Home
>
Pet
>
A Horse Training Secret From The 1800s To Teach A Horse To Drive Without Lines!

A Horse Training Secret From The 1800s To Teach A Horse To Drive Without Lines!

Horse owners who are history buffs may recognize the name Jesse Beery. Beery was an enormously famous horse trainer from the 1800's and early 1900's.

He learned to train horses at a very young age. It was clear he had a gift for horse training and made it his life's work.

Among the almost countless things Beery could do with a horse, he taught them tricks. One of the most amazing tricks he taught was teaching a horse to drive without lines. (In layman's terms, you have no long reins (known as lines) connected to the horse. The only connection to the horse is the buggy hitched to the horse) This trick almost defies belief!

Beery said this about driving a horse without lines: "While I do not advocate it as being a universally practical way of driving a horse, yet it is possible to so thoroughly train the horse to certain signals that he can be controlled more reliably under excitement and in case of danger than it would be possible to manage him with bridle and lines."

Beery says there are a number of ways to teach this to a horse but suggests his method as the most reliable.

In a nutshell, Beery first turned his horse loose in an enclosure about twenty-five feet square. He would walk in with a whip and teach the horse to have confidence in him and not fear the whip. (The horse is never whipped).

Once the horse has learned to come to handler at the command of "Come Here" and shows no fear of the whip while it's gently waved over his head and body, and will follow the handler all about the ring, then you have laid a good foundation for further instruction.

Put the horse away until the next day where the horse learns signals of the whip.

That process is as follows: Stand close the the horse's hip and take a short whip and tap lightly on the right shoulder until the horse, in anticipation of driving a fly off, will swing his head around to where the tapping is. Step forward quickly and hand him a few oats, or a small piece of apple, almost in the act of turning his head around. Step back and continue the tapping and rewarding.

After a while, in his eagerness for the reward, he will take a step or two to the right when the tapping begins. Then caress him and treat him very kindly for that act. Soon, the idea will be conveyed that when tapped on the shoulder the horse will know to turn in that direction.

Remember to train both sides of the horse.

Once both sides are trained now an open bridle can be put on. Use short lines that come back as far as his tail only - but they are used only if he becomes unruly or to convey your idea to him.

The handler's whip should not be over five feet long at this stage and the handler should stand directly behind the horse. (Beware of kickers) Let the whip extend to about the middle of his mane.

The signal you wish for him to stop for is raising the whip and holding it in a perpendicular position. Associate the meaning of this movement, and position, just as the whip is raised so the horse can see it. Pull hard on the reins and say "Whoa" - all at the same time. After a few repetitions the horse will know what to do. (Assuming you have thoroughly educated your horse to whoa)

The first few times he stops without a pull of the reins step forward and reward him immediately. Much of the success of teaching this trick depends upon how you give the rewards. If the reward is given in a manner so that the horse can fully comprehend it was complying with the handler's wish, it will greatly enhance fixing this impression on the horse's brain.

But if not given in the right manner, the reward will be worse than none at all.

In the same manner, the horse is taught to turn left and right. This is done by giving the horse a pretty smart tap on the lower part of the shoulder and immediately place the point of the whip three or four feet in that direction. Should he attempt to jump and go ahead too much, you can hold him in check with the action and signal to stop him.

Essentially, these are Beery's instructions for training a horse to drive without lines. It's important to note this is a shortened version of Beery's instructions and there is more to know.

About The Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com.

best cleaning company Lincolnshire ..

In The News:

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

A Horse Training Secret From The 1800s To Teach A Horse To Drive Without Lines!

Pet