Confident horse

So now that I have cantered Thunder and he has gotten more CONFIDENT in his riding, he seems to be EVEN MORE headstrong than he was before. I went to ride him yesterday because I hadn't been out there for a week (last time we rode was on a couple hour trail ride and we galloped on accident), I didn't lunge on the line, but let him stretch his legs in the arena. He didn't do much, acting kind of lazy so I decided to saddle him up and go since he wasn't all antsy and what not. He takes the bit right away now!! yay! but anyway I got out there in the arena and was just going to do some relaxing work at the walk trot...work on turning and trot poles. We were just barely walking (no fire in his butt at all!) and he freakin CROW HOPPED! I didn't realize what he did until after and it was kind of funny but naughty at the same time. He's never done that before. I could barely get him into a walk he was so lazy, so I thought maybe I had to make him work hard after hopping like that, but he wouldn't go anywhere! Once I got him moving, towards the end we even cantered a few steps (first time in the arena). So he is getting more confident with me on him. I expected this to happen. So my question is, if acts naughty like that again and tests the waters to see if he can get me off, how do I discipline him if he won't move? My only thought now AFTER THE FACT is that I could have gotten off and lunged him. Also I did check for back pain, he was just being a snooty lazy butt.

Yeah, I was going to suggest you make sure your saddle isn't pinching him. Since you hadn't worked him in a week he may have just been feeling full of himself. If he isn't being mean about it and it only happens every now and then I would just ignore it. If it becomes habit, and you say otherwise you can't get him to move, then you may try stopping and backing (not roughly). Preferrably you want to try and move him forward with your leg out of whatever he is doing. Sounds like he was just feeling good and being sassy. I would just keep tabs on it! Good luck!

That kind of behavior isn't unexpected with green horses and I wouldn't be too concerned unless he starts doing it consistently. For the occassional little hop, I'd just push him up and through it. If it does start happening more consistently or something I would try to keep pushing him forward and give a pretty loud reprimand.

If he does it again on a lazy day as before, and there IS NO PUSHING him through it, I could not get him to walk forward. I finally got him going and made him do a bunch of circles. I carry a crop, but he ignores it, I think I might start carrying my dressage whip instead since it is a bit more effective and a clearer signal. Thanks guys!

I had a horse that would just get stuck and would sit and bounce and just be a general snot the way I got her moving through it was... agressively. I'm a pretty big follower of ask, tell, demand and after about two times of getting to the demand stage she never tried that crap with me again. I've found that over undering works very well but you have to stick with it and the second they move out (even if it is an over reaction) you just let them go and stop all asking until they drop down again.

over undeR? sorry i am not following... i don't have experience with these things:s

If it's not a consistant thing, like just him being sassy, just ask him forward or you could also bend him and disengage his hind end then ask him forward again. Personally I wouldn't use a whip on him because that might make him crow hop/buck harder.

free_sprtd- Over undering is when you take an actual type of whip called an over under or your reins and smack them back and forth in front of the saddle. A lot of barrel racers will go shoulder-hip. I personally, for training, use the end of one of my split reins and just flip it back and forth in front of the saddle. It has never failed me, espcially when used in an ask, tell, demand (voice, leg, rein) sequence. I've used to it to get a bucking horse out of bucking mode and into forward. It did not make the horse buck more than it was but it certainly reinforced the fact that we were moving forward and NOW.

OOOOH ok lol thanks :) again I just learned something new ;). I'll keep that in mind for the future :)

No problem, keep us updated!