Gelding backs up when he doesn't want to do what I ask

[whistler49]

Hi All==Went out for a trail ride today and was it ever great!! Hubby rode his 4 yr old Standie we recently got back from being trained for a month and I rode Justice. Both horses were great--first time on the trails for both of them off our property. Encountered lots of mud, standing water in many places, mud, a couple of trails with blown down trees, mud and more mud!! Rode Justice in his flash noseband and the eggbutt snaffle=seems to be the system that works best for him. He listened quite well actually-balked a couple of times but definately was solved much faster than before. More like I really don't wanna but if you say so I will...The majority of the ride he was on a nice light contact-at times on the bit, frequently long and low. I could collect him up nicely and he maintain a soft frame, ask for a halt and he was steady as he halted-walk on --good forward walk then feed out the reins for him to reach to the ground. All done at a walk-some really steep up/down grades-they both did great. Small airplane took off right next to the trail through the trees-we were beside a small municipal airport-ear splitting noise-==no problems.

Enough rambling--it was a great day-one to build on. Very happy Momma here! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Did I say we came across mud?

[HorseShine]

Dear Justice's Mom,

I just have to chime in. I am so thrilled that I have "found" you, Whistler! I am overjoyed to read about Justice, how well he's doing and how much you love him.

I boarded my horse with Karlie at the time she got Justice. Never before have I felt such instant deep love for a horse the in the moment of meeting one. You meet some horses and you just KNOW. He is so personable, friendly and a sweetheart in every possible way. And I just love that frosted thing he has going on at the tips of his forelock and mane.

Karlie offered him to me for free! I could not believe my unbelievable luck. I have often said that whomever ended up with Justice can count themselves very lucky that I can't afford two horses. There is no such thing as a guaranteed knowledgeable, loving forever home for a horse; that is why I could not bring myself to send my Standie, Beauty, out into the world in order to adopt Justice. And Justice is a much better match for me than Beauty is. For that, and with heavy, heavy heart, I let Justice go. Lucky you.

Trivial sidenote: If I had adopted him, I would have named him Fortune, for his good fortune that Karlie took him in and that he is a great fortune. You too, followed in kind and gave him a lovely name that speaks of his history.

I often think about Justice, wondering about him and I still ache for the "one who got away." Then I smile when I think about what Karlie told me you said to her (paraphrasing,) that Justice is the best horse that you ever had.

So I am sad for me because I miss him so much but happy for Justice because he ended up in a better place than what I could give him. He would have been a boarded horse. You get to keep him at your own place and see more of him than I would have. That is what love about; you want the very best of everything for the loved one, even if it means to the exclusion of yourself. *sniffle* (sorry for waxing sappy)

Thank you, Whistler, for striving for the best of everything for Justice. You two are wonderful partners. And please give him extra stritches and treats from me. I miss doing that too.

<dashing off to search for more posts about Justice>

[horsey_girl]

Originally Posted by lee_chick

My guy did the same thing when I first started him under saddle and I gave him a tap with my dressage whip and it was enough to make him get the message - most of the time though all I needed was to ride him agressively forward with my seat and he got the message. Another alternative (if you are in a safe area) is to say if he wants to back up then you make it your choice and you keep backing until he gives you ten good obedient steps - suddenly going forward is a lot more enjoyable to him! I've done this with Hick when we're trail riding (which is all open fields around here) and he decides he absolutely cannot go past bush X - the moment he takes one step back without me asking he has to keep going until he is doing it softly and obediently and suddenly bush X isn't worth the trouble!

I totally agree with this...

The only thing I would be carefull of is that all STB are whipped in racing...hard. I would be more inclined to go with the backing option than the whacking option.

For my guy, when I was first hacking him, I always had the confident partner. He loved leading until something scary came along and then he wouldn't move. Instead of getting mad at him, I let the other horse go past him and the scary object. He suddenly realized to get in front again he would have to pass said scary object. It became his choice very fast to go past scary things.

[Mercedes]

Originally Posted by horsey_girl

The only thing I would be carefull of is that all STB are whipped in racing...hard.

Certainly a perception one might get, but quite inaccurate. Fines and suspensions can be, and are given to those who employ 'excessive use of the whip'. It's right there in the rule book and it's a part of the industry that comes under great scrutiny, particularly by the public masses.

The second thing you should know about horses and horse behavior...a horse repeatedly 'whipped hard' eventually reaches a point (some sooner than others) where the whipping ceases to have the desired affect. So, indiscriminate use of the whip is counterproductive.

There's a lot of crap that goes on in the race industry, but hard whipping 'in public' isn't one of the them. It's far more likely to happen behind the scenes and even then it's just not one of the things that's that prevalent, but since you stated all STB are whipped in racing...hard, clearly that's not what you were saying.