Training Tips

QUESTION: Hi Sylvia, I have a paso fino mare. I have not experienced this problem with her in the 3 years I have had her. I have recently moved her to another farm. She has been placed with a gelding and they have become quite close...literally...especially now that she is in season. I have no problems catching her or getting her ready for a ride. Upon first leaving, she gets jiggety, throws head around and tries to give me little bucks as she knows we are leaving him. She does this when we are alone or riding with other horses. Once we get away from home, she calms down and is quite pleasant. Lately we have been riding with 5 other ladies and she prefers to lead. When she is in the pack, she gets upset. I usually keep her within the group so she will get used to being with the others, but after a while, I grow tired of fighting her attitude, so we move to the front where she instantly calms down. The other day, we were in the lead and gaiting. The other horses from behind came up behind her at a trot and I kept her in gait. As soon as the other horses passed her, she threw her head around, got jiggety in place and gave a big buck. I kept her back and made her listen to me and what I wanted from her, which was to remain back and keep in gait. She settled down but was not happy being left behind. Question: What can I do when she does this? She hasn't bucked me off YET, but this is something new that she is doing and I don't care for it. Also, when this happened, we were heading towards home. Part of the problem is wanting to get back to her pasture mate and the other is wanting to get back in the lead. Thanks for your help. I enjoy reading about Horse Problems on your website.

REPLY: Hi. Thanks for writing and for the excellent overview -- gives me a real clear picture there. I would suggest this: Plant into her foundation the one-rein stop and from now on when she's acting up like that (at any time you are riding), wind her down into the one-rein stop/disengaging the hind quarters (this will be in the category of making the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard) and this will give you full control of her attempts at taking over there, get her listening to you better AND prevent you from being bucked off. A well-planted-in-foundation one-rein stop can stop a bucking horse, a rearing horse, a runaway horse, or a horse who has simply shut you off and taken over the leadership there. Let me direct you to a link on my web site that will show you how to teach the one-rein stop, from the ground up:

All of the above (and much, much more) is taught in my Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System DVD set. Usually it helps to see this natural horsemanship art taught visually, to really understand how it is all done. You can get that DVD set here: CLICK HERE

I also think she would greatly benefit from you backing up and round penning her the natural horsemanship way to remind her that you are the lead mare in her herd, not herself (she thinks of herself as lead mare there, hence her constant insistence on being the leader of the herd when riding out with others) when the truth is: YOU are the lead mare -- she's forgotten that. Round penning should help her to remember that it is YOU in charge of her feet, not the other way around, and hence you are the lead mare -- I teach step-by-step round penning here:

My Whispering Way Round Pen Leadership DVD also teaches the art of natural horsemanship round penning visually. To learn more about and order that video: CLICK HERE

And incidentally...my Whispering Way Complete Training Package contains all my videos and training tools that you need to train or retrain your horse yourself the natural horsemanship Whispering Way. You can check out/order the Whispering Way Complete Training Package on my web site here: CLICK HERE