[blackcreekfoxtrotter]

So my horse, MapleAnne, is broke to ride, but she has one heck of an attitude. Her previous owner let her get away with too many things, and since we got her we've been handling her and trying to get her back in check. It's not like she's a ridiculously bad horse or anything, she's actually quite friendly in the pasture, just really, really pushy when she's in halter and saddle.
I want her to see that I'm the one who's in control, and I'm pretty sure I generally know what I'm doing, but I was wondering if anyone more experienced than me had tips or methods to help me out.
We haven't been letting her get away with anything she shouldn't be doing, such as crowding or bucking, and it seems to be working, but if there's anything you can think of, it may help me.
Thank you so much

 

[Mercedes]

To give you the best, most accurate advice I'd have to see you interacting with her.

If you're happy with the progress your making, then simply carry on. Perhaps attend some clinics, introduce clicker training, read a few books (something like Dancing With Horses by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling) and such to give you some additional ideas of how to work with her on the ground to continue to advance your relationship.

 

[blackcreekfoxtrotter]

Okay. Thanks, I didn't even think about books at all. :S
I'm actually trying to train eight horses, and they're all of different ages and experience levels, from yearling to seventeen-year-old broodmare. But my main focus is on Maple, because she has the most room to improve and has so much to correct. We do have two very green horses, but I think they'll be a little easier to teach because they don't have any previous experience and have never seen jumps ar anything before, so they don't know what they are. Maple may have seen them, and might have an issue or a fear; I really won't know until I show them to her. Maple is six and our green horses are both three.

My goal is to teach my horses to jump small jumps and to have better coordination with their feet. Being Missouri Foxtrotters, they're naturally sure-footed and attentive to their surroundings, but I'm sure that with a little training and practice, they'll be perfect. We do a LOT of riding through the bush, so there's obviously a lot of logs and sticks and whatnot to trip them up. I'm not a bigshot trainer, and I'm not working with other people's horses, just mine. (I hope to get there someday, though. )

I've done some research, and am building some cavaletti poles to help them. I was thinking about making a little course out in my trails with the painted poles integrated at different heights. Should I do this, or just keep logs in the bush and jumps in the ring? I'm kind of torn because I think that if they get too used to the colours being out in the bush, and they get too used to the colours, they might not jump logs, which obviously look very different.

I guess I'll find out when I get there.

 

[Mercedes]

I've done some research, and am building some cavaletti poles to help them. I was thinking about making a little course out in my trails with the painted poles integrated at different heights. Should I do this, or just keep logs in the bush and jumps in the ring? I'm kind of torn because I think that if they get too used to the colours being out in the bush, and they get too used to the colours, they might not jump logs, which obviously look very different.

I guess I'll find out when I get there.

Grab a book about teaching jumping. Most people just point the horse toward a jump and go, and that's not the proper way to do it at all. There is a logical progression to teaching a horse to jump correctly from the beginning; as in finding the right spot, and encouraging them to use themselves correctly, and to not over face them, and so on. I think this would be particularly important since you're dealing with gaited horses, who aren't bred for jumping per sa.