Here I go again, you all are great with your input. I am struggling to bond with my new horse.?

Question

He is a real sweet gelding, perfect teeth, feet are beautiful, stands for bathing (without cross ties or any rope) great with farrier and vet, takes his wormer like candy. Doesn't kick or bite. Has good confirmation. But he has an edgy side to him and HE WON'T LOAD WITHOUT MAJOR EFFORT. He is an Appendix QH/Registered Paint. Is it the throrough bred in him that makes him quirky? I haven't developed the trust in him that I had with my other Paint. He bucked me off 8 weeks ago and i haven't been on him since...he fell asleep with me in the saddle, stopped to yack with a friend. Am I just needing to get back in the saddle? Is there a chat room for this kind of dumb horsey issue? I'm just an occassional trail rider in FL. and I'm too old to be thrown off too often - after this last time, it took me nearly 3 weeks to get my ribs healed enough to sneeze without mega-pain! My last Paint really spoiled me. BTW, I bought him in October - 8 months ago!

Answer 1

I don't think we can blame his problems on his TB ancestors. He may just have a less eager-to-please temperament.

#1 is spend as much time as you can with him. Try to do things that aren't always work. Groom him in his itchy spots. Praise him when he does well.

I also LOVE clicker training. It's an excellent way to bond with your horse, get his cooperation, and train him. Pick up Alexandra Kurland's book "Clicker Train you Horse" or join the clicker rider discussion list.

The trailer loading is hard to solve until we know why he isn't loading. Was he ever properly trained to load? Or did people just chase him onto the trailer with brooms & whipping? Is he scared of it or just resistant? Once you get further along with clicker training, you can use it to get him to willingly walk on.

Answer 2

Sell him and buy a calmer horse with a more friendly attitude towards people. Some horses like people - others just tolerate them. You need a horse that was raised by people who loved it and worked with it from birth.
Have you ever used a butt rope ro loading? I have, but I prefer to take lots of time and use treats to persuade the horse to load. Make it a pleasant experience.
Why did he buck you? Did you surprise him when you moved?

I raised an Appaloosa stallion from birth and he was extremely gentle, but he never bonded with anyone. I don't know why - our filly thinks she IS a person! I do strongly suggest you sell and get a different horse. Yes, the TB blood could make him edgy. Also, do you feed a high protein feed? If the horse doesn't need a high-octane feed, reduce the protein content, or even reduce grain and add hay or pasture if he is an easy keeper.

Answer 3

1) you're never going to develope anything with him, if you don't spend time with him, on or off his back. 2) While you're on him, you should have been paying attention. If you were BS-ing with a friend, and he got you off, don't blame him, you' re supposed to be in charge. 3) If he won't load, try this if he's go a stall that opens outdoors... Back the trailer up to it the door at night, and put his feed in the trailer. Leave it there overnight. I'll bet that sometime during the night, he goes in, and eats. After 2-3 days of this, he'll be over whatever issue he had about entering trailers.

Answer 4

before you give up on him! lots have probs with loading, unhappy memory's about being loaded, mistreated or even castrated in a trailer! or afraid of the noise and confinement or he could just be playing you up!? ask a professional that lives near by to work with you as well as the horse, do all the usual checks with tack fitting properly, teeth and back checked, get some lessons in the safety of a sand school, and if at the end of it you don't feel able to handle him with confidence cut your and his losses sell him and buy a more suitable horse, have it on loan for a month before you buy so you know your right together, remember you are supposed to get pleasure out of a hack, they cost a lot to keep and its not very nice hitting the deck!

Answer 5

To load him do the old standby of take him up to the trailers and let him stand by it. When he does that quietly by the door or the ramp--procede forward a step or two. Get a quiet response before going a little closer---and I for one have used the cookie method when I get a positive response. Have several friends who load the "cowboy" way and when thier way fails they tell me to go ahead and spoil their horses into the trailer. You didn't say how old this guy is---but if he is a little "full" of himself---lunge him before you ride and take the edge off of his behavior.

Answer 6

How old is he? TB can't be blamed for being quirky any more than the QH can. Get someone to help you and work on your balance, seat and confidence. There are many exercises and things you can do to increase balance and seat - and with that will come confidence as you both learn to trust each other. Consider he might be mistrusting you - try to look at whatever happened from *his* perspective. You were taking a break - he started snoozing then something scared him (guessing?) and next thing he knew you were on the ground instead of where you were supposed to be. A horse - especially a young one - who has never had anyone fall from it before that really shakes their confidence.
A few years ago I was breaking a young filly and had her pretty solid when something scared her FACE IT. She could snort, blow etc but no spinning and bolting. I was trotting her down a fence row and a cat bolted from the weeds and scared her - before I could react she was turning to face it, then stumbled and tripped. It was like slow motion I tipped her nose up and she laid down on her side, I kicked free, she got up - she was uninjured, I bumbed up my shoulder for a bit. When I started riding her again she was afraid if I moved in the saddle at all and would try moving under me. LOL Ever try to get OFF without leaning a little bit? :-D It took a while to get her confidence in me back...and it was not her fault. She'd done nothing wrong and in fact was doing what I taught her...facing what scared her. I hadn't touched the reins - she did it on her own.

As for the trailer issue - as I'd posted elsewhere (now buried) -
Many "bad loaders" are being put in trailers too small.

But some tips to help...keep the trailer open. Park it so the sun is behind you - shining into the trailer from behind. If the other way the horse is looking into a dark hole and self preservation will keep many from going there. With it plenty lit, use enough bedding to muffle the sound. Have the trailer SOLID - hitched so it doesn't move around when he steps in. Park it 10-15' from a fence/barn/something behind the horse. when you open the door it will then form sort of a 'chute - the door blocks one side, the back something is there, the other side is open and the "front" is the trailer. This way he can't run backwards 30-40' avoiding going in the trailer. Go slow. Watch him but don't turn around and face him. Walk in from the back of your open side and walk in like there's nothing to it...if everything is in place right many horses will follow. Sometimes a rope around the butt helps but use it to guide not force him in. Forcing is what you want to get away from. He has the right to refuse (and you have the right to do what you need to in order to make the trailer a "safe" place to be). Some horses a whip popped behind them does that. You can touch them with it but unless he's kicking DON'T *HIT* him with it. The whip is a guide, not a weapon. Some horses a little feed works - others will refuse until you feed them outside the trailer.

If this doesn't get through to him - and if you've got a proper size trailer lit up so there's no excuses...try parking it in a paddock with him. He has water outside but his food is in the trailer. Obviously you must make sure he knows it's there. If he goes in and comes out a few times that's ok...he's learning he can go in and he's in control of coming back out without being forced. Once he's relaxed about it do up the back. Fuss over him a bit praising him. Make it no big deal unless he goes in (praise) or does something dangerous (striking, kicking - discipline). Don't jerk on him - if you jerk on his head, he flips up in the air and hits his head it's going to be that much more difficult next time.
Using these things the biggest challenge was a horse who they had to drag in - she was a notoriously bad loader and a bratty personality so her timid owner she learned she could run over. She'd kick to intimidate (not really meaning to hurt but unacceptable). She'd rear, she'd run backwards...it was a 45 minute to an hour battle to get her in a trailer. Then she'd dance, jump around and all once in the trailer. Using these techniques within a week her teenage owner was loading her alone and it became a case of get out of the way she wanted in the trailer. She learned she wasn't going to be hurt in there and there was hay in the trailer more often than not. I did, however, veto a trailer the people looked at because it was too short for her...she could do it but if anything ever happened to raise her head suddenly (braking hard to avoid a vehicle pulling out in front of them, whatever) she'd smack her head and become afraid again. They ended up getting a larger, wide, tall trailer and combined with a few simple things to let her choose what we wanted anyway the "loading problem" was solved. It was done without whipping and dragging her into the trailer, although there was a whip there especially the first few times. (The whip could touch her rump and, with her previous attempts to kick if she kicked the whip no harm done).

Answer 7

Well, I do know a lot about pets on that particular subject. So, just like, pet him softly and whisper to him. Say stuff like, "Hey, buddy." Stuff like that. You may have to be as stubborn as the horse when it still wont let you bond with him.

Answer 8

Have you tried just spending "time" with the horse..... so its more comfortable?

Answer 9

you know what really helped me with my BOSSY mare was to teach her somthing do showmanship or work with flags or tarps.