Problem 5yo

Question
My name is Leana, and I'm 16.  I've been riding for 8 years, mostly in the hunter ring.  I recently acquired a 5year old appendix quarter horse mare out of Chipaholic and Secret Goodbye.  Her blood lines include such well known stallions as Zippo Pine Bar and Zips Chocolate Chip.  She is in a stall, and only goes outside a few times a week with other horses.  She doesn't respond well to leg pressure.  She is somewhat good on the lunge line, listens to voice commands and noises such as clicking to move forward or faster, and kissing for a canter, she responds very well to 'whoa' on the lunge line, and if asked to will stand on the wall, on the lunge line, while others go through the arena.  Her problem area is riding.  Whenever I get on her, she doesn't want to move forward.  When you apply pressure for her to move forward, such as squeezing she doesn't listen. I've tried everything, from using a dressage whip or crop, to just repeatedly asking.  I've tried spurs and kicking, nothing works.  One way we could get her to move forward was having my trainer stand in the center of the arena as I rode her.. I would ride her normally, and if she didn't listen he would reinforce my commands with the lunge whip(not hitting her), that would make her listen a little better.  However, with that she would throw out huge bucks.  After that didn't work she started rearing, we are just moving out of that stage now.  When I tried using the dressage whip, if I touched her with it, she would cow kick.. nothing seems to work with this mare!  I need help, please any ideas or suggestions would be wonderful!  I'd greatly appreciate your input.  She is a drop-dead gorgeous mare, and has the potential to kick butt in the show ring, she just needs to get to the point where she will listen to my leg and voice commands.  It is becoming very frustrating to me, and I don't want to do something that will make her afraid of me.. she acts nervous sometimes, like someone in her past mistreated her or something.  At this point we are considering breeding her, in hopes that it will mature her, and make her a little easier to work with.  What do you think we should do?

Answer
Hi Leana, you are not going to like my answer.  But I hope you listen and maybe try and see this from the horse's point of view and not Your point of view.  It is never the horse's fault!  Anyone that blames a horse does not understand horses.  You may have ridden horses for 8 years but you do not understand them or see the world as they do.  I was like you for years, doing much of the same things you are doing.  I won't go back to that way of thinking again.  Let me tell you how the horse sees you so you can understand.

Let's say you are my horse, I lock you in your room, a stranger throws food in your room twice a day, I only let you out of your room to make you pull weeds, work and sweat, every once and I while, I don't let you have any friends, and I talk to you in a different language that you can't understand and when you don't understand, I hit you with a whip, I kick you with spurs or I have someone else chase you around and scare you, then lock you up back in your room.  So let me ask you would like me?  Would you like to me coming?  Would you want to be around me?  Would you trust me or feel safe with me?  Of course not... well that is what your horse is living.  Not a good life.  You may feed him well, give him shelter and take care of his feet, but horses are very social and lovable animals, they need horses friends, time with other horses, time spent with me bonding and not ordering, riding and always asking something from them.

I am not trying to be mean, but no one has taught you how to understand a horse, work with a horse in their world, so they will enjoy being a horse, being  your horse, and spending time with you.

Back to all horses problems are people problems, if a horse gives you the wrong answer then you asked the questions wrong.  Horse only know horse language and it is not whips, spurs, kicks, fear or intimidation.  It is understanding, clear communication, clear signals, and talking to the horse so it knows the right answer.

If you have any good horseman at your barn, that understand a horse, they can take your horse, walk him away from you, lunge him for 2 minutes and ride your horse no problem....  why, a horse knows when you are talking horse and understands you.  Horses want to please and do not want to fight or resist, if they know what you want.

Go to my site and read it, you will learn a few things about a horse that may change your thinking and will definitely help your horse.

Hope this helps,

Rick