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Elite Veteran
Posts: 926
  
| pepsi97 - 2016-01-08 12:19 AM
So I've hauled my mare to a few barrel races this past month and though I didn't let her run, she did great. Had beautiful turns and really wanted to work. Now it was the first time in years we had ran so I'm slowing easing back in it. A little faster everytime. I've been so proud that she's been so calm when she is usually a nervous wreck with other horses running around.
Now that I bragged a little bit, I'm just gonna say she really p!ssed me off tonight. I decided to go ride with a friend to work some cows at her place. My mare was awful! Pranced the whole time, even just walking in the woods, through a huge fit anytime she had to leave the other horse, wanting to run and crowhopped a few times, then lost her mind when she couldn't see other horse. So as proud I have been of her, tonight really set me back. She just couldn't calm down and I absolutely hate riding her when she's like that. I'm thinking some really wet saddle pads and long rides by herself. My thing is she does good by herself but if there's another horse with her, she absolutely looses her mind if she has to leave them. She's fine at the house but in a different pasture or hauled with others, its like she acts a fool if she has to ride off without them. I've done the whole make her work around them, let her rest away, but it doesn't seem to help. Any other ideas? Tonight she really pushed my buttons and its not fun riding in the pasture when your horse decides to act like a idiot. I would really appreciate suggestions to try with her when she gets stupid like this. Thanks guys.
Being someone that has a hurt horse, loves to run barrels and haven't been able to regularly for over a year, would you want to sell her?
I'm old and have learned to live with a lot. So I read your first few sentences and weigh it against the next ones and my thought is...so don't ride in the pasture.!. Seriously, try what Wrap Snap suggested and keep in mind that Brittny Pozzi didn't even ride Duke at home, just kept him legged up with the 4 wheeler. And your's is a mare, they're born to push buttons.
Please don't do the 'lot's of wet saddle blankets' thing before ruling out every other issue. I think most all horses want to do what you ask them, but pain, discomfort, and so many other issues feed into it..unfortunately sometimes including the rider.
If she does it again, take some of the suggestions from our BB, think how awesome she is in the barrel pen, and soldier on.
Good luck. | |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
 
Location: Phoenix | I know how you feel. Mine is a prancer and it drives me nuts. I try not to let it anger me. Once you're angry, they've already won. I work a lot on Putting pressure on the reins until he steps into a walk and then I release. It's a mental flaw in my opinion. I don't think he'll ever be cured of it--he'll always jig but I try to not let it get to me. Just stay calm.
Try putting yours in that situation again, but maybe lunge her and get her listening TO YOU beforehand. She might have been feeling fresh, which adds to the excitement. | |
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 Saint Stacey
| Sometimes you need to pick your battles and avoid other ones. If a horse is doing really good at the main job it has, I'd concentrate in getting that job down perfect before I'd sweat them throwing a tantrum at a new experience.
Sounds to me like you took the horse out of her comfort zone and threw her into a situation that was uncomfortable for her. She got upset, which made you get upset and the whole thing snowballed from there. As the rider, you have to control your emotions. Typically horses make a big deal out of a situation because the rider is telling them it's a bad situation. You also should look for a place to stop. You kept going and it escalated.
While I love BHW and a lot of the people, the "wet saddle blanket" advice drives me insane. Especially when it comes to hotter horses. Most people don't have the slightest idea how to read a horse or the situation so wet saddle blankets only make the problem worse. Reward the slightest effort and ALWAYS look for a place to stop on a good note. Even if that place is 1 minute into the ride if it's a new and scary situation. You can't build up off of bad experiences if you continue to make the experience bad.
What's more important...a good barrel horse or a good trail horse? If it's barrels, then continue on building your confidence level and her confidence level on that. Once that trust is better established on both your parts by good experiences, then the trail riding issue will fall into place if you maintain your cool and don't put her in an uncomfortable situation. Reward the smallest effort. Eventually the time on trails will be longer and less scary. | |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Just to build on what people have said.
Wet saddle blankets only works if the person who is riding/training knows why wet saddle blankets are needed, and what that riding should entail.
I had one mare when I first got her, she was so buddy sour, I would ride her out in the back forty let her go her own speed after she was warmed up, sadly this was 90. To cool her out, I would get off of her in different places in the back forty and walk the entire way home. Sadly sometimes this was a 2 mile walk. This taught her I decided when she was done, not a specific spot. After a month, she quit looking for home, she relaxed and would listen.
As some have said you make the comfortable thing hard, and the problem area easy. You do need to pick your battles. You need to be mentally prepared for it to go sideways, and already have a plan on how to get the situation back under control. I do one rein circles when my horses are having a melt down. I do circles both ways.
If you can go ride with an old horseman, rancher for a few days, get tips from them, as it sounds like you are out of your element. | |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | cheryl makofka - 2016-01-10 2:00 PM Just to build on what people have said. Wet saddle blankets only works if the person who is riding/training knows why wet saddle blankets are needed, and what that riding should entail. I had one mare when I first got her, she was so buddy sour, I would ride her out in the back forty let her go her own speed after she was warmed up, sadly this was 90. To cool her out, I would get off of her in different places in the back forty and walk the entire way home. Sadly sometimes this was a 2 mile walk. This taught her I decided when she was done, not a specific spot. After a month, she quit looking for home, she relaxed and would listen. As some have said you make the comfortable thing hard, and the problem area easy. You do need to pick your battles. You need to be mentally prepared for it to go sideways, and already have a plan on how to get the situation back under control. I do one rein circles when my horses are having a melt down. I do circles both ways. If you can go ride with an old horseman, rancher for a few days, get tips from them, as it sounds like you are out of your element.
I bet this mare really kept you in shape walking back those few miles on her. lol.. | |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | BabyJ - 2016-01-08 8:50 AM In keeping with the theme of making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard...she has to work her rear off when she is with her buddy. Move, move move and then take her away from her buddy and let her rest. That will reinforce many issues she is struggling with. It is very frustrating but hang in there.
This works awesome for most horses but there are those who for some unknown reason are so scared of being left alone, they would rather lope til they dropped than leave thier security buddy. The more you can bond with these type horses, the better you will be but some never really get over it.
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Saint Stacey
| cheryl makofka - 2016-01-10 1:00 PM
Just to build on what people have said.
Wet saddle blankets only works if the person who is riding/training knows why wet saddle blankets are needed, and what that riding should entail.
I had one mare when I first got her, she was so buddy sour, I would ride her out in the back forty let her go her own speed after she was warmed up, sadly this was 90. To cool her out, I would get off of her in different places in the back forty and walk the entire way home. Sadly sometimes this was a 2 mile walk. This taught her I decided when she was done, not a specific spot. After a month, she quit looking for home, she relaxed and would listen.
As some have said you make the comfortable thing hard, and the problem area easy. You do need to pick your battles. You need to be mentally prepared for it to go sideways, and already have a plan on how to get the situation back under control. I do one rein circles when my horses are having a melt down. I do circles both ways.
If you can go ride with an old horseman, rancher for a few days, get tips from them, as it sounds like you are out of your element.
I had a paint that would get real chargey in corners or going straight towards a wall. Drove me nuts. Finally one day I gave him his head. He plastered his head into the side of the barn and stood there shaking. I thought about it and remembered a previous owner bragging about riding with a reining trainer and all the fencing they did.
After that light bulb came on, I kept him out of corners and heading straight at walls once we were about 20' from them. I'd get off of him in the middle of the pen and lead him back to the trailer as he'd charge trailers too. Why punish him for a man made issue that obviously scared him half to death? He was a much more relaxed horse after I started doing this. | |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| I have a very nice mare that does her job well. I decided to go to a clinic and my mare would not work slow. My trainer had come out to watch and commented that the horse used to work so nicely slow. I told her not to blame the horse because I had not been on her in awhile. She laughed and told me I was probably right. One thing I realized that I was doing is squeezing with my legs which was telling her to go forward and hurry up. I took off my spurs and tried to relax my legs. Often when a horse is really ready to go, we have a tendency to squeeze with our legs just to stay with the horse and the horse thinks we are telling them to go on. Think about what you were doing. | |
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