Manners!

My horse has been being used to help some kids learn how to ride. He has been there since about March. I will be moving him soon due to some problems with the place he is at now, but I do have a problem that I'd like some help with. When I first dropped him off there he had impeccable manners, and was very wiling. Now he has a lesson horse attitude and thinks he doesnt have to work and can do whatever he pleases. Any tips on how to get him back to how he was prior. I will be the only one riding him at this point.

Do the unexpected! He'll be expecting to work and be drilled. So just have fun, maybe jump on bareback and hack around. Or go on a beautiful trail ride. Something besides Walk-trot-canter-stop-turn-reverse.

Let him think that being with you is FUN and that he want's to be with you because you aren't going to drill him like a lesson horse.

After he has a better attitude start from the begining and reteach him those wonderful manners, but you want him to be happy first then this part will come a lot easier

Hopefully that was the kind of answer you were looking for. If not just holler!

Horses that teach lessons on a regular basis deserve a special place in heaven... it is amazing what they put up with! (or I guess some of them don't... :)) I find that attitudes change quite a bit once you make a horse a lesson horse, especially with beginners, and once they get back into a consistent program with you, they change back. Be firm when he tries to do what he wants, rewarding when he's good. Keep reinforcing all of the good things he did before. He'll be back in no time!

I agree. keep things up beat and different. i use my gelding as a lesson horse and the kids ride him in a bareback pad. when i put that western saddle or english saddle on him, his whole attitude changes and he is back to being a horse having fun. take him out for a trail ride. i also play with my horse when i lunge him. i make it fun. i make him do rollbacks and all soerts of stuff. not just walk, trot, canter. stop. try and do something different every time you work with him.

Thanks a bunch, I've been riding him and trying to have fun with him, and he is doing considerably better so far. =)