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Cold Backed Horses

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By Steve Stevens

This time of the year when the mornings are getting colder, horses are fresher and if they have a tendency for bucking, it will happen more often with the cooler weather.

We have a horse in training with us named Gus, a line-back dun gelding, who came to us originally for bucking off the owner about eight months ago.

Initially, just saddling him up and turning him loose in the round pen or lunging him on line, he would jump around a bit. I wouldn’t call him a bucker, just cold backed. After about five minutes of working him, he would quit. If you just got on him you could start bending him in circles or hustling his hindquarters around till he relaxed, which would take about five to ten minutes. He is the type of horse that with an inexperienced rider he could take advantage.

It is important to stay patient and redirect your horse's mind when they are fresh and worked up.

It is important to stay patient and redirect your horse’s mind when they are fresh and worked up.

This type of horse needs consistent work, meaning going through a process of exercises for however many days it takes. With Gus, it only takes a few days for him to become a pretty nice horse that you can do about anything on. By the end of the 30 days of training you could throw a saddle on him with no warm up and just lope off and he was great.

Just last month Gus came back to us. He was back to his old routine. The owner had knee surgery which gave Gus some time off. Now with the owner just coming back from the surgery, Gus had been able to get away with his old bad habits. He had started bucking again and had been difficult for the owner.  So, same as before, the first couple of days he had a little hump in his back and after that he went back to normal.

I think it is so important to have a process, to have exercises to get your horse’s mind off bucking before you get on: basic lunging, some desensitizing and most importantly, being able to see a horse move at all three gaits. Walk, trot, canter with the saddle on. You should be able to watch a horse move at all three gaits and say, “That looks like the kind of horse I would like to ride.” If a horse has a continuous bucking problem, it is important to have a vet look at him and make sure that he is not getting sore anywhere, and to make sure that you have correct saddle fit.

But sometimes, it is just the horse’s nature to be fresh and be a little cold backed. All the training in the world can’t fix that. But the preparation can make it so that it is not a big deal. It just takes a little more time and a little more consistency. That is always better than having hospital bills for you and your horse.

I believe the secret to this is not getting the horse tired, but GETTING HIS MIND. There is a big difference between the two.

Steve moving the hindquarters to get Smitty's focus

Steve moving the hindquarters to get Smitty’s focus

Getting them tired, we just chase them around until they are out of breath. Maybe they get it out of their system, maybe they don’t. But after a while they get in better shape and you have to start chasing them longer and longer. You also then have to start riding and training on a tired horse which makes it harder for them to learn. Before long, it takes you an hour to get the fresh off of them and they have no interest in being with you at all.

The second option is getting their mind. We do that by changing directions and other exercises to give them something to focus on. Responding to them when they relax and releasing the pressure will teach them to look to you for leadership. Before long, it will take less and less time to get their mind.

With a horse like Gus, it is so important to build a foundation with basic building blocks: exercises so that we can direct his feet on the ground and when we are on his back.

We have to set our horses up for success. If we get on a fresh horse that hasn’t been worked for months and the horse starts bucking with us, we have set him and ourselves up for failure.

I will also say this—and I get this a lot after someone gets bucked off of their horse. They say they get back on because someone told them to or they heard that you can’t let the horse get away with that. That is fine with a professional horseman or horsewoman or a sure enough hand that can ride a horse through some bad stuff.

But, here is the reality. If a horse throws you off and you get right back on, there is probably a good chance they are going to do it again. I hear story after story where people do this and they get severely hurt. To me this is an ego thing. If someone else is telling you to get back on, ask that person if they want to show you and watch how quickly their expression changes. If you still get on and you get bucked off, it is your ego that will get you hurt, not your horse.

I sometimes want owners to look at it from the horse’s perspective. If horses buck us off and we get hurt, our husbands or wives could want us to get rid of the horse and then the horse goes to the sale and lives a life of continuous foster homes.

If we take our ego out of it and learn good horsemanship to get the horse’s mind, we probably could avoid a lot of wrecks.

Remember, horses don’t wear watches. So be sure to take all of the time that it takes to be safe so that you can help set up your horse for success.

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Farm and Ranch Injuries

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By Barry Whitworth, DVM

In January, I attended the Oklahoma Veterinary Conference. While waiting for one of the sessions to start, a classmate of mine commented how many of the attendees walk with a limp, used a cane, and/or have damaged hands. We all agreed that working with animals is hard on the body. In general, anything associated with farming and ranching is dangerous.

Most farmers and ranchers know that agriculture is a dangerous occupation. According to United States Bureau of Statistics, workers involved in agriculture, forestry, and fishing had the highest occupational fatality rate in 2022. The fatality rate of 23.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers for this group is much higher when compared to the overall occupation fatality rate of 3.7 per 100,000 FTE. Most of the agriculture-related fatalities are associated with transportation, such as tractor overturns, and vehicle crashes, but a fair number involve livestock.

To read more, pick up a copy of the March issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.

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Jesses Jewelz

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By Jesse Kader

Comfy and keep it western. That’s the name of the game this month. It’s hot and who wants clingy clothing? This jumpsuit is perfectly comfortable and relaxed without forfeiting the fashion. Dress it up or keep it casual. See this and more at www.jessesjewelz.com.

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Noble Research Institute Expands New Program Offering Farmers and Ranchers the Essentials of Regenerative Ranch Management 

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The educational program has been expanded to three new locations, empowering ranchers and farmers to monitor and improve the health of their land, livestock and livelihood through regenerative principles.

ARDMORE, OK–September 12, 2023 – Noble Research Institute announced the expansion of Essentials of Regenerative Ranching, a new educational program designed to help ranchers enhance and restore the land, making it more resilient and reaching livestock grazing goals through regenerative management. Essentials of Regenerative Ranching provides producers with practical tools, hands-on experience and guidance to make data-driven decisions to decrease costs and improve profit.

The Essentials of Regenerative Ranching course has been expanded to three new locations in Texas and Oklahoma. Registration is open now at www.noble.org/essentials. Seating is limited, so early registration is recommended.

Texas A&M

College Station, Texas

October 17 – 18

O.D. Butler, Jr. Animal Science Complex

Noble Research Institute

Ardmore, Oklahoma

October 31 – November 1

Pavilion Center

Texas A&M

Kingsville, Texas

November 7-8

Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Center

“Program participants gain working knowledge and experience of monitoring and improving the health of their soil, grazing livestock more strategically and making informed financial decisions,” said Hugh Aljoe, Noble Research Institute’s director of ranches, outreach and partnerships. “We use a mix of classroom and field work to send producers home with the tools they need to begin making changes on their ranch.”

Farmers and ranchers navigate uncertainty from weather, fluctuating market prices and escalating costs of inputs. Many producers are seeking new tools that offer greater control and reduce their operational uncertainty. Through this course, ranchers and farmers will calculate their financial situations, determine initial stocking rates, carrying capacity and grazing goals.

“The course is well-suited for ranchers of all experience levels and all types and sizes of operations,” Aljoe added. “No matter your situation, this program will transform the way you think about your ranch.”

The Essentials of Regenerative Ranching program allows producers to overcome obstacles, become more informed problem-solvers and increase the productivity of their grazing lands.  By participating in this program, ranchers join a community of like-minded producers who are shaping the future of ranching and leaving a lasting impact on their land and families. “If I had known what I learned in this course when I started my regenerative journey, I could have avoided some key mistakes,” said Tana McCarter, a rancher, and Essentials attendee. “I left with the tools I needed to monitor my soil health and financial progress. I’ll now have the right data to make informed decisions on how to meet my regenerative goals.”

Noble Research Institute is an independent nonprofit agricultural research organization dedicated to guiding farmers and ranchers in applying regenerative principles that yield healthier soil, more productive grazing land, and business success.

At Noble, researchers, facilitators and ranch staff work together to share with farmers and ranchers the skills and tools to regenerate the land in a profitable manner. Noble is focused on the regenerative management of the nation’s grazing acres, which directly impacts pasture and range environments, wildlife, pecan production, and livestock production. Regenerative management recognizes that each decision made on the ranch impacts the interactions of the soil, plants, water, animals, economics and people. Noble’s 14,000 acres of working ranch lands provide a living laboratory on which to demonstrate and practice regenerative principles and ideas to deliver value to farmers and ranchers across the U.S.

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