Training Tips

QUESTION: Hey Sylvia. I have a 4-year-old horse that I have been riding for two years. I have been training her since she was born and never had any major problems. This year, at our fair for 4-H, she tried attacking my friend's horse while we were exercising them in the morning. She reared up and lunged at her, almost knocked my friend off, so I took her away and I rode her away from the group for the rest of that day. When we got back to the barns, they stood together buddy-buddy with no indications that she had tried attacking her. The next day I tried it again. This time she kicked first, then spun and lunged at her. The part that puzzles me the most is that she gives me no warnings. She doesn't pin her ears back or raise her head or stiffen her back like my other horses do when they are going to pull a stunt. She just blows. Today I was out riding with my sister and her boyfriend and we were playing around like we normally do. He would get up right behind her and they would be just fine. But for some reason my horse decided to get nasty. She kicked at him and possibly broke my sister's boyfriend's leg. I normally ride alone and have no one to ride with besides people who don't know what they are doing and my horse is fine with my first horse, so I can't exactly school her in the ways stated in the other articles. Do you have any advice?

REPLY: First, teach your horse how to yield and do the one-rein stop so that you have it in her foundation solidly, for a start -- here's a link on my web site on how to teach that:

One Rein Stop - How to do it and why it's important

Next, I guarantee you she's giving some pre-signs before she's acting out toward other horses, so get real (more) perceptive as you set her up to flush out this problem. React INSTANTLY to the first tiny sign you see of her aggressive thoughts toward another horse there, and make a loud SHHHHH sound (that sound eventually to mean "stop it!") and pull her head around, but away from the other horse/rider she is targeting - the opposite direction of that other horse. Make her go in circles there, tightly too, bumping her inside hind quarter with your inside foot back (that's where the one-rein stop in her foundation ahead of time is going to help -- she'll understand how to bend better there). Make her WORK, keep her going in circles for a bit so that she starts connecting the dots that: "when I act up toward another horse, my leader (that would be you) is going to put me to harder work, going in circles." Horses hate to circle like that mindlessly and if you're consistent enough in this lesson, she's going to make the mental connection pretty quickly that this kind of aggressive behavior only reaps her harder work. Get real tough with her about this behavior because as you see, it's very dangerous to other riders.

I want to direct you to another link on my web site that may help you there as well:

Kicking problem - horse kicks others behind her on trail rides

Hope this helps and good luck to you there!