I am FED UP!!!

I am tired of duchess. I can not get her to lope right, she either leaps into a lope or does this crowy hoppy thing.... or I wouldnt even call it a lope its a flippin nightmare. She wont take her leads at all, go to the right she goes on her left lead, go to the left she goes on her right lead. It is so frustrating and I am just tired of it, I never should of bought her in the first place I was not ready for a green horse and I new it, but I listened to every body else. I just want to sell her and move on, but no one is buying. I want to sell her before I ruin her, I don't have the skills to train a green horse and I new it, but I listened to everyone else telling me o it wont be that hard you just got to work with. When I free lunge her she lopes beautifully takes her leads beautifully, undersaddle it all gos out the window. I am just tired, I can't lope her around the arena because im afraid she is just going to start bucking, I don't feel comfortable on this horse anymore. Im thinking about just lowering her price until she sells, at this point im willing to take a loss. My emotions are this right now .

Take a step back and breathe....... Training a green horse is never easy and if you are getting agitated with her she is picking up on it and it confuses her. Slow down with her back up to the beginning if you have to and go slower. Try to relax and not look at it as " she's never going to learn" she will it just takes time and being impatient isn't going to speed things up it will only make it harder for her.

Ive tried, I've tried going back and nothing is working. When I get mad I have to just walk her, and then try again. And its still the same. I understand what you are saying, being frustrated never makes anyone learn, but I just can't help but to get frustrated its just a loose loose thing right now.

Do you have a round pen where you can have someone free lunge her while you sit on her? A horse's balance with a rider is completely different than it is by themselves. Young horses are frustrating sometimes and correct leads are my bane as well. You may just try having a friend free lunge her in the pen while you ride. Don't mess with her at all at first, jus let her do her thing, then slowly start to incorporate the cues for the correct lead. It won't be something that she will pick up overnight. Then, when you are fully using your cues, keep loping in the pen for a few days then take her to the arena and try again. Just take it slow and be patient with her (and yourself). Try getting her to take the correct lead from a straight line instead of from a circle.

As for getting her lope easy, I suggest lots and lots of loping. As my Dad always puts it "Pick a spot on the horizon and lope them to it. When you get there, pick another spot and lope them to it." Then on the way home, work on your transitions, she will be less interested in bucking and fiddling with the transition when she is tired. Just make sure that you are not throwing her off balance.

Don't ever drop her price lower than her weight. The price of the meat market is roughly $1 per pound.

You can always hire a trainer to help you . . . That's all the advice I can give you ;P No experience with a green horse whatsoever.

Before you lower her price any, check out your description of her in the "My Horses" thing. Read that, then go out and try again. What my trainer always taight me was "Don't make the horse a criminal; give them lots of chances to do things right, even little things, and less to do wrong and they will seem like a much better horse, just work into it slowly"

I think you are setting the bar too high, you are both green.

Make one goal each day, and see if she can do that. If she can't don't get mad, just sit and relax on her and go back to what she can do well, even if it's only walking.

Instead of focusing on loping and leads, step back and work on walk/trot transitions. Get a book on dressage and do some of the beginning exercises with her (yes, I know you are western, but dressage is good training for all horses, helps teach them balance and flexing).

Find someone to ride with. I think you'll have more fun and worry less about what she can't do, and what you CAN do if you just relax and do some trails with her with a friend or two.

I agree about selling her at a low price now... horse meat is bringing in the $$$.

I agree, get a trainer. When owning a horse the owner must have patience and alot of it, if the owner doesn't then a horse probably isn't the right pet for him/her. The horse doesn't understand what he/she is doing wrong, it's probably trying to please you in the best way it can. You can't expect to ride a green horse to learn this in a few weeks or months. Every horse is different and will learn different.

Honestly, I have days where I'm saying the same exact thing that you are. I sent Gunther to a trainer and it was wonderful!. Trainers are worth it and they aren't that expensive. For 45 days of under the saddle training it's $400-600.

^^ Wow, just 400-600? Dang!!! Down here, 45 days will cost no less than $1000, more if it is specialty training. LOL.

Where do you live?! That's crazy, I live in NY. It's hard because NY isn't a big horse state, my 45 days of under the saddle training was $600 but that covered boarding and training. She also was a very great trainer and didn't cut corners.