by Rebecca K.

Created on: April 09, 2010

Ah, horses. Each one is an individual with different likes and dislikes. Some have been rushed in their training and lack the basics which causes then to act up, others are naturally spooky. Others yet are trying to do right, but have rider related issues such as having their mouths pulled by rough hands or by being cued by a constantly bouncy leg. Most horses will encounter an issue now and then, others are just plain difficult. I've been riding for 15 years now and have ridden all types: agreeable, calm, hyper and difficult. Here's how I typically deal with it:

The first difficult type of horse you can encounter is the spooker. The spooker is typically high strung and wary. This is my Quarter Horse mare, Abby. She's spooked at everything from turkeys, to children running about, umbrellas- even mini horses! I've been tossed more than once and here's how I deal with a spooker. Go back to basics. Try lounging, and ground driving past a coat or over a tarp. Then tie a plastic bag to their halter (be careful not to get hurt) and do it in a secure roundpen. After securing the basics, you can continue to introduce "scary" objects to your horse on foot, and later in saddle.

Another difficult horse is the refuser. Whether your trying to jump or simply go forward, the refuser can be a very aggravating horse to deal with indeed. How to fix this? Reverse psychology works for my cases. I've ridden stubborn horses and ponies who plainly refused to go forward when ridden. So, I decided to make them back-up. We backed and backed and backed all the way down the trail until the horse simply learned "ah ha! It's easier just to do what she asks and go forward." Sound dumb? Well it worked for me, worth a try.

Yet a different type of difficult horse is the old stubborn one. This horse may not be old, but he sure is set in his ways. For instance, a horse that knows the familiar trail and won't deviate from the path. Maybe the horse decides he is calling the shots, what gaits and when. This is definitely trouble. With a stubborn horse, you need to do more basics again. Change up the routine, wake him up. You may need spurs or a crop just as a motivator, probably not have to use.

There are horses of all types. The trick is to break them in a way that teaches them to respect us, to cooperate, not to fear. Many riders make the mistake of being shy and letting a horse get away with a negative behavior once- this is very detrimental as horses are smart and will try  it again. Your best bet when riding a new horse is to be tough from the get go. If he refuses to go forward kick him hard in the belly and that will be that- he will learn to go forward when you click instead of a lifelong fight. The trick isn't to be mean, it's to be firm the first time. Horses really hang on your first impression.

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