So my 14 year old mare who I've had for 2 or 3 months now is proving to be quite the challenge. We are having one major issue with lunging, a little bit of a woahing problem, and I have some questions about desensitizing.
We will start with the MAJOR issue. So I usually exercise her by long trotting or just leading her around while I jog. Today I decided I would try to lunge her to change things up a bit. Well this did not work! She lunges okay to the left but it takes a lot to get her too. She absolutely refuses to go to the right. I try sending her off and she just stands there facing me. If I try to walk towards her hip she just spins around. I tried starting with her body parallel to me and walking towards her hip and she'll take a few steps and then stop and turn towards me. I seriously need help! I got so frustrated and stopped trying because I had no idea what to do and I was afraid I was messing her up. I do know how to lunge a horse who knows how to lunge. I do it at the barn I work at all the time and I lunge my gelding frequently. He's easy, just point the direction you want him to go and kiss, he takes off. However I don't know how to teach a horse to lunge, help me please!
Now with the woahing or stopping. My mare stops on her front end, I hope that makes sense. She doesn't sit on her rear end and stop. I'm not expecting her to slide stop even though I know she can, she's trained in reining. When I ask her to woah she putters to a stop hopping up and down on her front legs, she also takes forever to stop. I'd like her to sit a stop and stop more quickly when I want her to. This is how I work on her stopping: I start at a walk, take a deep seat, push forward in my stirrups, and say woah simultaneously then I pull back on the reins. When she does stop I make her back up a few steps. I repeat this at a walk and trot. But it doesn't seem to be making a difference, any advice?
Lastly how do you desensitize your horses? My mare seems to be afraid of lots of stuff especially trash and I'm not sure how to go about desensitizing her.
Thanks is advance for any help and I hope this wasn't too confusing.
We will start with the MAJOR issue. So I usually exercise her by long trotting or just leading her around while I jog. Today I decided I would try to lunge her to change things up a bit. Well this did not work! She lunges okay to the left but it takes a lot to get her too. She absolutely refuses to go to the right. I try sending her off and she just stands there facing me. If I try to walk towards her hip she just spins around. I tried starting with her body parallel to me and walking towards her hip and she'll take a few steps and then stop and turn towards me. I seriously need help! I got so frustrated and stopped trying because I had no idea what to do and I was afraid I was messing her up. I do know how to lunge a horse who knows how to lunge. I do it at the barn I work at all the time and I lunge my gelding frequently. He's easy, just point the direction you want him to go and kiss, he takes off. However I don't know how to teach a horse to lunge, help me please!
Now with the woahing or stopping. My mare stops on her front end, I hope that makes sense. She doesn't sit on her rear end and stop. I'm not expecting her to slide stop even though I know she can, she's trained in reining. When I ask her to woah she putters to a stop hopping up and down on her front legs, she also takes forever to stop. I'd like her to sit a stop and stop more quickly when I want her to. This is how I work on her stopping: I start at a walk, take a deep seat, push forward in my stirrups, and say woah simultaneously then I pull back on the reins. When she does stop I make her back up a few steps. I repeat this at a walk and trot. But it doesn't seem to be making a difference, any advice?
Lastly how do you desensitize your horses? My mare seems to be afraid of lots of stuff especially trash and I'm not sure how to go about desensitizing her.
Thanks is advance for any help and I hope this wasn't too confusing.