Ridecamp: [RC] Fwd: I don't understand my horse (long)

> I finally had to get out and ride today.  It's been almost 3 weeks, between 
> weather and hunting season.  It was supposed to be sunny and in the forties, 
> but it only got up to 36, was overcast, foggy and felt like it was raining 
> becuase the freezing rain was melting off the trees.  My older mare that my 
> husband rides has been a little lame this week from either arthritis acting 
up 
> or she fell on ice/snow and hills.  My girlfriend, who pastures her horse 
one 
> mile down the road, was off work today.
> 
> Got Calvin saddled up and he had quite a spring in his step even down the 
> gravel driveway which still had some ice and snow on it.  Not even a 
backward 
> glance as we left the mare behind.  She's too pokey anyways.  He had a fast 
> trot down the road and went willingly past the dogs who usually bark and 
> sometimes chase us.  Made him walk by them.  Got to the second bridge and he 
> wouldn't go across.  The same bridge we've crossed a hundred times before.  
He 
> not only wouldn't go but turned around to head back.  When I try to make him 
> turn around, he tosses his head and walks sideways to the side of the road 
> where there is either a ditch and/or trash or barbed wire fence.  When we 
are 
> working in the pasture, I can make him circle and get him to do what I want, 
> but when we are on the road, my main concern is safety.  I try to stay safe 
> and keep him calm.  Basically we ended up waiting before the bridge, him 
> watching a black horse that is usually not around.  When he heard Silk, his 
> riding buddy, he hesitantly went across the bridge.  Then he picked up his 
> pace and went along with Silk for only a few minutes before he refused to go 
> any farther.  This is usually the spot he gives me trouble and makes us turn 
> around when he and I ride alone.  I thought that he had lost confidence in 
me 
> because I missed the discarded 1/2 dozen tires hiding in the weeds on the 
side 
> of the road earlier this summer.   Well today with Silk and him not wanting 
to 
> go any further, I thought maybe he just didn't want to ride today.  Well he 
> was fine the rest of the way back and just trotted by the our driveway.  We 
> road the other direction for about 30 mins.  We don't go this way much 
because 
> there is a small mean dog that chases him and tries to bite his back legs.  
> The dog's more agressive when there's only one horse.  The dog wasn't out 
> today for a change, but Calvin picked up his speed some to get past the 
> house.  When we turned around to go home due my friend needing to be home 
when 
> the kids get off the bus, Calvin was hesitant to head home and even tried to 
> get me to turn around again so that we could keep going down the road.  He 
> calmly headed the rest of the way home.  
> 
> When we go the direction he didn't want, we do different rides.  One gets 
off 
> the road, thru the creek and down a short trail thru the woods, or we go on 
> down the road past some other horses he likes to see.  I just don't 
understand 
> why he would be so stubborn on the road to go the other direction.  At that 
> point, until I let him go the direction he wanted, I could not control his 
> direction, barely could control his speed.  I've owned him for about three 
> years and we've done lots of show (4H type) entering everything from hunter 
> classes with jumps to pole bending to western pleasure and simple reining 
> patterns.  We even did a 16 mile CTR this summer where he did well with 
others 
> and alone.  
> 
> He doesn't eat his apple or carrots until he finishes his food, and lately 
> he's been refusing to eat his apple.  He hasn't been eating them since I 
came 
> back from a business trip two months ago.  He ate them while I was gone.  
He's 
> done this after other trips, but never for this long.  His teeth were 
floated 
> 3 wks ago and no sores in his mouth.  He's my first horse.  I'm in my 
forties 
> and my only other experience was 6 years of riding lessons-dressage and 
> jumping when I was in college.  I've learned alot here, but everytime I 
think 
> I've figured things out, I realize I know nothing!
> 
> Sorry and thanks,
> 
> Anna



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