[Gidji]

So due to certain personal circumstances, I've lost my confidence with Ricky. I handle him every day but its just I've been a fair bit stressed recently. But anyways onto the problems.

This afternoon I was practicing halter work with Ricky. He was fine and happily trotting and walking and halting but all of a sudden when I asked him for a trot he reared! And I''m not talking the ****y little rears he does when hes trying to evade, I'm talking straight up, and striking out. Kelly had just put Logan into his paddock, so I assumed he either spooked at the noise of the gate, or just plain misbehaviour because his paddock neighbour was back. Either way, I gave him a sharp tap on the shoulder with my lead rope, said 'NO!' and got him into an active walk.

After about 10 steps of this he did it again. I was not very happy at this point and proceeding to make him turn his butt away from me after I'd hit him. Once I'd felt I'd gained my control again, I asked him to walk. He actually behaved at a walk. So I asked for a trot, and he reared :S So I hit him again and did the same method. Then I checked him over for pain or anything. NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA. I even sprayed some fly repellant on him just in case they were bugging him. Then we attempted a trot again, and he did it again. I was not happy, and he could tell it.

So I got him into an active walk and I let him off once I felt that was good enough. Now I know you guys will lecture me about letting him get off easy, but this afternoon I wasn't in the mood.

Now to his food aggression. Before I could walk into his paddock and put the food in his run in shed. He'd follow me and he used to be quite good. But the other day (last wednesday?) he reared and nearly pinned me against a wall. So for the past week, I've just been tipping it into the food bucket over the stall wall or I've had someone hold him on a halter whilst I put the food in. I don't like doing this. Its so inconvenient and I know its the wrong thing to do.

I'm at a loss, I'm out of touch. Is it possible to just come to a complete blank with horses? I need advice and sorry about the novel.

 

[Gidji]

Bump I don't know what to do and if things don't improve I'm selling him. I love him so much, but I just don't have the time.

 

[Mercedes]

I'm at a loss, I'm out of touch. Is it possible to just come to a complete blank with horses?

Yes.

I need advice and sorry about the novel.

You need the help of a professional to work with both of you. If that is not possible, then you need to do a mentorship with a professional so you can learn more. If that's not possible, then selling him is a very viable option at this point so that neither one of you will get seriously hurt.

 

[Gidji]

Thanks for the advice, Mercedes. I love this boy a little bit too much I think. He has had professional training, and I'm used to dealing with his rearing, but his food aggession just gets me. I just don't get why he reared. He hasn't done it in forever, and there was no obvious point other than he didn't want to do it.

 

[Seahorseys]

My horse has reared on me once, in the very beginning, before we did any roundpen work, before she trusted me as a handler or had any respect for me. It scared me enough to think I would be doing a disservice to my horse if I didn't work closely with a professional who could guide me, schooling me, not my horse. I began to absorb all the information I could, building my own little library. I think, in this is IMHO, that any horse that rears, be it occasionally, or everyday, is a ticking timebomb until the business of sorting out who is the leader is addressed. There shouldn't be a doubt about feeling, or truly knowing that you are higher on the pecking order. With my horse, I could immediately FEEL when she acknowledged this. Sure, you could spend years placating the horse so that he never rears or kicks again, using correction or intimidation. Until respect and trust is in order you won't have the horse's mind, or his willingness to work for you. I would recommended watching the "Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman and "Back to the Beginning" by Ray Hunt. Or anything by them. They truly understand the importance of establishing or gaining the respect before moving any further. You'll find you just can't move much further without that, anyway. I've kind of adopted the belief that the horse kind of trains itself, because nearly 95% of the problems that have occured during our training, my trainer corrected in me first, and right after I corrected myself, we just naturally progressed. Good luck, and if you love this horse, do what ever it takes to train her right, regardless of the time it takes you to get there. It truly has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, blood, sweat, smiles and tears!

 

[kevinshorses]

I would recommended watching the "Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman and "Back to the Beginning" by Ray Hunt. Or anything by them. They truly understand the importance of establishing or gaining the respect before moving any further. You'll find you just can't move much further without that, anyway.

Great video's and Terrific horsemen!!

 

[Gidji]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I've come to the decision that I will work with my trainer, and we'll see how things go from there. If its just too much, I will sell him onto a better home where he will get the proper training and love.

 

[LoveTheSaddlebreds]

This should give you all the info you need:

 

[Nature2horses]

You need to work on your relationship. You are #1 and he is #2. Well, that's not what he thinks right now. With a horse like him, with dominance you have to respect him so he wants to follow you. The mood you had showed you didn't have good leadership and confidence in yourself which is what horses seek. If you force him into #2 position, he will fight back.