Horse Training Questions?

Question

I just bought my first horse the other day. She's a 15'2 Appy. She had 90 days of riding, did great and is a gentle girl. I'm very new to training and haven't had any professional education. So I'm a bit nervous, but also excited. A few things that happend today.


When my horse was out in the Wash Rack she would sometimes paw against the wet floor, should I condone this or what can I do to make her stop?

When I take her out to the pasture her head becomes high before I talk off her halter, and as soon as I take her off the hatler she bolts off. What am I doing wrong and what should I do? (I did not put the rope on her neck so I know that is part of my mistake)

I was walking her around in the arena, she hasn't been there for 8 months but when she saw herself in the mirror she panicked and accidenltey stepped on my back foot. How can I better calm her down, and prevent her from stepping on me again? (should I jump back quick when she panicks or should I pull down on her lead rope while I calm her?)

How can I get her to watch her space as I am walking near her?

When I got her into the pasture she started biting on the wood as I was closing the gate, I take it this is called Cribbing? She is 5 years old. What must I do to prevent this?

The more answers I get the better. Thanks!

Also, I'm new to commands so when she freaks out I tell her "easy girl!". When she nods her head as I am trying to take off the halter I tell her to cut it out but she keeps doing it, I kind of gave her a quick smack on the neck, is that right?
When I try to back her up she'll do fine as I give the rope a quick little tug. But when she stops I give it a heavier snap, should I poke her chest if she stops and doesn't move?

Answer 1

You didn't say how old you were, so I will assume you are younger. If you are still in High school see if you can join 4H, or find a 4H person to give you tips. Ok, answer to your questions...
1. Pawing, normal behavior, but not acceptable...when she paws, tell her "quit" in a firm but not loud voice, if she doesn't listen, give her a poke in the shoulder of the leg that is doing it, she will get the idea. She is impatient.....that is what that means and wants to go do something else. When she quits, tell her good girl.
2. When you take off the halter, before you remove it completely, hold her until she is paying attention to you. You can leave the rope around her neck, but be prepared to be dragged if she doesn't respect that.....you need to keep her from doing that before it gets to be a bad habit.
3.Mirror- Also normal reaction, actually not too bad of one. You want a horse that may panic in place instead of jumping or rearing, or stomping all over the top of you before they leave you in a puddle behind them. Just take her back and forth in front of the mirror, stopping occassionally to let her see that it is her...she will snort and try to pull away, don't let her....let her go to the end of the lead rope but no farther..pat her and calm her, but then make her do it again, until she looks like she is chewing...that is the sign that she is relaxing, and she will do it eventually when she realizes that there is no horse eating boogieman. Just know that when she spooks, you need to get out of the way, but don't attack her, or she won't trust you...again, my favorite word is quit...and a quick pat when she settles down.
4. Cribbing, is not good, the only way to cure that is treating the wood...all of the wood....creosote, or used motor oil, posts of railroad ties....usually not a breakable habit, sorry.
5. Commands as simple as possible, not those that sound the same....walk and trot sound the same to a horse, so draw it out...waaaaaalk, and trot. whoa. quit, stop, ho. any of those will do. a quick smack is fine, as long as you aren't beating her. single word commands.
Backing up is steady pull or short, quick ones, up to you, just don't snap into her face.....poke her chest, step on her front hoof, just where the hair starts (Not hard), until she backs up...all work. Personal space, if she starts into yours, poke her with your finger, push her head away, elbow into her neck, find a short stick and push into her neck....don't let her walk on you, that is disrespect and you don't want that. IF you need more info, email me anytime....Good luck.

Answer 2

I answered the others on your other question...

How can I better calm her down, and prevent her from stepping on me again? (should I jump back quick when she panicks or should I pull down on her lead rope while I calm her?)
If she is MAJORLY freaking out...you just want to keep your self out of harms way.
I wouldn't jump back quick as that is a slightly reckless move, it will further scare the horse, and you have no control....
I don't really know what she is exactly doing, but...
I would pull on the lead as a way to restrain her and have the most control. I would also talk calmly to her to try to calm her.

How can I get her to watch her space as I am walking near her?
really it should be: How can I get her to watch MY space as I am walking her? That is a difficult one, parelli has some games that help with this.

When I got her into the pasture she started biting on the wood as I was closing the gate, I take it this is called Cribbing? She is 5 years old. What must I do to prevent this?
It is only cribbing if she is sucking in air while she is doing this....if so you can try a cribbing collar, but I don't know much about them.....If she is not sucking in air, make sure she has a saltt or mineral lick.

When she freaks or gets ancy a calm low "easy" or "shhh shhhh" is good.

If she is nodding her head...I wouldn't smack her, but I also don't know how to fix this. maybe make this a seperate question and see what you get.....I have a head bobber too....

"quit" or "quit it" might be easier that "cut it out"

Not sure what you mean in the first part, but if she resists to back up you can push/poke her chest

Answer 3

Pawing against the floor, even though a bad habit, is normal when they are bored or want something they don't have. When turning her out to pasture, she seems impatient. When you go to turn her out, instead of just taking off her halter, stand with her for a few minutes. Some horses just want to go and don't have any patience. The more you hold her there or even show her the outdoors and then stall her for a few minutes will help. Just make sure that you pull her head down to you before you take off the halter, if she doesn't want to do it, just wait, she will have to learn this is what you expect from her, once she lowers her head, go ahead and take it off, but if she goes to raise it again, stop and repeat getting her head down to your level. When walking next to her, if she crowds your space, push her back into her own. Cribbing usually happens out of boredom or irritation. They have sprays you can put on the wood that minimizes cribbing. Whatever you do, don't slap or smack her in the face. This will make her head shy. "no" is a good easy word to use, when she starts throwing her head, pull her head down and tell her "no". When backing a horse, any give is worth praise even if it is only a few inches. Try carrying horse treats as a reward for when she gets things right, she'll soon learn. She is still maturing so keep your head up, help her learn what you want. It will all be worth it in the end.

Answer 4

Im a horse training of 18 yrs. For the beginner you shouldnt stress over the little things. The best thing u can do right now is bond with your horse...horses since you being nervous. A confident rider means a confident horse. That horse has to trust you, to feed it, ride it, take care of it. As far as the pawing..thats a bad habit..depending on the age of the horse(?) u should begin to show him that that is not right. either riding, washing or cross tieing the horse should follow your commands. Let him know that u are the owner, if u dont do this early he will take advantage of you...which is dangerous. If u board your horse...see if someone is giving beginning lessons. Or ask some friends around the barn. When i had a young horse who pawed.. each time id stop and tell him no......if he began to do it again id take the end of the lead rope and pop him on the nose. As far as the lifting its head high when u go to take the halter off. give a quick jerk straight down on the lead rope...he will lift his head even higher.....then rub his neck, side of face..to let him know hey its alright, im your owner....he needs to know the routine with you. Remember in training too if you get training...learn with the instructor...the trainer needs to train u too because she wont be riding your horse..u will..to get your space when she is walking .........keep two hands on the halter end of it in your left hand and right hand extended out with lead rope straight under the horses head.......u should be able to stretch your arm out between u and your horse. Once again no one is perfect and horses arent either..its all about showing him who is boss and setting the routine. He will learn. It takes time..thats what having a horse is all about. With the cribbing get pepper spray and spray the post u see her cribbing on the most. This causing the horse to hate it. Another thing is to leave the halter on her for a few days and closely monitor her. With a halter on....if tightened she cant open her mouth wide enough to eat anything but hay or grain.

Answer 5

1) Pawing - she's trying to tell you she's uncomfortable with her footing... Horses do not like to trip - nothing good happens. Try to make the area more conducive to walking on highheels, then you go on there in three inch stillettos and determine if you don't feel like you are going to slip. Have her watch this - she'll actually understand and appreciate your concern.

2) Head held high - Panic. Something is wrong in the pasture. Horses are smart - are her ears pulling back? Any type of predator will cause alarm (even a dog or snake). Also, if there are gophers in the area, she's going to be nervous about her footing - can break a leg by falling in a tunnel.

3) Horses read your emotions and mirror them (pun intended). So stop being so nervous - self-confidence is necessary when dealing with horses. Lead her to the mirror at an angle where she can see her reflection but is not staring straight into it. Horses do not like straight eye contact. Predators use that as a silent communication that they have chosen their prey.

4) You are going to have to push her back. You are the MASTER and are sitting on her - not a natural thing. You have commited to breaking her to do this - you must be strict and disciplinary or she will NEVER quit. Some suggest a pinch or a snap of a rider's whip on the rump - she'll rear at first - very scary but you have to be the one in control or just forget about it.

5) She doesn't want to be in that pasture. She wants out - something is scaring her. Same thing when a horse is biting the bit. A nervousness that is real and needs to be rectified.

6) If you are in the pasture and are not paying attention to her obvious fear - she will lose trust in you, any prodding will not help. Attend to HER concerns FIRST before trying to get her to do what YOU want. She'll trust you more when she knows you are respecting her as a thinking creature. THEN be disciplinarian, but not too much, you can ldestroy the spirit of a horse when you can't be flexible.

Most of all, be confident - you must not have self doubt. Horses are VERY empathic beings. They are also VERY expressive - ears and head are constantly being used in communication. Their body language is VERY extensive - get a book on it.

Answer 6

When she paws the floor just ignore her. They do it b/c she is getting tired of standing there or she wants your attention. If she is doing it while you are standing next to or beside her you should make her stop and stand still. When you bring her in the pasture rub on her and give her treats before you take the halter off. She will learn to want to be with you. When you do take the halter off put your rope around her neck so you can let her go when you want to. NEVER try to shoo her away when she does stay with you.
I would let her out in the arena to check everything out by herself. When you are leading her and she spooks dont spook with her. Just keep calm and she will see that there is nothing to be scared of. Dont jerk the rope when she jumps away.
She needs to respect your space. I teach my horses with a fiberglass stick with a string on the end. I teach the Parelli methods. Go to www.parelli.com and check it out.
I dont know what to tell you about the cribbing except that she is probably just really anxious to get loose. If you give her treats and rub on her before you let her loose she probably will pay more attention to you instead of the wood.
For backing uop Parelli has a great method, so check it out.
Easy girl is fine as long as when shes freaked your as calm as possible.



GOOD LUCK

Answer 7

I know this is quite long but i think it would interest you to read it and it took me forever to write! There are a lot of good excersizes in here and some links to products that will stop her bad habit! =)
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Oh dear, it sounds to me hun that you just have a high strung horse! Lets address these questions one by one.
WASH RACK
1) Pawing is a BAD habbit, and they usually paw when they are bored or are begging for a treat, the only way to make her stop is to go over to her and give me a good slap on the neck! It's a bad and annoying habit that needs to be nipped in the bud!

PASTURE
1) When you are taking her out to the pasture she is holding her head high because she is curious, looking all around, observing her surrounding and she is EXCITED to play! ... That is also why she bolts off... a lot of horses do it and its just their excitement! Why not try leading her around in her pasture a bit by a lead rope before you take her halter off, make her go slow and calllllllllm down! Once she had calmed, give her a treat and let her go =) If she is acting hyper and nutty and stupid while you are leading her, give her a good slap and a tug at the lead rope, let her know YOU are boss.

WOOD
1) Is she sucking air as she is biting the wood and making a funny noise? If so that is cribbing, and you can get her a cribbing collar or one of these....
http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?cmSource=search_results&productclassid=4213

This product is really nice because they can still graze freely and everything, they just cant crib =)


.... if she is just chewing off pieces of wood, it can be very dangerous as the wood can splinter her stomach.... go out right away and get her this product as shown here......

http://www.smartpakequine.com/productclass.aspx?cmSource=search_results&productclassid=1703

It really helps to nip the bad habit of wood chewing in the bud! and can help to stop cribbing also if that is the problem...


MIRROR
1) I can tell that your horse is kind of skittish, she probably doesnt get around mirrors alot of other foreign things. Try bringing new things to the barn, desensitize her and maybe even hang a plastic bag on her stall so she can get used to the rustling and look of it. Try bringing a large hand mirror to the barn and let her see her face it it, smell it and chew at it-- that is how horses discover things... Try bringing her into the indoor arena again, or possibly close the gates and let her go about in it for awhile and let her get used to everything again! =)

Here is an excersize you can do known as the "approach-and-retreat" method of training. It is also known as Desensitizing a horse. By using the approach-and-retreat method, a horse can be trained to accept new objects in his surroundings while eliminating her fear, and most importantly without emotional damage. Through repetition of the approach-and-retreat method, the horse soon learns to trust you when it encounters new things that may seem frightening to her. She begins to trust your judgement and leadership skills.

The approach-and-retreat method works this way: you begin to walk towards the horse with an object that you'd like the horse to become accustomed to, or less scared of. Watch the horse's body posture very closely. The instant you think the horse may even be thinking of moving away, you immediately turn and walk away from the horse. Wait a few seconds (or until the horse has relaxed), then repeat.

By your walking away, the horse is instantly rewarded for her behavior of standing still without restraints. She is rewarded for not thinking that her fears about the object are strong enough to turn and run away. She is rewarded for those few seconds of trust that she gave you. She learns that your request (asking her to accept a scary object - let's say 100 feet away) was not so hard after all. The next time you ask for the same request, you may be able to walk 99 feet from her, then 98 feet, then 97 feet, etc. Through repetition, she is soon no longer afraid of the object and her trust in you has grown.

Walking away (or removing the stimulus/scary object/etc.) EACH TIME is the most important part of the approach-and-retreat method. When you walk away, the horse thinks "Whew, I thought that was going to be scary, but I guess I was wrong". Through repetition, this thought gets saved in the horse's long-term memory which eventually takes over her fear of the object.

This approach-and-retreat method works very well from the very simple things such as approaching the horse in the corral or pasture to be petted, or haltered, to more complex things like lungeing and riding. Being able to approach the horse and interact with the horse in ways such as petting, brushing and leading are the very first training steps that should be taken with every horse, whether they are wild or gentled. Until these first lessons are learned very well by the fillies, the training should not progress any further than that.

Try introducing a new funny looking, smelly, noisy, foreign object to her each week! By the time she has went through several weeks of desensitizing she well spook less and less at things!


Good luck! If you need anything else Contact me at my equine help hotline by adding Equine Help 101 to your buddy list today!!! =)

Answer 8

experiencethe same experience with my paint mare. For the halter she us probably just happy to be outside. She wants to be free! You aren't doing anything wrong my horse does the exact opposite. If she paws on the ground at the wash rack just try to get her mind off of that. My horse does that too. This is all I can give you. I recommend www.freewebs.com/helphorse/ for info. They help you a lot!

Answer 9

First, as you're working with a very green horse and seem to be something of a timid horseman yourself, I highly recommend you find yourself a professional trainer. I can't even count anymore how many times I've seen green riders and nervous horseman seriously injured or overpowered by their green horses. 90 days under saddle is nothing really, so you'll definitely want a trainer to work with her before you get on. That being said, much of the ground manners you're describing about is something you CAN work on yourself, though I do advocate having a professional you can call for advice.

Many horses paw in the wash rack or when hooked up to cross ties. It's a sign of boredom that can quickly turn into a stable vice and it shouldn't be tolerated. Mostly you can stop this with a stern reprimand, a simple, "No!" You may have to drop your voice a few octaves to get her to stop. Your best bet here is to do everything you need to do in the wash rack quickly and efficiently so that your horse doesn't become bored. Make sure you also reward her for standing quietly. Positive reinforcement is the most effective training tool we have.

You have to understand that you have a young, green horse. With only 90 days of professional training, she will still be very unpredictable. Moving to a new owner and new environment is another big change. Thus, you have to be somewhat tolerant and unfazed by her antics for the first few days until she settles down. When you're leading her out to pasture, she's craning her neck to get a good look at her surroundings. If this is an unfamiliar environment, her instincts as a prey animal tell her that predators could be anywhere. Bolting away from you is her instinctive flight response. She should settle down in a few days as she adjusts to her environment. If not, your best bet is to keep her calm as you lead her out. Talk to her in a soft, quiet voice. When you get to the pasture, rub her neck, keep talking. Wait for her to drop her head and relax, and THEN take off the halter. She may still tear off running and bucking from exuberance. Some horses are higher energy and more playful than others. They do this as a way of telling you they're happy to be out of the stall and they want to stretch their legs.

When your horse panics, the last thing you want to do is jump back or make any sort of sudden motion that encourages the horse. You want to remain still, calm, and collected to demonstrate to your horse there's nothing to be afraid of. That your mare succeeded in stepping on your foot tells me you had quite a bit of slack in the lead rope, allowing her to take advantage of it. When you're leading her into unfamiliar environments, you need to anticipate that she could react with fear and uncertainty. You should be positioned at her left shoulder with a firm grip on the lead rope. Should she panic, you'll be in a position where she'd find it difficult to bowl you over or step on you. Don't let her run or back away from the object of her fear. Keep walking towards it. Talk to her in soft tones, and let her come forward to sniff whatever it is she's afraid of. Then make her walk past it and continue forward. You need to present yourself as unafraid, calm, and totally in charge. If you're nervous, she'll sense it and that will only exacerbate the issue.

When you got to the pasture, was she just chewing the wood? This is something different than cribbing. Cribbing occurs when the horse puts its teeth on the fence (or anything else wooden) and sucks in, like they're huffing the wood. Both cribbing and chewing are stable vices and are a result of boredom and lack of stimulation. There's no real cure for them, especially cribbing. The best thing you can do for a cribber is purchase a cribbing collar to prevent this behavior. Cribbing is like an addiction, even with lots of stimulus in their environments, the cribbers will still go over to the fence to get their fix. Chewers may stop their bad habit if they find something else to do. You may want to think about getting a jolly ball or other toy(s) for her amusement. Some horses like them, some don't. You could also try turning her out near a riding ring or other area where there is lots to watch and take in.

When your horse is afraid, it doesn't really matter what you say. More important is the tone in which you say it. Your voice should be low and relaxed. Draw out the words very slowly. Your mannerisms and tone should suggest that everything is fine, there's nothing around to be scared of. The same applies to reprimands. Your voice should be a deep snap to get the horse's attention. The words really don't matter, though I do advise consistency.

Answer 10

hey you need some pro help , you could get hurt here !!
however ,# 1 you need to use your lead rope so you mantian control at all times,
#2 she fears looking at her self in the pool of water , you need to build her up to this , by walking her near water but not rideing her near water , they pat here a lot , and calm her down, #3 her biteing wood is a signof distress,, she needs alot more training , but most horse do this, cover the wood with metal she will not chew that ,may i suggest you look at asking soem one local for more training ,for u and your horse,? as for bolting she know by your body languge it over and its time to run,lol keep that rope on her till your sure she ok and your self