training advice (longish)

["Rachel Ward" <rward@peppersnet.com>]

Hi guys,
    I need some advice.  I've got an 8 yr. old arabian gelding that I've had
since last fall.  My situation right now is this - I want to do some limited
distance and/or 50 mile rides this year with him BUT :
    He's bucked with me on several occasions when he didn't want to lope and
he's also tried to spin and bolt to the barn with me.  I tried doing the
"race brain" training but he spins so fast that he almost lost me a couple
of times.  The last time I was on him I couldn't make him leave the barn in
one direction so when he spun and took off with me I smacked his butt and
made him keep going past the barn in the other direction.  We wound up
having a pretty long, uneventful ride except for him throwing a bucking fit
when we were about a mile from the house.
    Guys, I really, really love everything about this horse.  He's the
tallest Arab I've ever seen, I honestly think he's 16 hands.  I'm 5'7 and
his withers are even with my head.  And he never gets tired, I haven't been
able to even put a dent in his energy.  He just goes and goes and goes.
It's his brain that's the problem, you can literally see him thinking things
over and deciding what he's going to try next.
    I don't want to let him get any worse than he is.  What kind of things
could I try with him that might get him out of this barn spoiled thing?  I
never feed him when I get back from a ride and usually I tie him to a tree
for a little while after I ride him.
    My other option is to send him to someone for some training.  Anybody
know a good endurance-minded trainer in S. Texas?  At this point I'd be
willing to try just about anything.
Thank you,
Rachael  (looking at helmets)
& Saber  (busily plotting next move)
in S. Texas