Backing up

[terre <tobytrot@bigfoot.com>]

Theresa
	If this problem is behavioural, and not caused by tack in any way, it can
be a real bummer!  I had a friend who's totally spoiled young gelding would
do this; in fact he would throw himself over backwards if pushed hard
enough.  He did actually back into a number of ditches and over
embankments--just didn't seem to care.
	Groundwork only worked--on the ground!  Under saddle, he still believed he
could win--he always had.  In her case, the problem manifested itself as
barnsourness--he would go a certain distance, stop, and refuse to move
forward; if pushed he would begin the backing.  She tried every form of
'force' conceivable--nothing worked.  The way she finally solved the
problem?  She took a book along.  The first time he stopped and refused to
move on, she asked him strongly once, and if that didn't work she tied him
short to the nearest immovable object, sat down, read a couple of chapters,
got on, asked him again..... At the beginning, when the problem was at its
worst, I used to come by and pick her up in a car and we'd go to a pub for
a beer!  The message was: it was her way or no way!  And he finally got
it--only took a few weeks; after months of trying circles, crops, dumping
water on his head if he reared--you name it.
	Hope this helps; IMO this can be a very dangerous problem!  Terre


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