Opening the Gate

One of the most useful tasks we can teach our horses is to open and close gates while we are in the saddle. It seems so simple, yet I see very few horsemen attempt this maneuver. It is even a required task for many ranch horse/versatility classes.

Let's take a closer look at what is involved in opening a gate. Every maneuver in horse training can be broken down into a series of simpler, easier maneurvers. The tasks in opening a gate are as follows:

In preparing your horse for this task take a look at your ground work. Can you ask your horse to sidepass up to the rail and can he stand there? Can he stand still as a feed bag of empty cans is rattled close to him? Can you move his hindquarters independently of his frontquarters?

If you answered no to any of these qustions then you know where to start. If you answered yes to all the above questions we can get started.

After you have ridden your horse for a while and he seems pretty calm and ready to learn, choose a gate to open. Choose one that has few obstacles or distractions around it. No other loose horses, no barbwire, etc. Here's a big secret: choose a gate that leads to where he wants to go. So, say you are riding out in a big pasture. Your horse is getting a bit tired and he wants to go home. Train him to open a gate that allows him to go where he wants to go. Teaching a horse to open gates can be pretty frustrating for both of you. You want him to be real gracious to be on the other side of it.

Ride up to the gate and ask him to move his hindquarters so his body is parallel to the gate. This is the single most difficult step in the whole process. Horses want to protect their hindquarters at all costs. Getting them close to a scary, noisy, moving gate is not at all comfortable for a horse. So, ride your horse as prallel to the gate as possible, with his shoulder close to the latch chain. Stop when you get close and rest and pet your horse. He will want to walk a way from the gate. (It's scary, remember?)

As soon as he takes a step ask him to trot a circle and end up at the same or better spot. I don't mean an easy trot, I mean hustle him around, then let him rest when he gets back to the "sweet spot". The sweet spot is the spot at which your horse stands where you can easily reach the gate latch. Since horses are the ultimate energy conserving machines he will begin to "hunt" the spot where he gets to rest. It helps a lot at this point to have a riding crop or sorting stick in your outside hand so you can ask him to move his hindquarters close to the gate.

When your horse is in the perfect position or sweet spot, let him rest there for three minutes. Look at your watch; you are in way too big a hurry! Then, ask him to walk off and come back to the same spot. If he does it correctly three times, he's got it.

Now when he is standing in the perfect position, reach over and rub quietly on the gate. If he stands quietly, rub a little louder. More likely he will want to get away from it. You then simply hustle him around til he finds the sweet spot again. Rest there, rub on him and go back to rubbing on the gate. Soon you will be rattling the gate like a Montana gale. He should stand quielty through all this before moving to the next step.

While your horse is standing in the sweet spot, rub on his inside shoulder from his mane down to his elbow. Rub vigorously so he gets used to some commotion on that side. If he walks off....well, you know the drill.

With him standing in the sweet spot reach down and rattle the chain. Your weight should be on your inside stirrup. As you bend forward you can hook your outside elbow on your saddle horn (provided you remembered to bring one.) That way, if he jumps to the outside you won't be laying in the dirt with the gate chain in your hand. If he stands quietly, push the gate open and let him walk on through. This is his big moment, his big reward. Get off your horse and walk over and close the gate while leading your horse. Don't be in any hurry, mind you, but get off your horse.

I have found that if I do the above procedure a few times before I ask him to close the gate, the colt will stay fresh and enjoy the challenge of working around gates. If, on the other hand, I insist that he also learn to close the gate on the same day, it leads to a soured affect from the horse. He has been frustrated enough with learning to open a gate. It can be a whole new lesson teaching him to close the gate.

After he is opening the gate without any fuss, it is time to learn to close it. When he walks through the gate your inside hand should be on the gate. When your hand gets to the end of the gate, use your gate-side leg, pushing behind the cinch, to swing his hindquarters around the end of the gate.

He should now be parallel to the open gate. Switch hands on the gate and ask him to sidestep towards to gate. He will probably want to walk forward. Gently tapping on his outside hip and a little rein pressure will encourage him to step sideways. Push the gate well out of the way of the horse so that he doesn't strike his inside rear foot against the gate.

Let him find the sweet spot on this side of the gate and rub on him. When he is relaxed, reach down and attach the latch chain. Rub on him again, pick up your reins and ride off. If he gets antsy and wants to walk away before you are finished latching, hussle him back to the sweet spot. Allow him to learn that he stays until you say "go."

Work on opening many different types of gates. Some may require your horse to lift his head above a fence rail to get to the sweet spot. Some gates demand that his head be squeezed into a corner. Gates provide many challenges and opportunities for fine tuning your training. You no longer have to get off your horse at every gate. Besides, opening gates from horseback just feels good!

Call me if you'd like a little more help with this important task with your horse.

HAPPY TRAILS!