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Stop a Grass Grabber
If your horse is busy eyeing his next meal rather than paying attention
to you, gain control with Clinton Anderson’s three-step technique.
When you’re on a trail
ride or riding through pasture,
does your horse yank
his head down and grab a
mouthful of grass? Break
this annoying and potentially
dangerous habit with
Clinton Anderson’s threestep
technique.
Step 1: Put His Feet
to Work
Your horse can only think
about one thing at a time.
He’s either focused on you
or his next snack. If he
grabs a mouthful of grass,
he’s obviously not thinking
about you. Gain his attention
by redirecting his feet
and making him hustle.
As soon as your horse snatches grass,
bend him around in a circle, and kick his
side with your inside leg. Wake him up, and
get his attention back on you. Make him
hustle like his life depends on it. Do serpentines,
lope him in a circle, gallop him in a
straight line. Get some energy into it.
You’re saying to him, “Hey, you don’t have
time to eat grass, because you’re too busy
listening to me and hustling your feet!”
After you make your point, put your horse
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When your horse tries to grab
a bite of grass, do whatever it
takes to get his feet to move.
on a loose rein, and dare
him to take another bite so
he can commit to the mistake.
Let him grab a mouthful
of grass, then hustle his
feet again.
Keep in mind that horses
are basically lazy creatures,
and the worst punishment
you can give them is hard
work.
Step 2: Squeeze, Cluck,
Spank
If your horse stops at a
patch of clover and refuses
to move, get more aggressive by using the
squeeze-cluck-spank method.
First, squeeze your horse with your calves
to cue forward movement. This squeeze cue
politely asks your horse to go forward.
If he ignores your squeezing, cluck to him
with your tongue, “cluck, cluck.” This cluck
warns him that a spank will come if he continues
to ignore you.
If your horse still doesn’t respond, spank
him with the end of the reins or a dressage
whip. Do whatever it takes to get his feet to
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