herd bound and confidant

["jsalas" <jsalas@tampabay.rr.com>]

Ray  O. rno2m@virginia.edu writes:
    My guy is extremely herd-bound,but always very dominant around other
horses.He has all the go and self-confidence in the world.An angel on the
ground with people,and completely submissive,friendly and enthused about
groundwork.A demon under saddle when I need to ride away from the group at
a Field Trial.You tell me.

 

Well Ray, I am not a trainer so I am only sharing my experiences and observations. If he is a demon under saddle when you need to ride away from a group, I don't think your horse is ready for that situation. You said it yourself, he is ok around other horses and people, but not alone. He lacks confidence to be alone in that situation because he has not been prepared for it. If the only time you ask your horse to go alone is during competition (a field trial) you are setting him up for a very uncomfortable scenario. Taking horses to any competition is tough mentally. Horses are excited, trucks and trailers everywhere, the sounds and smells can be overwhelming. I would back up a bit in your training, ride trails and walk (halter and lead rope, leading) and do more one on one work with your horse. Some horses need time after 3 or 4 months of hard training just to process all that they have learned. If you turn them out, let them relax and be a horse for a few weeks, the next ride could be incredible. Other horses can take anything you dish out, never need a break and just go on and on. No matter what, if the horse is not prepared for what ever tasks you ask of him, you are only setting him up for failure. That is not fair to the horse. Good Luck. Lisa Salas, The oDD Farm