behavior issues with my young colt

Question
hey im 14yrsOld /guy/ but ive got lots of experiance with horses. i just got a colt appaloosa female that is about 7months old and ive got her holter broke, leading and a few other things but she just started having a problem with her tempere. if i try to catch her or touch her when she doesnt want me to she puts her ears back and has even attacked one of my friends..she is treated well but she was with other horses when we got her and right now she not together with other horses.but ive tried getting on to her and all that seems to do is make her more mad.but i would like some advise on whats going on with her and what i should do..thanks

Answer
Hi Garett!

OK.  STOP trying to get on your filly!!  She is far, far too young for you to be on her back.

Unless, by saying "I've tried getting on her" you are using the slang expression to mean trying to correct her.

At this point in her training, she sounds like she is where she is supposed to be.  Halter trained, leading and such.  The anger is normal and is exactly what she would do in the pasture with her mates.

Always, ALWAYS when dealing with her you must do 2 things.  1.) Remember everytime you interact with her or touch her, she is in training mode and so are you.  She will learn everything from you and if you let her manners slide because you are not paying attention, she will become ugly and disrespectful.  2.)  Be smarter than her.
Why fight her when you can "trick" her into doing your bidding?  I like to use food.  Yes, people say this is a bad training technique.  And it is, if used unwisely.  

But, if you use it to distract her or make her follow or to separate her from another horse....it is the path of least resistance.  No hitting or swatting is necessary if she is always happy to see you and a sugar cube.

Now, the real trick is to not give her a treat every single time.  This is called "intermittent reinforcement"  She will always behave because she never knows if there is a treat at the end or not.  When she is really good, give her two treats to cement the training.  When she is bad, straight back to her stall with nothing to let her set and think on why you are mad.  Always use your voice and hands to reward her too, with the treats.  Soon, she will be doing it for nothing more than a "good girl!" and a pat.

You have a grave responsibility to her to give her the best start possible...she is wholly dependant upon you and your family to raise her up right!  Never forget that....even if you are really mad at her!! LOL!

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange