Hi there! This is my first time posting on this forum, but I have friends who have asked questions using this site, and everyone was very nice and helpful. So, I've decided to come forward with my own little problem.
I am a moderately experienced horseback rider (21 years old, and have been working with horses for a few years), and I recently purchased a little draft-mix named Rosie. I am very fond of her -- she is dapple grey with some feathering on her lower legs, and she has a great temperament for the most part. No biting, kicking, or bucking/rearing.
However, she is deeply, deeply stubborn, and I have cycled through a series of worsening behavioral issues. Like most horses, she wants to get back to the barn & her herdmates as soon as possible. So, she'll act up at the start of the ride and act like an angel on the way back.
At first, her rebellions were pretty mild and easy to handle, but she's gradually increased the severity of her misbehaviors. At first, she would try and walk me into tree branches or scrape my leg against fenceposts, or just balk and zig-zag when I asked her to move forward.
I had a more experienced friend ride her the other day. She had some problems at first, but she had a firm hand and straightened things out quickly.
I got on today, and followed her advice to stop the balking problem, but Rosie escalated after that. She took off at a canter multiple times, tried to spin around and dump me, and took off in the other direction. I didn't feel frightened or overwhelmed at any point, but she refused to listen to me and completely ignored my attempts to turn her around in a circle/stop her.
This culminated when she finally ran under a tree branch she's scraped me off on before. I grabbed the branch and swung off, but by this point I had been fighting her for a while and she was only getting worse. I didn't feel I could continue productively or safely, so I decided it's best to call it quits and ask for some advice.
Someone I know immediately suggested a harsher bit (I am using a soft bit, which was recommended to me by the man that trained her.) However, I'm hesitant to switch, since I've always heard that the bit is rarely the problem.
Here is a SIMILAR bit to the one I'm using. Mine is similar to a Pelham bit, with the optional lever action. Forgive me if I'm not SUPER knowledgeable about bits, I've always used very simple ones:
It's also worth mentioning that Rosie is 5 years old. I'm well aware that a number of these issues are linked to her age and green-ness, along with a lack of respect for me as her rider. I just want to make sure I'm taking the right approach to handling these problems.
While I'm a fairly confident rider, I know I have a lot to learn about training horses. Thank you in advance for all of your advice, kindness, and understanding.
I am a moderately experienced horseback rider (21 years old, and have been working with horses for a few years), and I recently purchased a little draft-mix named Rosie. I am very fond of her -- she is dapple grey with some feathering on her lower legs, and she has a great temperament for the most part. No biting, kicking, or bucking/rearing.
However, she is deeply, deeply stubborn, and I have cycled through a series of worsening behavioral issues. Like most horses, she wants to get back to the barn & her herdmates as soon as possible. So, she'll act up at the start of the ride and act like an angel on the way back.
At first, her rebellions were pretty mild and easy to handle, but she's gradually increased the severity of her misbehaviors. At first, she would try and walk me into tree branches or scrape my leg against fenceposts, or just balk and zig-zag when I asked her to move forward.
I had a more experienced friend ride her the other day. She had some problems at first, but she had a firm hand and straightened things out quickly.
I got on today, and followed her advice to stop the balking problem, but Rosie escalated after that. She took off at a canter multiple times, tried to spin around and dump me, and took off in the other direction. I didn't feel frightened or overwhelmed at any point, but she refused to listen to me and completely ignored my attempts to turn her around in a circle/stop her.
This culminated when she finally ran under a tree branch she's scraped me off on before. I grabbed the branch and swung off, but by this point I had been fighting her for a while and she was only getting worse. I didn't feel I could continue productively or safely, so I decided it's best to call it quits and ask for some advice.
Someone I know immediately suggested a harsher bit (I am using a soft bit, which was recommended to me by the man that trained her.) However, I'm hesitant to switch, since I've always heard that the bit is rarely the problem.
Here is a SIMILAR bit to the one I'm using. Mine is similar to a Pelham bit, with the optional lever action. Forgive me if I'm not SUPER knowledgeable about bits, I've always used very simple ones:
It's also worth mentioning that Rosie is 5 years old. I'm well aware that a number of these issues are linked to her age and green-ness, along with a lack of respect for me as her rider. I just want to make sure I'm taking the right approach to handling these problems.
While I'm a fairly confident rider, I know I have a lot to learn about training horses. Thank you in advance for all of your advice, kindness, and understanding.