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SUGGESTIONS
–Veterinarian and Trainer Tested and Approved
In making your behavior corrections, please keep in mind the differences in
personality and temperament of each horse. Each horse responds differently, and
therefore these suggestions are only guidelines. Except in cases of aggression (see
page 17) you should start at the lowest stimulation level and increase levels as
needed to get the desired response from your horse. The higher settings will not
harm your horse, so if you are not getting the desired results don’t hesitate to raise
the stimulation level.
The first few times you stimulate your horse on a low level, it may startle him
although it does not hurt. Once your horse gets accustomed to the sensation and
is no longer being startled he will soon realize that it didn’t hurt and you may have
to turn the level up.
Important –We recommend placing the collar on the horse a few days before
correcting any bad habits. This prevents the horse from associating the collar with
the correction. If he is allowed to become comfortable with the collar, then to him
it is just another piece of tack, and the stimulation is associated with the particular
bad habit and not the collar. We recommend leaving the collar on all the time
(other than during recharging) until the bad habit is corrected. If you are
constantly putting the collar on and stimulating the horse, then taking it off, he
may learn to relate the correction to wearing the collar and not to his vice. Note
that the remote turn-off feature allows you to turn the collar off from a distance
when you wish to save battery life, without the horse being aware of the change.
YOU SHOULD CORRECT YOUR HORSE ONLY
WHEN YOU “CATCH HIM IN THE ACT.”
Be consistent and persistent. Horses learn by experiencing consistent responses to
their actions.
Some ingrained habits, such as cribbing, may take more persistence. For these
habits especially, your observation and consistency is important. For example, if a
horse cribs on his feeder and is corrected for it, he may then try to crib on the
fence or the waterer. If he is not corrected at these places as well, he will probably
learn that it’s bad to crib on the feeder but the other places are OK. On the other
hand, if he is consistently corrected every time he tries to crib no matter where it
is, he will learn that it is the act of cribbing that is causing his discomfort. It is
very important to stay out of your horse’s sight whenever possible, especially with
cribbing..
Consistent correction is the key!
If working on more than one bad habit with an individual horse, only correct one
vice at a time to avoid confusing the horse. Allow at least 2-3 weeks between
working on each different vice.
CORRECTING BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Please read the section, “WARNINGS,” on page 1.
Abnormal horse behavior can have a variety of causes. Some actions may indicate
illness or injury. Begin by ruling out any health problems that may cause your
horse to behave in a certain way. ONLY your veterinarian can rule out possible
health-related causes.
Other bad habits can be caused by boredom. It is important that once a bad habit
is corrected, care be taken to make sure the horse receives enough exercise and
mental stimulation.