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- Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship - What Does It Mean To Disengage My Horse?
Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship - What Does It Mean To Disengage My Horse?
05/21/2009 - By Chelsie Kallestad
Chelsie Kallestad
Chelsie Kallestad
Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship - What Does It Mean To Disengage My Horse?
Ask Chelsie Natural Horsemanship...
Q. What does it mean to disengage my horse?
A. The term “disengage your horse” is often used in Natural Horsemanship. Some people might think it is simply when the horse moves his rump around his front quarters, but this is incorrect. The disengagement is much more than that. It is both a physical movement and a psychological movement for your horse. To do a correct disengagement of the hindquarters your horse has to be mentally and physically soft.
The correct way for the horse to disengage when moving his rump to the right is for his left hind leg to cross over his right hind leg. Also there should be a slight bend in his neck and rib cage to the left. This is where it gets into the psychological part and shows you whether your horse is soft and trusts you or not.
This is why: For a horse to run away they have to have their hind feet separate and ready to run, if they cross their hind legs they can not run off. Try it yourself, stand with your legs apart and have your friend try to push you over, it is easy for you to stay standing up. Next try to run off, your feet are in the right position to run off so you can run off easily. Now, stand with your legs crossed and have your friend try to push you over. It is difficult for you to stay standing up. Next try to run off. That is going to be really hard also. What you are going to have to do is fix your feet by uncrossing them.
Now, horses knowing that they can’t run off, buck or rear up while disengaged are not going to want to disengage unless they trust you and are soft in the body. What they will sometimes do when asked to disengage is they will bring their feet together and disengage but never cross, or they will cross there leg behind them instead. So when asking your horse to disengage, make sure the feet are crossing over each other (if you are on the right side asking your horse to disengage his rump to the left, his right hind leg should cross over the left).
When your horse disengages, his rump should swing away and his front feet should walk around in a small circle. If your horse is sticking his front feet and not moving them, you are not getting a true disengagement. If you teach him to stick his front feet he is going to start getting stiff and brace against the move. You want your horse to be fluid and soft. So he should have his front feet moving in a small circle while his hind feet move in disengagement.
A disengagement is quite useful. It helps to get your horse soft, relaxed, and trusting in you. It can also be used as emergency brake should the need ever arise.
Please visit Chelsie’s website at www.ChelsieNaturalHorsemanship.com to submit your own horsemanship question to “Ask Chelsie” or to subscribe to our newsletter. You can also reach Chelsie at 928-713-3468 or email her at Chelsie@ChelsieNaturalHorsemanship.com.
