Ask A Teamster: Learning Gee and Haw

by Dr. Doug Hammill D.V.M. of Montana

QUESTION:

How can I teach my horse to pivot to one side or the other? When I try to get him to come over he always starts to go forward and makes an arc rather than a square corner. He is a well mannered three-year-old Shire gelding. I have him driving on a cart, and we skid small logs. He is very responsive starting, stopping, turning and backing. The only problem is when I ask him to pivot right or left. He almost always resists and moves ahead before turning.

Mike Anderson, Utah

RESPONSE:

Teaching horses to swing right (“gee” – to remember, right has a “g” in it) or left (“haw”) without moving forward (or backward) can actually be quite easy with some patience, finesse, timing and cheating. I recommend waiting to teach gee and haw until a young horse has some experience and is working well in other respects, as yours seems to be. In my opinion, horses that will not stand quietly and patiently for grooming, harnessing, and hitching are not ready to be hitched and driven. By the same token, if they don’t consistently start, stop, turn both ways, back up and stand stopped in a comfortable, relaxed and willing manner, I feel they are not yet ready for gee and haw.

Many teamsters, perhaps most, use the commands gee and haw in conjunction with forward motion, as well as to “swing” or “fan” sideways when stopped. However, to keep things simple and understandable for the horse(s), I try to limit each verbal command to mean only one thing. Consequently, with rare exceptions, my verbal requests for gee and haw are restricted to times when we are stopped – times when I want to swing right or left without moving forward or backward. This helps to counteract the difficulty you are experiencing – the tendency of horses to start off forward or creep forward as they execute a swing gee or haw. If they are accustomed to hearing the commands gee and haw when moving forward, they will logically consider forward motion to be an acceptable part of gee and haw. Later, when we want gee or haw with no forward movement, confusion may result from the dual use of the commands. It’s not that there is anything seriously wrong with verbally asking for gee and haw as an assist in making turns, or swinging, when moving forward. In fact, it can be an important aid, for example, when trying to turn a big hitch with some horses not responding well to signals via the lines. But using gee and haw in both situations can be a potential source of confusion, especially for inexperienced horses. Besides, in most instances we don’t need the commands gee and haw to make turns during forward motion – it can all be done with the lines.

It’s normal for horses to assume they will be going forward when signaled to move, because that is what we ask for the majority of the time. They recognize this and typically anticipate going forward when they feel us make contact with the lines even before being asked to move. It is also easier and more comfortable for horses to move forward than to go either back or sideways – so they are inclined to try to start forward. When we intend to ask for something other than forward motion, such as gee, haw, or back, it’s only fair to pre-warn them. With an appropriate pre-warning, we can help them understand that they are not to go forward; we communicate what they are suppose to do instead – before they actually move. Pre-warnings are an important part of communicating our intentions in a way that gives horses the information and time they need to respond appropriately. Once they have made a mistake, it’s too late to do the maneuver properly, corrections must be made, and each occurrence reinforces doing it incorrectly rather than properly. I will explain pre-warnings shortly.

VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Our choice of verbal commands (requests) and how we use them can have a lot to do with how well our horses understand our requests and the nature of their responses. Before we talk about this with respect to gee and haw, we need to consider how we ask our horses for a normal start forward. In addition to whatever word, phrase, or sound teamsters use as start signal, horses are usually conditioned to start forward, pull harder, or increase speed when their individual name is spoken. This is very practical since we can get a response from a specific horse as needed. However it can also be a source of confusion if we don’t consistently follow some rules about using names. Because my horses are all trained to move forward when I call their name, I do not use a name in conjunction with any other command (request). For example, if I say “Back, Misty,” I am asking Misty to back up (“back”) and go forward (“Misty”) at the same time. Similarly, if I say “Misty, gee” or “Come over gee, Misty,” or “Gee, Misty,” I have asked her to go forward and swing right all at once. If you are using your gelding’s name at any time when trying to get him to gee or haw, you may be inadvertently telling him to go forward.

One of the greatest gifts we can give our horses is consistency. If we vary our verbal cue for a given maneuver from one time to another we should not expect consistent responses from our horses. You may choose to say “Gee,” or “Come gee,” or “Get over gee,” or whatever, but don’t jump around from one to another. By using the same verbal command each and every time, our request will be more clearly understood. There is value in keeping our commands short and simple as well. “OK boy let’s come over gee now,” is guaranteed to confuse a horse. It is to much to ask him to sort through all those words for one that means something to him. By being consistent and keeping things simple, clear, and understandable (for a horse), we are showing our horses respect and earning their trust.

The tone, volume, speed, and emotion of our voice also carry great meaning to horses. In fact, these things are likely more significant than the actual words used. If I want a slow, smooth, quiet start from my team (which I do), I need to pre-warn them with the lines and then speak their names in a slow, smooth quiet way. If I bark out their names in a short, fast, harsh, rough manner, that is very likely the kind of start they will give me. Swinging gee and haw when stopped is a maneuver that horses can most easily accomplish in a slow, deliberate, controlled way. They need time to cross and uncross their front legs while side stepping and pivoting around. Furthermore, they can’t see where they’re going with the blinders blocking their side vision. Unless they trust us and are comfortable swinging sideways blindly for us, they will likely resist, refuse, or try to go where they can see – which is forward. Therefore, our verbal requests should be calm, gentle requests with a patient, trustworthy attitude and tone – and a “Good boy, thank you” afterwards.

It is important to always use a verbal “Whoa” when stopping a horses movement in any direction. Many teamsters are not consistent about this and use “Whoa” only if horses fail to stop when the line pressure is released during backing or fanning gee or haw. For safety and precision all horses should be taught to stop immediately to “Whoa” regardless of the direction they are moving.

COMMUNICATION WITH THE LINES

In executing gee and haw maneuvers skillfully use of the lines is important to initiate the gee or haw, prevent or stop any forward or backward movement, control the speed of the swing gee or haw, and to stop the sideways swing at any time.

It is important to understand that as we shorten line to bend a horse’s head to one side when asking him to come gee or haw, we must simultaneously release some line on the opposite side. If we don’t release some pressure on the outside line, the horse is restricted from bending his neck to the inside and does not have the freedom to flex and make the swing comfortably. Then, when we encounter resistance to swinging over, we commonly pull harder on the inside line in a forceful attempt to get the horse(s) to come over. When the inside line pressure is increased to fan gee or haw and the outside is not simultaneously released, the effect may be excessive overall pressure on the bit. In response to this, horses often become confused or irritated, and sometimes the pressure causes them to stop or even back up. Our emphasis is often on the pulling rather than on the release. Lengthening one line gives the horse freedom to respond to a shortening of the other. Keep this in mind as you work on gee and haw, and apply it during normal forward motion turning as well. Of course, releasing too much outside line can cause a horse or team to swing (or turn) too sharp and/or too fast.

Use of the lines to initiate gee and haw, and then to control the speed and distance of the swing, will be covered in detail later on. Forward movement can be prevented or checked with the lines by pumping both lines together at the first hint the horse may move forward. It is far better to prevent moving ahead than to have to stop it once it has started. Be aware of increased pressure on the lines caused by the horse forcing his nose out or leaning his body forward. These are early warning signs that he intends to move forward. After you pump the lines to check him, release the pressure, then briefly pump again if necessary. Horses naturally push into steady pressure and tend to back off from intermittent pressure. Therefore, an appropriate number of repetitions of pumping and releasing the lines to check forward motion works better than applying steady pressure. Of course, that magic appropriate number of applications and pressures varies from one time to the next. It depends upon such variables as your timing and skill, the horses determination to move forward, how much momentum is reached before you pump (ideally none), and so forth. Use your best judgment on how much force to pump with the first time, and then adjust the pressure to lighter or heavier for the second pump should it be needed. If the first pump brings the horse back too hard or too far, you probably won’t need another pump and you have learned something about appropriate pressure. On the other hand, if the first pump has little or no effect you will either need to stop and back up, or if you have time before moving too far, pump a second time. Whenever we must repeat a signal with the lines because of lack of response on the horse’s part, we should increase the force and length of the pulls in gradually increasing increments. That way the horse gets progressively stronger messages until he chooses to respond. However, be certain that the messages you are sending are clear, appropriate, and understood from the horse’s perspective. Also, if a few reasonable attempts do not produce favorable results, stop, take time out, and re-evaluate rather than causing a stand off. While the physical barrier will prevent forward movement initially it is important that the teamster be prepared to artfully check forward motion with the lines whenever necessary.

The most common cause of a horse backing up while fanning gee and haw is excessive pressure on the lines. As we concentrate heavily on swinging gee or haw it’s easy to inadvertently apply pressure enough via the lines to signal the horse to back up. Too little contact with the bit via the lines and the horse may go forward, too much contact and he is likely to back up. What’s more, the exact perfect line tension changes from moment to moment. Line pressure that works well one second may be too much or too little the next (finesse and timing). Controlling the speed of the swing gee or haw will be dealt with later on. The line signals for stopping a horse or team that is fanning gee or haw are different from those for stopping when driving forward. Because there is no forward momentum when fanning gee or haw applying pressure on both lines equally in an attempt to stop the maneuver tends to pull the horse back or continue the swing, rather than stop him effectively. When the horse is moving gee, for example, a release of right line and a bending of his head to the left with the left line counteracts the momentum to the right. When this is combined with a well timed verbal “whoa” the result can be a smooth and effective stop.

USE OF PHYSICAL AIDS

What I call “cheating” is actually just utilizing aids. Properly designed and employed they make learning simpler, easier and more comfortable for the horse. By using aids to physically limit the horse’s options, we try to make the desired response easy and comfortable for the horse, while making unwanted responses difficult or impossible. This helps assure that the horse will make the right choice rather than repeating wrong choices, which are thereby reinforced and learned. Given choices and some time and patience horses have the ability to figure out and choose the easy, comfortable option. This approach of setting things up so the right choice is easy and wrong choices are difficult is one of the primary principles of non-confrontational training. In your initial gee and haw lessons, we will use physical aids to block the horse from moving in directions other than the desired right or left.

My aids for teaching horses to swing gee and haw include physical barriers like the side of a building, a rail or board fence, livestock panels, and a simple stick. In my opinion, a stick or small pole is a wonderful tool for communicating with horses in a variety of situations (Ask A Teamster, SFJ, Summer, Vol. 25, No. 3). For our purposes here, a stick about one inch in diameter and roughly five feet long, will work nicely.

LEARNING GEE AND HAW

Although for discussion purposes I will talk about gee for most of my examples, everything said about teaching gee will also apply to teaching haw. Although my explanations will be directed primarily at working with a single horse, they will apply in most instances to two horse teams and larger hitches as well. It is important to understand from the outset that horses have very little ability to transfer what they learn on one side of their body to the other side. Consequently, we must be sure to habituate and teach horses on both sides independently. It is also easier and more natural for horses to do things in one direction compared to the other. Thus, gee may be easier than haw for a given horse – or visa versa. Horses tend to be right or left handed, so to speak. Don’t ask for too much gee and haw work at one time. It is relatively meticulous, tight work and can be taxing for horses. Break it up from time to time by alternating with some regular driving so the horse(s) can move out and loosen up. Go slow and give the horse(s) plenty of breaks (time outs) to relax and settle a bit.

To begin training, hitch your gelding to the cart and with your stick handy, drive him straight up to an appropriate physical barrier. Stop with the barrier just inches in front of his nose (figures 1A,1B, 2, 3, 4, and 5). I recommend starting with barriers like those shown in figures 1A and 1B as they most effectively prevent forward movement throughout the entire swing gee or haw. A gate, stock panel, pole, or even a rope can be used at a 45 degree angle to block access into the corner. Figure 2 is my second choice but leaves a triangle area in the corner (?) as an open temptation for the horse to step forward. It is a good choice for when the horse has advanced to where he is ready to attempt a slightly less restrictive barrier. However, in the beginning stages any space which opens up ahead of him as he swings gee or haw may be an irresistible temptation to go forward (figures 2, 3, and 4). I would prefer not to give him a forward option until he proves himself trustworthy. With the barrier in front he will immediately understand that he cannot go forward when he next moves. Give him time to settle and relax before proceeding. If he wants to investigate the barrier with his nose, let him. In his typical horse mind, he already knows his options for moving are now limited to right, left, and back (we will assume for now that up and down are not options he will try). Chances are he will be looking around to the right and left to check out those two remaining choices – it’s tough to look back due to the blinders. In doing so, he is already considering the directions we will be asking him to choose. By simplifying his job with the forward barrier, we have simplified our task as well. Instead of having to deal with four directions, we, like him, now have to contend with only three. Everybody’s job just got 25% easier! If necessary we can use a corner as in figure 5 to block the left side (or the right by coming at it from another direction). In extreme cases we could even attach a stock panel to the fence or wall at a 45 degree angle to the horse’s right (dotted line in figure 5). However, before resorting to those extremes I would be questioning if the horse was really solid enough in his basic driving skills to be ready for gee and haw.

At this point, we could simply say “Come gee” and use the right line to pull his head around far enough so that he would be forced to step over gee. Just about anyone can drive a horse up to a barrier, stop, and pull his head around to one side with enough force to cause him to step to that side. However, I am assuming that you want to artfully teach your horse to come around gee and haw in a relaxed, willing, and comfortable manner – with precision and grace. That is certainly what I want.

Consequently, my first goal is to catch the horse thinking and looking right (gee) or left (haw). When a horse is looking somewhere and has his attention in that direction, his nose will generally turn and point that way. As a horse starts to move, he typically goes in the direction his nose is pointing. Whether we are driving one, two, four, or more horses, it’s our job to have everyone’s attention and have all the noses pointed in the desired direction of travel before we ask them to move. With your gelding standing relaxed in front of the barrier, let him choose the direction of your first swing. If his head moves to look right encourage gee with a little right line pressure (if he looks left, try haw). Don’t use steady or constant pressure, but more of a slow, subtle, hint of a pull, with a rewarding release of the pressure when his nose comes farther to the right, even if only an inch. It is important not to ask for too much at first and to quit pulling and release line pressure before you feel resistance from him. When you release, let his head go back towards forward if he wants, but not to the left (haw) at all. Simply use the right line to gently keep him from bending his head to the left. Give him time to process between pulls before encouraging him with the line to bend again. See if you can bend his head a little farther to the gee side with each successive pull, and try not to let it go back as far the other way with each release. Also, try to get him to agree to keeping it over gee a little longer each time.

However, if at any time you meet resistance or he becomes anxious, release, pause, and try again when he’s relaxed and comfortable. Never use force or harshness, only very light pressures. We don’t want to pull his head around; we want to encourage and tease him into choosing to bring it around. At this stage it is not at all important whether or not we get him to move gee, but rather how well we succeed at keeping him relaxed and comfortable while teaching him to respond willingly to light pressures via the lines. This is where finesse, patience, and timing come in (as well as everywhere else!). If every time he moves his head back towards the left you gently stop it and encourage it back to the right, he will eventually give up on moving it back left. It becomes a waste of his energy. Of course, if we become impatient, harsh, or too forceful with our actions, voice, attitude, or thoughts (yes, it seems they can read our minds), he is apt to become anxious and resist. The critical part is not the pull on the line(s) but the release. The release is his reward for cooperating.

Most people focus on the pull to get the head where they want it, but the disappearance of pressure is the horse’s reward for giving to the pull and bending gee. When he moves his head gee, we must make the pressure go away, so we don’t pull harder to get more gee at this stage. Instead we release the pressure and give him his comfort back. By doing so, his understanding and willingness to bend again when he feels pressure on the bit is increased rather than diminished. When he moves his head haw, we repeatedly insure that he encounters a gentle but definite boundary and then shortly is asked to bring it back over gee. Eventually, horse logic says, “I might as well keep my head over here in the gee zone and be comfortable. And while I’m at it I might as well straighten my body.” About this time, the horse will usually take a step over gee with his front end to realign his body more comfortably, rather than staying bent. After he takes that step, reward him with kind words and compliments and caress his rump with your stick. However, if you speak his name during this process, he may think you want him to go forward. Notice how we’ve used patience, finesse, timing, and cheating (barrier) to block forward motion; move first his head, then shift his body, and finally to move his feet.

Since my priorities are to keep horses relaxed and comfortable, and especially to avoid confusion, anxiety, upset, fear and pain, my approach is necessarily different than that of many teamsters who may have other priorities. I prefer to take the time and patience up front to help horses stay comfortable and learn, it pays big dividends forever after, in my opinion.

Perhaps while blocked by the barrier, your horse would willingly come around more than a step or two, but at this stage I recommend that you stop him after just one or two steps. Asking for too much in the early stages of learning can quickly lead to mistakes and setbacks. I much prefer steady progress in small increments (baby steps), with a time out, release of line pressure, kind words, and a rump caress with the stick, to reward every small try the horse makes. When I ask for just an inch or two at first, next a step or two, and then three or four, it’s easy to have successes before the horse has time to make a mistake, resist, or become uncooperative. The gentle approach, baby steps, and time outs make learning comfortable and easy for horses. Notice that we did not use the gee word at all. Young horses generally don’t know what it means at this stage unless it has been taught to them during pre-driving ground work on the lead. So, for now keep things simple and allow your horse to concentrate on, and respond to, just your communications through the lines. Besides, he just stepped over without hearing the word gee.

After a short time out for the horse to settle and process, reverse the procedure and try the haw direction. Repeat a few abbreviated (few step) gees and haws with time outs between them. Give him lots of compliments and stick caresses (while stopped) when he does well, or needs help relaxing. Then take a break and drive around before returning for more practice, or even stop the lesson for the day if you think that would be best. However, when you move away from the barrier don’t swing gee or haw and then drive forward to leave the area. I recommend backing him far enough to make a sweeping turn as you leave (figure 6). We don’t want him to swing gee or haw and then go forward just yet. That might cause an association between going forward and the gee and haw maneuvers. Later in the training process you will definitely teach him to fan gee or haw, stop, and then start and move out forward, but not now. Also, don’t ask him to back the entire distance at once (baby steps).

If at any time he catches you sleeping and steps forward, promptly stop him with the lines and a “Whoa.” At this early stage of training I prefer to stop the horse rather than attempt to hold him back once he has already started forward. Otherwise, too much has to happen too fast, as I try to stop forward motion, attempt to re-initiate gee (or haw), and use care not to check him back too far. The complexity of trying to do so much quickly can lead to confusion and anxiousness for both horses and teamsters. There is no point in that. After stopping the horse, always take away the forward step(s) that he stole by making him back up the same distance he went ahead. Doing this consistently seems to eventually discourage moving forward at inappropriate times. Conversely, anytime a horse backs up (or moves in any direction) without being asked, he should be stopped immediately, then moved back to the proper place. Our ultimate goal as teamsters, however, is to stay alert and prevent rather than have to correct such infractions.

At some point, when your horse becomes comfortable with swinging gee and haw several steps, you will want to introduce the verbal gee and haw cues. As mentioned above, when asking for gee or haw (or back) I recommend verbally pre-warning horses. This can be done by saying “Come gee,” or “Come haw,” a couple of times before making line contact with the bit or signaling with the lines. To pre-warn, speak the gee or haw request in a very slow, relaxed way. By stretching the words out (“Cuuuummm …. geeee”), and pausing between each “Come gee,” we communicate to the horse(s) that we will be executing the maneuver very slowly and deliberately.

Always be prepared to check the horse if he shows any inclination to start forward. However, in time the verbal requests prior to making line contact help reduce the tendency to disregard the specific verbal command and step ahead in response to the line(s) moving. On the other hand, if our timing with the line cue is too late the horse may have started forward on the verbal command without waiting for line contact. Each time will be different, so you will need to become proficient at knowing what your horse is about to do, before he does it. That way you can take appropriate action before things go awry. With repetition and consistency the horse will increasingly make the association between the verbal cue, the signals from the lines, and the correct response of swinging over gee or haw. At some point, he may begin to move gee and haw in response to a verbal request before the line signals are even initiated. This represents wonderful progress. At this point begin timing your verbal cue and line signal closer together, but still speak at least one “Gee” or “Haw” as a pre-warning before line contact is made. When fanning gee or haw repeat the verbal “Come gee” or “Come haw” as described above throughout the entire maneuver. This assures the horse that he is to continue and encourages him.

Eventually, when you feel he’s ready, attempt some gees and haws with his nose a few feet away from the barrier. As he proves he can do them without moving forward, gradually increase the distance from the barrier. Try new locations with other types of barriers and eventually less obstructive barriers, such as a few trees or bushes, a pole on the ground, a rope stretched between posts or trees. Use your imagination, but work up slowly as he proves he is ready. When you advance to more complex maneuvers, less restrictive barriers and new locations your horse may not perform at the same levels of proficiency and dependability at first. Don’t hesitate to go back to more elementary lessons for review or remedial work as necessary, or even to make things easy rather than challenging for a time. Retreating to simple, comfortable work helps keep mistakes from slipping in and spoiling your progress. Until proficiency is attained, each new lesson should begin at the barrier and work up from there, to end on a positive note with a success. Throughout this entire process work at honing your ability to read your horse and anticipate his actions and reactions ahead of time. Be particularly attentive to any hint that he might step forward during gee or haw, and help him learn to respond to being lightly checked with the lines.

It can happen that when we try to bring a horse around gee or haw, he may attempt to back up instead. This is when we use our stick to set a rear boundary for him. Even before the horse takes a step backwards, right when he starts to shift his weight back (or when you sense he might be thinking about thinking about it), hold the end of the stick out close to his rump (1 to 2 inches). Any movement back will now cause him to make contact with the solid stick. This is enough to stop most horses, but if he is persistent in coming back, push on his rump and release, push and release with the stick for a stronger message. Be certain, however, that you are not inadvertently signaling him to back with too much pressure on the lines. For more detail on preventing and stopping backing up and other uses of the stick, refer to the “Ask A Teamster” article mentioned above.

As you advance to the point of fanning gee or haw greater distances before stopping it becomes important to be able to control the speed of the swing. If the horses get in a hurry injuries can occur from stepping on their own, or their partners, feet as they cross their legs stepping sideways. As an alternative to crossing their legs they may at times take many tiny steps and not cross over. Both techniques are time consuming and somewhat complex. Speed increases the chances of something going wrong, gives the teamster and horses less time to make corrections with finesse, and can make horses anxious. With a team hooked to a tongue the horse on the inside of the arc must move his rear legs away from the approaching tongue throughout the gee or haw swing. Too rapid a swing can cause the tongue to bang his legs and beat them up. To regulate the speed during gee and haw we must use an interplay of right and left line to slow down or speed up (rare) the sideways momentum. If the horse is stalling out excessively or stopping while fanning gee, he should be encouraged with signals via the right line. On the other hand, if he is swinging gee too fast, the left line must be used to slow the rate of travel. To artfully execute gee and haw a delicately, balanced dance of ever changing pressures must be orchestrated with the two lines. An example could look something like this: “Come gee, come gee” – right line pull and release to signal gee while assuring freedom with left line to bend gee – “Come gee” – another right line pump and release followed by a pump on both lines to prevent anticipated moving ahead – pump and release with the right line and repeat verbal cue to encourage more gee – pump left to slow down the swing – release both lines a bit to counteract shift of balance backwards – pump right and verbal cue to attain more gee while releasing left to allow it – and, of course, a pull on the left line to bend the head haw and a coordinated “Whoa” to stop, followed instantaneously by release on both lines as a reward.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As you can see, there can be a lot going on during gee and haw – preventing or stopping forward motion; controlling the speed and distance of the gee or haw swing; preventing or controlling backward movement; controlling the volume, speed tone and emotion of our voice; working the lines; timing; using the stick; reading our horses. Be patient, go slow, use baby steps and time outs, practice, practice, practice, and make it all comfortable and fun for your horse and for you. When it all comes together and works it is a beautiful dance, and at that point is smooth and effortless. A well taught team can do flawless gees and haws on loose lines.

Please remember that the horse’s minds, not to mention the teamster’s mind, functions best when the horse is comfortable and relaxed. Confusion, anxiety, upset, force, harshness, fear, and pain can all short circuit horse logic and interfere with reason and learning. Horses can certainly be made to work for us by the use of force and fear. However, we want content, cooperative working partners, not slaves.

Doc lives in Montana and helps people learn about horses through his writing, workshops, demonstrations, and horsemanship video series. www.DocHammill.com