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i have loaned a horse and have a prblem with her.
when i am riding her in the arena always heads towards the door no matter how much i pull the reins or use my leg.
she just wont listen to me.
when i make her trot she will go off in the opposite direction to what im asking and will just stop.

any ideas?

2007-01-14 22:39:09 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets Other - Pets

20 answers

she is a bit stubborn...be patient

2007-01-18 22:29:56 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3 0

Sounds like she is napping. If she sticks her head in the air, or drops her jaw to evade the bit then try using a martingale or a flash noseband resepctivly. These are training aids to help prevent the horse ignoring the bit. Try carrying a dressage or schooling whip. These are longer than regular crops and can be used without removing your hand from the reins. Carry it on the side she naps towards, and when she heads for the door, use your legs once to ask her to move away, if she ignores your leg, then tap her with you stick. I would also suggest that you do a lot of lateral work - teaching her to move away from your leg when you ask her to. Leg yeilding etc are good exercises. You could also try, when she naps turn her in a tight circle and make her move away from the door. If you do this every time she naps, she will soon get the idea. If you are still having problems then try and find an instructor to come and give you a lesson on her in your areana.They will be able to identify why she is napping and give tailored advice to your situation.
You could also contact the person you have loaned the horse from and see if this is a problem they have had, as they may be able to help with the problem.
Good Luck

2007-01-15 08:04:27 · answer #2 · answered by MyNutmeg 6 · 2 1

Horses get bored the same as we do and if you put yourself in her shoes you will see that running around in a circle gets a bit tiresome after awhile.
You don't say how experienced you or the horse is but most horses like most humans when they meet someone new will test the boundaries to see just how far they can get, if you don't have much experience then she has probably realised this and found that what she's doing in annoying you and it gets you of her back sooner. My advice to you other than learning more about horses and riding is to be persistent and patient, the very second she does something right even if it's only a tiny movement in the right direction is to stop all directional aids and reward her (stoping all instruction and giving her a pat with some praise is reward enough) wait a few minutes then continue, she will soon come to realise that the kicking and pressure on her mouth will stop if she turns in the right direction or does what is wanted of her. Get to know her on the ground and be patient, horses are normally more than happy to please it is usually that they don't fully understand what is being asked of them that ends up labelling them as a difficult or stupid horse.
Overall be firm (not cruel) and endlessly patient.

2007-01-15 08:17:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

The roots of your problems are very simple:

1) Your mare doesn't respect you AT ALL
2) She is unaware of how to respond to pressure in any other way except pushing into it
3) She doesn't trust you
4) She's taken it upon herself to be the leader

Here is what you have to do to help her out of this:
1) Show her that you are worth listening to by becoming worth listening to. In other words, this is your problem for not having the leadership skills she needs.
2) Teach her that pressure is something you give not, not crash through.
3) Do the first two and trust will come
4) Do the first three and the last one will fix itself.

Your problems probably show on the ground too. Does she come up to you in the pasture? If not, you're already off to a bad start.
Are her ears forward when you ask something, or does she pin them?
When she stops to eat grass online, how difficult is it to get her head up? If it's hard, she is already showing zero respect for your wishes. If it's easy, she thinks that you are more interesting than grass and is glad to follow you.

I'll bet this is YOUR problem. If you fix your issues, the horse will be glad to follow. Horses are naturally looking for leadership, but if they can't find it, they do it themselves. This mare is just being the leader since she's not convinced you're capabable. And to be honest, you aren't, *yet*. I struggle with the same thing. It's your responsability to be a leader for this horse. Otherwise, you get rude and often dangerous behavior.

Your mare is exibiting dangerous behavior. If a situation demanded that you take controll, what could you do? Just hang on and hope you come out okay.

Also, how does your equiptment fit? If the saddle is pinching her or just doesn't fit right, you're going to have trouble. Her back may need adjusting also.

What I would strongly suggest is that you get respect and leadership quickly.

You can be a brute and use equiptment and gadgets, which work for a short amount of time before this mare out smarts you again. Or, you can think your way through it and get results that last.

Try Parelli Natural Horsemanship. It's pricey, but worth every single penny. It can give you skills to deal with any horse and any problem, not just this horse.

Good luck!

2007-01-15 11:15:25 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

You mean this horse has a problem with you. Learn to ride. If you don't know the answer to this question, then you need the help of a professional.. NOW on everything with your horse. This is basic!!! First off, you don't PULL on reins, at least you say you are using your leg, but obviously not correctly.

GET HELP FROM AN INSTRUCTOR!

2007-01-15 11:56:15 · answer #5 · answered by Juju_Bee 2 · 0 0

Your horse is taking the mick out of you unfortunately. You need to show her who is boss. When she pulls you to go to the door, don't let her go there! Take a hold of one of your reins and pull her head around. Pulling back on the reins will just cause her to brace against you and pull even more. Pulling one rein tight will make her head bend around, and if she isn't facing forward she can't go forward!!

Don't stop until she is going the way you ask her to. As soon as she goes the right way, stop everything. THIS IS IMPORTANT! Giver her a pat, tell her she is a good girl, cos if you praise her when she does something right straight away, she will think "hey, if do what she says then i get a pat, if i do something wrong, then i feel uncomfortable." Pretty soon she will get the message!

2007-01-15 10:57:44 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

She is obviously getting bored with schooling in the arena, go out on hacks, do jumping and make learning goals at the start of every session. If you can maybe try and ride with other horses in the arena.
Learning goals can be, perfecting cantering in 20m circles, flying changes, run up to the jump etc.

2007-01-15 11:48:26 · answer #7 · answered by Gracie 3 · 0 0

you need to do one of two things -
1- get tough with her - show her whos boss - carry a crop and when she decideds to head for the door - carry the crop in your outside rein hand and give her a firm slap on the neck accompanied by a "NO" - every time she decideds to head off where she likes - repeat this procedure.
2- enlist the help of an instructor - she may be too strong for you and you may not have the experience to sort her out.
A lot of horses take advantage when the realise that they have the upper hand in the horse/rider relationship - you just have to regain your authority! Good luck xx

2007-01-15 10:46:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1 1

Sounds like she is "barn sour"Ride her at the other end for awhile and get off of her at the opposite end of the arena and lead her to the gate when you are finished riding. Also, when you are finished riding, don't unsaddle her right away. Make her stand tied up for awhile, longe her, or put her on the walker. Mix up the routine everyday because horses are creatures of habit.

2007-01-15 14:47:29 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Sounds like she is either poorly trained or "pissed*off" with life. Get a good BHS AI to do several long reign sessions with her to re establish her trainning and also get her to work you and the horse together so you get used to and understand each other.

If it is still proving too difficult, then she is on loan so give her back. Next time make sure you ride a horse a couple of times before taking it on. if you are young or inexperienced then take your instructor or someone else with experience with you to look the horse over.

Remember it has to be fun or there's no point.

Good luck.

2007-01-15 06:51:39 · answer #10 · answered by David M 3 · 0 1

Sounds like she is either burned out or just testing you. I alot of school horses, trail riding horses and any horse ridden by alot of inexperienced riders get soured. She could also lack a lot of trainng. I would recommend you start back with some basics, and start with ground work or use of the lounge line. Work her by the door and keep her feet moving. After she gets some of her pent up enery try working her while riding. Work her by the door but be sort of tough on her, keep her feet moving even if in a circle. Everytime you give in she wins.

2007-01-15 07:45:24 · answer #11 · answered by TritanBear 6 · 1 1

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