Rearing ~ Barn sour.

[Marv Walker <Marv@MarvWalker.com>]

At 09:03 PM 4/22/01 -0700, guest@endurance.net wrote:
>Kim Mowatt horsecounsellor@saltspring.com
>We need advice! My riding partner has a ten year old pinto mare that has 
>started to rear when she wants to return to the barn. Her last rearing 
>incident resulted in my friend falling,losing consciousness,and breaking 
>her arm. She has just started this. We have ruled out ill fitting tack. My 
>friend insists on taking her up into the mountains as she says"I can't 
>give up on her!" I follow her with as much first aid equipment as I can 
>manage on my horse. What advice do you have?

Ruling out physical problems, which I would be inclined to do since you
say "when she wants to return to the barn," I would hazard a guess that
this horse lacks a sense of place.  When she is away from other horses
or her comfort spot she feels compelled to return to it.

The best way I have found to deal with this problem is to make her
comfortable wherever she is.  When she is comfortable where she is at
she will not feel compelled to seek comfort elsewhere.

How does one do that?

By using herd dynamics to incorporate her into a herd situation where
she knows EXACTLY what is expected from her and that she can do
what is expected.  When a horse knows what is expected and that it
can do that, you have confidence.  Where you have confidence, you
have comfort.

Send an email to my autoresponder, Bonder@MarvWalker.com .  In a
few moments you'll receive a response telling you some things I want
you to know and where you can find the procedure I use to connect
with a horse and to establish a mimicking herd dynamic relationship
that will give the horse a sense of place.  The horse will see you as the
herd leader and since all comfort and security is found in the herd, its
comfort zone is changed from the barn to wherever your little herd
happens to be.  Once you have established the connection, or sense
of place, you then move the connection to where you want you go.

As long as you are able to maintain the connection everything should
work out well.  Whenever you feel the connection weakening, it may or
may not, depends on the horse, you know how to re-establish it.

Marv "For every bit of matter you see in the universe more matter is
unseen.  For every roach you see more roaches are unseen.  Therefore,
the universe is made up of roaches." Walker