Help!

[myhorserawks]

Right now I'm leasing a horse named Hope, she is a wonderful sweet little horse but her previous owners were scared of her so she got her way a lot. We are leasing her from them now. And I'm also taking English lessons but I'm still a little afraid of her. She bolts at odd times and it scares me cause I almost fall off and right now we have an eggbutt snaffle but it doesnt seem to work at all. And next week I'm going on a trail ride and she scares me even in the arena and she freaks out outside the arena..What should I do?! I'm so scared I'll fall or something.

[FreedomStar]

this thread is placed in the wrong area, it should be in somewhere like 'training of the horse' or other.


as for the problem you face, try working lots of transitions. Do lots of walk halt, walk trot, trot halt, walk canter, trot canter, etc. Constantly do something so that she has to keep her mind focused on the job. Do poles, cavaletti, try keeping her pace consistent. When she bolts, shorten your reins and turn her hard in a circle. If you can't circle, then 'jerk' sharply with one rein HARD, then release. This should stop her. I know it's not very kind, but when you ask a horse to stop running and they don't, then you must tell them that you are saying stop. Do you know why she bolts off like that? Maybe she needs some desensitising.

[AvantiEqCenter]

Originally posted by FreedomStar
If you can't circle, then 'jerk' sharply with one rein HARD, then release. This should stop her. I know it's not very kind, but when you ask a horse to stop running and they don't, then you must tell them that you are saying stop.

If this mare is not listening to your hands whatsoever, never ever jerk hard. A hard mouth will not listen to such heavy hands and the horse learns to ignore them.

I agree though, sometimes the most intelligent horses get bored with regular arena stuff and get agitated and flighty, so the best bet is to keep her interested. Do lots of circles. Don't pull on her--sometimes the last thing you feel like doing is letting a fast horse have her head, but it's also the best thing you could ever do for her. She's agitated and fast because she's sensitive, and if she's sensitive you need to be accomodating.

EXPECT that she's going to bolt, and when she does, stay calm, breathe deep, and circle her tighter and tighter until she slows. If she learns that you aren't scared of whatever it is, she will calm down too. Teach her to stop with your body and voice too.

I trained a mare who sounded exactly like yours--a lit powder keg all of the time. I have been light on the reins and sensitive to her feelings and she has settled in quite nicely. Where I used to have to hang on her head to get her to slow a tiny bit, now I can drop my weight into the sturrips, sit deep and breathe a "whoa." With no rein pressure, she'll stop. It just takes time. If you're more comfortable riding in your Western saddle, do so until she gets better. You want to be as calm as possible.

Hope I said something that helps!

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