Horse won’t move forward
Today’s horse training question comes from Susan (not the same Susan as yesterday’s question!). She writes: “Well my three year old has a new trick. He has decided that he does not want to go forward, I will turn his head one way then the other in hopes of unlocking him, I am kicking him tapping him with a whip He has decided to start to go straight up I got off, tied the reins to the horn made him work, got back on he did it again, this went on till he was getting so high that I jumped off I then went
got a friend had them lead him with me on his back We stopped, walked turned trotted without any raring I then got off Any suggestions???”
Thank you for your question, Susan. You are on the right track with your reactions to this behavior, but there is one piece you need to add. You need to teach your horse to disengage his hindquarters. This will give you a tool to get him moving again when he locks up, as well as a way to stop him if he starts to go up on you. Begin teaching this exercise from the ground with either a halter and lead rope or your bridle. Stand to one side of him, and ask him to move his hips over by walking towards him, swinging your rope, etc. You are looking for his inside hind foot to step across in front of his outside hind foot. It is very important that the inside hind foot actually crosses in front of the outside hind. His front feet should stop all forward motion when he crosses over with his hind end. By asking your horse to step under himself in this way, you are taking away his ability to brace against you. Once your horse will disingage the hindquarters on both sides on the ground, teach it from the saddle. Once you are on his back, take your rein on one side, walk him forward, and pick up on the rein, bending his head to the side and asking him to step under with the inside hind foot. If he bends his neck but keeps walking a straight line, bump him with your inside leg until he steps over with his hindquarters. If you can’t get him to move, bend his head to the side and bump him with your inside leg (just one leg) until he steps over with the hind end. When he does, immediately release his head and reward him. You are teaching him that moving his feet is what you want. For a while you may just get one step to one side, switch to the other side and get one step, etc. But this will teach him that you want forward motion while keeping you safe because he won’t be able to to go up since his head is bent. Also using only one leg to urge him forward will help him feel less trapped and like he has no option but to go up. The biggest thing here is to reward him for ever ONE little step in the beginning, then gradually ask for more and more steps in a row. You did absolutely the right thing to get off and work on the ground when you felt you weren’t safe in the saddle. Be sure to continue doing that if you feel things are not going well.
Let me know how you are doing!
