostrils...poor thing had pneumonia for a yr but we fixed him up and he is very good in the bath stall now...we just made sure we never got water on his nose till he kept his head down and trusted us...and now u can hose him off easily=)
love ur videos ty!
What happens when they get to the point where their head is down when the spray is coming, but you still need to spray? Will they find another solution to escape it, or start to learn to enjoy it?
Then you increase time slowly basically. So you start asking for that dropped head for a second before you remove the hose. Then 2 seconds, then 3, etc. Eventually the time is so long that it no longer matters and you're constantly reinforcing the water beinf turned off with a lowered head even if it takes you a good minute to scrub and rinse.
@@seeing8spots awesome! Thank you for clearing that up!
Yeah I'll need a step stool for my 19-hander
my horse hates the "making it rain" he will get aggressive but loves to get squirted in the face, he even tries to drink from it. so it really depends what kind of horse you have
beautiful horse sir :)
how do you hose their head when they keep threatening to rear back in the cross ties? fine being hosed everywhere else, just doesnt like their head being hosed...
Tonya, maybe you could try holding your horse's lead while doing this, at first, instead of cross tying....progressing to cross ties as the final goal......
I'm guessing you stop hosing when he rears? If so, you are kinda teaching him to rear.
It's Mr Ed 😊
there's nothing wrong with spraying there faces! Its just showing them its ok!! My horses love it
Good Lil pone pone
I always thought that you wash from the back of the ears down with a hose then you use a sponge or something for there heads... I didn't know people spray there horses on there heads... hmm well maybe this might cut some time in grooming lol
Cassie Bradley A lot of stupid riders believe horses are stupid. They won't allow you to do it to their horses because they think it'll get water in their ears... they dont realize they can't get water in their ears because they face them back.
so cute horse!
I normally sponge down my horses, I'm not sure if this would help me. Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do? Because I have a couple 17-18 hand horses, and I'm only 5'5" maybe 5'6".
I sponge my horses heads as well. I know I wouldn't like getting sprayed in the face...and I worry about getting water in their ears.
If you use his same theory though, you should be able to get them to lower their head? Maybe have to use a step stool at first? At the beginning I got soaking wet from lifting up my arms...but once they realized I was going to be gentle and not get a lot of water in their eyes, ears, and nostrils...they willingly lowered their head.
First you teach them to lower their head to halted or bridle them. Then when you want to wash their head with a sponge, rag or towel they will lower their head to let you do it. It works all I have to do is touch my horse on the poll and he lowers his head.
I would otherwise agree with you, but if you'll notice the horse's ears are flicked back lightly and water can't enter his ears. If the ears were pricked, perhaps, but not the way this horse had his ears.
Spraying a horses face with water is a bad thing because it can get in to there ears and they can't get it out it is like you getting water stuck in your ear but you are not able to get it out at all
+Live.love.horses Stormy You'll notice he points them backwards so no water gets in there, I dont think Ive ever sprayed water in a horses ears.
Well damn im not sure how they survive in storms where it pours rain on them then... lol
You assume horses are stupid. They know to point their ears back.
Whenever I try to do this with my horse, she tries rearing up and tries to run me over. I can’t get her to stand still.
then you have a lack of basics before this part. Get all that sorted first.
After riding a horse it is cruel to not wash his face and head. The primary reason for washing the back and cinched areas is an 'insurance' to keep the hair from clumping which can house bacteria which can be part of the reason for 'girt itch' or sores. Since the bridal touches the horses head, the head needs to be washed...ever wonder why a horse sours to bridling? WOW..there's part of the reason!! For the stooges that want to say sponging is better, fine, enjoy your sponging...not sponging for professional trainers has to do with efficiency...when working several horses a day, you cannot take the time to baby every one of them. So when they come home if you wanna sponge..go for it! Just don't think you know horses when you only have one.
Really? Owning more horses makes you a horse whisperer? How retarded an argument is that? Any real professional trainer would do what was right by the horse, and I can tell you blasting them in the face with a hose because it is more efficient is not right. Should you be able to? Yes. Should the horse throw up his head and rear? No. But should you do it because it's convenient and you own/train too many horses to take the time to do things right? Because I suspect you take your child outside and blast them in the face with a hose to get them clean right? Can't baby those kids or they'll get soft you know.
Lol and yes..oh, and by the way I only have one kid and I have found submerging him in a boiling cauldron is much more efficient.
Did no one catch the memo at the start of the video and the end? Making the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy. The point is to make them hate the idea of lifting their head up. A bit of force was used yes, but then you can downgrade to a light misty spray and hey what do you know. Your horse won't lift its head up. Hooray!
Also, watch the horses ears, their pointed away, the horse will one get water in his nose and ears when his head is in the sky.
The horse is pinned in a corner and tied up ..
Can't teach a horse anything being forced to do things ..
I would consider it rude if someone sprayed a hose in my face so I don't do it to my horse since that would obviously also be rude. I gently sponge his face clean with a no tears baby shampoo and rinse with a clean sponge then apply a light coat of leave on conditioner. He gets a leave in UV protective conditioner all over in order to avoid sun bleaching of his black coat. Feeding black sunflower seed oil also helps maintain a shiny blackness without forcing him to endure hours of boredom locked in a stall which is not an especially appealing lifestyle for most horses. Okay, so he's a bit spoiled.
A little much water in the eyes... ease up on the old fella
What's the name of that horse
it stated at the end Thanks Roo for being a model so I guessing his name is Roo!!
ok just asking thx
I like his stables :P ahah
lol to everyones comments IT CLEARLY WORKS>>> enough said.
Not all the time and it's unnecessary. Please don't spray them in the face. All trainers can be wrong about something.
still your style?
If u know not to get water in his ears, cause they can't get it out. You would perhaps do something different.
Did he get water in his ears ?
the horse knows not to get water in it ears. its a outside dwelling animal..they have muscular control of their ears and they can lower and shake their head if water gets in. also most have hair in their ears.
ive never seen a wild horse put in ear plugs while running across a river or stream. i find most people these days have horses as lawn ornaments cause they want to be "horse people" lol
its
No animal likes to get water in its ears.
+eva magnusson Yep, gotta agree with you thee, thats why he points them backwards when I hose him, so no water gets in there.
It's not just not liking it can be really bad for animals like rabbits and horses to get water in their ears because they can get an infection
If you are careful with the angle you won't get water down. You can also teach a horse to let you handle his ears to protect against this. I take care of one where I can use one hand to gently cup his ear and turn it just a hair to protect it from the water and then take the hose and wash him right behind the ear. He loves having his face washed and gets a real kick out of having the hose right between his ears with water running down his face.
There is more reasons a horse can pin it's ears back besides telling a dumb ass like you to fuck off.
I like the principle behind the training method, it's great but have to disagree with blasting water in the face of any animal. Use a sponge! Anyone can be taught to tolerate something uncomfortable with time but it doesn't make it right! Sorry mate, but don't like this demo. Love your training methods though.
I completely agree with you. This is a great way to make a sensitive horse lose trust..blast him in the face/head with water.
The horse was liking his lips
i just use a large sponge to wet their face.
Being a horse owner for most of my 57 years I can honestly say I cannot think of a single instance when it has ever been necessary to spray a horse in the face.
This is total bull shit
34tmsb
That horse don't want no scrubs...
wow..i can tell ur horses must be filthy and untrained...we bathe our horses almost daily...with a hose and sponges and they dont care what we use...they love a warm bath after sweating...they stand their relaxed as they get a massage..my 17h gelding puts his head down so i can hose his eyes and rub the dirt our of them...he closes his eyes and loves it...
hearing someone call washing a horse torture is ridiculous and proves ur not a horse person at all!
Washing is not inhumane but spraying them in the face is. Showed Paints for 30 years and all the horses got washed with soap weekly and rinsed after working. Never sprayed them in the face. Always used a wet rag, towel or sponge.
My horse dives 2 but I have a friendly pony whom now doesn't
I did this and my mare reared and broke our crossties :/
This horse has been hosed in the cross ties a lot, he can ahve his head hosed without cross ties and doesnt move his feet, and he can be cross tied. The only change I was making here was having his head go down.
You sound like you need to start further back in the process with your horse.
WarwickSchiller no, she is usually very good at the crossties. She has only ever been raised up/washed at them. So would you suggest that I start by doing it on a lead first ?
Tacked up**
most certainly. So your horse has never reared when you hosed her head in crossties before ?
WarwickSchiller nope
With my horse, every time I get remotely close to her head, she balks and backs up at a million miles, and drags me with her!
Do I make her work until she stand still?
No! Wash her head with a wet rag, towel or sponge. Notice in the video the horse could not escape but could rear up in the cross ties and hurt himself. Stupid way to wash faces.
@@dovesrun YOU ARE ON THE DOT THIS METHOD IS BS
First of all, you want to get rid of that head shy behavior... My mare used to do that and hated her face being touched but you kind of just need to "force" her to accept you petting her on the head... Now I don't mean beating and shit... Just put her in crossties or have her tied and start petting her face... They can jerk away but shell gets tired of keeping her head high and eventually drop it... You can do anything... Look at her teeth, scratch, pet, .... Shell probably stop with head shy behavior in a week or two if you do that for 5 - 10 minutes every day... Then when she doesn't have a problem with head touching take a sponge, let it soak in water and press it on her forehead... Again she'll jerk away but now she knows that you won't stop "forcing" her until she lets you... And then eventually start with a hose with less pressure and built it up... This is how I did it with my mare... She hated her face being touched (still prob does😂😂😂) at the end of the day listen to your guts and not over-sensitive yt horse "trainers" that are prob 12 yo girls that ride at their local riding school for 4 months and think that they are the shit...
k sorry but horses don't like they're faces washed and you aren't going to get anywhere because the next day you will try and do the same thing and he wont let u! i dont like this video at all!!!
That poor horse is being water boarded, haha
Does that mean you get water boarded when you take a shower ?
Who do you think you are .........
This is the stupidest method I've ever seen. I've shown Paints all over the country and I hate to see people spraying horses in the face. Wash their body first, the take a wet rag and wash the face and head. It's easier on you and the horses and a lot kinder.
stand right back, point the hose to above the horses head and "Make it Rain" Horses like this better than being blasted in the face at close range with a hose, I understand you method here but to many people stand side on and spray the horses face at close range and the poor horses are struggling to keep the water out of there ears :(
Totally agree. People just waterboard their horses sometimes and then want to train them to just accept it. If someone sprays us in the face with a hose full tilt, we’d want to move away from it, too. It gets up their noses and deep into their ears. I just want to say to them, “pick up a f*cking sponge already, and treat your horse with some of the respect you’re demanding from it.”