Pushy Gelding

Question
Hi Denise,

I'm Sam, I'm 14 going on 15 and I've been riding for oh, around 7 years mostly in the saddleseat area and recently stepped, or rather leaped, out of the show ring. I lease a lovely dark chestnut saddlebred gelding named Yoda. He is kept in a fairly large pasture with maybe four other horses with free choice hay and fresh grazing. When Yoda first came to my barn (pre-leasing days), he was extremely nervous and very erm...spirited(?). Since then, I have been working with him and he has calmed down a great deal and can be a wonderful horse to work with and ride, but he can be EXTREMELY pushy! He is so obsessive over food that he will DRAG me to go investigate an empty bucket and will literally knock me over when he nudges me for any given reason. I ride him in a bitless bridle because he refuses to take a bit for anyone and while he is normally very good under saddle and will usually listen after a kick or whip tap, if something else is too important, again he will just walk away and when we canter he just won't stay in that gait. While Yoda and I have bonded and he will do things for me that he probably wouldn't for someone else, I am still frustrated when he thinks he can just push me aside and go about his buisness.
     Also, when he gets scared and thinks he has to run or fight, he just goes inside himself and will not "come out" until he relaxes which usually takes a long time. Is there anything I can do to get a calmer, horse that has more respect and a greater willingness to work?

Answer
Hi Sam!

I grew up riding Arab Park horses!  I rode with Pat Mock at Twin Fir Arabian Stud Farms.  I must admit, it was a blast!  However, many of these horses don't end up with a full and complete education.  So much of the horse and what really is a horse is neglected in the handling and training.  When you say you "leaped" OUT of the show ring, I think I know what you mean!  While riding gated horses can really be fun, some of the things done in the name of "training" and winning are not.  The wonderful thing is that you are really THINKING about the horse now, and this has put you on the path to becoming a real student of the horse and quality horseman.  Right on!

Yoda, is having a hard time separating the difference between friend, herdmate, and leader.  There is a general lack of respect for you as a leader which is why he drags and pushes you around.  You are HIS buddy and he does not see you as a leader he can trust.  This explains the spooking, nervous, and "spirited" aspects of his personality.  You will have to change your relationship with Yoda, in order to change this behavior.  Respect has to come first.  What a horse does by just being a horse can be very painful and sometimes dangerous for the human.  While Yoda may see you as a buddy and herdmate, you are just a small fraction of his size.  So, respect and re-establishing the lead role is going to be critical.  

I would like it if you would buy a good rope halter with a 12' tree line lead.  These types of halters offer a good "feel" to the horse and helps you communicate with him more clearly.  The tree line has a good weight and feel and you can "nip" your horse accurately and with meaning with them.  Sam, have you ever watched horses in a herd environment?  There is always a very clear leader in the band.  It is most often a mare, as is natural with horses.   This mare will pin her ears and snake her neck to move subordinate members around or require compliance and obedience.  If the subordinate herd member does not "listen", a nip or kick will follow.  No hard feelings, no grudge, it is just very clear and direct communication.  If you watch long term, this is the horse that every member of the herd will gladly follow, even if they have been kicked or bitten.  The horse knows it was not being punished, but directed and supported in finding the proper behavior.  THIS is who I want you to become.  I want you to offer your horse secure, fair, firm and direct leadership without anger, frustration, or guilt.  You will have to do MORE in the beginning so you can do LESS later.   There are some big changes needed in your relationship and you will have to be spot on consistent or you will create a fight with your horse you will never win.  SO...I want you to be aware of what happens, BEFORE what happens, happens!  Horses do not understand punishment or force.  You cannot "correct" negative behavior in a horse AFTER it happens, that is punishment and it sets up a war with the horse.  You have to anticipate the behavior and get it fixed BEFORE it happens.  For example:  If I were leading Yoda and I was aware of him and saw him take notice of a bucket, that was off to my left, and I was leading him from the left side, I know that he would have to cross my path and cut me off to get to the bucket.  At the first moment I noticed his attention going in the direction of the bucket, my hand would come up toward his eye and I would block him.  If his attention did not come back to me, I may have to do more.  I may have to give him a pretty good bump on the jaw with the heal of my hand to get his head our of my way!  This would go in conjunction with many other aspects of good ground work in order to keep my horse with me and focused on our job, which may be a simple as just walking down the aisle to the wash rack!  

We have to be as aware of our horses as they are of us and their surroundings.  We have to have a plan and know what we need to offer them to stay with us and stay in "class".  Think about your really great teachers, the ones you really love and respect.  They are not patting you on the head all day and offering you cookies.  They have a way to make you work really hard and totally enjoy it.  They can keep you focused, in class and learning all the while loving it.  If you jumped up and ran around the classroom tipping over the garbage can and playing on the chalk board...what would this teacher do?  The good teachers never allow their students to get to that point.  We have to do the same with our horses.  

I hate to do this to you, but you seem pretty gung-ho and ready to learn SOOOOoooo, HOMEWORK!  I would like for you to watch the "Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman and read the very small red book that Buck wrote, also titled "Ground Work".  Also, watch the "Colt Starting" dvd by Buck as well.  I'm working on a complete resource list on my website, so keep checking the site and I should have it posted this week.  The reason I want you to this homework is that I feel so many things are lacking in your horses education and you too have not been exposed to a lot.  It is a sad fact that while a lot of us ride really well, there is a ton missing from our basic horse education and our horsemanship skills are really lacking.  We have to know HOW to help our horses when they get a little troubled.  I would re-start your saddlebred like a colt.  In so doing you will be able to accurately assess his complete skill set.  I'm pretty sure he does not know how to yield his  hindquarters, follow a soft feel, accept with relaxation and confidence a flag, tarp and slicker and so many other very basic things that will create the willingness and confidence this horse needs to really be the complete package of great saddle horse and show horse.  If I tried to write each of these things for you, I would be here for days!  So, watch the dvd's, read the book and then write me back and we will go over more specifics.  If you do your homework you will have some base line information to work from and you will have seen what some of these exercises look like.  That will really help ALL of us, you, me and your horse!

Give me a shout, let me know how things are going and we will continue from there!

Smiles!  Denise