Clippers, trotting and crosstie/tying problem

Question
I recently bought a 3 year old Paint gelding. He likes to pick what he wants to do and when he wants to. He has wonderful riding manners, but his ground manners need a touchup. First off, he has defenitly been clipped before, but when I have tried to clip him, he rears, strikes, thrashes around, and attempts to bolt off( he has never succeeded). He is perfectly calm when they are off while I'm rubbing it on him, and I can clip him anywhere on the body but the bridlepath, ears, or muzzle. He also has an issue about tying. When I tried to bathe him once, he moved away from the water(another conflict now), and pulled against the tied lead. When it put pressure to his ears and face, he panicked, reared,backed up and struggled until he broke the halter(thank god it was a safety release). Now every time I tie him, he panics. I tried switching to crossties. Unfortunatly, he broke my saddle when he got panic stricken with that. This morning, he came inches close to my head when he struck out. Please help me! I have tried everthing humane I can think of...

Answer
Hi Haley!

OK.  Let's just backtrack and relax.  First, this is not a "made" horse who will act like one.  He does not understand tying and you just threw him into it without any warning and he freaked himself out to the point where now it's a problem.  Your fault, not his.

When I work with my babies, I do not even hold them.  I do all ground work and introduction to something new with the lead rope or longe line just hanging down or over their neck.  Of course, this is also always in a safe, enclosed area.  Forget tying him for a long while and work on letting him understand and be comfortable with the outcome of what you want him to do.  He must make the connection in his brain that what he is doing will end up with him still being safe when it is over.  He DOES NOT feel the outcome of being tied is safe right now....so stop doing it.

You have lost a lot of ground and will have to take steps back to correct this now and move on at his pace ~ not yours.  He may be just a little more sensitive than you ever expected him to be too.  If this is not what you want in a horse, consider selling him and buying something that already does everything you want.

It is your responsibilty to make the beginning of his riding career the best start possible for him.  You must put his need before your wants.  This will insure a long and healthy partnership with humans for him.

Good Luck, Be Careful and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange