Horse Lunging (and manners) Problem

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a 20-year-old, cantankerous appaloosa mare who I can't seem
to lunge properly. She's really spirited and hard to control on a
regular basis so I've been trying to lunge her before riding to try to get
her to respect me as the lead mare in her herd but thus far there hasn't
been much success.

I used a lead rope and a whip to lunge her today and I'd raise the whip
and she automatically takes off at a very fast trot around me and she
arcs really wide on one side and then she'd try to skim in close on the
other side and trample me but I stuck the whip between us so she'd
bump into it and that really made her break into a canter. Her ears were
laid back the whole time.

After a while she started acting like she was chewing so I'd  stop and
turn around but she'd stomp up to me and bump me roughly with her head.
I'm not sure what to do with her. I'd walk her a ways but she'd start
getting really pushy so I'd try to lunge her again but I it was pretty
much the same results.

Her ground manners are pretty awful, actually. When I lead her back she
always prances ahead of me and I don't like having to yank on her
halter all of the time. I'm kind of at the end of my rope--no pun intended.
 

Also, is it normal to become really dizzy when lunging your horse? I've
tried to focus on one point but Peppy (my horse, and rightly named)
takes my distraction as a cue to charge me and I like to keep my eye on
her mouth in case she decides to join up..

I would really appreciate any advice you have to offer! I'm sixteen and
training her on my own at my grandfathers farm and he really doesn't
know much about horses so I'm basically on my own. Also I asked a lady on here named Lisa Kalp and I got an e-mail saying she was unable to answer my question, so any advice will be extremely appreciated!

ANSWER: Sara, I tell people all the time, what ever name they call their horse describes them.  This horse is just being a normal horse.  You are the problem.  Good horse people know they never blame the horse and it is never the horses fault.  Until you accept that you cause all the problems you are describing.  I tell people all the time there are no horse problems only people problems.

You need to educate yourself about horses.  How they think, how they talk to each other, and how they act in a herd.  You and this horse is a herd of two.  Read my web site, at lead the first 6 pages, after you read it, write me back and see if you can tell me what you think you did to cause your horse to do what she is doing?

Then I will see if you understand a horse.

good luck,

Rick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Rick, I've actually already been taught that horses problems are their peoples problems so I thought I would make it clear that I'm not man-handling my horse and pushing her around. She's picked up some bad vices with previous owners and I'm trying my best to communicate with her with firm gentleness. Also I've read many websites on lunging problems and am yet without an answer and I'm more interested in hearing your personal opinion of what I'm doing wrong than reading through pages and pages of yours.

Also you didn't mention my question about dizziness when lunging. Is that normal? It makes it difficult for me to pay close attention to my horse when my head is spinning, and I have difficulty asking Peppy to slow down...

When I lunge her in a circle for a while and she lowers her head, licks her lips and signals she is ready to join up then I turn my back and wait for her to move in... however when she does she bumps me roughly and when I walk her back to the barn she pulls the halter. When I stop and repeat the lunging the same thing happens again.

Is there anything I can do to help work out this problem? I'm having difficulty communicating with my horse and I've read through many websites. Thank you but no thanks, I have no interest in reading through several pages of yours, but if you think you might know what I'm doing wrong than I would be very grateful.



ANSWER: Sorry, but people who want me to tell them a short answer and fast fix dont get it and don't understand the big picture.  You may have read lots of web sites, but you still don't get it.  If you are not interested in educating yourself then me telling you what to do will not make sense, will only fix one problem and create others.  Until you decide that you don't understand a horse you will always have some problems with horses.  Once you understand a horse, you will know how to fix any problem and will have less problems.  

Your problems are simple lack of communication and lack of respect from the horse.  

If you want to go through life thinking you have read enough, learned enough and want to have to ask others to fix your problems, then that is your choice.

I do this to help horses not people.  I can't help horses if people have the attitude that "I have read enough" but I still don't know what I am doing so you tell me.  I have given you the opportunity to read, learn and have me to explain and help you understand, but I don't give fast fixes.

So, thanks but no thanks.  :)

good luck

Rick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It's alright now. Denise LaChapelle answered the same question and suggested using a round pen because it doesn't create a brace and a tug-of-war between us. She said that lunging with a lead rope is completely unhelpful with an untrained horse and a round pen will allow me to communicate easier.. I'm going to try it out.

Thanks for your help.

- S.

Answer
OK, I see a lot of people use a round pen as a cheat, if you can't control the horse on a lead rope, then you are not communitcating with the horse correctly.  In the round pen, it is much easier to chase and force the horse to run away from you.

Hope it works out,

Rick