Training Tips

QUESTION: Hi Sylvia! I found your web site and am really glad I did. I just purchased your training package as well because I believe in natural horsemanship, not manhandling or training gimmicks. I have a 3-1/2 yr. old AQHA filly. I bought her in April of this year and ride roughly 4-5 days a week. We are training her for reining. She has been super responsive and a delight until recently. She will be willing enough to go into the arena, but not as willing as before. She will go through the flexing and bending exercises fine, moving her hip and shoulders at the walk is fine. But when I ask her to trot off she is not as willing, but she will and stays in it fine. She'll move into the lope from the trot fine too. But when I ask for the lope from the walk or standstill she'll simply STOP moving, or move off to the right (never to the left) in an evasive way. I can raise my right hand with my right rein and tap her hip with it and get her to go, but she'll put her ears back at that point. I can get her to do it but I don't feel like I have a truly cooperative partner. I'm wondering if she's uncomfortable somewhere, or if she's simply resisting me for another reason. Help!! Please. And...thank you!

REPLY: Hi. Thanks for writing. It looks like to me, from here, that there is potentially pain involved and that's maybe causing the sudden resistance there. I would definitely thoroughly rule that out first before assuming it's behavioral. I'd suggest this: get a vet check and especially have the vet check her back for pain/issues there, as well as everything else (mouth, etc.). Have your vet do a complete wellness exam, letting him/her know the problems you're having there so he/she can look for certain potential physical issues there.

Also, let me direct you to a link on my web site in particular so you can read about checking for proper saddle fit and more about good pads (vs. bad pads -- I'm a fanatic about using the right pad, as sometimes that can make all the difference in the world comfort wise for the horse), but you can read more in depth about that here: http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips40.html

Also...read this link on my site about potential bit issues and what I recommend there (because a horse can also balk like that if they have mouth or bit pain/discomfort issues): http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips5.html

If all that rules out, then you are left to assume that this is a training issue. On one note, she looks to me like from here that she might have an eye-changing problem that left unfixed (from the ground first) can translate upward into saddle often like you're seeing there. Let me direct you to a link on my site about eye-changing problems, what that's about and how to fix it (safely on the ground first): http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips65.html - I just have a feeling that might be what's going on there maybe.

But do rule out potential physical causes first, every direction, because a horse in pain/discomfort can't concentrate on lessons properly, as you can imagine.