How do you work with a horse that tries to leave the training ring?

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Permalink Reply by Mary-Joe Figueira on May 6, 2010 at 9:21pm

Use lots of outside leg and rein at the gate. By doing this you are telling the horse where NOT to go.

Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on May 7, 2010 at 1:56am

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

Permalink Reply by Lynn on May 7, 2010 at 8:06am

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.

Permalink Reply by Barnmice Admin on May 7, 2010 at 8:24am

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!!

Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on May 7, 2010 at 10:00am

yes I have noticed.
A great training ring ---what!

Permalink Reply by Debra McDaid on May 7, 2010 at 2:22pm

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

Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on May 7, 2010 at 2:48pm

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.

Permalink Reply by Diane Taylor on May 7, 2010 at 2:52pm

Yep, I agree, that sounds just about right!

Permalink Reply by Nicola Barnes on May 8, 2010 at 7:18am

Maybe you could try 'pulling' the horses head to the inside with a side rein or something else, so if it tries to run out, it can't go very far as the head can only go towards u. Also just takes patience and calm, soothing talking to the horse!

Permalink Reply by Sally Spencer on May 8, 2010 at 9:20am

In my experience when you create an influence on a part of the horse's body it has an influence elsewhere, ie there is not only routes along neural pathways, there are consequences to numerous other areas of the body mind and spirit of a horse.

When looking at how to feel, articulate, manoeuvre or just down right demand by pulling, pushing,kicking and/or whipping a horse (the latter only causing a response of inbalance, tension and fear) to do something an individual wants it to do or prevent it from doing there are some things worth thinking about and I am pretty sure I don't know them all.

However. what springs to mind is what is going on in the mind. heart, mood, body and spirit of the rider. This is the prevailing influence for the horse as otherwise it certainly would not be there. Whether people wish to accept it and be accountable for how their energy affects a horse, or not, science itself is accepting, learning, discovering and proving how the effects of an individual's energy affects another. A good source of info' is the dvd 'The Living Matrix'.

Two negatives cannot make a positive.

We are told that horses reflect what they receive from us. What does this really mean in depth to people in general?

For me it is an ongoing journey. My horses, who are in the moment all the time teach me about myself daily and inspire me. I feel so grateful ! I do not know too many people who would have taken the time.

The fact is the question that started all this discussion has nothing to do about a horse actually leaving the training ring. The horse could 'leave the training ring' in a whole lot of situations. It is about how we conduct our relationships with our horses, how we build up our book of knowledge and language with them, how reliable we are, how trustworthy. It is about our expectations of our horses, our thoughts about what we need for ourselves to meet our goals and aims and what that actually will mean for the horse.

Two tensions do not make a release.

Permalink Reply by Mary-Joe Figueira on May 8, 2010 at 8:33am

I think it is "flexing" the horse's head to the inside around your inside leg. Pulling a horse's head is not good.

Permalink Reply by Debra McDaid on May 8, 2010 at 4:03pm

Hi, yes he was. He was old, about 16 and had seen it all. The new owner (my coach at the time) also along with the afore mentioned re-schooling, gave the horse lots of turnout time, gave it a lighter work load, and only allowed her better, lighter handed riders on it. It also was 'spoiled' daily in the barn by anyone and everyone that had a bit of horse crunch, or carrot or a bit of feed and a lot of attention which the horse craved. When she was giving lessons she would bring it in the arena with her and let it stand with it's head on her shoulder on a lead, and when the lesson was done she would have it follow her around when she put the jumps or what-have-you away... long story short... attention, positive reinforcement and more positive attention... plus she had the vet check the horse and used her own years of horse experience to ensure that there wasn't anything physically wrong with the horse... there wasn't... he was just too long in a riding school that used him for a piece of machinery and not a living creature. So her answer worked, be good to him, and at the same time expect him to earn his keep within the boundries of his considerable ability.

I do agree 100% that people do not always (seldom in fact) listen to horses. In this case I think that she did listen and ended up fixing the problem. The horse went on for many more years problem free, if she hadn't have bought this horse he was going to the local meat horse auction, so I guess both parties were lucky that day, the horse and instructor since this horse ended up being a favorite around the barn so she had a great school/show horse, and he got a long term home that apreciated him and took good care of him.