Horse Training Questions

Q:
Last night I got on my horse bareback after not riding him for a few weeks. He wouldn’t move forward, and he started pawing at the ground and humping his back up like he wanted to buck. I got off him because I didn’t want to get hurt. What should I do if this happens again? Am I sending the wrong message by getting off?

A:
Since you were bareback, you probably did the right thing to get off when your horse started acting up. Remember, your safety is always the first priority. However, if this happens again, it is very important that you don’t get off your horse and just put him back in his stall. Getting off him is fine, but then put him to work hard on the ground. You can longe him or round pen him. THe important thing is that the horse doesn’t think that he got out of work because he acted up. You can get off and keep yourself safe while still sending the message that his behavior caused more work for him, not less.

Q:
Hi,
I love my horse - he’s a 6 year old paint gelding. We bought him, and he had tons of issues like spooking.  He has progressed a long way, and last season he got second in his first riding class, Walk trot. He is soft on the bridle, and collects nicely at the walk and trot. I want to canter him this show season, and he’s not doing too well. When asking for the canter, he loses his attention. It’s almost like it’s hard for him.  It’s not a mad, fast canter. It’s just sloppy, and his brain goes elsewhere and I can’t get his focus on his job. I’ve tried everything I could think of - stopping and backing, and loping off again, working circles, etc. Do you have any idea how I can get his attention, so I can start asking him to frame up? Thank you.

A:
I recommend that you take your horse to a big open arena and begin loping him by himself.  As you are loping, ask him to give to the bit one rein at a time.  If he does not know how to give to the bit yet, you will need to teach it at the walk and trot before you ask at the canter.  To teach him to give to the bit, pick up on one rein.  You are looking for his nose to soften to the side, and his head to turn towards you.  As soon as you see this, release the rein completely. Do this on both sides.  Then, begin asking him to collect on both reins.  It sounds like he already knows collection at the walk and trot, so you can just move up to the canter for this exercise. Remember to release the reins and reward him frequently, especially as you are just beginning to teach this at a new gait.  Once you have his attention and he will give to the bit and collect for you when there are no other horses around, then you are ready to move to an arena where there is another horse.  Add additional distractions gradually (more horses and people), until he is able to focus even in a busy show environment.  

Q:
I was wondering if you could give me some tips on sitting the trot both bareback and in the saddle?  I do much better in the saddle.

A:
Imagine sitting in your favorite chair watching TV.  Think about how relaxed you are, especially your seat muscles. When you get on your horse and start to trot, relax your seat in that manner.  It’s easy to try so hard to “hang on” with your leg and seat muscles that you squeeze yourself right out of the saddle.  Try to float with your horse.  Riding is balance, not strength, so focus on balancing your seat very evenly on your horse’s back.
 

Q:
I just acquired a quarterhorse appendix mare… she’s about 19 years old… she was rescued about 10 years ago from the auction yard. She’s very hot, guess that’s the thoroughbred in her.  Going away from the barn she walks very nicely, head down, loose rein.  But on the way back she gets dancy and starts throwing her head up and down.  If you let her canter, she does the same thing, gets all excited and throws her head. I just need to know if you have any suggestions for how to correct this head throwing? Would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks
 
A:
Any time your horse tosses her head, she is resisting pressure.  Hold the pressure on the reins until her head is quiet, and as soon as her head is quiet, even for a few seconds at first, release the rein and reward her.  It may help to anchor your hand of the saddle or on your leg when she is tossing her head, so she can not pull your hands around and give herself a release from the pressure that way.
 

Q:
In the last month or two my mustang mare has gotten real ticklish when I start to tighten her girth, she tries to start running in a circle, or leaning into me, side stepping toward me to stop my process, yet once complete I can mount up and no problems. 

A:
I recommend working the mare in a round pen, about 60 feet in diameter with this exercise:
Make a surcingle out of a long soft cotton lead rope and a cinch. Then make a breast collar of sorts out of baling twine. Hook the breast collar to the center dee on the cinch, and to the buckles on either side.  Don’t hook it to the lead rope.  Then run twine from each side of the breast collar up over the horse’s neck in front of the withers to keep it from slipping down.  (This will look like an english breast collar).  Once you have this in place, work the horse around the round pen while you stand in the middle of the pen holding the end of the lead rope surcingle.  Tighten and loosen the “cinch” by pulling on the lead rope.  This will put you safely out of biting range, and allow you to de-sensitize the mare by cinching and un-cinching her many, many times. 
 

Q:
I have a 13 year old mare I acquired 3 years ago. We had been riding trails in the lower Cascades when I had to move her into town.  The only access to the trails was going through the town and up a county rd.  This last June while going up the gravel road she spooked badly and threw me. 

I wound up with a broken arm in two places. Last spring she spooked and bucked me off 2-3 times in the pasture and once in the arena when I was trying to get her into a lope.  She had the summer off and this winter, but I’m going to start working with her soon.  What can I do to get her or change her thinking that she can start bucking and get me off. Can you help?

A:
I recommend that you teach your horse to disingage the hindquarters.  This will give you a tool to immediately stop her when she bucks or spooks.  Begin teaching this exercise from the ground with either a halter and lead rope or your bridle.  Stand to one side of her, and ask her to move her hips over by walking towards her, swinging your rope, etc.  You are looking for her inside hind foot to step across in front of her outside hind foot. It is very important that the inside hind foot actually crosses in front of the outside hind.  Her front feet should stop all forward motion when she crosses over with her hind end.  By asking your horse to step under herself in this way, you are taking away her ability to brace against you. 

Once your horse will disingage the hindquarters on both sides on the ground, teach it from the saddle.  Once you are on her back, take your rein on one side, walk her forward, and pick up on the rein, bending her head to the side and asking her to step under with the inside hind foot.  If she bends her neck but keeps walking a straight line, bump her with your inside leg until she steps over with her hindquarters.  If you are in a situation where you think your horse is going to buck, you can bend her nose right around to your knee in the saddle and kick with the inside leg to get her to disengage the hindquarters.

Once your mare will do this exercise easily and consistantly at the walk, teach it at a slow trot.  As you are comfortable, increase the speed of your trot till the horse is almost going in to a lope.  Just when she is about to lope, disingage the hindquarters.  When you can get her to disingage her hindquarters at a fast trot and you are ready, ask her to lope.  If she bucks, immediately disingage the hindquarters, kick her in a tight circle 2 or 3 times around, and ask for the lope again.  Repeat this until she will lope off without bucking. 

Q:
I have been having problems with my mare on bridling. She throws her head when she is being bridled and when I take the bridle off. I don’t know if it is the bit or if I’m doing something wrong.  I’ve had the vet check her teeth and all is good. I hope you can help me with my problem.

A:
There are four reasons a horse will fight the bridle. The first is that she is uncomfortable with having her mouth touched. Without the bridle, make sure you can rub her mouth, nose, and put your fingers in her mouth without her throwing her head.

The second reason is that the horse is uncomfortable having things around her eyes.  Be careful that you are not hitting her eyes with the cheekpieces of the bridle when you take it on and off.  Again, without the bridle at first, rub your hands gently over both eyes and make sure she’s comfortable.

The third reason is that the horse’s ears are sensitive. When you are putting the bridle on, take the horse’s ears and cup them gently forward with your hand as you guide the crown piece of the bridle over.  Be careful not to smoosh the horse’s ears back against her head when you are putting the bridle on.  Sack the horse’s ears out with your hands to see if that is the problem.

If any of these three things cause the horse to throw her head, work with her without the bridle until you can touch her in the problem areas without her tossing her head.  When you are working with her and she starts to toss her head, keep your hands in the same place they were before she started fussing.  As soon as she settles down, take your hands away and reward her with a pat. Remember to reward her frequently by taking your hands away before she tosses her head if she stands quietly for you.

The fourth reason a horse will be difficult to bridle is their attitude. If you think this is the problem, work your horse in the round pen or on a longe line until she is mildly exerted.  Then offer her a chance to stand and rest while you bridle her. If she throws her head, send her off and ask her to work again.  When she has worked for a few minutes, offer her another chance to stand, rest, and accept the bridle. Repeat this exercise until she will stand to be bridled without throwing her head. You may be able to narrow your problem down to just one of these four reasons, or it may be a combination of a little bit of all of them. 

Q:
I bought a 8yr.old horse, that is supposed to be broke. She is broke well as long as you are riding away from the barn. However on the return trip, when she can see the barn she will run back to the barn and there is nothing I can do to stop her. What if anything can be done to stop this behavior. Thanks for help you can give.

A:    
Work your mare hard at the barn for a while, and when she is ready for a break walk her away from the barn and allow her to rest.  When you are ready to put her back to work, return to the barn and work there.  Then allow her to rest away from the barn.  The reason that horses hurry back to the barn is because we always get off when we reach the barn, and then their work is over.  With this exercise, you will change your mare’s thinking, and she will realize that she works at the barn and only rests when she is away from the barn.  Then she will not be in such a hurry to get back to the barn when you turn to go home on a trail ride. 
 

Foster