Problem starting a horse under saddle

Question
I have been experiencing some problems with my 3 yr old quarter horse who I am starting under saddle. She lounges well, is broke to the saddle and bridle and has excellent ground manners. She has been taught to ground tie and I have done alot of in-hand work with her. I can mount and dismount her all day and walk around the ring the problem happens when we start to trot. I have had a few trot successes with her, most times she starts to crow hop and will not stop!! I'm kind of at a dead end, should I just try and ride her through the crow hopping?

Answer
Hi Erin,
Thanks for writing in with your question.
You are on the right track. In short, yes. Ride her through it. What she is trying to tell you is, "No! I don't want to trot and you can't make me." The worst thing you could do is stop when she does her crow hop. What the horse is doing when you stop is what you are training. If you should stop when she crow hops, then you would be training her, that the way to get you to stop trying is to simply just crow hop. Make sense?
The next time she does this when you cue her to trot, keep squeezing with your legs, cluck and if she doesn't trot, spank her across her withers with the end of your reins. Start with a light spank and build the intensity of the spanking until she goes into her trot. If she should crow hop, stay with her and spank her again. She needs to learn that this acting out will not get her out of the trot.
Make sure you have a good seat and are comfortable with trotting and be prepared for the crow hop. If not, find a friend who can do it or an experienced trainer who can ride it out for you. No need in you getting hurt. Safety is number one. Remember, you can't train your horse is your laid up in a hospital bed injured. You have to survive the experience to train.
However, and this is important. If she should truly start to "BUCK", I mean really buck, (all four feet leave the ground, her head goes between her legs, and she bellows and snorts like a mad bull..... one rein her to a stop and get off. Spanking a bucking horse only makes it worse.
I hope this has answered your question. Please stay safe. If you need to discuss this more, you can contact me through email:
blpdoc82652@yahoo.com
You can also read more about me on my website:
www.yazooequinetraining.com