refusing riding and certain activities

Question
Hi Rick,

I'm a 40 year old woman who has been riding most my life, but I'd still consider myself am intermediate novice!  I recently bought a 8 year old TB gelding with the understanding that he was a rescue of sorts.  He had been put out to pasture without proper nutrition or a farrier.  He was VERY malnourished and had lost muscle mass.  It took several months of corrective shoeing to get his feet to where he was sound.  He has picked up a significant amount of weight and we're still working on the muscle mass.

I have had TB's before and have even shown as an adult in my 30's (still have several now) This gelding has a SWEET personality with kind eyes. Great ground manners and is submissive to other horses in the herd.  Now that he is feeling better (we've had him for about 8 months)he's beginning to have an attitude with some activities.

It started the other day when I was out trail riding with my husband who was on a new horse and our daughter on an Appendix.  My TB was noticeably bothered by the new horse (looked intimidated by him).  I forgot to mention that my TB is 17 hands and was an x-race horse.  I have no idea what type of formal retraining he had after his racing career.  Anyway when the other horse had become antsy and would even look in his direction he started kicking (NOT bucking).  That little spell was over I kept them apart and he seemed to calm down and be okay.

But since that episode he has begun to refuse other activities and either does the same behavior (kicking) or backing up while I'm on his back with no safety awareness to what's behind him.  There does not seem to be any rhyme to the type of activity. Some day's in arena work other times trail (not necessarily the same thing twice). Other times it seems to happen if I don't let him do HIS activity.  For example one of the last episodes happened last weekend we decided to go for a short trail ride... We rode by the arena on the way out.  He attempted to go into the arena I moved him past it to go one and he had a little tantrum...I tried to redirect him with no luck I felt uncomfortable dealing with the behavior there so I road him back and ended up working with him the round pen.

The behavior began about 3 weeks ago.  This past week I've started working with him on a lunge line again which seems to have helped some but he still is resistant to go out on the trail.

He's stalled at night and turned out during the day with other geldings.  He is sweet boy and doesn't give me a minutes grief when I'm tacking mounting or doing easy things! Help!

Thanks,
Christina  

Answer
Hi Christina, this appears to be a respect issue.  This horse is learning how to get away with things from you.  So you are teaching him not to listen to you.  Horses are professional people trainers.

Get more respect on the ground so you will have more control in the saddle.  If a horse wants to back, then work on the back up, past the point the horse wants to stop.  So if it backs 3 steps, you keep it backing for 7 steps, if it wants to go in area, back her to the gate, work on turns in front of the gate, flex her, make her think when I am at the gate I have to work, soon she will not want to go to gate.

Horses don't have attitudes, they just are a reflection.  make this horse listen softly and consistently.  You will be amazed how fast she will learn, if you ask for go and she backs, back her faster and longer, then ask for go again, keep repeating this, you will her start to figure it out.  If my horse does not want to walk when I say, I squeeze, if he still wont go, I continue to bug him and squeeze him until he moves and then stop squeezing immediately.  Keep giving the cue until you get want you want, if you stop, the horse thinks the cue means something other than what you wanted.  The horse only gets relief from the Right answer, not different answers.

Read my site it may help.

Rick