My friend and I are working with a horse for a fellow boarder, she wants to try us (my friend works with a couple of the horses with less experienced owners and I've been seen riding with an umbrella on a 5 yo tb and we both loves natural horsemanship) before paying a bunch for a professional trainer. Her gelding, Chance, is a 6 yo walker who wasn't ridden until he was 5, and she got him when he was 4- I'm unsure weather or not she gentled him herself but I would think so as she's been around horses all her life and knows a thing or two. The reason she asked for her help is that Chance, who cares about his position in the pecking order and is currently top dog but still fighting (his herd is the more feisty herd), has just been a butt on the ground, in his stall and under saddle.
In his stall, he'll reach out and bite any passing horse, he actual bit my mare once and apparently bit someone's saddle. In the field he's of course bossy, always moving the other horses feet whenever he can. I'm planning on taking a chair and my camera and just watching them for a while. Under saddle he cut's other horses off, it's like to his rider; F you, I have to go tell this horse off.
The thing is though, is that she's done the Clinton Anderson Beginner (and maybe Intermediate) stuff, and he does it to a T. Yielding hind quarter, giving at the poll (I was actually in the field, walked up to him and asked him to give and he was perfect, then proceeded, as soon as I walked away, to bite a horse.) and backing up, one day she backed him up all around the ring. I'm planning on free lounging him to see how he does with that.
Also, he hates the gelding next to him and vice versa. Every time one walks by the other's stall, the other will reach out and bite. Yesterday we spent some time just walking Chance by the other horse. If they made angry faces Chance would get a "Oui, listen to me." shake on the lead and the other horse would get a tap with a crop my friend was holding. If they bit it was a smack for both. The other horse isn't even dominate though.
So, any idea how I can get this horse to let his handler/rider be the boss, all of the time? It's just like he'll go back and forth between "your the boss" and "I'm the boss" despite her efforts of moving his feet and doing what normally create that "I'm the leader, your the follower" with the horse. Any help/advice/tips/trick/exercises are appreciated!
In his stall, he'll reach out and bite any passing horse, he actual bit my mare once and apparently bit someone's saddle. In the field he's of course bossy, always moving the other horses feet whenever he can. I'm planning on taking a chair and my camera and just watching them for a while. Under saddle he cut's other horses off, it's like to his rider; F you, I have to go tell this horse off.
The thing is though, is that she's done the Clinton Anderson Beginner (and maybe Intermediate) stuff, and he does it to a T. Yielding hind quarter, giving at the poll (I was actually in the field, walked up to him and asked him to give and he was perfect, then proceeded, as soon as I walked away, to bite a horse.) and backing up, one day she backed him up all around the ring. I'm planning on free lounging him to see how he does with that.
Also, he hates the gelding next to him and vice versa. Every time one walks by the other's stall, the other will reach out and bite. Yesterday we spent some time just walking Chance by the other horse. If they made angry faces Chance would get a "Oui, listen to me." shake on the lead and the other horse would get a tap with a crop my friend was holding. If they bit it was a smack for both. The other horse isn't even dominate though.
So, any idea how I can get this horse to let his handler/rider be the boss, all of the time? It's just like he'll go back and forth between "your the boss" and "I'm the boss" despite her efforts of moving his feet and doing what normally create that "I'm the leader, your the follower" with the horse. Any help/advice/tips/trick/exercises are appreciated!