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Training For the Horse Karen and Tequila
U Rock ‘n Ride member Karen is having a heck of a time with her mare Tequila. She’s getting a little frustrated and wants our help. Read on to get a better picture and then if you’re up for it, share some wisdom!
Here’s what we know. Karen’s had other horses in the past and never had this kind of challenge. This picture of Tequila is from about five years ago and they’ve made some nice progress, but are now a little stuck. Sounds like Tequila has a strong will and mind in that she wants to go where she wants to go. She also gets fussy enough that Karen’s inspired to dismount from time to time out of concern she may rear. Tequila will also take off now and again for no apparent reason and will buck at the canter.
Karen’s smart and doesn’t want to rely on her hands too much as she fears Tequila could get hard mouthed. She’s thinking about trying out different bits. There could also be some environmental issues in that there’s a lot of wildlife (bears, wolves) in the area. And the final piece to the puzzle, Tequila wants to eat and eat and eat.
We all love a challenge. Let’s help Karen out by commenting below.
Comments
Being continually shut down is harder than misbehaving, and horses will always pick the easy way out.
1. Check for soreness on her back and under her chest where the girth fits. I would simply stand on something sturdy that you can also dismount quickly--something that puts you above the horse, but on the horse. Then, start at about an inch in front of the whither, working your way to the base of the tail. Use both hands, using your thumb and forefinger to press and massage the entire length slowly. Watch for any signs that there is a sore spot (be careful, though because if you find it this way, she could react violently).
2. If everything checks out well with the back area, as well as behind her...umm...armpits and everywhere else your saddle touches, move on to her feet. I'm not sure how long you've had your horse, but check for signs of laminitis. If she's foundered or does so chronically, sometimes the inflammation, while not overly present, does still exist, and the difference a rider adds to a horses weight may cause it to be just enough to be uncomfortable. Which is why she wants to move with you on her. She doesn't want to get away from you--she's trying to find relief for her feet, so she's looking for more comfortable ground (or so she may think).
3. Now, if her back and feet are fine, move to the mouth. You may need to bring out a vet for this part (if you haven't already for the last parts). Check and make sure she doesn't have an ulcer. Unfortunately, ulcers are not all that uncommon in horse's mouths. She may be trying to pull away from the bit when she's running. Maybe not, but I would check it out. When it comes to the mouth, there are a number of factors that could be at work, so if she seems to have a problem with her head--pulling, chewing, etc.-- get a vet out to check her teeth and gums.
4.How tight do you have the reins? Take an hour or so to just get her saddled up, but her bit on, and then just kind of sit on her with the reins loose. Does she have a problem if the reins are looser? At first she may, because she's going to assume the reins will go to their same place. But, when you say she pulls her head, a lot of times this is a result -- a habit if you will -- that comes from a history of having the reins too tight. The horse literally gets in the habit of trying to pull away, regardless of whether or not the reins are still tight.
5. Next, use a round pen, or find a nicely contained area (for your safety), and simply ride her using her halter. Hook up two lead ropes under her chin instead of one, and use them as reins. Trying riding her like this for about an hour (it may take her about 30 minutes to realize that the bit isn't going to show up). If she behaves better, toss your bit and start re-training her using a bitless bridle (not a bosal/hackamore).
6. If all of this checks out, and the number 5 is no good, get off the horse and start working on ground work again. Lots of round pen work and yielding exercises. Do these in the round pen til she does them every time just the way you want. Make her head nice and soft and supple -- this cannot be stressed enough. Then, lead her out of the round pen. Do the exercises in a different location. Slowly work up to leading her around where you would generally ride her (or there abouts), and do that until she does the yielding exercises right away every time no matter what the location. Now, get back on and start over with the yielding in the round pen, only this time from her back. Once again, slowly work your way back to away from the round pen and back to where you generally go riding.
7. Once you've done all that, you should have a wonderfully behaved horse again.
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