If you are working with a sensitive, reactive horse, there is no such thing as a quick fix for problems.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it is very common for trainers to have a “sure-fire” fix for a particular issue.\u00a0 If you hear about or read about these tips you might be tempted to try them out on a horse you are working with.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Be aware that many options you might try with your horse will exacerbate the issue rather than making it better.\u00a0 I have personally tried some options for fixing a behavioral\u00a0problem that only created new issues.\u00a0 There are also some things that work well with square horses, and even if they don’t work for you will certainly do no harm if you try them.<\/p>\n
Here are some things that I and others have tried, only to discover there are reasons for not using these methods:<\/p>\n
With many horses what actually happens when you use this method is that they decide backing up quickly is the thing to do if they are ever uncertain about going forward.\u00a0 It makes sense if you think about it: they freeze up, you push them backwards, so they associate barred forward motion with a swift backward escape route.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Applied in real life with a reactive horse: a) you’re in a line of horse traffic and the horse is upset because he can’t move forward.\u00a0 He begins backing up into the line of horses behind.\u00a0 Cursing from the other riders ensues, along with the “domino” effect. b) A noisy truck scares your horse so he begins backing up quickly toward a barbed wire fence and a ditch…or the edge of a cliff.\u00a0c) When your horse doesn’t want to cross water he backs up.\u00a0 The more you give him cues to move, the faster he goes backwards.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What really happens with many horses when you use this method is that they will decide they don’t want to get caught because they might end up tied for a very long time.\u00a0 Especially in cases where the horse is tied without food or water, it can be very stressful and mentally damaging to the horse.\u00a0 If\u00a0horses get\u00a0frightened they may pull back seriously enough to\u00a0injure their atlas or axis in the neck vertebrae, causing permanent damage.\u00a0 They also may damage their facial nerves, leading to lifelong issues with bits and bridles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even when a “square” horse is not permanently harmed by this method, it has been observed that they did not stand more patiently in the future, but instead the trainer ended up with a large trench dug or\u00a0worn into the ground where the horse was tied.\u00a0 In some cases, instead of teaching the horse patience it teaches the horse to be anxious about this stress-inducing tying marathon and to pace even more.\u00a0 The truth is, there are horses that are extremely athletic and also have the mental energy to canter for a hundred miles (as in\u00a0FEI endurance racing).\u00a0 These horses will often keep moving as long as they are stressed, even if they harm themselves doing it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0A horse can elude someone trying to catch him in a space as small as a round pen.\u00a0 The fact is, many horses have very good reasons for not wanting to be caught and they all relate to human error.\u00a0 A horse may not wish to be caught because each time he is taken out of the field he is worked very hard and left sore and exhausted.\u00a0 If this is the case,\u00a0chasing the horse will only reinforce his idea of the human as the slave driver who causes pain and exhaustion.\u00a0 Then again, we come back to the fact that some horses can be cantered for 100 miles…do you have the ability to chase your horse for 20 hours or more?\u00a0 Not likely.\u00a0 This method is a bad idea for hot, excitable horses as it will only make them fearful, fit and teach them new ways to avoid being caught.<\/p>\n
Now for some things that do work, or if they don’t work for your horse at least they won’t cause any harm or new behavioral issues.<\/p>\n
If a horse won’t go forward, often the best solution is to get off and lead the horse for awhile.\u00a0 You need to understand why the horse does not want to go.\u00a0 Is he concerned about leaving his home environment and horse buddies?\u00a0 Is he afraid of the monsters in the woods?\u00a0 Has he never faced this particular obstacle alone before?\u00a0 In any case, simply leading the horse over it on a ride or two will soon leave him confident enough to do it while being ridden.\u00a0 You must realize that for many horses, when you are on their back they feel that they are doing things while physically “alone.”\u00a0 Having another creature walking with them helps build their confidence.\u00a0 There is no compelling reason for why everything must be done from the saddle with horses.\u00a0 Even if you begin by walking quite a bit with some horses, the time you spend riding will increase as the horse gains confidence.<\/p>\n
If a horse won’t stand still when tied, you need to find out the reason for the horse’s anxiety.\u00a0 Is he looking around and calling for his buddies?\u00a0 Then he’ll need to learn gradually to be tied with a buddy nearby and then farther away until he gains the confidence to be tied alone.\u00a0 Has he had bad experiences while being tied?\u00a0 Then he needs to have enough good, calm, shorter experiences that will help him understand it is safe to be tied.\u00a0 Has he just never learned how to be tied?\u00a0 Begin by not tying the lead rope so the horse learns he can get away whenever he needs to.\u00a0 Then slowly progress to tying, with a watchful eye so you can release the slip knot if the horse gets frightened.\u00a0 Or buy a special ring that always lets\u00a0more rope\u00a0out if the horse moves away.<\/p>\n
Some horses will never stand perfectly still when tied due to high energy levels.\u00a0 If the horse is simply\u00a0shifting his\u00a0feet around because he is too energetic, there is nothing to fault him for as long as he maintains a state of general calm.\u00a0 If he is fearful or nervous, however, that is something that will resolve with time and good experiences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A horse that is truly difficult to catch can take some time to retrain.\u00a0 It begins with teaching the horse that a person in the field might be coming to give the horse something pleasant rather than catching the horse.\u00a0 Walk out, toss the horse an apple, leave.\u00a0 Once you progress to touching the horse, you must not catch the horse for several sessions but instead just walk away.\u00a0 Then you need to go out and give treats to the horse with a halter over your shoulder, which often will send the horse galloping again.\u00a0 Once you can put the halter on the horse, you should lead the horse around the field for a minute, then release the horse.\u00a0 Then progress to taking the horse outside the field, grazing the horse for several minutes then putting the horse back out.\u00a0 You get the idea.\u00a0 After awhile, the horse will understand that at least you <\/em>are not going to cause pain, overwork and stress each time he is caught.\u00a0 Expect the horse to regress into old habits if put in a new situation or under stress, but it will quickly be resolved by repeating a mini version of these methods.<\/p>\n At all costs, avoid ever tricking the horse by hiding the halter, doing the “treat and grab” or lassoing the horse.\u00a0 All of these methods will erode the trust the horse is establishing with you.\u00a0 Most hard to catch horses are very savvy and wary of any tricks that have been used to catch them in the past.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you are working with a sensitive, reactive horse, there is no such thing as a quick fix for problems.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it is very common for trainers to have a “sure-fire” fix for a particular issue.\u00a0 If you hear about … Continue reading