Re: balking horse

["Karen Sullivan" <greymare@jps.net>]

It
> just seems as if she will be going good and then she
> will suddenly stop and just not want to go.  My hubby
> who rode with me today says that she is being stubborn
> and that I need to get her respect.  He may be right.
> So, today I went with spurs and a crop (no this is not
> an Arab) and would make her move forward, but actually
> even with those aids it would take a bit and I would
> get frustrated.  I don't really want to use aids like
> that one her....Any suggestion for a horse that
> hesitates like that and lacks impulsion

Just dealt with one of those, and have owned them in the past,
what works is to crank their head around and make them go in circles until
they get good and sick of it and decide it is easier to go the direction you
asked.

When the horse balks, it is refusing to move for you.  So, by turning the
head, eventually the rest of
the horse will move too,now you are directing the feet.  Make the thing you
want easy-horse
moves forward, nothing bad happens, -if it doesn't it has to circle, and
make the circling unpleasant.
They DO GET it,and eventually won't balk.

Karen

Also by doing this, you take away the ability of the horse to rear or
buck-something it may do if
you just hit it with a crop.