Ask the Trainer Forum - Horse Questions Answered by Samantha Harvey

Topic_Info: Horse raising up front legs
Name_FullName: blonde bmbr
Website_Info: Through Vayhoo
Location: Nebraska
Date: April 05, 2008

Question:
Why does a horse raise its front legs in the air at you and paw in the air, is he trying to attack you ?

TEC Answer:
There can be numerous reasons a horse will rear and strike with his front legs; it depends on the scenario and situation presented and when and how he does so.

If he is with a pasture mate and they have been playing, this is a non-aggressive act. Many times you will see young, emotionally immature or horses lacking in socialization that are "trying out" rearing, bucking, bolting, kicking and trying to establish themselves within the hierarchy of the herd. It is a great way for them to mentally, physically and emotionally "let down."

If your horse is rearing in response to something asked of him by a human, it most likely is an act of defensiveness. There are only so many ways a horse can "tell" a person that he is having a problem, and many times when his ways of communicating are "quiet" his actions are ignored until he starts to evolve his way of showing worry, concern, stress, agitation, etc. by taking a course of action that cannot be ignored, such as rearing. Also if he has realized that if he acts "big" and the issue that was bothering him is removed (such as the human causing him to be stressed,) he will learn to act more defensively faster in order to eliminate any opportunity for a human to stress him.

In many cases the horse will show signs of insecurity or worry before he gets to the rearing stage in his actions. You will need to literally slow down how and with what energy, thought, intention and focus you interact with your horse. This will help you to raise your level of awareness in order to break down into stages when your horse first shows signs of being bothered (ears back, tail swishing, agitated physical movement, etc.) In my experience the rearing is "after the fact" of whatever is causing a horse discomfort or frustration, so do not get distracted by his act of rearing, rather try to focus on how many ways and times does he try to tell you his is having a problem and that he is ignored. If you clear up those areas that are lacking clear communication, trust and respect, the rearing will "cure itself" and start to disappear as your horse feels more confident in you.

If you try to address the sole act of rearing, you will only be shutting down your horse's uneasy feelings, as oppose to changing how he feels about what is causing him to rear, and they will soon appear in a new way of him "acting out."

Always keep your safety a priority, you may need to consult a local trainer whose goal it is to help the horse develop confidence when feeling stressed, rather than "stuffing" his emotions until he blows a fuse one day.

Topic_Info: Round pen resistance
Name_FullName: Daniel Dasher
Website_Info: search engine
Location: Lyons, Ga
Date: April 08, 2008

Question:
I have a 3 y/o quarter horse who does not work well in the round pen. When you put her in the round pen and ask her to move she doesn't. All the articles I have read talk about working the horse in both directions and I have had a trainer come to my house and show me how with my other horse. However, what do you do when the horse will not run the pen so you can establish dominance over that horse? She paws the ground and challenges the fence. If you put pressure on her rear to move she bucks and kicks. A time or two she has charged me and ran me out of the pen. This is the same horse that is the first to meet you at the fence when I walk up. She is not timid or shy but she seems scared of the round pen. You can halter this horse without any problem and lead this horse but with some resistance when leading at times, but overall she is a sweet horse until you try to work her in the round pen. She is very buddy-sour but so is my older horse but she does well once she gets her attention on me in the round pen and off the other horses. I have been kicked once and I do not want to be hurt trying to train my horse. Her kicks are incredibly powerful, much more powerful than my older horse. How can I safely approach this problem with her and not be trampled or kicked in the process?

TEC Answer:
Thank you for writing and I am sorry to hear of your situation. First I am glad that you are searching for help. Second, there are so many variables that could affect what you are seeing/experiencing, what your horse is seeing/experiencing and what may actually be happening so my answers will be more to offer you ideas and perspective rather than a "fix it" solution.

First I'd like to address your initial statement of working the horse both directions and having the pen be a controlled setting for "dominance." If you ask a million trainers you will get a million different answers, so bear in mind when I work with people and horses, I'm looking for availability of the mind, rather than accomplishing physical results. If the horse's mind is "open"

to "hearing" what you are asking or suggesting, you then will see your horse physically perform what you are asking. Instead, a more common train of thought when working with horses is to physical control, direct or micromanage them, in order to get a change in their brain. All I can do is put it into people terms, if you are physically resistant to doing a task because that task causes you emotional or mental stress, until you change how you FEEL about the task, you will never be able to accomplish to task to your full abilities. The same goes for horses.

So I will disagree that the round is a place to create dominance. In my mind, the round pen is a controlled and "safe" setting to work with your horse. As for working both directions, well yes ideally we would like to accomplish that. But you are jumping "ahead" in your desires from your horse. You mentioned that when you ask her to move she bucks and kicks. You need to first get her "thinking" forward, then her body will physically move forward, THEN you can become more specific as to where you would like her to move to. It would be the same as turning your steering wheel as hard as you can, but if you don't have the car engine on and are not using gas, the wheel does you no good. Until she can be soft in how she thinks and moves forward, I would not worry as to which direction she may or may not be going.

As for your horse's actions of either bucking, kicking or charging, she is trying her options. If she is resistant to go forward, most likely she is worried about what exactly it is that you want from her. Her way of not "getting IT wrong" ("it" being whatever you are asking) is to not move.

But if you "force" her with enough pressure, her alternative is to eliminate what is causing the pressure and discomfort, in this case, you. So therefore she will charge you, if that gets you literally out of the pen, then the act of charging has accomplished eliminating a source of discomfort. The more that behavior works, the more she will resort to it.

Not knowing your horse's full history, she may really have either bad feelings associated with the round pen, or because of a lack of clarity from a person, find that the pen causes her stress.

Either way, her physical actions and resistance are a reflection of her mental and emotional status.

As for haltering and leading her with "some resistance" is the beginning stages of a LOT of resistance. Horses rarely "out of the blue" take drastic measures towards a person. Her resistance in leading if she is a buddy sour mare most likely has to do with the fact that her buddy is somewhere opposite from where you would like to take her. She needs to understand that when you are working with her, her brain needs to be with YOU.

There needs to be a clarity of physical communication (because when leading her you are using a lead rope, so this a physical way of influencing her,) that when you do something with the rope, it needs to mean something to your horse. She should be able to think left, right, forward, backwards, sideways, etc. all by how you use your rope. She needs to understand your energy and literally match that, if you want to move out in a big walk, she needs to too, or if you would like to "creep" along, she needs to make that adjustment to remain "with you." When you stop she needs to respect your personal space and stop immediately, rather than to "fall" into a stop.

Your mare needs to understand when her different thoughts of work or if they do not. Most times when people catch a horse the horse goes "brainless" on the end of the lead and is literally drug around. They horse may be physically complying but is mentally resistant. The day will come that if there is enough stress presented, if the person working with the horse does not have enough "tools" in how they use their lead rope and a clarity of communication in how they use their rope, the horse will get just as "big" on the rope as if they are loose.

So it sounds like you may need to seek the help of a trainer who can appreciate and respect working with the horse's brain in order to get a change in mental and emotionally availability. The more you are able to see and experience just how little of an action can create a positive change in how your horse trusts and respects you will be the beginning of you working WITH your horse, rather than each of you tolerating one another. Timing, awareness, energy, sensitivity and clarity are all things you will need to establish in order to start seeing positive results with your mare.

Remember, your safety is a number one priority, if you hear that little voice in the back of your head telling you not to do something, listen to it. Too many horse related accidents occur because people are "hopeful" that it will all work out.

Topic_Info:    Trailer Loading Problems
Name_FullName: Kate
Website_Info: Randomly searching the internet.
Location:      Canada
Date:          February 21, 2008

Question:
Hi my name is Kate. I have a 6 year old gelding that refuses to get into the trailer. Before I tell you about his problem I'm just going to fill you in on what he used to be like. Ok so when he was born he was afraid of everything. It took me at least a month to be able to walk into the fence and pet him. After that he got better and better but if I ever missed more than a day of visiting him he would be scared of me again. About when he was 4 he started getting more confidence and I could do whatever I wanted with him. About at that age I really started working on getting him to load and do other stuff. For everything we did he would do it willingly because he did not like getting punished but he still would not get into the trailer. So I finally figured that I would put him in my round pen and put all his feed in the trailer. After 1 night he would get into the trailer whenever I would ask and do it willingly. So this past year he has decided that he does not want to get into the trailer no matter what. At first I thought that he was scared of it because that is what his problem used to be but if you just look at his body language you can tell that he is just being stubborn. So I really would welcome any tips to loading him as it literally takes me 3 hours to load him. Thanks again.

TEC Answer:
Hello and thank you for writing. I know trailer loading can be one of those situations that really challenge patience in both horse and person. It sounds like you have a generally insecure horse. Many times horses with insecurities can gain what we interpret as "confidence" in scenarios that are repeated numerous times. The problem arises when a scenario is slightly changed (i.e. moving the tarp from the normal spot to a new spot,) and then you feel like you are starting all over again with your horse.

In your particular history of trailer loading it sounds like for your horse to load he had to pick the lesser of two undesirable options. Motivating a horse by feed, fear, or annoyance will not have a long term affect on the horse. So I am going to ask you to back up a few steps in your thinking and approach to trailer loading.

First whenever we work with our horses we are searching for a mental availability. Only once our horse is willing to mentally "try" to address what we are asking of them will they physically accomplish what we would like with the results long lasting. So you may have to revisit the basics and assess the level of clarity you have between you and your horse. Ideally through your ability to "send a feel" down a lead rope (if you're working on the ground) you will be able to ask anything of your horse WITHOUT the "need" to drive (with whips, sticks, or other "scary" items) your horse to do what you would like.

When you pick up the lead rope, can you direct your horse's thought in a specific direction or towards a specific object? Can you intercept your horse's thought if he gets distracted or has too much or too little movement? Until you have the basics of getting your horse to first just look (literally and without his feet moving) left and right, then follow that look with ONE step, then eventually movement (forwards, backwards, sideways, etc.) without you having to LEAD him, you will not have the necessary tools to use for presenting complicated things such as trailer loading.

If you do not have clarity in the "aids" you can use from the ground to communicate with your horse, then your horse will become defensive towards you (especially if he is naturally insecure) and then it becomes a "battle of the wills," and yes he may eventually give up after a few hours and do what you would like, but there will be no change in the future when you present the same or similar scenario.

For whatever you may ask of your horse, the communication must be clear, the respect must be present and his mind must be available. If you do not have these three tools, you will NEVER be able to have the ideal "try" from your horse and you will constantly be presented with a fight every time something that bothers him comes up.

In your case after fine tuning your communication with him you will need to start with small scenarios where your horse can feel that he can be successful when he tries to address what you are asking of him. This can be anything from how he walks out of his stall, steps over a pole, moves his body out of your away... You can use any "real life" situation and turn it into a fun and confidence building scenario. Until you have his trust and respect in calm scenarios, I would not present a stressful one.

This is not your "quick and easy" fix, but the solution presented above can be used in any and everything you will ever ask of your horse. Every time he realizes that he is acknowledged for trying and can understand what you are asking, he will become increasingly available to address more complicated scenarios. You will have created the trusting relationship we are all looking to build with our horses.

Topic_Info: Lameness
Name_FullName: Jennifer
Website_Info: google
Location: England
Date: January 30, 2008

Question:
I have a horse who had to be out of work for a couple of months, getting worked every now and again not much though, his time off was not due to an injury. Now coming back to work he appears lame (as if dropping on a front leg) even though he does not appear to be in pain and is happy to gallop in the field and happy to be ridden. It has been getting better each time I ride, could it be something more serious due to lack of work?

TEC Answer:
As with people, when horses are not worked in a consistent manner they lose both their cardiovascular conditioning and muscles fitness. Even if a horse has the freedom to move around a pasture, he will not maintain the same endurance that he would have if he was being worked on a regular basis.

There could be numerous reasons why your horse is showing signs of lameness. I would recommend first ruling out any physical issues whether you consult a veterinarian, chiropractor, masseuse, etc. who would be able to evaluate the ENTIRE horse and not just focus on the "injured" area. Once you get the go ahead that the horse is physically well, I would create a conditioning schedule to slowly build up his endurance to your desired point.

The lame movement you are currently seeing could be a result if he pulled or hurt something in pasture just coincidentally as to when you wanted to start riding again. Remember that even though horses are strong animals, their bodies are also very sensitive. Even if he may not have hurt himself with some long term injury, he could still be sore or show signs of inconsistent movement for a while. (This is no different from when we sleep wrong and wake up with a stiff neck, and then feel the soreness for several days after it initially happened. Plus keep in mind how a stiff neck in a person would affect how they moved their entire body, this is the same with a horse.)

Horses do not use the same line of reason as people, "I am hurt, so I should not move." So do not believe that just because your horse is galloping around the pasture that he is feeling 100% physically.

I do not know the focus or length of work outs you asked of your horse when you started him back up

working. Let's say he's been loose to move freely in a large pasture and then you suddenly put

him to work on a lot of 20 meter trot and canter circles, you would most likely see signs of stiffness in his movement the next day. Again, just because the horse is a large and strong animal does not mean that he should be rushed into demanding training sessions.

Topic_Info: Bits
Website_Info: Google
Location: United Kingdom
Date: January 25, 2008

Question:
My horse can be stubborn at times, but other times she can be quite forward going. But she just won't listen to the bit. eg. Sometimes she will pull in to the center of the arena and the more I try to steer her onto the track, the more she tries to pull the other way. And I was riding in the field once and I went a walk with her in the opposite direction of my friends on their horses and when we were quite far away she started galloping full speed towards them and I had absolutely no control over her. I tried pulling left, right, and backwards but nothing worked!

So could you please suggest a bit that might help with this problem as soon as possible?

TEC Answer:
Thank you for writing and I am sorry to hear the all too common story of "the bit not stopping the horse." The problem is that the bit does not ever stop your horse, your horse's brain, when it is her idea to stop, is what stops her physical movement. If you have the average size horse and imagine that a small metal device can actually control that horse's movement, then you need to pause for a moment and perhaps reassess the rest of your interaction with your horse.

It sounds like your horse is running out of fear, and because each time she gets bothered she runs, and however you may eventually get her to stop, you most likely will have not addressed nor helped your horse "feel" better about whatever she was initially fearful of that caused her to run. So each time she gets scared, she resorts to what I called "patternized behavior." This behavior is something that horses and people suffer from. Typically under a stress induced scenario, we resort to trying the same option over and over again, rather than changing what or how we are doing something, in order to get a different outcome.

In your particular case, the more your horse believes she has to run, which is instinctive in her prey animal behavior, she will. The more she realizes you as her rider and partner are not aware, supportive or acknowledging when she STARTS to feel fear or bad about a scenario, the more she loses trust and respect for you and has less MENTAL AVAILABILITY in being able to "hear" or respond to your aids (i.e. like pulling on the reins to stop her movement.) Her "tuning you out" is what causes the bit to become ineffective during moments of duress and trauma. The bit itself is not the issue.

You will need to step back and assess where the clarity or lack of between you and horse begins.

Remember the ride begins when you go to catch your horse, not once you are mounted. If there are little "issues" as you are grooming her, tacking her, leading her, or overall handling her, and you ignore any feelings of concern, stress, worry or fear she may be carrying around mentally and emotionally, then by the time you get in the saddle those same feelings are going to affect and influence the quality of the ride you have.

You will probably need to enlist the help of someone who recognizes that the horse's physical movement is a reflection of her emotionally and mental state, the happier she is on the inside, the more willing, soft and fluid she will be physically when you ride her.

If you attempt to "fix" her current running away with a more severe bit, you are only prolonging a problem that will continue to get worse until either one or both of you end up hurt. Your horse is not happy when she is running away, she needs your help, she does not have the ability to 'reason'

through her stress. Your riding has become a game of tug of war, and in any case of a challenge of physical strength in a human vs. horse, the horse will always win.

Topic_Info: Always Crossfiring
Name_FullName: Rachel
Website_Info: google
Location: Oregon
Date: January 14, 2008

Question:
Hi, I have a 10 year old Arabian gelding that wasn't started until I got him recently. He doesn't know where to put his hind feet when he canters and is always crossfiring. He gets confused with his legs and then cow-hops. What can I do to stop this problem?
Thanks,
Rachel

TEC Answer:
There are many things that can cause a horse to be crossfiring when trying to canter. First you would always want to rule out any possible physical issues that could be interfering with his coordination. Next I am not sure if he crossfires only when mounted or when he is worked from the ground too. I would also ask if the crossfiring happens when he is in a smaller space rather than bigger space- remember circles and small areas are not "natural" for a horse to move within.

You would always want to make sure that your horse has his coordination and balance in both small and large areas (such as being worked in a round pen) before you would ever hope to have him be balanced when ridden.

If his crossfiring only happens when ridden, notice if he is consistent when tracking both directions at the canter. Most likely the direction in which he feels more relaxed moving, will be the direction he is more coordinated in and less likely to crossfire.

Remember by the time you are cantering you should have clear and effective communication with your horse at the walk and trot. If there is any lack of clarity at the two slower gaits, you will need to address those areas first. If you only have a mediocre walk or trot, the faster you ask your horse to move out, the more unclear your communication will become causing more worry and insecurity in a green or inexperienced horse.

The actual act of crossfiring is when the shoulders are cantering on one lead, and the hindquarters are cantering on the other lead. The horse's movement is a reflection of what he is thinking. If your horse is completely committed to the right, he will naturally pick up the right lead in both his front and hind end. The problem with most horses is that while they are being ridden and physically going through the "movements" they are usually mentally somewhere else, whether it be thinking about their buddy in the pasture or that it's feeding time, or watching the mail carrier coming down the road.

You will need to raise your level of awareness in keeping your horse's attention, focus and thought "straight ahead" (even if it's on a circle, he can still think straight,) AS you are about to transition into the canter, this will help him find his correct lead.

Another point is how you ask your horse to canter. Especially with green horses, I like the act of cantering to be fun and "their" idea. This means if we're trotting out in a big field and I'm increasing my energy gradually in the trot until we are totting so "big" (not fast like a sewing machine, but forward, light and intentional movement) that I start to feel the horse "think" about the canter, I just continue forward with my energy in the saddle, and the horse will "roll" softly into the canter.

BUT if I were to find a nice floating trot, relaxed and forward thinking, with my energy in the saddle encouraging the horse to think and move forward, and then because I wanted to canter, I "suddenly" sat (in the "old school" way of asking for the canter) all of my energy would have decreased by me sitting, causing my forward thinking horse to feel me "drag" in the saddle, he would then in turn slow his rhythm to match mine, and then we would have lost all forward thought and movement. If on top of this I then "drove" him with my outside leg attempting to get the canter, he would "fall apart" and even if we made it to the canter, the quality would be lacking.

You will need to spend time just addressing the quality of the trot-canter transition, once that becomes smooth and clear, then too will the canter.

My 3 year old gelding has developed a habit of dipping his neck down, then shaking his head at me at feeding time. He didn't do this over summer, of the two youngsters he was the most respectful. I assume his attitude says he is more important than I am, and wonder how to correct him. He is second to the mare in herd status, she is just 4 but very dominant over him, but accepts me as lead mare. Why has my lovely Chinook taken such a turn? Had him since he was a baby, and the only difference is, its Alaska and its winter so I don't spend as much time with them.

TEC Answer:
Thanks for writing. There could always be a million reasons why a horse "suddenly" starts to behave in a certain manner. I would guess he did not start this over night, but perhaps he did more subtle mannerisms that you may have not noticed. As for his attitude towards you, take a look at another Ask the Trainer article I have posted about young horse behavior. Trust

Instead of being distracted by his head tossing (which is a symptom and not the issue itself) you may have to investigate and "break down" the big picture to understand why your horse is doing what he is. Head tossing is typically a mixed sign of frustration and a bit of a challenge. The challenge masks the insecurity he is feeling (if he is more offensive rather than defensive he may be able to protect himself better.)

If he is second man on the totem pole, perhaps he sees you as lower than he, and takes out any frustration he is feeling towards the lead mare on you. If there is any worry as to accessibility to feed he may be impatient at feeding time to get as much as he can before he gets run off by the lead mare. You may ask yourself a few simple questions- any change in diet, feeding times, feeding locations, herd setup (pasture vs. stall) that may be attributing to the change in his behavior.

Many people work with their horses in a challenging manner, "Let's see if they can get this right or tolerate this." Rather than with a "Let me see how I can HELP my horse get this right," type of attitude. The time to address his head shaking, worry and/or anxiety is not when he is feeling it at it's peak (currently at feeding time,) rather to start to communicate and interact with him during a less stressful time. If you have access to a round pen or small and safe area to work with him at liberty (because a lot of times horses "keep in" bad feelings when they are on a line as this is what they have been taught to do.)

When he is loose in the pen does he acknowledge you, seek your help for leadership, look for guidance, show the same aggressive or frustrated signs towards you as at feeding time, etc.? You will need to find a mental availability (do not get distracted by what he is physically doing- this is only a reflection of what he is feeling on the inside) for him to learn to ask you for help when he is having a problem (even if it is during feeding time.) The more he trusts and has confidence in you, the more his aggressive behavior will dissipate. Horses act aggressively because they are feeling BAD on the inside, not because they enjoy acting out towards people.

While at liberty we do not just want your horse physically near you, rather we would like him to feel relaxed (in posture, stance, breathing, thoughts, etc.) and have "warm and fuzzy" feelings in being "with" you mentally rather than physically "tolerating" your presence. There are many ways you can play with him in the pen and you may need to seek the guidance of local trainer who prioritizes working with the horse's brain rather than his movements. Many times when working at liberty people get distracted by setting their sights on having their horse accomplish a specific task, rather than remaining clear and focused on HOW the horse feels when addressing a task. If he is having a problem, the task is no longer important, rather changing how he feels about what he is being asked to do is. If he can start to see you addressing his feelings and worries, he will start to trust you and change how he outwardly is acting towards you and the other horses.

He is also young and just as with people, he is exploring the boundaries of what works and what does not both in how he addresses horses and people. He needs to understand that just because you like or care for you horse, does not mean that he gets to delegate how the two of you interact with one another.

Feedback
I had written to your website regarding my young Chinook and his aggressive behavior. Made some changes in feeding arrangements, and in less than a week, he was no longer challenging me. Until I can permanently separate him from the mare, in spring, he now eats shut in his stall, where she cannot get at him or his feed. I use that time to groom him, handle his feet etc. and he is his old sweet self again. Such a simple solution, and it worked wonders.
Elizabeth

Topic_Info: Horse panicked
Name_FullName: Linda A
Website_Info: Internet searching
Location: Fairfax, VA
Date: April 07, 2007

While I was riding in the ring another horse spooked, unseating his rider. When he got loose he came towards my horse and I, my horse started to panic, hitting me in the face with her head. She had a standing martingale, thank God. What should I have done? I got somebody to grab my horse so I could dismount quickly. I want to know what I should do if it happens again. I am an older rider so not as flexible as I used to be. Please advise.

TEC Answer:
There are several parts in answering your question, the "emotional"

aspect of your scenario and the physical. Typically when a horse is throwing their head, showing an emotional stress, (for whatever reason is stressing them) they will follow with getting "light" on their front end, which could eventually lead to rearing... If in this specific case your horse was panicked because of the loose horse coming towards her- she had two ways of protecting herself. She could both turn and run (which would be the most natural defense,) or she could act outwardly aggressive towards the loose horse by getting "bigger" (rearing) in order to keep the horse away from her. Perhaps because she had the martingale or because you might have grabbed the reins- you might have defused her head tossing from evolving into a rear.

The problem with most riders is that they are unaware of lacking areas with their horse such as: clarity in communication, trust, respect, responsiveness, etc. until an unforeseen or uncontrollable situation arises where the rider suddenly needs their horse to follow their leadership and guidance. When the horse has other ideas, the rider suddenly realizes how much of a "passenger" they have been when working with their mount.

Keep in mind that many times horses cannot find the "right" or ideal answer on their own and look to us for help, but because of whatever stress or distraction the stressful moment causes, the rider's brain vacates for the "out of control" moment. So now the horse has asked for help, the rider is worried about helping the rider and not the horse, and it becomes "the blind leading the blind" scenario.

I do not want people to ride with a constant paranoia of "what might happen," but I highly encourage riders to begin to raise their level of awareness and sensitivity on "good days" so that if an unforeseen event arises (and it's only a matter of "when" it will) the horse can ask the rider "What would you like?" and be mentally available to physically do what their rider asks.

The quality and clarity of your communication will affect how much your horse CHOOSES to "hear" during a stressful time. If you only get 50%awareness from your horse on "most days" then do not expect anything more, and most likely a whole lot less, when there is stress involved.

Physically if a horse is tossing their head or getting light on their front end they will be tight (because their muscles engaged) in their jaw, neck, topline, and back. Most people panic and tend to "hold on" which creates a pulling feel down the reins to the horse's mouth. This only multiplies the horse's panic and so the horse resists even more severely physically which can cause the horse to accidentally loose it's balance (this happens a lot of time when an inexperienced horse/rider combination is using severe equipment such as draw reins) and the horse can actually fall causing both harm to himself and his rider.

During a stressful time, in order to get a physical change, you will need to interrupt their physical resistance by offering a mental alternative, such as a circle, a turn, or forward movement. If your horse is committed to a circle, there will be a softness in his body starting at his jaw and ending at his tail. If he is "relaxed" all four feet will consistently and quietly touch the ground. The time to practice finding the "softness" is every time and all the time that you ride, that way, the day you need it the most as an aid to help your horse relax, it will be "natural' for both of you.

Hi, I have a 10-year-old Arabian mare. When I take her out in the field to do cross country she puts her head straight up and takes off. I've now put a running martingale on but she still takes off and has now started going sideways she loves to jump and is very good at it. Please help me! Thanks

TEC Answer:
Most "run away" horses do so because something is scaring them or making them emotionally uncomfortable and therefore they respond by physically trying to get "away." The only way they can protect themselves is to run. The stronger and more severe equipment you put on your horse will only create more stress and worry in her. It is a quick fix that will force her to contain her frustrated or worried feelings until the day she explodes. The equipment's effectiveness will only delay her lack of controllability for a short period (like putting a band-aid on a wound that requires stitches.) I would say you need to go back and address the basics.

Break her "running away" down into steps. You might ask yourself these questions: When does she start to get strong when you ride? What kind of bit and other equipment do you use on her and why? Does it fit her correctly and is it effective? How soft and responsive is she towards your aids during your flatwork sessions? How effective are your aids?

Does she respond worried if she is distracted, leaving her barn mates, riding in a group, etc.?

My guess is that she probably shows you signs of panic before she actually takes off. If you try to address her bolting while it's happening, you are merely responding to her panicked reaction. You need to be able to recognize her behavior before or even when she STARTS to get panicked and be able to intercept her thoughts of running by offering her a better alternative. Keep in mind she will not listen to your aids unless they are both clear and effective.

Many times horses can jump or accomplish major tasks but have insecure feelings of doing so, until one day those feelings overwhelm them and they act out, in your mare's case, by running away. I'd go back to the basics. Until you and your horse can work together as a team focusing on those, I would not present jumps.

Topic_Info: Thoroughbred Trail Horse
Name_FullName: Brandi C
Website_Info: browsing the web
Location: Chilhowie, Virginia
Date: October 12, 2007

I have never owned a thoroughbred and I wanted to know if you can ride one on a trail? I was told that she came off the track 4 years ago and I have rode her in a round pen but not outside of the round pen. Can you tell me some stuff about thoroughbred?

TEC Answer:
Every horse is an individual and based on their experiences, education level and interaction with humans can influence how they behave.

Typically thoroughbreds are not thought of as "trail" horses because they are much clearer in communicating how they are feeling. If they are worried, scared, insecure, fearful, etc. their physical behavior is a perfect reflection of what they are emotionally or mentally feeling on the inside. The rider will have absolutely no question in recognizing what they are feeling because the thoroughbred will show you.

Other breeds such as Quarter horses are thought of as being more versatile because they tend to not known to physically react as "big" or dramatic as the more "hot" thoroughbreds. This does not mean that they may be any happier or feeling any better about a situation, they just tend to keep their feelings masked. Keep in mind there are always exceptions to the "rule." I've seen totally laid back thoroughbreds that look and act like a Quarter horses and vice versa.

The problem with any breed horse that has raced is that they have been taught to run no matter what. There are plenty of ex-races horses that with patience, time and training have found other careers after the track. But there are also plenty of ex-race horses that can never get beyond resorting to "running" or getting, "big" when they endure a problem or stress.

Depending on your goals, experience level and finances, it is the person's responsibility to buy an appropriately suited horse. Many of these "worried" ex-racers are bought and sold numerous times because their "price is right" and people end up eventually realizing buying a "cheap" horse has neither saved them money or time, nor does it suit most "average rider" needs.

The problem with the high turnover of a horse is that it is the horse that winds up paying the price for people's bad judgment. Many potential horse buyers are "hopeful" and tend to let their emotions affect their judgment. People also tend to have the "I can help the horse" syndrome, without realizing it could take years to reach the ideal relationship with your horse.

Be a responsible buyer and if you do not have much experience with horses, for both your and the horse's sake, find an experienced, patient horse that can help you learn in a fun and safe way.

Topic_Info: Desensitizing- Plastic Bag
Name_FullName: debi g
Website_Info: put in the subject
Location: internet
Date: October 14, 2007

I have been riding for 42 years. Have shown many horses. I placed 5th in the Nation in 1985 A system in Appaloosa Trail Sr Amateur Rider. My only reason for sharing that is so you know I am not a beginner at this. I train with a patient, persistent and a firm but kind hand.

My question is regarding my daughter's Quarter horse gelding and plastic. We can dress him in it, rub him down, throw it over him etc... without a care. We have been doing this for over a year. But each new day is like the movie Ground Hogs Day. He will go over after a couple minutes, but the next day he acts as if he has never seen it before. This does not work in the show ring.

I have tried taking him to different arenas and areas all over the farm. It always starts out the same way absolute shock and fear. Can you suggest something else? I know he could do very well in trail classes. He will do all object now except this one and if it's at the beginning of the class the class is blown. I would love to hear your advice. Thank you,

TEC Answer:
Thank you for writing. The behavior you describe in your horse is quite common and I will attempt to offer you some thoughts on why your horse is doing what he is. Because I am unable to see you work with him I will try to explain the "whole" picture and not just addressing his particular issue.

Horses are incredibly adaptable creatures. Take a horse that has never seen a cow, leave him in a pen next to the cows overnight, and the next morning he and the cows will be standing side by side. But if you take that same horse, after that same night, and ask him to move the cows around, the horse might become rather insecure, worried or panicked. So as long as you allow the horse on his terms to address the cows he did, but when you asked something specific, his brain was unavailable to "hear" what you were offering, and so his reaction was worry.

Most people are satisfied if their horse tolerates what the person is offering, but many never "ask" or "hear" how the horse feels about it.

We recognize when our horses are having problems, but rarely do we do anything to influence changing how our horse "feels" about what is being asked of them.

Take the infamous tarp- leave it in one spot, take the worried horse and walk him past the tarp numerous times until he "tolerates" the tarp.

You feel like you are starting all over. Why? Because you only asked your horse initially to "deal with" the tarp in one particular spot, and as long as he "survived" getting past it, you left him alone. Instead, why not ask him to change how he feels about the tarp. If he feels better or more secure or confident about the tarp, then it will not matter where you place it nor when, where or how you ask him to address it. So, how would I do to help my horse accomplish this?

First when we come near the tarp and he starts or as SOON as he shows signs of distress, I would ask him to stop and address the tarp.

Horses' natural defense mechanism and instinct is to flee when they are worried. So let's have him actually stop and look at the tarp. (You will be amazed at how many horses are worried about something but never look [literally] at what is bothering them.) Then depending on your background with ground work, you would ask your horse to address the tarp without being "led" you could either do this loose working him at liberty in a round pen (which I prefer) or with a lead rope (but not using it in a "dragging" manner.)

What you would like to assess is if you can you direct his brain, (as oppose to his movement,) to focus on the tarp. When he "tunes in" to the tarp, his curiosity will get the best of him and he will probably display the "suddenly" over confident (and lean in towards it) and then the "suddenly" insecure (wanting to turn and bolt away) behavior. Your goal is to build his confidence the more he addresses his fear. The more reasonable and "try" that he offers, the more you want to make him feel like he had done a great job. The best reward for horses that I have found is to give them a moment to just stand, relax and take it all in. Then they usually take a deep breath and let all of their feelings of stress out in a calm and quiet manner. They can learn that this is a better way to "diffuse" any worry, panic or fear, rather than resorting to their natural "brainless" reaction of running.

As you work with your horse and the tarp you will imagine that you can slow down time, so that nothing "suddenly" occurs. You will be watching for signs from his body that will tell you how he is feeling and what he is thinking.

Where are his ears? (They are indicators as to his thoughts towards the right and left.)

Where are his eyes? (Keep in mind each eye sees independently of one another and we want both eyes focused.)

How is his stance and weight distributed? (Is he standing square or with all four feet heading in four different directions in case he needed to "bolt"?)

How is the tension in his topline? (Is his neck and back shortened like an accordion?)

How are his lips? (Are they pinched and tight, moving like he is mumbling, or relaxed?)

How are his eyes? (Are there worry lines that look like "peaks" on the lid of they eye?)

How is his tail? (Tight, held at an angle, clamped to his hindquarters, or relaxed?)

How is his breathing? (Does he sound consistent, heavy, and tight in his stomach?)

Even if you think it may only be a "slight" concern, I would stop and continue to present my horse focusing on the tarp. You will feel like when you start he is going to consider EVERYTHING but the tarp.

Eventually you will help him narrow down his options until the only thing he focuses in on is the tarp. (This is where you will hear a huge sigh of relief from the horse. Many times they need us to "help" them find the right answer, not challenge them to it.)

Horse can be incredible at the lengths they will go to try and make something "work." The problem is people get greedy, the more a horse offers, the more the people want from the horse. This starts to create anticipation where the horse associates that if he "gives" or "tries" what the person wants, instead of feeling better about his effort, only more will be demanded of him.

But if he recognizes that the person's level of awareness and sensitivity towards his feelings is raised and that there is now a two way communication occurring, his respect, trust and level of try will increase. The more a horse's brain thinks about something and commits to it, the more relaxed his body will be when he actually physically accomplishes or addresses the task at hand.

This manner of working WITH the horse can be applied to any situation once it is clearly established that he needs to mentally try before he physically moves. Everything else will start to "fall into place".

There should be no difference in our goal or asking a horse to step into a tire, trailer, water, over a bridge, stand on a bag, chase a cow, jump a fence, or ground tie. If his brain is available to consider and try what you are asking, he will accomplish the task at hand.

My goal in working with a horse is for the long term, rather than instant gratification, so that no matter what, at any time, anywhere, my horse's attitude towards me is "What would you like?" This will make both of us feel confident in our relationship AND avoid the all too common "surviving the ride" syndrome.