So I take back what I said last post. Monday, I got on went to the track where Spyder didn't want to move. Now, I thought before when he stopped it was because he had to go to the bathroom... he went and he got over it. This time, there was no moving. Kicking, clucking, pushing, pulling - he wasn't moving. Is something wrong? Is this is his new trick? I almost got off to get a crop, but we kept turning until he would move and pushed through it.
Since he wouldn't move on the track, we went over to the field with cross country jumps and deer. He had a fit - jumping up in the front and throwing his head. Oh joy. I handled it well, but he was not steering and wanted to go back to barn. Great! Is my horse going to turn sour? We kept doing circles right where the deer were and pushed past the path to the barn. New idea - I trotted all over the field and then trotted to the track past where we worked (aka tried) making it *almost* to the big field where we usually ride. FAIL. He decided to stop again. There was not a care in the world that we needed to get there, but again, I pushed through it, did some steering work, and we got there.
We trotted and moved off leg and cantered our figure 8. We had a decent ride, and he was picking up the canter well in both directions so I decided to head back. He could not stand still after I decided to stop him from pulling me to the gate. He was being so rude; therefore, every time he walked and pulled, I'd ask him to trot. You want to go, Spyder, you can go! We went in the opposite direction he was trying to go. We came back down to halt, and he still wanted to lift his head and pull so we cantered..... and cantered... This was until he wanted to stop, of course.
It only ended up being a 40 minute ride, but we're back to the temporary (hopefully) struggles and asking for opinions. Could there be something wrong? Is this him trying to outsmart me? What am I doing wrong? Ideas? Hints? Tricks? We're always cycling. Again, I'm happy we're working through things, but this has got to end. One ride could be great and another could fall apart so we'll hope for the best next ride.
Ahh I feel ya. It does sound a bit like barn sourness based on your descriptions. They tend to have these sort of thresholds of where their limit is away from the barn. could be 20, 30, 100 feet... or miles away.
ReplyDeleteHere is the key...make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.
You can do this in a number of ways. 1. Work hard where he thinks he wants to be- close to the barn.
Reward him when he gets passed it. If it were really bad I'd bring a couple of treats and offer them when you get to that work-out field.
Essentially you are saying to him - Hey Spyder- this field is really fun, you are safe with me, we are a herd of 2, and out here you get yummy stuff. Basically make your workout field THE BEST place to be, ever. You can walk him out there on the ground too, and give him something good when you get out there. associate good things with that field.
It may take some time, but once he realized the best place in the world is right by you, your problems will be solved.
BEYOND happy I posted this because this opens my eyes to things I didn't even think about. Thanks so much! I am sure all of it will help A LOT, and I need to get this figured out. It's always great getting another set of eyes on the situation, and I will start with this TODAY! :)Thinking of starting near the barn which is where we were a while back. If he wants to be near the commotion of feeding time, he'll have to work through it, too!
DeleteThis: Here is the key...make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.
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Keep up the good work and don't let him win! lol
Thanks! He's been a little better the past few rides. Working on making it REALLY hard for him to not listen! :)
DeleteDo you trail ride him at all? N's horse, Cali, benefits a lot from being rode on the trail and it helps her keep her mind on her work when she's being schooled. I personally think some horses are a lot like kids and get bored with the same old thing. I know Ashke loves to explore new paths and ride out on new trails. We also ride in a big circle so the horses don't know how to get home - they are always going out.
ReplyDeleteYou might try it and see if it helps with his overall attitude.
I don't, but I'd LOVE to! I really want to break up the routine, and I hope more people will be on board with it. The problem is my schedule and those at the farm. Most have "pets" instead of hobbies so they don't ride. Those that would be willing to do a trail have a different schedule, and those that would be able to go, I wouldn't trust to help in the event something went wrong. :( I do believe that he gets bored of the same old, and he's def. not motivated to work because of it (not like he was before, but you know what I mean). I'll have to think of something new (and maybe ride to the farm next door to pep him up for new territory with the added bonus of a ring or indoor to work in.
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