ridecamp@endurance.net: arab needs a pacifier!

arab needs a pacifier!

wood.cameron (wood.cameron@acd.net)
Wed, 26 Feb 97 18:53:00 PST

Hello all!
I'm having a problem with my arab, Yaled, that I'm hoping some of you
more experienced riders might be able to help with. It's only marginally
endurance-related, but I think others may benefit from my problem, and your
advice.
The problem is this: my guy is a real type-A personality......always
ready to go, even if I'm not! He bolts, he jigs instead of walks home, he
needs constant contact on his mouth to "rate" him....on a loose rein, he
just increases his speed until he's in the next gait. When I try to take up
the reins again, his head pops up, he hollows his back, and we lose any
sort of rhythm we might have had.
I can't afford a trainer, so I'm trying to muddle through on my own.
I realize that the root of the problem..and the solution, lies in
re-learning the basics. So, I'm trying to do a lot of groundwork with him
before getting in the saddle. I'm trying some T-TEAM methods on him, but
this horse HATES being touched. Is this common for arabs? He's not
unfriendly, just very business-like in his personality. He used to be very
unpleasant --kicking and pinning his ears when I groomed him--but 2 years
of working with him has improved him somewhat. Now when I try to use
massage or just touch him or groom him, he just HAS to swing his head
around and lip me or grab a piece of my clothing and hang on to it like a
pacifier. The only time he is still, and seems to enjoy being touched, is
when he's got something in his mouth....preferably ME...and this is not
acceptible to me! He has never bitten, just seems to be orally fixated on
everything.
How to I get this horse to relax and let me touch him? If I reprimand
him, even with my voice only, his head pops up and he tenses all his neck
muscles, completely defeating what I'm trying to accomplish! I've had him
for 2 years now, and I like him a lot, but I feel like I can't go any
furthur with him until we can get past this stiffness and anxiety.
Any advice would be appreciated very much!! Email me privately, if you
feel this doesn't belong on the list.
Thanks,
Shannon Weston
Laingsburg, Michigan
Khomytt & Shalom B' Yaled (is it spring yet?)

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