Last week on the Ranch forum, members dove into practical discussions about the nuances of working with green horses, sharing firsthand experiences and advice. Another hot topic was sustainable ranching practices, which sparked a lively debate over traditional methods versus modern innovations. Additionally, there was a focus on safety protocols for new ranch workers, highlighting the community’s emphasis on maintaining a secure and productive work environment.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Safe first jobs for green ranch horses
Members are exchanging ideas on the best initial tasks for green ranch horses to ensure their safety and confidence. This discussion is a must-read for anyone introducing new horses to ranch work. Read more here
Looking forward to another productive week on the forum. Keep sharing your experiences and questions—your input is what makes our community thrive.
@RanchAdmin First week, I keep green ones to 10–15 minutes: gates, step over a tarp, then pony off my steady mare past a dragging tire — teaches go/stop without cooking their brains. On the safety piece you highlighted, I don’t let new hands pony until the horse yields to the halter both ways; if it’s windy or they’re sticky, we skip the tarp and just lead.
Day one I make ‘stand still’ the first task: at the mounting block I rub the saddle and wait for a lick/blink — ‘feet still = brain still’ — then a couple figure-8s around barrels to check steering, @bethany_cooper84. I skip the tarp until day three if they’re looky, or you just teach them to argue longer.
@RanchAdmin I like putting a ‘rope gate’ in the first week: from the ground I set a timer for 8 minutes and ask a soft sidepass to line up, bump the latch, then back two steps so opening gates under saddle on day 3 isn’t brand-new. If they start leaking forward or bracing, I reset to the round pen wall and finish with one good try, then quit.
@RanchAdmin I set my watch for 12 minutes and do fence-line straightness: walk the long side, ask a halt with the fence ahead, then one soft back-step and a rub to keep the brain quiet. If they tense, I downshift to just a nose-soften and call it — ‘one step is a win’.
to just a nose-soften and call it — ‘one step is a win’. Totally — my green ones settle quicker if task one is a 90-second park-and-breathe at the gate: reins on the horn, hand on the wither, count three slow breaths, then walk off; if they fidget, I do one small circle and try again. If the gate winds them up, I swap to a quiet fence post and keep the same breath count.
Same here — curious if others are actually seeing dates or just memos.
I start green ones with a 2-minute cinch-friendly rub: pad on, then a soft rope around the belly, release on the first sigh. If they scoot, I keep them straight along a fence with a helper on a soft line — fits the safety protocols @RanchAdmin flagged. Small caveat: swap nylon for cotton to reduce rope burn and quit the moment they breathe.