Strange behavior of inherited horse?

Question

I have inherited a 20 month old spotted saddle horse. He is beautiful. He was living with a different family member that did nothing with the horse but provide the small area for it to live. I have been educating myself alot about horses and have broke some of the bad behaviors, and gotten to the point of being able to place the blanket and saddle on his back. When I did this for the first time he just stood their and had no reaction, and has acceped the saddle since without problems. Does this mean that the horse will be able to break easily? Also when Rebel is tied for his daily grooming he will take his foot and paw at the ground. He does this several times during his 30 min grooming. He doesn't appear to be mad, ears are forward. He just had his hoofs trimmed by the ferrour. What does this mean when he does this? Is it that he just wants loose?

Answer 1

The pawing is a sign of boredom. First of all do not slap or yell at your horse. This can lead to distrust and fear. It sounds like you have come a long way and you do not want to do anything to give him reason to distrust you.
One technique i have used is to whistle while i am grooming or talking. You will find the horse will focus on you. just ramble on about any old thing. I even sing.
If he starts pawing say no in a firm voice (not yelling) and then continue. If you find it a continual problem try giving him a haynet or horse toy while you are grooming. Still saying no firmly if he paws.
Horses love a good scratch so if u find aparticular spot he likes (usually the withers or rump) start scratching him there to help him relax. They soon forget about pawing.
Only time and patience will fix the problem in the long run.
Whatever you don do not tie him up and leave him alone, they can panic and i have seen a horse wear half his hoof away in 1/2 hour by doing this.
Distraction is the answer
cheers

Answer 2

The blanket and saddle on his back does not necessarily mean he will be easy to start. It does show that he is generally calm and accepting, which is good. One way you can tell if he'll be "easy" to break is to observe him in the pasture with the other horses. Is he dominant or submissive? If you don't have any other horses, does he have good ground manners? If he isn't bossy and doesn't nip or kick, he's probably a submissive horse. Submissive horses generally are easier to break.

The pawing shows that he's bored or impatient. A lot of horses do this, it's normal, but it's a bad habit you should break. Next time he paws make sure he knows you don't want him to do this. Usually a firm voice or a slap clears this up but only temporarily. The only other way I know of getting rid of the habit completely is tying your horse in a stall or to a post (somewhere safe) and leaving him there. Supervise if you wish, but it's not necessary if he can tie well. Provide water if necessary, and leave him there for an hour. He'll paw, but let him do it. Soon he'll realize the pawing isn't going to do anything and when you've noticed he's stood for awhile without pawing, end the session. It usually takes them an hour, but others all day. Repeat this preferrably every day or as often as you can, and soon he'll drop the habit.

Answer 3

That pawing is a boredom type thing- another bad habit. I will yell at my horse for it. You say no and hit his leg- he will get the idea pretty quick. All of our horses did it until we yelled at them for it.
As for breaking him, he sounds like he might be easier if he didn't spook at all. Just do everything very slowly and have him wear the saddle whenever you work him. If it is not tight yet, day by day tighten it more.
Other things you can do:
walk him by a mounting block and stand on it, making him stand still next to it. Next step: lean your body over the saddle resting your belly on the saddle. Make sure he doesn't move- you may need someone to hold you. You can then progress to sitting on him, if he is ok with everything else.
Another thing: it is at an ok age to try a bit in his mouth, try to keep that in when you work him. Have him lunge and listen to voice commands. After lunging, you can try ground driving- basiccally pretend you are driving a cart behind him. Attach a lunge line on both sides, then go through a surcingle to your hands and have him walk, trot and stop. This will get him used to bit pressure. You may need someone to lead him until he gets the idea.
I have trained numerous horses off all different breeds in this method, and by taking it slow, I have never had a problem with a horse freaking out with whats going on including bit pressure or weight in the saddle.
Hope this helped!

Answer 4

You can teach a horse the word NO and the pawing can be curbed that way.
He is just bored and as the person suggested earlier try geting his attention back to you.

Please do not attempt to break this horse yourself. You can do yourself and the horse more harm than good if you are learning by a book and not from experience. Get with a good horseman that is willing to work with you so you and the horse can establish a good realtionship from the beginning. It is well worth the money and you will have alifelong companion that you fully trust once you do.

Good luck and be blessed with this gift. Horses are tremendous amount of fun and a lot of work but well worth the effort.

Answer 5

Hello fellow horse lover,

It sounds like you are trying to give him a much better home...good for you. Horses can be so funny. One day they will be perfectly fine with something the next they are throwing a fit about it. My suggestion is that you give both you and your new friend a chance to get to know each other and trust each other. Be patient, Rebel will come around. As far as the pawing on the ground this is just something that they do to show that they are bored and would rather be eating or doing anything else besides whats going on at that moment. They are like big babies....lol, Good Luck with you new friend.

Answer 6

since the horse is accepting the blanket and saddle without any blow ups, he is showing he trusts you, his pawing is just him showing he doesn't care to stand there, I have a few horses that like to paw, if I am around when they start to paw I will holler at them to stop, if they don't stop I will smack them on the leg they are pawing, not in a threatening way, but like you would smack a child on the hand, some horses will always paw, I have a horse that is real high strung and he always paws until I start putting his saddle on, another will paw until he sees me then quits because he knows he is going to get a scolding, I watch alot of horse training shows on tv, everyone has a hint to use, some might work for a particular horse and some might not, good luck to you with your horse, horses are wonderful, I know my life would be empty without my horses, my whole family would be lost without horses,

Answer 7

Can't answer the saddle question...you really don't know how he will respond once he has someone on his back. In regards to the pawing....he is bored. This is actually considered a bad behavior because they will cause damage to thier hoof as well as the flooring. When he does this, use a crop to tap on the leg area and tell him no.

Answer 8

Does this mean that the horse will be able to break easily?
--not neccesarily, just that he has a good disposition.... it doesn't determine how he'll act with weight on him or someone telling him what to do

What does this mean when he does this?
--nothing:-) my dad's horse does it all the time.... mostly when he's eating. it's just that he gets so excited and happy that he can't do anything but paw the ground! sometimes it's because the grooming feels good to them to!

Is it that he just wants loose?
--nah, if he wanted loose he could get loose! as long as he's not lunging away, he's perfectly content!

hope that helped.... any more questions just email me!

Answer 9

Sounds like he needs to learn patience. A round pen is a great place to train a horse. It is better to train them at 2 years or a little older. We find that 3 year olds are easier because they are more mature in their minds and bodys. Just because he lets you put the saddle on doesnt mean he'll be easy to train, he could buck like a bronc.

Answer 10

My mare is just inpatient. I usually pat her sholder and tell her to stand still and she will stop. As for breaking, I would take it slow. Personally we took my mare to a trainer because we've never broke a horse before. We tried but it was better that she went to a trainer. Most horse trainers are reasonable in pricing as long as it's not like Clint Anderson (Great trainer, very expensive). If you want to train on your own I suggest reading ALOT and having a friend read and learn with you so that you can take a break and they can tell you to lighten up when you get frustrated.