. . . Seasoning your horse at home

**5-12-10 We were hit bad on Monday by the Tornado that came through. We are all alive and fine and our horses were not injured in spite of the fact that the stalls they were in have not been found yet. Electric lines are gone and many repairs needed – lost three barns and damage to the other – but we are all celebrating life and cleaning up the mess and thank you for the prayers and e-mails – I have a generator and am only sending this to you because I need it for other things.  Please pray for those who were less fortunate than we were. Thank you to the many people who have come to help us. JLK**

1970 Winning First Barrel Racing World Title and National Finals Rodeo

by Joyce Loomis-Kernek

The word season has many meanings. In horse terms, when we say a horse is “seasoned” we are referring to his ability to perform under the stress of many sights, noises and strange surroundings. We have to realize that a horse was a creature that had a natural habitat of the great outdoors. Man has domesticated him and changed his entire environment. But, his natural instincts are still fight or flight. When something scares him, his first instinct is to kick out or run away because he was a creature that was hunted and killed by predators. To season him is to fit him by experiencing the things he will face and bring him through fear.So, when we think of ways to season this creature of habit to all the new things he will face as a barrel horse, we must become innovative. The more we can expose him to at home, the less time we will have to spend on this at the shows. Here are some hints of things that you can do at home.

One of the first places that we can start is loading him into the trailer a long time before he is to be hauled away on the first outing. We start loading them at a very young age and make it a pleasant experience. To season them to leg wraps, wrap them first in a stall and let them get used to the foreign things on their legs. Do NOT wrap them and stick them into the trailer. Some of the things you can do are to take short rides around the section line and feed them in the trailer. If you get them started off right, they will always load and haul for you. If you scare them by whipping them, get them pulling back or refusing to load when they are young, you may have problems their whole life. Most problems with loading horses are man-made. Take some time with this and give the young horse confidence.

We start out by introducing everything to the young horses in the round pen or a small pen where they can’t run off and hurt themselves. Paint your barrels with bright colors. You can buy stencils and spray paint and create stars, circles and writing on them just like they do at the shows. Simulate flags hanging by tying plastic sacks around. Place chairs, umbrellas and banners on the outside of the round pen. Introduce only one new thing at a time. You can tie flags over the top of your round pen to simulate the overhead flags at many rodeos. Start by leading the horse up to the strange objects. Then drive him around the round pen where he can look at them. The last stage is to ride him around them. Don’t be surprised if he gets scared all over again when you get onto his back. This is because man rides in the area where the predators attack the horse. This is a vulnerable spot because he cannot see up on the top of his back. Be very careful approaching those same objects when you are riding him.

The next stage is to start going to jackpots. There he will see other horses tied to trailers, other riders, the PA system, dogs, cars and people walking around and sitting in the grandstands or near the fences. Remember to approach the fences and banners both coming straight at them and riding beside them. When he is comfortable here, you can advance to local rodeos. You can haul in, ride in the grand entries and ride around the outside of the arena and then go home. Make it a pleasant experience. Take advantage of any events that are near your home area. You can get a lot of seasoning time and avoid spending much money.

People have gone to great lengths to simulate the exact situation their young horses will face at the big money futurities. I know a cutting horseman that duplicated the end of the coliseum in Ft. Worth in his home arena. He duplicated the chutes and gates and painted them the exact colors, etc. But there are some things you just can’t do at home. It is hard to simulate a live band playing, the contract acts, loud clapping and crowds walking around. Things like carnivals, Ferris wheels, etc. just have to be experienced at the local and state fairs. When you start taking the young ones around the big rodeos, they will experience walking on a lot of cement and many other things that are hard to duplicate at home.

But, you can imitate many situations at home. Be innovative, realize that seasoning takes time and be careful to make everything a pleasant experience. Whip a horse when he is frightened and then you will have a frightened horse that is confused. Work through his fears. You will find that some of the greatest horses on the circuit were some of the most frightened. A horse that will spot something new will also spot your barrels. So, be patient. You will be so glad that you did when you start to lay down your money and compete.

Happy Trails

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http://www.loomis-kernek.com/

BIO

	Miss Rodeo America
	Winner of Horsemanship
	College Rodeo Goat Tier and Barrel Racer NMSU
	World Champion WPRA (formerly GRA) Flag Racer
	World Champion WPRA Ribbon Roper
	World Champion WPRA Barrel Racer
	National Finals WPRA Winner Barrel Racing
	Nebraska Champion 6 times – Pole Bending and Barrel Racing AQHA
	Qualified many horses for AQHA World Show in both Pole Bending and Barrel Racing
	Put points and wins on over 140 head of horses
	Trainer of World Champion Students and Horses
	AQHA Honor Roll Barrel Racing Horse
	AQHA World Champion
	Set up Barrel Racing Ranch in Brazil
	Conducted Clinics world wide
	Dean of Christian Horseman College 1999-2000
	Magazine columnist
	Featured in Living Legends – July issue of Barrel Horse News  2007
	Featured in Suppling Article – November issue of Paint Horse Journal  2007
	Featured in Paint Racing – 2008 Barrel Racing Issue- May/June
	Animal Planet 2009
	Featured in WPRA News – November 2009 Featured Speaker:
	Red Deer Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference 97 and 98
	Equitana USA
	Equifest of Kansas 2000
	Naeric Horse Summit 2000
	Texas A&M Equine Industry Conference
	Equi Masters 2001
	Held 5 consecutive clinics in Americana Sao Paulo Brazil 2003
	Total Barrel Racing Experience 2004
	Horse Fest, Springfield, Mo 2005