HOSING DOWN A HORSE

by
John O'Leary
Horseman

©2003

 Horses hate being hosed down. Especially around the head area and for a good reason. Often people squirt water into their ears and the horse can't get rid of it. How would you like that?

Then you have the young horse that has never been hosed down before and this can be both a drama and dangerous. Here are a few tips to help.

• Never do it on cement

• Don't have your horse tied up

• Hold the lead rope down about 900mm from the head

• Stand directly in front of the horse

• Start training the hose upon the front hooves

• Try to keep the horse stationary and facing directly towards you. Don't let it get side on.

• If it goes backwards just go with it. At no time must you cease hosing.

Use the hose to keep the horse in the position that you want it whilst also continuing to introduce the water stream upon the horse. If the horse moves left, switch the hose down that side of the horse and it will move right and so on. Pretty soon it will stand square and facing you.

• gradually move up the horses front legs, bit by bit and as the horse accepts each move. Then to the chest and stay awhile there.
   

• Gradually creep the stream around the corner along the shoulder area. The horse will move sideways away, so switch it to the other shoulder and so on.
   

• Bit by bit you will end up doing the whole of each side of the horse and along the back area. Now comes the legs.
   

• Do not walk around the side of the horse to achieve this. This will allow it to escape around in circles, gain momentum and may even escape from you.
   

• Get down on your haunches and shoot the water between the front legs and onto the lower part of the back legs. The horse will kick, so what, it will get used to it. This way you can keep the horse controlled by keeping it faced up.
   

• If it walks backwards, stay with it and stay hosing. If you run out of hose, go back to square one and halter break your horse properly.

HOSING THE HEAD

• Stand back near the end of the lead rope.

• Make your water stream into a spray with your finger, not a jet.

• You must be absolutely dead set straight in front of the horse, not off to either side at all.

• Spray the horses head for just a few seconds. It will put it's ears flat back to protect from water getting in and because it hates you

Please don't be one of these people who want to get up close and personal with the horse during the hosing down process. Leaning and pushing against it, holding it's head up short for more control. All these people get is less control and more fight. Be smart. We cannot win a strength competition with a horse. That's why the horse wants to fight with you. The horse is an in-fighter like Mike Tyson. Stay well away and control with tactics.

On average, it takes me two minutes to get any breaker to accept a hose.

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