How to grow a much better bond with my horse?

Yes TTeam is great, but very very difficult to understand from a book imho. You really need to experience it (as you have) to see the potential and to understand it. Sara Fisher is the head in the UK but I've also been lucky to train with Robyn (Linda's sister). A quite inspirational lady.

Who was the trainer you worked with? What exercises did they do with the barn sour horse?

Our trainer wasn't a "name." She was a fellow boarder at a barn in Colorado who was working on her TTEAM certification, which meant she had to work with and log the progress of X number of horses, all on a voluntary basis (which worked out well for me :)). She was, however, very good.

The horse was arena sour rather than barn sour, undoubtedly made worse by the fact that at the time I was 15 and a bit clueless. The sort of stuff we did consisted of asking the horse to go over and through poles constructed in various configurations, which she liked doing. In that case, it was a matter of working with the horse in the arena, but doing things there she enjoyed and thought were fun. With that particular horses and her issues, which were mainly very sticky feet -- she could be ridiculously cranky and behind the leg at best and flat-out balky at worst -- the wand (see long, white dressage-type whip) employed by TTEAM was extremely useful, as it taught her shiny new cues for moving her feet and thus made her more interested in and curious about what we were asking her to do.

I also recommend giving your horse the opportunity to play with a giant exercise ball if you can find one. My current horse and the three-year old I started thought it was great fun and would push it and follow it around the arena (Gypsum thought it was even more fun to push it hard at another horse and watch the other horse spook, but the rider had a view on that). Doesn't work for everyone, though. The horse I wrote about in the first paragraph couldn't have cared less about the exercise ball. You could make her push it with her nose, but quite frankly she wasn't that interested.

Basically, anything to vary what you do in the arena, so the arena isn't always associated with the same old work and drudgery. Find things your horse seems to like doing.

Yes the Kerplunk exercise (not called that but reminds me of the game!) is great for building confidence and awareness of where their feet are.

The maze is also good for flexion it gives the horse a reason to flex rather than simply being forced to.

Slightly off topic but I also use wraps a lot to improve awareness and collection etc. (though head wraps look crazy lol)

Aye, I really should be doing more of this stuff. My skills were pretty good several years ago when I had a baby to back, but these days my horse and I just do our thing (dicking about with a bit of dressage, a bit of trail, a bit of jumping, and occasionally giving hapless beginners a lesson) which all works well so I tend to lapse into laziness. I guess that's a good thing on some level, but your skills and knowledge atrophy when you don't use them, which isn't good.

To the OP (and anyone else): Obsessing over your "bond" is the wrong way to go about it. Instead of thinking about improving your "bond" with your horse, think about improving your ability to communicate with it. If you can communicate what you want to the horse in a way he can understand, that seems reasonable from his point of view, and provide clear leadership and direction, your relationship with him will improve.

Wow thanks for all the advice. I'm going to need to take some more time to read all of it but it's all very appreciated. THANK YOU!

Yep. To me a bond is mutual respect between rider and horse :)

Doe!!!! If your out there I really have a question for you. I have a rescue QH that this will be the third week that I have had her. She is well manneredand when I get her out of the pasture she will walk right with me. I feed her treats and walk her everyday. I have only missed two days. I haven't ridden her yet because her hooves were 3 inches too long and she had a shoe on the front right barely hanging on. She had been this way for at least 3 years. She was under wieght and a little scared of people. Now, even after day 2, she is just a real sweetheart. My worry is that whenshe is 100% is she going to just want to "hang out" or will she work for me. I have put the saddle onher and bridle and she stood perfectly still, til the tightening of the girth, She took a bit like it was an apple, I do this soley to get her aqauinted once again with it all. I want to have faith that she is going to be ok. She still has a slight limp but nothing compared to when I got her. Before you almost had to pick her up and carry her. I hope with such fast improvements that she will soon be sound. I amworried that she might get a LITTLE FRISKY WHEN ITS ALL SAID AND DONE BECAUSE SHE IS STARTING TO DO SOME HEAD THROWING WHEN SHE WANTS TO GRAZE WHEN IM LEADING HER AND I don't WANT TO STOP. I guess what Im asking is should I be prepared for her to change her personality as she gets better. I love her the way she is..

What about join up? I can PM you the instructoins on how to do it

ok...not sure what ur talking about buti am game. I will be waiting for the pm