My horse is 5yrs old and when we ride he is brill but when i handle him,hes too strong and icant control him!?

Question

he is a VERY mixed breed part cob part arab do you get what i mean, i wrap the ledrope round his nose when i take him out and tether him up on the green, but i think i need something with more control. he also barges out of his stable and runs around the yard alot. but he is an ANGEL when he is ridden. can anybody help please.

Answer 1

You don't need to use stronger aids, you need to learn how to control him and get his respect. Try looking into the Natural Horsemanship trainers' types of methods. If you get RFD-TV (DirecTV, I think) then you can see a lot of their shows for free, but they also have clinics and DVDs you can check out. I'm a big fan of Clinton Anderson and he has many DVDs devoted to gaining respect and control on the ground.

Answer 2

Hi, we had a similar problem with a very strong welsh cob x Arab and it is something you need to stop sa soon as possible before someone gets hurt. We used an attachment for a headcollar which helped a lot. You can buy 'check/control' headcollars. These are not cruel if they are used correctly. The idea is that when your horse starts to run, while you have enough loose leadrope, you do a short, sharp jerk and immediately release the pressure. Using voice command at the same time to reinforce the stop command. All you are trying to do is get the horses attention back on you and away from where it was heading. I found that by doing this in a field initially it gave me confidence. It also helps if after you have 'checked' your horse, immediately swing him round in the opposite direction so he forgets where he was charging off too. I cannot emphasise strongly enough that you MUST NOT keep constant pressure on or it will quickly become ineffective.

Just been reading some answers - for gods sake don't listen to the idiots who suggest 'cruel and dangerous' methods. I think the control halter I speak about is not the same as the 'poll' control collars that other people are mentioning. The one I used was actually a chain type attachment which could be used with any headcollar and went under the jaw only, when pulled sharply one chain ran against the other and made a loud noise. The theory was that you allow the leadrope to be slack and give it a short, sharp jerk prior to the rope going tight. The brief pressure applied by the standard headcollar was reinforced by the noise. Once the leadrope has gone tight, there is no point at all in applying brute force - you can't win against 1/2+ ton of horse. Allow a bit of slack and then move slightly to one side so you are not trying to pull 1/2 ton horse backwards, pulling sideways just takes the horses balance away slightly, giving you the upper hand.

Answer 3

This horse is an accident waiting to happen - you MUST be able to control him at all times - paticularly when you have the disadvantage of being the smaller weaker person on the ground!!
When he goes to barge or run - give him a sharp smack accompanied by a firm NO - reinforce this command every time he misbehaves and he'll learn to associate that him being a bossyboots is only going to get him a smack. If after a week or so of doing this - if he doesnt start copping on a small bit - then you may need to enlist the help of a trainer.
you say he barges - is he locked up in a stable for very long periods of time? Most forward going horses like your one can be cured by allowing as many hours out in the open as possible to burn off excess energy!
It might also help if you bridle him up when taking him out - you'll just have that bit more control through the bit oppossed to a halter!
Dont expect miracles straight away - its going to take hard work and perserverance - but horses are intelligent animals - he'll work out whats hes supposed to do! good luck! xx

Answer 4

He probably learned he could be rude when handled. You have some options:

- take him to a trainer so the trainer can give him a refresher course on ground manners and you can learn some tips

- work with him and don't let him barge or pull. Learn to anticipate when he's going to act up, and be ready. If he straightens his body up and walks away from you, it's hard to get good leverage against the pulling, so don't let him do that. Learn ways not to let him barge out of his stall. Have a friend help you. Decide in your mind from now on no matter what he won't run you over.

- I personally LOVE clicker training. Go through the exercises, especially ground tying, standing still (or on a mat), leading, & verbal "whoa". A good place to start is the Kurland book "Clicker Train Your Horse".

- You could go with a chain shank over his nose, but it sounds like you're not sure how to handle him when he acts up. Poor timing with the chain shank will confuse him. You also can't drag him around with a chain shank (doesn't work if there's always tension on it)... so I'd avoid this for right now

Best of luck to you!

Answer 5

I think you need to find someone who can teach you join up! this will join a connection between you and your horse that will help on and off the horse e.g. he will trust you therefore let you lead him nicely and if you fall off he will may not run away! I am not an expert on this but I have experienced the outcome and it really makes a difference for you and your horses relationship! it can take a while but it is natural and is not forceful! you have to understand a horse to get him to do what you want and this is a way of doing so!
x I hope you and your horse stay healthy and well x

Answer 6

Just work steadily on his ground manners. One thing that worked for me when my horse started barging out of his stall is lead him back into his stall and when I take him out again I stop in the door way (or close to it) and then continue out. Then lead him back in and stop on the way back into his stall. Do that several times every day for 15 minutes until it sinks in. It may take awhile, but it works. Also lead him around in the arena a lot, just you and him and halt periodically when he isn't expecting it and back at odd times too.

There's a lot of good training material out there to help you too, basic ground training is what you need with him. So don't just take the advice of what people here say to do, buy some videos and watch the trainers do it. That way you know you'll be doing it right.

Answer 7

Well, let's put it this way: if I pulled you along by your ear, would you put up a fuss? So to fix that, I might drag you by your ear using barbed wire instead. Would you fuss more? I expect so. What you're very much at risk of is the infinite regress of using stronger and stronger equipment until it all gets completely out of hand. Most importantly, an internet site is not going to give you a single-message solution. I would say that the pair of you need to start again from basics; leading, backing up, everything, with the help of a trained expert. That might be expensive, but it is safer. The longer he learns that he can get away with this, the harder the habit will be to break, and the more likely it will be to recur.

Answer 8

sounds like you may not be using a regular halter, if not get one. get a rope halter that is stiff for this works better to get their attention that the softer ones. get a 10-12 ft lead with a bull snap on the end to give it some weight so if and when you get after your horse he will know you are on the end of it. get a good cotton one so you dont get nylon rope burn. if you don't want to do the rope halter then get a good nylon one but do the same thing with the lead. get a stud chain and put it one the halter so that it runs over the nose and up the off side of his face to the round hardware above the eye and jerk his freakin face off when he bolts or walks on you. you need to establish you are the boss when you are on the ground with him. don't take him to the grass when you tie him up go somewhere else that doesn't give him goodies to want to nibble on. tie him in his stall. you can also use the bridle as a way to get his attention and tell him to back off. hope this helps and good luck. if all else fells get a trainer. first and foremost be safe.

Answer 9

a have an arab x thourabred and your horse sounds like what she used to be like. i did ALOT of ground schooling with her walking in and out of the stable/feild untill she got bord and realised that we were not going any were. also i have a friend do parelli with her and it helped a treat. when i was leading her and she started barging and draging me i turned circles untill she learned respect. she is still not perfect and i have had her 3 yr but there is a vast improvement and i can lead her out on the road with out the fear of being draged about. hope this helps.
if all else fails call the profetionalls hehe

Answer 10

First of all putting a knot in the middle of your rope for grip is insane!!!! Rope burn then a nice knot to break your knuckles when your horse bolts. Try using a thin rope halter with knots on the nosepeice. When your horse is hyper back him up instead of coming forward. I use Parelli natural horsemanship, and have seen huge changes with his methods. It is amazing what you can do with your horses.

Answer 11

if wrapping a lead rope around his nose does nothing try a controller head collar. you can find them in most saddleries. if that doesn't work try bringing him in from the field with his bridle this will help. as for barging out of the stable there are many reasons for this.
one might be excitment at leaving the stable and going out either for a ride or to eat grass. keep tit-bits in your pocket and make him come out of the stable a step at a time giving him a treat ever time he stops.
another reason may be that he is a little clostraphobic (sorry about the spelling!!) i had a horse with this problem and the only way i found was to have a load of patients and take her in and out of the stable over and over again untill she didn't find it scary and felt as though she must canter out of the stable!!
the other reason may just be bad manners, some people attatch a piece of electric fencing to the inside of the door so the horse learns to respect the door and becomes a little weary of it, don't know how well it works as never had to do it myself.
the only other advice i can give you is to tie a knot half way down your lead rope so when he pulls you have something to hold on to and it gives you more grip.
hope some of this is usefull
gemma