Yes, I've got some ideas that will get you on a better track there. Actually, I can quite clearly see with my "professional eye" from here that this horse still simply has holes in his foundation. I see them very clearly. Which is quite common in racehorses; they just don't lay down a solid, thorough - SAFE - foundation in racehorses -- apparently on purpose. The way racehorses are often taught is to: 1) get real hyped up just before the race as they are lead to the starting gate (so...often no to little ground manners to speak of), then, 2) just go, go, go!! (so...no real brakes to speak of), and 3) often only go to the left! (so...steering malfunction going any other direction). It is like...designing a fast Ferrari with no brakes and very little steering which is mostly only on one side, aimed only at winning at high speed drag racing. Hoy boy.

But the good news is: these former racehorses are fixable/retrainable! And I've got some ideas that you can even do yourself to close up those foundation holes and get the quiet, cooperative, safer horse I know you want there.

I would completely back this horse up in training, from the beginning, and with former racers, I would want to start with round penning the natural horsemanship way, because one of the gaping holes in their foundation they all seem to come with is: eye changing problems (they are all one-eyed/one-sided, all they've been taught so far). Stop here and read more about what eye-changing problems are all about because you are going to want to follow those directions I have there for fixing these eye changing foundation holes now (maybe print this out & the links I take you to once there, as well):

http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/TrainingTips65.html

After round penning the horse properly like I teach there in that section (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), next I would, as I also describe there, want to teach your horse the remainder of what he needs in his foundation. And here's where I would suggest applying horse whispering/natural horsemanship training techniques in a very clear step-by-step program, which you can learn more about in my DVD set, the Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System, and you can order that here: CLICK HERE

After watching the videos, and after learning and applying the methods, you, as the horse's primary teacher, will have taught the horse:

• How to be bonded to you more deeply so that the horse trusts you to the max and they will be far more willing to do whatever you ask, even when they are in doubt;
• That you both have a "bonding place" (a "safety zone") to come back to always, from then on, if the horse is ever upset or afraid, on the ground (or later, in the saddle); we plant a one-rein stop in the foundation of every horse, on the ground first, so that in the saddle, it is automatic. This keeps you safer and the horse more rational, and feeling supported, bonded, connected more deeply emotionally to you.
• How to relax the horse when they are tense about something before they are called upon to react negatively.
• How to have the horse yield easily, in any direction when asked -- they'll learn how to yield properly to pressure to receive the release of pressure. All horses learn from the release of pressure what it is you want, not from the pressure itself;
• How to progress bonding to even deeper levels to the point of downright intimacy; makes a horse feel like they never had it so good being with you!
• How to move the horse from the rear, and learning to do that rationally, which is so important to teach a horse to do before you ever ride them, and which you'll be using for a lot of other things like trailer loading, going in and out of a gate, into a stall, and so many other places/situations; this also teaches a horse that you are in charge of their feet.
• How to address effectively any fears (and the horse's reactions to them) that you flush out in their behavior at any given time; my program focuses greatly on finding the fears before they find you and fixing them -- safely on the ground first! Even lay folks can do this. It's all about: safety. This then builds a far more rational, confident, happy, trusting horse, because, in essence, you have effectively raised the horse's "fear/anxiety bar." And you will have taught the horse simultaneously in the process, how to turn to you for nurturance support when/if they are ever afraid or upset.
• How to do all this first on the ground, then later in the saddle, in that order.
• How to keep you safe and the horse safe at all times, throughout all of this --- always my biggest training focus.

This video set will help you to lay down an even stronger, more solid and trusting foundation under your horse that will then serve you well, tremendously, actually, when you do step up into the saddle. By the time you complete the steps, you will have a transformed horse. The final steps are in the saddle and those exercises will more deeply plant into your horse's foundation the one-rein stop/the "safety zone," and more, that will turn the horse into a far, far more rational, trusting, happier -- and safer -- horse in saddle as well.

And you can do this yourself if you just back up and learn a few things yourself there. This video set will get you there the fastest with your horse, which is why I'm recommending this route. It's designed for anyone on any level, horse or human, to get professional trainer-like results.

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

I'm a very strong believer that every horse owner is their horse's primary teacher/trainer whether they realize it or not. Every time you are with your horse, that horse is learning something. You just want to make sure the horse is learning what you want them to learn, not what you don't want them to learn! My natural horsemanship training techniques are gentle, effective, and powerful. Works with every horse every time!

But it's real important to back up and break down all teaching steps in a way that you are releasing baby-gives, allowing the horse to feel the release for the right answers incrementally, so that they learn that's really what you want.

This route will absolutely get your horse past all of those issues, and more, I assure you.

In other words, you are building into the horse's foundation, from the ground up, "emergency" brakes. But you are going to be breaking that down properly into incremental learning stages to build this block upon block solidly into the horse's foundation, then practice it hundreds of times. While safely in the confines of a round pen or arena, you are going to practice that one-rein stop repeatedly, first at a standstill, then at a walk, winding down to one-rein stop to the left. Disengage the hind quarters, bond on the horse after he stops and brings his head around to you; then, walk on and perform a one-rein stop on the right, repeating the same. Do this many, many times at the walk until the horse has this down absolutely automatically, calmly rationally.

Then you are going to ask for 1-2 steps into the trot and then ask for the one-rein stop on the left, wind down, disengage the hind quarters, come to the stop, horse's head over to the side, bond. Then get him up to two steps into the trot again and repeat the one-rein stop to the right. Do this until he has it down rationally, then ask for 3-4 steps into the trot, then wind down. Both sides. 5-6 steps into the trot, then wind down, both sides. And so on until he well manages rationally the one-rein stop at a maintained trot, any number of steps you designate. Only after the horse masters that perfectly, rationally at the trot will you then ask for 1-2 steps into the canter and then immediately ask for the one rein stop just as above.

However, remember: the faster you are going, the wider the circles you make there as you snail down to a one-rein stop. Do NOT just pull a horse's head over to the side when going fast or the horse will lose his balance and potentially fall, you with him! That's indeed how Hollywood stuntmen bring down a trick horse to look like they have been shot at full gallop to fall to the ground.

After the horse can master the one-rein stop well just a couple of steps into the canter, do a couple more steps into the canter before asking for the one-rein stop. And so on. The trick is to BABY STEP the horse there, very precisely A-B-C-D like, skipping no "letter steps" and he will get there. The long way is the short way, as we say in natural horsemanship! The time you take to patiently, clearly, break it all down like that for him, the quicker and more permanently he will get there. Practice this over and over and over again until it's automatic reflex for the horse, and for you. And don't think about taking him outside that arena "classroom" until he's got it down at all gaits.

Then, introduce "outside the arena" doing the same thing. Exit the arena, but very quickly perform the one-rein stop to show him right away: it's all the same everywhere. Again, break it down into the walk, both sides. Then the trot, both sides, finally the canter, both sides. Practice this close to the stables, then start extending the lesson a little farther away, but keep performing the one-rein stop as you go so that he compartmentalize learns: the rules we just learned apply everywhere now.

Even as you head out to your regular trail/street ride, keep reminding him there, giving him the opportunity to practice that repeatedly. I would think about not going full out your usual distance the first time, but cut that in half so that when you turn the horse around to head home, there's not as long a "home stretch," and here you are going to immediately practice the one-rein stops maneuver, all the way home if you have to! It'll be automatic to him by that point and you'll see he'll settle down and realize, "Wow, just going slow and rationally and straight, just listening to my leader, is far easier than all these one-rein stops," and you'll see him calm down, listen for your directives and refile this as the new way we do things now. You now have the correct tool in place to put the brakes on when needed -- And to bond deeply with him while in saddle to bring him back to rational thinking mode with his head over to the side there and you loving on his face and neck.

No irrational-mode runaway horse truly can be stopped by just pulling back on both reins "whoa" style if they do not want to stop. They can and will just grab onto the bit and then push right through the bit and sometimes get even more irrational then and go even faster. The only way to truly stop a runaway irrational horse is to disengage his hind quarters, which is where the real "engine" is and is what the one-rein stop is all about. And the skill for this must be practiced many, many times and laid deeply into his foundation for later use.

All forward impulsion in a horse comes from the hind quarters. The front quarters just keep up with the speed of the back quarters. So...think of a horse as like a motorboat with the motor in the rear. Therefore, planting deeply into the foundation the one-rein stop, where you disengage the hind quarters at the same time you bend the horse, but done in the way that I'm showing you, which teaches it so that it's a safe, loving place to turn to, will allow you from then on to stop your horse, calmly, rationally, disengage his hind quarters by bumping them over and "screeeeech!" you've got the brakes you've long been lacking there with your ex-racehorse. And your horse will be quieter and actually more at peace with you when he learns this, and him at peace with the world in general, because no horse enjoys being on irrational, out-of-control mode. They want competent, safe leadership, and now you're giving him proper leadership! And you are communicating to him in language he can finally understand. The poor horse there simply does not know how to stop his engine, no one taught him before. They taught him: the opposite: quick: go, go go! Win the race!!

You were right when you said, "it's not his fault" and he shouldn't be blaimed for performing in the only way he's been taught so far.

Incidentally, I also find a lot of these former racehorses come with great fear of the whip or crop or anything that even remotely looks like that, which have been used on them in their past career to drive them beyond their limit to win a race. So I spend a lot of time, first safely on the ground, desensitizing them to things that look like whips. I don't ride with whips or crops, but I do use an extendable/retractable training wand for desensitizing purposes (which I also teach how to do in my video set) and since many of these ex racers greatly fear such objects, I compassionately help them to never fear them again. And I spend time in saddle desensitizing them to an arm going up and back to the hind quarters so they never fear that resulting in an abusive sting again. And then I take my training wand up in saddle and continue my desensitizing lessons up there as well to show them: I will never whack them with this object or anything that looks like this object. So they will trust again. Whips are immensely cruel and I wish they were outlawed! No horse ever needs to be whipped. No horse ever needs to be beaten. Period.

And teaching him all the above and what you learned on the eye changing problem page there (which is also taught in more detail in my video set) now will keep you far safer when out riding anywhere, including along the roadway as you described. It truly takes the "race" out of the racehorse. And teaches the horse to listen calmly and rationally instead. Soon you'll be back to being driver of a cool Ferrari that now has proper brakes and steering.

I think what is most fun about retraining these racehorses, after you've plugged up all foundation holes, completed all their retraining, and they listen from then on to you beautifully...then it's fun to go ahead and pick a long stretch and let them FLY because you haven't lived until you've ridden the power of a true bred-for-racing horse, but you now have speed and directional and halting control so it's safer and it can be a real blast, not just for you, but for the horse, since most of these racehorses absolutely love the thrill of speed, as well!

And you can do all this yourself if you just back up and learn these few specialized training methods yourself there. It's humane. It's kind. It's nurturing. The round penning along with the retraining program I'm showing you will get you there the fastest and smoothest with this horse, which is why I'm recommending this route.

I hope this helps, keep up the good work there, and do let me know if I can be of any further help to you there. Good luck to ya! Stay safe! And thanks again for writing.

 

 

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