| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | If you want your horse to do (or not do) something |
| If you own a horse that has a bad habit like biting, | | | | make sure you are in a position to make it happen. If |
| kicking, shying, bolting, halter pulling, etc. - it's a good idea | | | | you're not, don't try to force it because if your horse |
| to look at how that happened. | | | | sees you can't make him do it...he'll use that critical |
| That's an important horse training principle if you're | | | | piece of experience and resist you even harder the |
| going to be a horse trainer and learn to train a horse. | | | | next time you attempt it. |
| Often, horse owners allow it to happen because, | | | | Thus, if you're teaching Mr. Horse something and |
| frankly, they honestly didn't know any better. | | | | you're not in a position to make him do it (or make him |
| Imagine this. | | | | stop doing it) then recognize that immediately and don't |
| You're loading a horse into a trailer and just as you get | | | | try to force it. |
| 3 feet from it he starts pulling back. | | | | I get a TON of questions about horses being barn |
| Quickly, the horse wins the tug of war. | | | | sour. People say, "No matter what I do he goes back |
| So you walk him away from the trailer in a small circle | | | | to the barn." |
| and try it again. | | | | Little do these horse owners know they taught their |
| But this time he backs away from the trailer | | | | horse to resist them. |
| sooner...say...6 feet from it. | | | | Many just get off their horse, put away the saddle, and |
| So, you walk him away from the trailer in another small | | | | let the horse win. |
| circle and try it yet again. | | | | Never mind the cure for barnsourness. What about |
| This time the horse pulls back 10 feet from the trailer. | | | | preventing it from happening in the first place. |
| Then you ask yourself, "Why is he doing this - and | | | | It starts with getting a horse's con- fidence and |
| why is it getting worse?" | | | | obedience mixed with solid training. |
| This happened to me years ago when I first trying to | | | | The horse should be obedient to do what one asks. |
| get my horse into a trailer. | | | | When you wanna ride out from the barn the horse |
| When I let her win she saw she could do as she | | | | should obediently do it. This obedience comes from |
| pleased - and fairly quickly a bad habit started. And | | | | your ground work and working with the horse. |
| that was because my horse knew she could resist. | | | | But even an obedient and willing horse may attempt to |
| How did she know she could resist? Because she | | | | go back to the barn - even though he's not confirmed |
| experienced it. | | | | in the habit. |
| Well, I later learned how to get horses in a trailer. But | | | | THAT! you can prevent pretty eaisly. But if a horse |
| when I went to get the resis- tant horse in the trailer it | | | | habitually wins, then you have to make a cure. |
| took a lot longer because she knew she could resist | | | | Thus, the lesson is prevention. It's a lot easier than |
| me from before. | | | | curing. |
| One of the lessons I learned from this is this: | | | | |