by Christina Forsythe

Created on: February 03, 2010   Last Updated: February 04, 2010

Teaching a horse to stand still while in a round pen, is only the first step in making sure you have a solid, safe horse who will stand while you mount, out on the trail and in larger arenas.

Horses are like many domestic pets that enjoy pleasing their owners.  The key to teaching a horse to stand, begins with, first, establishing good communication with your horse, and second, letting your horse know that if he doesn't do what you expect of him, you will not be pleased. As an equine trainer, you would show your displeasure NOT by punishment, but by a combination of techniques that encourage your horse to try harder for you.  Horses DO respond to verbal commands, as well as your body language. As your horse's "herd leader" you can use a combination of the verbal command "stand" with the extension of a flat palm gesture. Using the combination of verbal and physical commands is a great place to start, in the round pen and as general ground work just about anywhere including walking your horse from his paddock or stall out to the round pen.

Begin by getting a good "whoa" on your horse. Simply take your horse for a walk, in his halter and lead rope. As you are walking, with your horse either on your left or right side, prepare to stop by lifting up on the lead rope, and say "whoa."  Then make sure he stops. Repetition is the key to getting a good "whoa" in your horse. I can't tell you the number of times I've met people who say, "Oh, my horse doesn't know what "whoa" means."  As a horse trainer, I believe in safety above all else, and having seen too many accidents from uncontrollable horses, the "whoa' command is important.  Once you get the "whoa' established, the "stand" command, especially necessary for mounting, is much easier to instill.  Again, you can work on this on the ground, either in the round pen, arena, or even better, walking your horse on the trail, down the driveway, walkway, or anywhere you can get your horse out away from the stable area.

A longer line is a bit easier to work with, when you get beyond "whoa," to to the "stand" command. Once your horse has stopped, you will give the command to "stand."  With my own horse, I might have to get his attention by saying his name firmly first, "Joey! Stand!" Then I use the long rope to walk around him - down to his flanks, out to his sides, etc.  If he gets antsy, then he has to do a little work - "keep those feet moving," is what all trainers say. This is also

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