horse that has been poorly trained

Question
hi,
i have a 20-year-old quarter horse gelding and he was poorly trained before we got him. He will not listen when someone is on his back and does anything to get them off. We wont to go about re-training him, but don't know how. If he keeps up his behavior we will have to sell him and i don't want that....if you can please tell me what to do.Thank you.

Answer
Laura,

I just wondering if it's poor training, given his age, or some physical issues that are causing this behavior.  I would suggest getting his back checked out by a chiropractor and having your saddle checked by someone who knows how to properly fit saddles.  At 20 yrs. of age this horse has been being ridden probably at least 17 yrs.  If he had been doing this all along he wouldn't have been kept around for this long.  

Take your fingers and run them along his back from his withers to his croup, pressing hard enough to indent the flesh and watch his reactions.  If he pays you no attention then his back isn't the problem but I would almost bet money that he's going to flinch, at least. If he's really uncomfortable the reaction could be a lot stronger.  If his back is bothering him then that's why he's behaving this way.  Once you get the back fixed the behavior should stop.  Yes, this is going to involve some money but I you need to get this straightened out.  That's why I also told you the check your saddle and how it fits.  Sore backs usually go with poorly fitting saddles and can be compounded if the horse's back is also out of alignment.  

I hope this helps you.  If you don't find any of these areas to be problems please let me know and we'll go from there.  OK?

Lyn