FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Question
My young horse (5 years old) speeds up in trot and is very difficult to hold in canter – he is worse with other horses and if I take him on his own he spooks at everything and wants to turn for home the whole time – would a stronger bit help? Currently I ride him in a jointed snaffle.
Answer
There are many issues going on with your young horse, this is generally the case as one unresolved issue leads to another – I have identified the separate issues in my answer so you can identify the training you will need to apply.
Running home/riding alone - Horses are heard animals – it is not natural to be out on their own, they are genetically programmed to seek the company and safety of a group of horses.
Your young horse needs to be encouraged to leave his friend(s) when out riding, but in the beginning only do this for a few minutes each time, (you are trying to habituate him to being on his own with you and to reinforce the concept that he is safe with you.) This procedure should be done only with a schoolmaster horse and where you would regularly ride. Build up to where you separate from view but quickly re-join each other.
It is a good idea to reinforce these quiet moments together with a reward either a scratch of his neck or withers or perhaps a small food reward. The turning home will stop when he gains more confidence with you and in the environment in which you are riding … ride the same way!
I also encourage my riders to yawn loudly – it is a universal language for all mammals and if it doesn’t help calm the horse it may settle your nerves!
Remember the reward for your horse is to get back to his friend and home so make sure all rides are short and undertaken frequently. Consider riding out 3-4 times in a single day for example, for only 15 minutes each time, this can also habituate him. Only ride out in walk first, until you are really condiment that he will obey you – remember the faster the gait, the faster you can evoke flight response. As your horse becomes more confident to be alone with you (he never knows when his friend may return or when a tasty treat may come his way!) he will remain relaxed and focused on your commands. This should help with the spooking as he becomes confident with you on his back.
Spooking - It would be helpful at home to recreate some spooky objects – one at a time! And habituate your horse to it. Make sure your horse understands the principles of Stop, go, Back up and Head Down (see previous question for details) in hand and ridden before you attempt this! For safety, I recommend ALL training takes place in hand before you try riding.
Try this one at home… Make sure that a crinkly bin bag is just poking out of the top of a dustbin – make sure that the bag cannot fly up and away, that would be disastrous! Let him look at the bin from a great distance.
When he has looked at the bin and looks calm, take him away, leave it for 15 minutes and take him back – don’t go any closer, do this until he is no long interested in looking at it, and he appears to you to be calm and relaxed – the next day you repeat the procedure, go to the same place but when you return you go a little closer, again repeat the procedure at the new closer place until his is relaxed (normally 4-6 times).
I would recommend frequent exposure – doing this over several days at least, getting closer the whole time, it is not necessary for you to allow him to touch the bin, but he can get close enough to sniff it – this is similar to the methods that the Police apply to habituate police horses in training.
Pulling - He is strong in the mouth – so are you! As riders we must accept WE create the pull. We must also accept that a piece of iron or steel pressed down on to the gummy part of the mouth (bars) is actually very painful so the ‘release of pressure’ becomes all the more important if you are to reward coming off pressure!
Try to ‘give and take’ – ‘give and take’ to slow the horse.
It may help if we can image this from the horse’s perspective based on what has been happening in the past;
We know that he is fearful of going out on his own or being left by his friends, he remembers this has happened in the past, he also remembers that when he tries to rejoin his herd (do what he is genetically programmed to do), excruciating pain is delivered with a nutcracker action in his mouth. He may have also been kicked and whipped and shouted at AS THE OWNER ENCOURAGES HIM FORWARD …
He is now beginning to associate being left on his own with physical pain when he is prevented from running forward, pain will only fuel his fear further, we have effectively forced the horse into a state of conflict. This can very quickly become a vicious circle that you do not want to create as panic can set in and bingo we have a bolter! Or at best a horse with a ‘hard mouth’.
My advice is NEVER go to a stronger bit! Never use more force. The very fact that there is a multiplicity of bits and mouth devices on the market to try and control horses may suggest to us that none provide all the answers. Instead you must train in-hand the STOP, GO, BACKUP, HEAD DOWN! Use positive reinforcement to alter your horses ‘learned’ behaviour and to change his memory into something good and rewarding.
Eventually when you ride ensure that you are very light with your hands – in my experience even the most experienced of riders use too much pressure and thus create pain and resistance in the horse.
There are some very good bitless bridles on the market, I use a Dr Cook Bitless bridle on my youngsters – it may be something you could try.
In conclusion
Young horses need to be trained, to be brave and ride out alone, we cannot force them to do it, fear just breeds more fear and we all know where that takes us. Reinforce the Stop and Go, Back up and Head Down. This must all be undertaken in-hand and be absolutely solid – that is to say the horse must not show any signs of resistance and be completely relaxed before you apply any training in the saddle. Once you have Stop Go, Back up and Head Down at the walk with NO resistance, try the trot and so on. Remember to reward frequently every correct movement, be light with your hands, do not invite a pull, remember THE GOLDEN RULE for pressure – immediate release.
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My young horse (5 years old) speeds up in trot and is very difficult to hold in canter – he is worse with other horses and if I take him on his own he spooks at everything and wants to turn for home the whole time – would a stronger bit help? Currently I ride him in a jointed snaffle.
Answer
There are many issues going on with your young horse, this is generally the case as one unresolved issue leads to another – I have identified the separate issues in my answer so you can identify the training you will need to apply.
Running home/riding alone - Horses are heard animals – it is not natural to be out on their own, they are genetically programmed to seek the company and safety of a group of horses.
Your young horse needs to be encouraged to leave his friend(s) when out riding, but in the beginning only do this for a few minutes each time, (you are trying to habituate him to being on his own with you and to reinforce the concept that he is safe with you.) This procedure should be done only with a schoolmaster horse and where you would regularly ride. Build up to where you separate from view but quickly re-join each other.
It is a good idea to reinforce these quiet moments together with a reward either a scratch of his neck or withers or perhaps a small food reward. The turning home will stop when he gains more confidence with you and in the environment in which you are riding … ride the same way!
I also encourage my riders to yawn loudly – it is a universal language for all mammals and if it doesn’t help calm the horse it may settle your nerves!
Remember the reward for your horse is to get back to his friend and home so make sure all rides are short and undertaken frequently. Consider riding out 3-4 times in a single day for example, for only 15 minutes each time, this can also habituate him. Only ride out in walk first, until you are really condiment that he will obey you – remember the faster the gait, the faster you can evoke flight response. As your horse becomes more confident to be alone with you (he never knows when his friend may return or when a tasty treat may come his way!) he will remain relaxed and focused on your commands. This should help with the spooking as he becomes confident with you on his back.
Spooking - It would be helpful at home to recreate some spooky objects – one at a time! And habituate your horse to it. Make sure your horse understands the principles of Stop, go, Back up and Head Down (see previous question for details) in hand and ridden before you attempt this! For safety, I recommend ALL training takes place in hand before you try riding.
Try this one at home… Make sure that a crinkly bin bag is just poking out of the top of a dustbin – make sure that the bag cannot fly up and away, that would be disastrous! Let him look at the bin from a great distance.
When he has looked at the bin and looks calm, take him away, leave it for 15 minutes and take him back – don’t go any closer, do this until he is no long interested in looking at it, and he appears to you to be calm and relaxed – the next day you repeat the procedure, go to the same place but when you return you go a little closer, again repeat the procedure at the new closer place until his is relaxed (normally 4-6 times).
I would recommend frequent exposure – doing this over several days at least, getting closer the whole time, it is not necessary for you to allow him to touch the bin, but he can get close enough to sniff it – this is similar to the methods that the Police apply to habituate police horses in training.
Pulling - He is strong in the mouth – so are you! As riders we must accept WE create the pull. We must also accept that a piece of iron or steel pressed down on to the gummy part of the mouth (bars) is actually very painful so the ‘release of pressure’ becomes all the more important if you are to reward coming off pressure!
Try to ‘give and take’ – ‘give and take’ to slow the horse.
It may help if we can image this from the horse’s perspective based on what has been happening in the past;
We know that he is fearful of going out on his own or being left by his friends, he remembers this has happened in the past, he also remembers that when he tries to rejoin his herd (do what he is genetically programmed to do), excruciating pain is delivered with a nutcracker action in his mouth. He may have also been kicked and whipped and shouted at AS THE OWNER ENCOURAGES HIM FORWARD …
He is now beginning to associate being left on his own with physical pain when he is prevented from running forward, pain will only fuel his fear further, we have effectively forced the horse into a state of conflict. This can very quickly become a vicious circle that you do not want to create as panic can set in and bingo we have a bolter! Or at best a horse with a ‘hard mouth’.
My advice is NEVER go to a stronger bit! Never use more force. The very fact that there is a multiplicity of bits and mouth devices on the market to try and control horses may suggest to us that none provide all the answers. Instead you must train in-hand the STOP, GO, BACKUP, HEAD DOWN! Use positive reinforcement to alter your horses ‘learned’ behaviour and to change his memory into something good and rewarding.
Eventually when you ride ensure that you are very light with your hands – in my experience even the most experienced of riders use too much pressure and thus create pain and resistance in the horse.
There are some very good bitless bridles on the market, I use a Dr Cook Bitless bridle on my youngsters – it may be something you could try.
In conclusion
Young horses need to be trained, to be brave and ride out alone, we cannot force them to do it, fear just breeds more fear and we all know where that takes us. Reinforce the Stop and Go, Back up and Head Down. This must all be undertaken in-hand and be absolutely solid – that is to say the horse must not show any signs of resistance and be completely relaxed before you apply any training in the saddle. Once you have Stop Go, Back up and Head Down at the walk with NO resistance, try the trot and so on. Remember to reward frequently every correct movement, be light with your hands, do not invite a pull, remember THE GOLDEN RULE for pressure – immediate release.
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