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How to help a cinchy horse?

4K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  LynnF 
#1 ·
My paint mare is very cinchy. My farrier and horse trainer took a look at her to see what the problem was and thats what they came up with. She side steps away from me when i bring the saddle towards her. (We checked the fit of the tack and that all fits just fine) When i go to tighten the girth she starts to paw at the dirt (or now snow) and shakes her head. The horse trainer is not able to come out as often since there is now snow on the ground so i am trying to work with her myself. During the summer that we got her i went to put my left foot in the stirrup and when i went to swing my other leg over she side kicked me with her back leg and being a new horse owner, im not going to lie, it scared me. Also, when you go to put your foot in the stirrup she starts to walk away. Making it very hard for a beginner to be comfortable riding. When we bought her the owners assured us she would be a great beginners horse but now i am questioning it. Anything i can do to correct this problem? Any little info helps. Thanks!
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#2 ·
Sounds to me like you need some help to get her respect. She is taking advantage of you, which ANY horse will eventually.......you really need the help of a trainer so that you can make some progress. I am not sure what you did when she tried to kick you, but I sure hope you let her think she was going to DIE for a few seconds-otherwise she will likely do it again. They are like little kids in mst cases, and will take advantage when allowed to.
 
#4 ·
She is doing what she can to intimidate you as she doesn't want to be ridden. Take her and lunge her for a few minutes each way then touch the saddle to her shoulder. If she moves away, set it down quickly and lunger her for a few more minutes. You may have to do this three or four times until she makes the connection. When she'll stand place the saddle on her back for a few minutes and remove it. Do this a few times then begin to cinch her up. Again if she shows any negative behavior quickly remove the saddle and repeat the lunging. When you cinch her do it snug then walk her a dozen steps then tighten it again. Take her for a walk then come back to where you were and unsaddle her and put her away. Don't groom her or ride her as this is her reward for better behaviour. Do this each time for the next few days and you'll likely find there won't be much need to lunge her. I don't think her kicking at you will be an issue any more. Horses get to quickly learn the routine so sometimes saddle her up, just groom her then unsaddle and put her away or take her for a long walk and allow her to graze a bit.
 
#9 ·
Thank you so much! Also how much are the lunge lines? Do you have to have a special one? Also, would lunging my halflinger be a good way to get him to loose weight? Sorry about all the questions lol.
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Re cost of lunge lines: I think you might be looking at $20-25 for a line, depending on where you live and what's available there or what you are able to order on line. In a pinch, you should be able to use a rope with snap attached - if you're going that route, make sure you're wearing gloves (which you should regardless) and you keep the rope drapped in large loops in one hand to avoid getting caught in it.

Re lunging for weight loss: I personally don't feel this would be appropriate. I always feel the longer a horse is kept lunging, the greater the potential damage to its joints and the greater the boredom factor. When I lunge it's with a view to seeing where the horse has his head at before I ride or as a training exercise to get it used to new equipment.
 
#8 ·
My understanding of 'cinchy' is a horse that has a reaction to the girth being tightened and goes from hunching up, bunny hopping right up to a full blown broncing fit
What I'm seeing with your horse is one that associates the saddle with work and has discovered it can avoid work by sidestepping and kicking out
I think some time with an experienced trainer that wouldnt be phased by it would help a lot especially if you can work with them
 
#11 ·
She also bucks when i am able to get on her and especially bucks when i put her at a trot.
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How often are you riding her in a week? What type of riding are you doing? How long do you ride for at any one time? Are you riding her outside? Do you rider her bareback at all - if so, how does she act then?

My immediate thoughts, beside what some of the other posters have said, are you have a fresh horse who's expending energy or there's something wrong with saddle fit contrary to what your farrier and trainer saw or there is some physical ailment.
 
#23 ·
To me it sounds like she is showing alot of disrespect, I would go right to basics and do ground work with her to get her to respect you. She is trying to intimitate you by doing the things you said she has done.
If you start with lunging and do backing, yeilding her hingquarters.....she should stand still till you are seated and give her the single to move. We had a horse boarded here that was bad for that, took me about 1/2 hour with this guy (he was stubborn LOL) but after he stood perfectly still. I used a step stool and when my foot would go for the stirrup he would start to walk off, I would move fast grab the stool and try again, it took quite a few times but he finally stood for me to get up and settled and waited for me to say when to walk off.....
 
#25 ·
Andrea...I'm glad you are going to talk to the vet. Once you know you can rule out any health issue you can proceed with adjusting her attitude.
I'm thinking maybe the former owner didn't tell you everything. I had that happen (I had the horse in the trailer and the seller had cash in hand.I said, "I'm taking her. Is there anything at all I need to be aware of? Answer..."No.")and I'm sure a lot of others here have also. Sometimes these horses turn out to be our greatest teachers because it forces us to learn for the benefit of ourselves and the horse.
Good luck to you.
 
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#26 ·
for Cinchi ness... get her saddled, loosely cinch her, just enought so the saddle wont slip. let her stand tied up for a while. lunge her, tighten the cinch slow.
Also if someone has made her cinchy by tightening to fast, slowly cinching, and when she show good behavior , scratch and rub her , give a small treat.
as for the bucking anc kicking when you try to mount, lunge her or round pen her, try to mount, when she is naughty make her go around more .
 
#27 ·
Sometimes even good beginner horses will start to show bad behaviors if they are allowed to get away with things. They learn that you don't know how to or won't make them listen so they start to test and get away with different things. I would still rule out pain issues but this sounds more like a respect issue to me. Take her into a round pen or small area and take your saddle. Holding the lead loosely walk towards her like you are going to put the saddle on her if she moves away follow her. Keep following her until she stops. The second she stops stop moving and set the saddle down. Let her stand for a few seconds so she knows she is doing the right thing. Repeat this process until you can walk up to her with the saddle without her moving a step and quit for the day. The next day you might have to repeat. Once she gets this down pat introduce putting the saddle on, if she walks off when you try and put the saddle on keep following her with the saddle until she stops and try it again. Once you get to a point where you can set the saddle on her without her moving stop for the day. Repeat this process with cinching etc. It may take a few days or weeks depending how long it takes for her to realize you are going to make her stand every time. Don't settle for half *** attempts and don't let her move at all.
As for the kicking and moving while you are mounting.. When you try and mount if she moves make her move her hind end around her front quickly by picking up your inside rein and walking towards her tail. Make her move fast and hard for a few seconds then stop and let her stand. Attempt to mount again, if she moves or kicks make her move! Let her stand for a few seconds and try again. Keep doing this until you can mount without her moving. When she stands still for you to mount be done for the day. It may take weeks until you are actually riding her by the time you get her to stand for saddling and mounting but in the long run it will be so worth it to have a horse that respects you and will stand still no matter what!
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
 
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