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How do you work with a horse that tries to leave the training ring?
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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Forkun on -
How do you work with a horse that is trying to leave the ring?
First things first, why is the horse trying to leave the ring?
It sounds like you would benefit from bringing a coach/natural horsemanship expert to observe you and your horse to help diagnose the problem and fix it accordingly. Below are some tips and things to think about in the mean time.
Horses are generally happy to work with us and learn our new tricks; if the horse is trying to leave the work/play area then you need to ask yourself some questions while you observe the horse:
1. Is my horse healthy, sound, and physically capable of what we are doing?
2. Is my horse in any pain at all?
3. Am I using the appropriate tack and equipment?
4. Is the environment distracting (are there horses calling to each other, lots of commotion going on, etc)?
5. Did I have a good partnership on the ground even before I got to the ring? How was my horse’s behaviour before I mounted (if you are riding)?
6. Is this a constant problem, or just out of the blue once in a while?
7. Do I do the same routine or pretty much the same routine each time in the ring?
Lets take a closer look at each of these questions to ask ourselves, and what we can do:
1. Is my horse healthy, sound, and physically capable of what we are doing?
2. Is my horse in any pain at all?
3. Am I using the appropriate tack and equipment?
For the first three questions, you need to be sure your horse is healthy, sound, not in pain, and using appropriate and properly fitting tack and equipment before you even bother assessing anything else. If you are unsure how to assess, then contact your veterinary, chiropractor, massage therapist, farrier/blacksmith, coach, and/or a saddle fitter to assess your horse and equipment.
4. Is the environment distracting (are there horses calling to each other, lots of commotion going on, etc)?
Regarding the environment, it is best if you can decrease distractions around the ring if possible. Only once you and your horse have a good partnership and ability to work/play in the ring without distractions, should you attempt to work/play in an environment with distractions unless you are experienced (but if you are having issues with the horse trying to leave the ring then likely you need some assistance).
5. Did I have a good partnership on the ground even before I got to the ring? What about right before I got on (if you are riding)?
You need to have a good relationship even before you start riding or working in the ring. If your horse is disrespecting you when you catch him from the field, or groom him in the barn, things are not going to get better when you start riding. You need to be able to recognize signs of distrust and disrespect, and correct them no matter what you are doing with your horse. Your horse should be respecting your personal space, and looking to you to ask questions. If you are unsure how assess/fix these issues then I urge you to have a natural horsemanship expert/ coach come help you figure out when the problem started, because it likely started before you got to the ring.
A tip to help you recognize if your horse is paying attention and asking you questions is to watch his ears. He should ‘check in’ with his ears every few seconds. You know the horse ‘checks in’ when he flicks an ear, or both ears towards you. You will notice that you can get a horse to check in with you by asking them to do something – it could be something simple like asking the horse to slow down, or take a step to the side, or it could be more difficult like asking for a transition, flying lead change, haunch turn, or a pattern.
A tip to build a partnership – a lot of the time we only think about ourselves when it comes to spending time with our horse. Why not try just being in the field with your horse or just catching him and grazing him on some grass without doing any riding or work at all? If you can show your horse that you are a herd member and you spend time with him, it’s not all work, then your horse will start to look forward to your company and be eager to be with you.
6. Is this a constant problem, or just out of the blue once in a while?
If your horse is constantly trying to escape from you in the ring, then you need to consider how you are affecting your horse.
If the horse is trying to constantly escape from you, challenge yourself to consider the following:
• You may be doing tasks too quickly – not allowing rest breaks is like taking away the pay check. Who wants to work if there is no reward? Make sure you allow rest breaks both to reward the horse for good responses, but also to allow the horse time to think. Every horse is different, some horses need really long rest breaks of a couple minutes, and other horses prefer you to be quick and giving them variety before a short rest break.
• You may be asking with too little or too much pressure. Too much pressure when you ask your horse for cues can make a horse feel threatened and anxious – you can notice this because the horse will appear a bit high strung, with quick steps, holding their head high, and they may have ‘nervous poops’ where they seem to constantly be going to the bathroom. A horse that is calm, relaxed, with a low head set, and just appears to be ‘cheeky’ then you perhaps are using too little pressure and you need to be more clear with your cue to get your horse’s attention.
• Are your training sessions going too long? – a horse’s attention span is usually quite short, about 30 minutes or so, so are you asking for too much? It takes time and training to build a horse’s attention span to longer time frames, but the horse still requires rest breaks throughout work/play.
• Are you being boring? – do you do the same things all the time, do you ever play out of the ring, are you being too slow, are you not challenging the horse enough?
• What motivates your horse? – is it rest breaks, treats, rubs, play time? Do you reward your horse with his favourite things or how does your horse know when he is good and doing what you want?
If it is just an occasional problem then perhaps it is just a temporary distraction and you need to refocus your horse by doing something that requires him to think such as backing up, forehand/haunch turns, leg yielding, etc. Only asking a horse to go forward or stop is quite easy and doesn’t require the horse’s full attention so they continue to be distracted. You also may be working the horse for too long, or perhaps not giving enough rest breaks between tasks.
7. Do I do the same routine or pretty much the same routine each time in the ring?
Horses are quick learners and fall into routines easily. It is your job to make sure you stay out of at routine and stay in a conversation! You do this by keeping your tasks and movements different each time. This means mounting or dismounting at different places in/outside of the ring and mounting/dismounting from both sides of the horse. It means changing up how much walk/trot/canter you do, changing up the directions and patterns you do, and differing the length of time you spend practicing different tasks (change up how many transitions you do, how long you trot, etc).
This will keep our horse interested and focused on us, but it will also make the horse feel more comfortable with changing routines because there is no routine! This translates into a more relaxed horse on a trail ride or a calmer horse at a show… all because the horse is familiar with change.
I hope you have found this helpful,
www.LFEquestrian.com
By Lindsey Forkun May 6, 2010 -
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Permalink Reply by Carole Gardner on -
First of all you need to figure out why the horse tries to leave the training ring. Is this something he was taught. Is he lazy and doesn't want to work. Did something traumatic happen to the horse in the traing ring? All horses are different. I had a gelding that when I first got him he would work for ten minutes and then go to the gate. If you tried to get him to continue to work he would throug a fit toss his head stomp his feet. He was lazy and his old owner did not know how to get him to do what she wanted so would give up and put him away. It took alot of persistance on my part to get him over this and to relize that I was more stubborn then him but we got there. He would still run for an open gate if given the chance but he learned that he couldn't have it his way. So first figure out why then who the horse is personality wise and then how do I fix it with this horse.
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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on -
I would take him out of the training ring and work him pretty hard. Then when you take him back in the ring, let him stand, walk, do nothing. Then take him out of the ring and work him a little. He will start to associate the training ring with good things. It may take a week or so, but believe me he will be happy to work in the ring if you work him harder outside of it. Marti Hair-Langley
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Permalink Reply by Mary-Joe Figueira on -
Use lots of outside leg and rein at the gate. By doing this you are telling the horse where NOT to go.
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Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on -
Everyone's input is interesting. It certainly shows how one simple question sets off a huge varience of interpretation and brain activity causing us to portray where we are in our interpretation of what a horse is for or not, how we require it to perform or not.
In my case I visualised any horse not necessarily my horse because the question did not specify that.
Then I wrote from a hypothetical stance. I do not compete anymore and when I did it was mainly dressage. Now I ride in a western saddle if possible and comfortable for the horse, no bit and a long rein.
Training for me means relationship and accommodating the horse to understand what I am talking about, things I would like him to know so we develop a clear and safe partnership focusing on release with as little use of pressure as possible. Training also means what the horse is talking about. Also it is useful for some aspects of fittness work. What we learn in an arena I want to take out to the trail in the forests.
If in the arena I always ride with an open gate. It isn't a problem and can be an adventure to exit, ride about and re-enter the arena and since my horse is not experiencing resistance over it or sees it as part of the session not an escape.
I ride in an arena for the surface and accessibility if not time for trail riding not the security. I like it this way as I do not want either of us to see the gate as an issue.
However, if doing liberty work I do close the gate, necessary if my old stallion is in an area nearby.
Great to read peple's replies. Thanks -
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Permalink Reply by France Vanier on -
Hi everyone,
What it boils down to everyone had great input and that is nice to see many schools of tought and it give the rider many option and avenue to follow now she as to take all this new knowledge and take and built a program that works for her and keep it simple and that she can work at it to create a new willing habit with the horse and re find her peace, harmony and relationship with her horses. You fight you will lose, so keep it simple but put the fun back in the work. Remember horse learn throught repetition!!! Don' t get hurt, don' t hurt the horse and finish with a calmer horse on a positive note. Want to know more join us on The North American Equine Group on Barmice and we can defenitly discuss other issues. -
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Permalink Reply by Lynn on -
I believe you should work with nature and not against it. Let the horse leave then turn around and go back. Allow this to happen over and over until he realizes his leaving does not get him anywhere but turned around and back at it. Eventually, with loads of patience the horse will realize his behaviour is not rewarded it is simply prolonging the training excersize. Don't continue to fight him. This may take a few weeks, however, eventually he will figure it out.
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Permalink Reply by Barnmice Admin on -
I have to add my two cents.
Has anyone else noticed that although there are many different opinions here, everyone is so positive, without a single negative word directed at other people's ideas?!
What an incredible -and rare - environment you guys have created!
Corny but true - our members rock!! -
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Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on
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yes I have noticed.
A great training ring ---what! -
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Permalink Reply by Debra McDaid on -
A couple of things depending on the horse. Stand someone or something in the area that the horse has respect for, and make this an area of negative response... strong aids from a strong rider (mentally strong, and strong in the sense also of being capable) and often simply try and ride the horse somewhere else (different ring, outdoors aposed to in or vice versa) if at all possible for a while. Try 'confusing the enemy' at times works as well, if you ride for a long period, ride for only a short one, and then to back to the barn, give it a few hours, then go back, making the job easier, if the horse is ridden lightly than work them stiffly if they try to leave at the other end of the arena than they try to leave off... but mostly it is a weak ridder driven problem, and usually a coach that the horse has respect for standing with a negative 'grumpy don't try it attitude' and a rider than is very strong in mental and ridding ability that can convince the horse that they have a job to do and should do it, does the trick... this is a tough one for a young inexperienced rider to fix. lots of solid inside rein, strong outside leg and a almost non-exsistant yeilding outside rein can really help... one other thing I saw help a school horse with this problem-- lunging every day at the gait end, and never letting them away with pulling out... lunging with a rider that was in control of pace, circle, gait-- except that if the horse tried it, the instructor (or friend in this case) would then help the rider pull the horse away from the gait (lunge chain over the nose for some leverage), after a couple of weeks, with grumpy voices added to as a negative insentive, and happy praise when the horse did it right, the old fella quit... (ps whips and anger did nothing as the previous owners had tried this!) this was the worst horse I have ever seen for this, he would go through a gap that I didn't think any horse could fit through if the arena door was even slightly ajar, leaving even tallented riders in the sand! The lack of safety on an otherwise tallented horse caused the idea of the lunge line. take care good luck to anyone with this problem deb
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Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on
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Sounds like that last horse you wrote about was trying to say something that was pretty important to him and people were not listening. :(.
Sounds like he gave up. -
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Permalink Reply by Diane Taylor on -
Yep, I agree, that sounds just about right!
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