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Re: [RC] still having issues... - Chris PausFirst of all a horse must be suited mentally as well as physically to do endurance and go down the trail. It may be that this isn't the right horse for this sport. Or it may be that the horse-rider combo isn't the right one. She may be picking up on your anxieties and not wanting to go down the trail because you are afraid. Have you ruled out all potential pain issues? Saddle fit, teeth, back soreness, etc. An awful lot of horse misbehavior is over saddle fit. And 99 percent of the people who come to me tell me their saddle fits fine, but really it doesn't. And how about you? When my very experienced gelding starts acting up on trail, often it is ME. I tend to have one hip that is as much as an inch higher than the other. When I go to the chiro and get myself put back straight, my horse goes much straight down the trail without resistance. The horse tell us in whispers that something is wrong. your horse is screaming. If it's nothing physical, then maybe she does sense danger in the woods. It's up to you to either condition her to accept the problem or not ride her in places where she'll freak out. My main squeeze goes ballistic over trains. He's unconsolable. We had to pull from a ride where the trail followed a train track for 6 miles. His heart rate soared to the ozone and stayed there. My solution was to take a backup horse the next time I wanted to do that ride. At 17 years of age, it's not likely I'm going to convince Star that trains aren't going to eat him, so I avoid the situation with him. If I didn't have a backup horse, I'd probably send him over to a friend's house where her pasture abuts a train track and just let him get over it. I'd suggest this. Take your horse to the woods, to a freak out place. Lead her there if you have to. Take along a picnic for the two of you and have her on a halter and lead so you can control her or tie her. Find a spot where she's resistant and just hang out there until she figures out it's OK. Take some apples and carrots for her, or whatever her favorite treat is. Take a book for yourself. Just chill in that spot and don't worry about riding and going forward. The other suggestion I have for you is a long-range option. Get some riding lessons. Preferably dressage lessons and get your horse back into school too. When a horse is resistant to moving forward for whatever reason, if it's not pain or discomfort, then it's likely that she is resistant in other areas too because the rider isn't asking the question correctly. I can't tell you how many people ask the horse to go with their legs and seat, but say whoa with their hands! The horse gives up in confusion and often rears, bolts, or does some other misbehavior. Your goal with this training is to teach your horse that as long as you are on her or near her, she will be safe and know that what you ask of her is reasonable. The other option is as the people at your barn suggest.. whip her and beat her down the trail. What does this do. Think like a horse! She's concerned about going away from her safe haven, the barn, and into the unknown, the trail. It's scary. Now the human on top of her is smacking her and carrying on. Well, you've just reinforced to her that it is indeed a scary place. She's likely to never go into the woods. You've made it a fearsome place. I like to play leapfrog with horses on the trail. Go out with someone who has a nice,steady trail horse. Let that horse lead for awhile, but switch lead positions so that your horse has to go. It's OK if she balks. Just stand there and let her increase her comfort zone. eventually she'll start going forward. When she does, you make a really big deal about it and praise her to the heavens. Hope that helps. chris --- Ridecamp Guest <guest-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Please Reply to: sue sue_jamaica@xxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== I had posted a while back about my horse totally unwilling to go onto the trails where I board her. I'm not sure if it's because she smells Deer or Bear. I can get her up to the trail but not down it-she becomes hystrical snorting,rearing,refusing. People at my barn say she is "playing the game" on me. Someone on this website gave me a soloution to her rearing-telling me to press down on her neckline by the withers. This really works! However it doesen't cure her not wanting to go foreward.This summer she went fine alone.I took a crop with me, I used it and she almost threw me off! She even feels timid when we go with other horses-wanting to stay behind and taking "baby-steps". I'm getting frustrated! :DDD Do you think I should have someone come alsong on foot with a lounge wip? Let me know of any soloutions! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- ===== "A good horse makes short miles," George Eliot Chris and Star BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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