help!! ~from horsey people~?

Question

ok well i bought a black and white paint gelding, reining horse, monday an he's the best! ive been riding him for about a year an i got the money an bought him the only problem im having w/ him is b4 i bought him beginner students were riding him an let him get away with alot of stuff like when he'd slide they'd close their legs an make him side pass or walk out of his slide an when they'd ask him 2 spin tehy'd make him walk circles inside of actually spinning. an he's been very jumpy lately an he always thinks that i'm gona be making him change his lead. an when i groom him off he always side passes wheni bring the saddle 2 him an when i brush him an hoof pick his feet he tries 2 bite my backside. an i kno that he didnt use 2 do this bcz when my trainer first got him he waz a well mannered reining horse an he'd nvr try 2 bite a person of sidestep out of his slides an spins an he'd nvr try 2 reach around an bite a persons foot. is there anyway i can get him back 2 his oldself??

an plus my trainer had knee surgery so he really cant help except let me kno wat im doing wrong an wat 2 do with my horse when he gets jumpy an goes 2 fast.

thank u every1 i really appreciate yal helping me out ive been riding for about 8 yrs now an ive been doing reigning for bout 5-6 yrs my horse is 10 an he's won a lot of shows but that was when my trainer showed him now after every1 riding him its taking me along time 2 bond with him an get him 2 do the rite thing. after reading every1s suggestions i tried an its really working he's starting 2 trust me an he hasnt tried 2 bite me for almost 2 days he's really calming down now that he understands that im the only 1 who'll be riding him i take him on trail rides b4 i go in2 the arena an he stays slow an only speeds up when i ask him 2 he's almost got the sliding n standing thing down i kno that itll take alota work he still moves away from me when i approach him with the saddle but im being very calm an easy with him an im still working on the lead changing i really do appreciate every1s help! i cant decide who 2 make the top answer bcz i like every1s answers so ill let the voters decide

an again I thank every1 for your help!! =))

Answer 1

The best thing you can do is continue getting advice from your trainer - he/she knows this horse and his personality as well as yours.

It sounds like this horse has been allowed to "get away with things". You just need to establish what you expect and he will follow suit.

If he is trying to bite you when you pick his feet, a short, sharp "NO" may be all he needs. Or maybe he needs that plus a shortening up on his tie (assuming he is single tied). If he is in cross ties, tighten them so he can't reach you.

As far as side steping away from the saddle, maybe he is anticipating something. Talk to him and quietly place the saddle pad on him. Praise him. Do the same with the saddle. Don't just throw it on. And don't cinch it up real tight at first. Tighten in stages. Once he understands that you aren't going to buckle him down on the get go, he may relax and stand again. Or the damage is done and he may be saddle shy forever.

For the slides, build up to them by walking, then whoa. It doesn't have to be a slide - just a stop and stand. PRAISE him up and down when he stops and stands still. Once he masters that, work up to a trot then whoa. Praise him for a stop and stand. Work up to a canter, etc. That will establish what is expected of him - especially if he and did it well in the past. And if he masters the walk and has trouble with the trot, work on the trot and end your session with a few walk/stops to end your session ON A GOOD NOTE. This is important as it reinforces what is expected and makes him feel good about his training.

Good luck!

Answer 2

You are on the right track asking your trainer for advice. A lesson horse gets spoiled easily. But usually if they have a really good foundation under them, it is not hard with some time and consistant work to bring them back to their old level of performance. You may also want to check out these tapes. They are from a top reining trainer. Easy to follow and understand and they work! Hope this helps and good luck with your new horse!

http://www.horsetrainingvideos.com/

Answer 3

The only way to break bad habits is to correct the horse many many times. That's the problem with horses that are ridden by many people. It takes 10 times as long to un-train the bad behaviors than if they had never learned the behavior in the first place. I would be patient and make sure you hold the horse to a high standard and enforce your cues. it will just take time.

Answer 4

Two main words: Consistency and Respect.

You have to be consist in the training, to undue and relearn a positive trait and it takes respect on your behalf to able for him to give you respect back too.

It is a long process road that you just have to keep on top of. If anyone else rides him: know their riding style and be available so you can correct it as horses can easily revert back.

My mare had some major issue's that I had to undue, and build up again when I first got her. Took 3 years of consistency with trainers to slow down her trotting gate to smooth, lower her head naturally with out riding tools to do so and for her to dwindle the rearing. Some horses can be broke with in 6 months of that, some horses can take up to a few years. Each horse is individual and each horse has to have the proper training technique that fits them.

Answer 5

Since your trainer is not able to help you out right now- I suggest finding a reining horse trainer in your area so a professional can get him back up to speed and his training. Since he's already broke and knows how to do the maneuvers a trainer may just have you ride him and tell you how to correct his riding problems.

If you don't want to get a trainer however here's some basic tips on getting his riding back up to par-

SLIDING STOP- After warming up your horse start him at one end of your arena in the direct center. Ask for him to lope off- he is a trained reining horse so do not let him trot off or lope off fast. As you progress gently cluck to him and ask for him to go faster- by the time you reach the center of the arena he should be at ample speed as if he was at a NRHA competition. Drop your reins to his wither and ask for whoa....he should emmediatly plant his hind quarters and slide- if he didn't, then you didn't keep him straight and need to try again. Make sure you have him wearing the appropriate tack- this includes sliding boots.
When you get him to stop nicely- ask him to back up a few steps- in most reining patterns it will call for a 10 step back up to the center of the arena for the last sliding stop with rollbacks for the first 2 sliding stops. However there are one or two patterns where they ask for you to enter with a sliding stop and halt in the middle of the arena before progressing to your circles and lead changes. The thing about NRHA events is you will never know what pattern they'll ask you to perform so reiners and trainers just practice the maneuvers in no particular order.

SPIN- When you start asking him for a spin it may be a bit more difficult. When asking him for a spin you will first add pressure with the outside leg while taking your inside leg and moving it back a couple of inches. You will then cluck to him gently and press your outside rein against his neck. Lets say you are asking for him to spin right- when you ask him to move a step forward he should do so by stepping first with his right foot and then proceed into a spin. Another way to get him to spin is to lope him slowly in a large circle and then make the circle smaller and smaller until he sits back on his haunches and goes into a spin.

Him anticipating lead changes should fix itself with time and patience. If he picks up a lead you didn't ask or does a flying lead change stop him and start him again.

As for him moving away when you groom or try to tack him up and trying to bite you- that is a respect issue you and he will need to work out. Be firm with him- since he has already had training, he knows what to do and what not to do. Hold him to a higher standard than you would a green horse. I'm sure you and him will progress greatly with the proper retraining.

Answer 6

when A horse starts biting that is a sign of disrespect . your are going to have to show him that you are the boss because he is going to try you to see what he can get away with. Monty Roberts has a methods he calls join up that I have tried, and it is really good but it will take lots of patience, and he will still try you every now and then

Answer 7

Check out a natural horsemanship site. he seems to be getting the best of you (which is getting away with anything) He needs to be taught who´s the leader. This usually happens with horses who are spoiled by wrongly understood "loving"