Palm Partnership Training^™
Building a Partnership with Your Horse
“Working In Hand-Setting Up”
by Lynn Palm

“Setting Up” a horse means positioning him so that he is standing straight from the poll, through his shoulders, to his back, through his hips, and all the way to his dock. Teaching a horse to set up has many advantages. It improves his responsiveness to you. It also teaches him to stand balanced for the next command and mannered to accept brushing, clipping, washing, shoeing, and other necessary grooming duties. If you plan to compete in a showmanship class, setting up is a must to learn.

Teaching setting up on the ground makes it easier for a horse to learn to stand square when under saddle. This is an important skill to master for those who compete in under saddle events. Setting up also teaches the handler how moving one part of the horse’s body relates to his overall body alignment.
Be Square

Setting up positions each of the horse’s hooves to form four points of a rectangle. If a horse is set up correctly, then when he is viewed from the side, only his outside front and hind leg should be visible. Viewed head on, his hind legs will appear directly behind his front legs. The horse’s weight will be balanced on all four feet. Connect the dots, in this case the hooves, and you will see why setting up is sometimes called “squaring up.”

Most horses do not naturally stand perfectly square. They typically stand with one front or hind leg ahead of the other. Some horses, like one of my favorite former partners, Rugged Lark™, and many of his descendants like my stallion, My Royal Lark, have the habit of shifting their weight to one hind leg and cocking or resting the other hind leg.
Setting Up for Success

To begin the lesson, equip the horse with a properly fitting halter and a cotton longe line with a snap on chain end. Thread the snap end through the halter’s side ring or nose piece on the side you are standing on and clip it to the side ring on the opposite side of the halter. Put on leg protection such as polo wraps. Carry an in-hand whip and be familiar with its use.

This lesson will be described as if teaching it from a horse’s left side. It should be introduced along a fence line to help keep the horse straight. Lead the horse along the fence, and ask him to stop. When he does, shift positions to stand facing him and slightly in front of his left shoulder. Hold the shank end of the longe line approximately four to five inches away from the halter, keeping it in your right hand. Hold the excess longe line in a neat coil with the whip in your left hand.

If working from the left side, the horse’s left hind hoof will be his stationary foot. This is the first point of the rectangle. All of the other hooves, or points of the rectangle, will be aligned in relationship to this foot.
Position the Hind Legs First

The hind legs are positioned by using a light downward tension on the halter. To square up the right hind leg with the left, put a light downward tension on the lead shank and move it slightly forward or backward to move the right hind leg while keeping the horse straight at the same time.

If he does not respond, do not jerk on the lead! Use a soft vibrating tension to get his attention. Reinforce the request to move the leg forward by giving a “cluck” or use the command “back” to ask him to move the right hind leg back. Spend several lessons concentrating just on squaring the hind legs until you get consistent responses. Then, move on to setting up the front legs.

The front legs are positioned using a light upward tension on the halter. The left hand is positioned on the side and in the middle of the horse’s head (approximately in the center of the halter’s cheek piece). Using a gentle upward tension, move the horse’s head away from the leg you want to move. This makes the horse shift his weight off that leg so he can move it.

For example, if you want to move the left front forward, use a slight upward tension on the lead and move the horse’s head away from you to the right. Use a soft vibrating tension on the lead. If necessary, add a “cluck” or the command “back” to encourage forward or backward movement. If he brings his head towards you and out of alignment, gently push it back into position using your right hand on the middle of the halter’s cheek piece.
Troubleshooting This Lesson

The amount to move his head to set him up is slight. It is easy to over-correct and end up with the horse moving a leg too far forward or backward, or moving his body out of alignment. Too much movement will cause the horse to lose straightness which makes squaring up impossible.

Watch his top line to evaluate if he is staying straight, but use your peripheral vision to judge when his legs are properly aligned. Looking only at the legs and not the top line of the horse, is the most common fault handlers make when learning to set up.

If the horse shifts his hindquarters or steps a hind leg forward while you are adjusting the front legs, start over. Praise him when he moves the foot you are asking him to move. Do not dwell on setting up for too long as the horse may lose interest and become dull. Add variety to this lesson by mixing in different maneuvers to keep your horse’s attention.

Do not let the horse “lean” or move his head towards you. Use your hand on the middle of his head to push it away and back into alignment. Learn to watch his entire body, not just his legs or feet, to evaluate straightness. Do not let him rest or cock a hind leg. If he does, the best way to “uncock” it is to move the opposite front leg. He should stand square with his weight distributed on all four feet.

Sometimes a horse gets into the habit of backing up as soon as you change positions from leading to facing him in preparation for setting up. This is an evasion. Tell him “no,” and quickly lead him forward a few feet. Stop him with a “whoa,” and repeat the maneuver. If he backs up again, move him forward, stop him, and ask again until he understands that your position in front of him does not mean “back up.” Anytime the horse gets too far out of alignment while being asked to set up, move him forward and start over again.

Practice this lesson on both sides. Remember to switch the longe-over-the-nose to the opposite side and change hands when you are ready to lead the horse forward! Encourage any progress he makes with your voice and a pet. In a short time, you will be successfully positioning the horse so that he is square. A square horse is balanced. It looks good and feels good to him to stand balanced!

Setting up is one of the many in hand lessons covered in my Longevity Training Series, Video #3 - “Working In Hand.” Just think how much easier these maneuvers will be under saddle if your horse already knows them from ground training lessons! Visit www.lynnpalm.com and take the next step!