Stormy

Question
Hey a few months ago i aquired a gorgeous horse named Storm who is as friendly and wonderful as you could imgaine- on first sight. He is friendly and curious but as soon as the prospect of riding pops up, all sorts of problems arise. He is a delight on the trail when accompanied by my first horse Hazaam who is old and experienced. Unfortunately Storm, who is only 3 years old, has a few problems that arise under certain circumstances.

1) Stormy refuses to budge when asked to leave without Hazaam and also when he has discovered other horses on a trail. Often he will back up and if he doesn't get his own way he becomes uncontrollable and will not move unless it is where he wants to go. I suspect that this may be related to the fact that his previous owners kept him isolated on a one acre block tied up. Do you think he's scared of being taken away? If so what can we do?

2. The second occurs when Stormy goes trail riding with faster horses. One of my fellow riders was recently riding him and held him back when Hazaam went for a canter. Stormy didn't like this and began to rear and get very unhappy. Stormy also bucks occasionally when galloping and not allowed to take the lead.

3. It is not really a problem but Storm is terrified of water and refuses to walk in the smallest puddle. Because of this he has to miss out on exercise when Hazaam goes for a swim in our dam. Do you have any suggestions on how we can gently introduce him?

4. Stormy has an issue with biting people. it is not malicious but we think it needs to stop. we relate it to the fact that he was handled early on. Do you have any suggestions for preventing this painful habit?

Thankyou for your help,
yours sincerely,
Ally

Answer
Hi Ally!

The first thing you have to remember is that he is ONLY 3 yrs. old!!  This is very young mentally as well as physically for a horse and is the most important period of his training to be a riding partner.  Mistakes now could become lifelong behavorial issues.  That's why taking the extra time and money now to correctly train him will benefit both of you for the next 20 yrs.

As for trail riding him....  I would stop that for now and work on his foundation and communication skills.  Think about it.  He knows a little and you are putting him in a situation where he needs to know and understand a lot.  Just because a 10 yr. old child can read and write does not mean you can drop him into a high school one day and expect him to be fine with all the other kids and schoolwork.

That's kinda what you are doing to Stormy.  I would stick to arena work and lots of longing exercises that give him a vocabulary that you can use to communicate to him what you want.  Yes, he needs miles and to be exposed to new situations.  But, not all at once and with no background info for him to rely on.  How can he learn to trust you if you put him situations where he is anxious and frightened?

A few months of owning a horse is nothing to him and he needs time to adjust to you, his new surroundings and his new job as a riding partner.  Go slow...think about how everything you introduce him to will make him feel and watch his reactions.  He may understand and move along faster on some things and take longer on others.

It is your responsibilty to give him the best start in his riding life and at this point a professional trainer who is knowledgeable about babies could help him and you get to be the team you want to be.

Ignore the biting and do not reward it with a reaction to it.  He is in a new and sometimes frightening situation and he is acting out.  Make him secure in who he is, what he is doing and show him he can trust you and the biting will disipate.

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

Solange