Guest Author - Darling Poor

Making a horse "bomb proof" goes by many names: Desensitizing, despooking, flooding, and even "sacking out".

Sacking out is perhaps the oldest term, and refers to how cowboys used to tie up a young colt and repeatedly throw a sack over it to get it used to the sensation of being touched. After the sack, a saddle blanket would be used, or even a rain slicker – anything that made noise and would threaten the young horse.

A horse does not know concepts of good or bad; they only know life threatening or non-life threatening. Therefore, the practice of sacking out functions on two principles. First, keep the young animal from fleeing so that it is forced to face the situation. In nature, a horse's first instinct is to flee from danger rather than confront it. Second, the process uses the principle of repetition so that the horse learns that the frightening new thing will not harm it. The colt becomes desensitized to the sensation of objects around its body, touching its most vulnerable areas (head, back and rump), and learns they are not to be feared.

GaWaNi PonyBony begins his desensitivity training by lightly throwing a saddle blanket over the back of the horse. At first it makes little contact. He will spend as long as it takes for the horse to grow accustomed to the first step before moving on to increased touching. No two horses are the same. Eventually, he will move on to leaving the blanket on the back of the horse momentarily before removing it. After increasing the time, he will throw the blanket on and then adjust it slightly, much as one does when saddling up. Next, he will move the blanket up on their withers and along their neck and vice versa. The entire process is to let the horse know there is nothing to fear, and even much to be enjoyed, from these new objects and sensations.

Sacking out is still practiced today by many training experts. It goes by different terms and the process may be slightly different, but the principles remain the same. Because a horse when frightened can act out, many say that only experts should begin the training to despook a horse. Hooves can fly and the flight response will be switched on. Therefore, in most cases a horse will need to be restrained for the procedure. This can be dangerous both for horse and trainer if not done properly.

With a colt or filly, the desensitization training should begin within the first few days of birth. Rubbing the animal all over, picking up its hooves, opening its mouth and caressing its ears gently will get the young horse used to humans. With adult horses that are green, if you are at all unsure, obtain the help of an expert to begin its bomb proof training. However, it is helpful to observe the techniques so you can practice them too.

Once the basic objects such as saddle blankets, halters, saddles and bits are introduced, the process of bomb proofing a horse continues almost throughout its adult life. Plastic bags can be applied to the end of long sticks; branches of leaves can be flicked; cars driven by outside the round pen – all this training helps the horse to become accustomed (and eventually bored) with new sights and sounds.

Of all animals, police horses and carriage horses have to go through the most training so that they can interact in a very bright, loud and confusing world in order to complete their daily work. These horses have adjusted, and yours can too, as long as you continue the training with every sort of new distraction that you can conceive. As long as you make the experience a positive and reassuring one, you will be on your way to that highly desired "bomb proof" mount.