• Trainer on Retainer by Randy Byers Horsemanship Class here we go! This is "NOT" a TOOTH problem!! This NOT a chiropractic issue! This is NOT a HEALTH issue!! If you guys say his back is out, I will shoot you... Here is the question. "I have a hot Arab, is there anything I can do to cool him down"? Is this a disposition issue or a training issue? Can we train a horse to be cool?
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    Lyn Fendick:
    some horses are always like this regardless of the training...an some people call forward going ..more go than whoooa.personally i like this...but spooky nervous n hot headed can be trained out...i recon the horse is a mirror to its ower..look at ones self n they way we deal with them..take a hard look in a mirror...can give us clues...i recon the more training n work the less hot horse...although there maybe exceptions i dunno..or have its **** checked....(joke)..haha

    Nichole Bullard:
    With Arabs you get more of everything...They are generally highly intelligent horses and sometimes that works against them, as they notice everything in their environment and tend to get nervous easily. There is no magic quick-fix. Canter, canter, canter then canter some more. But they have to see you as their leader or it will never work. Training, time and then more training for both the Arab and rider are called for here. They need to grow trust and respect for one another so that they may form a real foundation of communication and partnership. Sometimes you just can't force a square peg into a round hole.

    April Joos:
    Drug him.. HA! kidding.. As a former arab owner, I will say breeding/disposition can sometimes be a factor. There are lines out there known to be "hard to ride". Some of them you can work on the ground until you're blue in the face but when you get on you just have a different horse. You have to be a confident rider for one thing. For one thing, make sure he has brakes. You wont accomplish anything w/o a good whoa. Then its a matter of keeping is attention focused on you and not everything around him, give him things to do, circles, serpentines, whoas, backs, keep him moving. Its just important to keep your wits about you and not get frustrated. End on a good note and work consistently.


    Delia Pacheco Just my opinion here:
    I bred Arabians for many years and found they are more intelligent and will challenge you if you allow it. This is not directed at you Randy, but for the average Arab owner...sometimes it's really about the owner...one has to be calm, and no anger, like Ceser Millan says, calm and accertive...this goes a long way.
    on a different note, not knowing what color the horse is... my Chestnut colt was the hottest, and I learned something from a Vet in Missouri, he said Chestnuts tend to be more hot(genetics)(like a red headed kid) I thought it was odd, he told me to changed up the grain to a special formula and it worked...don't ask me for the formula it's been years and I can't recall, I just remember it did not have oats in it.

    Jeanne Meade:
    HIS BACK IS OUT!...(Now I'm ducking for cover while Randy goes to get his gun) hahaha. On a more serious note, sometimes, it may be the feed giving him more energy than what he is expelling. That should be a consideration in this "HOT" equation. I completely with Lyn Fendick, as I have found during training, the horse will mirror my mood (through my body language), and when we train our horses, we are actually training ourselves, as a simple shift in attitude and body language, makes a big difference to the horse in training. Arabs are highly intelligent, and if not challenged, they will learn to tune you out and take over. I have learned to give my horses respect, and they have given me respect in return. That doesn't mean I am not constantly trying to be the benevolent leader of us both, I just have to constantly teach myself to be the better horse (we are suppose to be the more sentient beings after all), if horses were smarter, they would be riding us. So if horses can't think like humans, we should start thinking like horses...makes sense...

    Lizzie Youngson:
    I agree with Jane and Delia.
    I own an Egyptian arabian who is a midgit, barely 14hh. And he is turning 7 on sunday. I had him broke last year, at six, and can already do miles and miles of work with him because of how mature his thinking process is compared to that of a two year old. He still will spook at new things he comes across, but i don't think that makes him hot at all. Needless to say, people that own "hot arabs?" need to assess first what's making a horse hot, NOT that it's a breed issue. We've owned thoroughbreds, and you either find real "hot" ones, or real lazy ones, that will not move for you. Just like humans, every horse comes with a different temperment. It's like that in every species in life. But because arabians have a very emotional way of thinking, it's easier for this breed to get attached. Like Jane was saying. I think it makes them easier to train, if anything. If you want to cool a hot arab, I would suggest switching feed, change the diet first. Make sure the horse gets enough nutritional wise, but not enough to give it any extra energy it doesn't need. Also, firm consistant calm energy whenever working with hot animals, tends to work best at the present situation as well as long term, as attentive animals will pick up the emotions surrounding them. And, above all, I like that arab give you the challenge. I personally dont like jumping up on a fat lazy grade horse that's never moved quicker than a sleepy lope. I think if you are confident enough to purchase an arabian, you should be confident enough to enbrace the challenge and effort it takes to achieving the trust and affection they give. Some of the greatest horses I've ever met- both in training, responsivness, and the love that they showed, were ALL arabians. If not arabian crosses.

    Patricia Nyenhuis wrote:
    Secord First, I wonder what the Arab is being fed. Sweet feed is O-U-T for a hot horse. Second, ground work, moving the feet to get you to be the alpha is a must. A hot horse can definately be "trained" to be cool but it takes time and a lot of perseverance..... daily training to work out the hot and to make your horse actually "listen" to you!!!!

    Krista Cashatt:
    I just wanted to add I have noticed a lot of feed comments - I don't agree. I have reduced feed or given feed it doesn't really matter any well fed horse will act basically the same. I believe a well taken care of horse will "always" tend to act with more energy especially these so called "hotter" horses because that's who they are - it's like you getting good food you have more energy. I believe it is a training issue to the "T." I find that many who own Arabs are the touchy, feely types and treat their Arabs like children instead of horses-this is where the problems begin.



    Trainer on Retainer by Randy Byers Horsemanship:
    You guys did great answering these questions. You guys are an asset to this page. I like all of your answers.

    Ok this is my answer! Let's put this question in the archive.

    True or False, a calm rider makes a nervous horse calm? FALSE!!! Some of the best horses belong to drunks and kids. Horses do not want to be always at a high level of energy, they want to be calm! Nervous horses fear people sneaking and tip toeing around them like a predator. They learn to be calm around kids because they are use to being around people that are clumsy and move abruptly. Think of it like desensitize them to a plastic bag, or giving a cue that the horse refuses to comply with. After awhile, they become desensitize to the scary object or the cue.

    First, You cannot change disposition, but you can change behavior! I only want the the horse to do what I want him to do. I need to teach him how to channel his energy. I do not care about his feed requirements and how it affects his behavior. I feed him what he needs and requires. I do not make excuses for his behavior with his calorie intake. Evan if I changed his feed, the disposition is still the same and his behavior will change very little.

    Have you ever see a Western Pleasure Arab junior or futurity class? Those classes are amazing. You can't get much hotter than a 3 yr Arab stud in a class of 20 riders. How do the trainers get those horses so slow, calm, and collected? It is a process that takes months and cannot be explained on a fan page.

    That is my job. This is what I do for a living. You need to understand something first. What makes an Arab appear to be smart are two things. 1) They are fast thinkers. 2) They are lite movers. The fact is that you need to get the feet to move to teach a horse to do something. Lazy horses are a pain to teach..

    This is why I love Arabs, they are easy to teach, but easy to change. Arabs learn faster because they can think faster than the average rider can respond. You really need to know your training program well so you can respond and fix behaviors when the arise.

    The quick and dirty answer to this question is put lots of loping miles on the horse and always quit the horse when it is quiet. Lope, lope, lope, lope, and then lope some more.. Those WP horses have been loped to Japan a back.

    Key note. Just as extremely hot a horse is, you can make that same horse extremely lazy too. Just remember, As talented as a horse is one way (hot) that same horse can be just as talented the other (lazy) it just take talent to train it.

    Hope this helps.
  • Danielle Crooks Yes, you can train a horse to be cool. It is most likely a training issue, not a temperament issue, though temperament can affect the situation. :)
  • Julie F. Gasper A change in diet, and regime, a continuation of new things for a intelligent breed of animal to learn and a constant source of patience and willing attitude from you will help to make him a cooler animal. Arabians are very in tune with their surroundings, many people fail to remember that an Arabians eyes being wider spread can see further around them then many stock breeds. So their instinctual flight reflex is of course going to kick into over drive if they see something that startles them in the near blind areas.

    Another thing to remember is that they are strong, durable and have an endless supply of energy / stamina, so trying to wear them out isn't going to work it will just build up their level of stamina further. The key with a hot animal is to remain cool and collected yourself. Sack them out practice in hand over assorted obstacles till they offer you their trust, then do those same things under saddle.
    Most of all remember that if you are the least bit nervous or tense they will pick up on it. Relax, RELAX, R E L A X!!!
    Backing and circling is also more difficult for an animal to do then to stand frozen balking or bolting so practice the one rein stop and bending to gain control of not only their actions but their mind when their instinct may be to scram. I've got a WY range bred born and raised Mustang that tests my abilities and training know how even more then all the Arabians I've owned bred and raised in the past 20+ years.
    Good luck in your endeavors.

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