LEG RESTRAINTS TRAINING

John O'Leary
Horseman
2009

I finally have the time to explain why I train all of my Horses to 'Leg Restraints'. Here are the reasons:

YOUNG STOCK

• My Foals are trained from 14 days old and it is to protect them from injury in fences for the rest of their lives. To protect the investment and to save massive Veterinary costs if caught in a fence as so many are.
• To put calmness on them and to take away the 'flight response' which is the biggest danger that faces them in their domesticated World these days.
• To teach them to think things through rather than panic, rip and tear.
• To get them used to worst scenarios and to make them good all around safe Horses of the future.

'GREEN HORSES'

• To take a look at the true underlying personality as an assessment. This let's me know what I am truly dealing with. The personality beneath the surface. Is the Horse prone to 'lose it'? Is it a panicky type, is it cool, calm and collected. Is it a thinker? Would it kill you if you got hung up?
   
• To teach all Horses that I handle, to stand on 3 legs for unless they are taught, they can never be the best shoeing Horse. because they use the Farrier as their 4th leg and some will drop them, thereby commence the ruination of the shoeing routine.
   
• To be able to handle the back legs of dangerous Horses and to make them safe for Owners
   
• To remove the danger from when a Rider may come off in the future, to save them being dragged and kicked.

PROBLEM HORSES

• To fix ear shy Horses
   
• To fix kickers
• To fix Float scrambles
• To fix pawers and hole diggers
• To fix separation anxiety.
• To load the unloadable real bad Horses.
• To protect people from being struck by front legs during treatment or handling
• To stop Float ramp kickers.

EVERY DAY HORSES

• To worm the unwormable Horse
• To Clip the unclipable Horse
• To save Horses lives and enable Veterinary treatment when Horses object and no crush is available.
• To protect Vet's, Horse Dentists, Clippers and so on from either back or front legs.
• To protect Stallions from being ruined by kicking Mares.
• To assist in the performance of the 'Endorphin Tap'
• To get shoes on an objectionable Horse
• To heighten the training so well that they will never kick a kid.
• To lighten horses up.
• To increase respect of Owners.
• To put Horses back into their Box when they may rise above the Owner and become uncontrollable.
• and many more......oh and to save the life of this young Darling Girl :)

Dear John

As you have often said the old Australian methods of breaking in horses, mouthing and leg restraints are invaluable. Here are a couple of photos you may be interested in, we found these whilst revamping our website.
Thankyou for reviving methods that would otherwise have been lost in time.

P.S We know the methods and techniques that you pass on work, as we have used them ourselves on a number of our horses, with great results. Keep up the good work.

Regards
Phil Chalker
Nat. President
Australian Light Horse Assoc.
www.lighthorse.org.au

Hello John,

Just a quick email to let you know about a little ‘win’ you have had…

Don’t know if you remember my horse Buster that I sent to you this time last year to do some yearling training (Buster is a big bay Clydie x TB, he was at your place with another yearling – Griff)? Anyway, you did your usual leg restraints training and tie up training with him, which has been a great help to me over the past year cause he ties up like a dream.

However last weekend he managed to get himself stuck in the fence (electrics were off at the agistment, and being a typical Clydie the grass is always greener over the other side of the fence….). He had his front legs over the lower wire and his head stuck through the upper wire. Must have been there for a while cause there were a couple of fresh poos where he was standing. He was rescued by my friend who found him just standing there calmly waiting for someone to get him out… Didn’t even panic when his mates came up to the gate and left him behind, stuck in the fence. My friend also said he was an angel to rescue – just waited till she lowered the bottom wire and raised the top wire so he could back himself out. Then went for a celebratory canter around the paddock J Not a mark on him.

At the time that you did his hobble and leg restraints training, you were saying that the training came into it’s own when horses got themselves stuck in fences. Well, the proof of the pudding is in the eating!

Needless to say, electrics are back on, and he got a hell of a fright to get a kick from the fence when he went to climb through again…

Thanks for the work you did with Buster. He’ll be back next year for breaking in!

Cheers,

Charlotte

Thanks for the report Charlotte. Very well done to you and the lovely Horse. It gives yu a good feeling, doesn't it. You will be interested in the above letter then. What a wonderful legacy. Regards

Go here for the equipment and here for the DVD

John O'Leary
Horseman
www.horseproblems.com.au
www.horselaw.com.au