herd bound clydesdale

Question
Hi,
I bought an unbroke clyde stallion last year.  I gelded him and broke him for my carriage business.  He was an extremely easy horse to break, very laid back, great in town, and super calm.  When I purchased him, he had never been pastured with other horses and was very scared of other horses.  I finally got him used to other horses, and he's been pastured with 3 all winter.  My problem now is that when I pull him out of the pasture he's very nervous and ancy and has a hard time paying attention to me.  When I hook him, he's good as long as were heading away from home or if he keeps moving, but the moment I turn him around I can't get him to stand very long without being ancy.  I'm just worried this is going to be a problem in town this year.  Also, when I tie him he can't stand still and paws excessively.  Do you have any suggestions.

Answer
Hi Hilary,

It sounds like you've done a great job with your clyde. How old is he? He sounds like he might be young....both of your current issues are him being a bit herd bound and immature. As far as tieing, I am a huge fan of tieing for long periods of time, that said, you want to set it up so that you make "doing the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard". By that I mean don't just take a fresh, eager horse out of a pen, tie them and walk away. I suggest working them a good long session, get them a bit tired, then tie them, that way they are already wanting to rest. Tie them high and tight on solid ground (no dirt) you don't want them to be able to stimulate themselves, by pawing dirt and making holes or being tied so lose that they fling themselves around. Stay nearby, but don't hover, in case he gets in trouble, but also to reward him. Start small, you'll have to evaluate your horse a bit...what is his threshold? Does he stand okay for only a few seconds? A few minutes? Hours? Whatever that time span, aim to increase it 1/3 at a time. So for example if he stands okay for 10 minutes, ask him to stand for 13 minutes (or so) and then reward him by untieing him. Don't try to ask for too much too fast.

As far as his being anxious to get him, you want to make going home, not quite the relaxing reward he thinks it is. So I'd start by instead of coming home, undoing him and putting him away, come home and work him some more, even if it's ground work (tieing would be a great activity too). You want him to use the thinking side of his brain instead of the reactionary (ie: being herd bound) side and get him thinking.

Again it sounds like you are doing great with him. We have some really great carriage horses in Downtown Denver and they are beautiful to watch. Let me know if you have any further questions.

Happy Trails,

Jen