(Darnit! I somehow managed to hit send too early . . . Boy, I guess I'm rusty after my list sabbatical! Sorry)
Hi Judy, > I'm trying to get Dakota straighten out with the right saddle, the right bit, etc. . . .However, I use a kimberwick on him right now. It is hard to get him to stop sometimes. He likes to bolt or just plain ignore you. . . .I don't want to go severe because he really is a good boy he just has a tough neck and a mind of his own. Any suggestions?< You're a smart girl not to think you need "bigger" tack. No matter what you buy to gain more leverage, you haven't cured the under-lying problem. The best bit to have in the whole world for controlling a horse is its mind. As I said in my previous one-liner post, it almost soundslike Dakota might be a bit barn sour. But what is surprising is that you are riding with other horses, right? So he is choosing to leave "the herd" to go back home. Hmmm. . . For whatever reason(s), he seems to want the ride (riding) to be over, even to the point of leaving the other horses, which, in my experience is unusual. You mention getting a new saddle, so could saddle fitting issues be causing him pain? (I'm sorry if you've explained where you are with this horse in previous posts -- I've missed them apparently if so, having just tuned back in on a regular basis!) Anyway, once you have ruled out any pain issues, I'd go back to the basics, alone, in a safe enclosure working until I had this horse's mind with you. Only then, would I probably venture back onto the trail. I know many people can work through issues out on the trail, but I'm not one of them. Maybe you are, and if so, more power to you. : ) But my comfort zone would be the pasture or an arena. From there, I'd graduate back to the trail when I had this horse back with me. Have you ever tried clicker training? It's a great way to get that horse's full attention on YOU and what you want, and what you are doing together. As a bonus, it also creates a built-in emergency stop for times when you don't have room for a one-rein stop. I'll be curious to hear what others think! -- Renee M. in Michigan I have a nose band because he eats > everything in site on the trail. I started riding English, but have since > gone back to Western/endurance. Not sure which but not English for > sure. Any suggestions? Let me tell you what he did this weekend > first: we were on a trail trotting away. There is a spot in the > trail that leads down to a waterhole with lots of rocks that we > cross sometimes. Everytime we get near it, he decides he is going > down and through and home. I expected it Saturday and he faked me > out and nearly passed the spot and turned a perfect "L" to he left > with his next and flipped is back end around to the right like a > cutting horse and down in to the water he went. I got him stopped > in the middle of the pond/waterhole and turned him around and went > back up with everyone else, but I well could have done without that > one. Tweaked the back it did. About a mile further on he decided > to buck and bolt. No idea why. That's about it. Judy > > > > IceHorses Community for Photos and Videos: http://kickapps.com/icehorses > > "The greatest enemy of the truth very often is not the lie- deliberate, contrived and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive and unrealistic." > > "All truth passes through three stages. > First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. > Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer > > > [] Lee Ziegler http://leeziegler.com > [] Liz Graves http://lizgraves.com > [] Lee's Book Easy Gaited Horses http://tinyurl.com/7vyjo > [] IceHorses Map http://www.frappr.com/IceHorses > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.2/1270 - Release Date: 02/10/2008 12:21 PM > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.2/1270 - Release Date: 02/10/2008 12:21 PM
