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:

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