# New horse a bit barn sour..got any ideas?



## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Well it was bound to happen over the course of my long life with horses, I finally got one that is a bit barn sour. 

He thinks his job is arena and back to barn. So he goes happily to the arena, we do our work and I get off and lead him around some, then I get back on and ask him to go down the drive away from the barn and he says "nope, not happening". He doesn't actually rear up, but he pops his head way up and then backs and backs and goes sideways and if I keep asking him to go forward, then he will lift fronts off ground and threaten to go all the way.

so I circled him until I was dizzy and then ask and he took a few steps forward and same issues. But worse in he was quicker to say "up up and away".

Got off him and tapped him with the dressage whip on his hind leg every time he stopped while leading away from barn. Seems to have corrected that behavior for the time being about LEAVING the barn, but COMING BACK, it's a fight all the way..he wants to run to the barn and I say no, and circle and stand and as soon as I ask him to walk nicely, we are on the "up and away escalator".

This has been going on for the last two weeks. I figure we are currently at a standoff. If I ask too "hard" he goes up. If I circle too much, he runs backwards. 

So any ideas? I can't stand a barn sour horse and now I have one..but only if I ask him to go away from the barn. He is wonderful in the arena including the indoor, and he did go out with another horse, but got the prancing, rearing snots coming back, to the point where I don't really want to do that again any time soon.

Oh and after each episode, I don't untack and put him in the barn, I work his butt off riding around the barn and to the arena, in the arena, etc. He's fine with all that.

For what it is worth, he's been an arena horse all his life, never trail ridden and he's 12. You would think by now he would be tired of doing circles..I know I am.

So suggestions are welcome..but none that involve blood, guts and gore..or PETA.

thanks!


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I've never had one who reared while being held back from going- just one or two who've reared when asked to do something they didn't want to do.
I think the first thing I'd do is lunge if he's stalled a lot and has super energy, then I would skip the arena all together. I'd go straight to a trail ride, allowing a lot of time to the project, keeping to a walk the whole time. A lot of stop, back, walk on. Leg yield. Head flex one side then the other, etc. Keep his mind engaged but limit excitement. Never getting into a gait that will snowball into excitement. The goal would be to make him think but not act out. Make the ride not too long so he gets impatient or too bored.
Then when you turn to home, if he even jigs a step, you turn around and walk back to a mind game. But no stopping- that will lead to rear. If he wants to go sideways, well at least he's going. After he settles down, and you have to wait for it, then circle back towards home. Repeat as needed.
I did have a couple of jiggers when turned home and I would spend a hour or two the first few rides until the light dawned that walk gets home, jiog gets more away time. In fact the sun set on one ride.
Whatever you decide, planon lots of time for a few rides. The point being everyone remains so calm that eventually you have to thump them to get into a faster gait because they have forgotten how to do anything but walk. You are creating a new expectation.

I think that I might spice it up a bit by getting off while heading out and walking home so that he stops equating the barn with ending work. Or even parking your trailer somewhere and riding to it and hauling back on occasion.

Another alternative might be to get off, walk back then head to the arena. Again, remove the barn as the end of work signal.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

It sounds to me like it isn't the barn thing that's bothering you as much as the up thing.
He's figured out that if he's confused or upset or just doesn't want to and he gets a little light in front, then the fight is over.

Rearing has never bothered me. (isn't it funny how we all have different things that bug us, runaways are the least fun for me) I have a very simple fix for it. If a horse starts tossing it's head and dancing, and a very low, firm hand on the reins and clear aids don't calm him, I hold something over his head, a hand, a hat, so that when he starts to rear, he hits it.
Surprisingly often, that's enough. They didn't know there was something up there, and they aren't sure just what it is, and they'd like to not clobber themselves on it. Almost invariably they drop, shake their heads, try again (do it again) and then quit.

Stop and let them think about that for a breath, and ask for forward motion again.
A horse with the habit of it will quite often repeat within 4 steps. Sometimes, but rarely, you'll find yourself with a LOT of forward motion.
It doesn't happen often, as they are going up in order to escape going forward, but every once in a while, one will duck their heads down and try to run out from whatever is hovering over their ears, so be ready.
But mostly, you'll get a couple of steps, repeat.
Be happy with repeating this two or three times, when you get a good step, stop, tell them that they were a great big baby to worry so much about going 5 steps in that direction, dismount and be done.
Also, be very sure that you don't tighten up on his mouth when he starts going up. It encourages the up. It's hard, but keep your hands low and soft. 

As far as going backwards, that sounds like you're trying (probably unconsciously) to hold him back or down, and he goes backwards. 
Try to safely see what he does on a loose rein. Give a lot with your hands, "stab" him with the reins if he wants to take off - but no constant pressure, loosen right back up again - like leash-correcting dog. With pressure, it is too tempting for a horse to either get into a tug-of-war with you, or, to do what yours is doing and escape the bit and still get their own way by going up or back.

How is he on ground work? I am never afraid to dismount and lunge circles and ask for lots of ground exercises if a horse decides something like _We're in the road, and I don't have to listen when we're in the road_. You'll feel more at ease and he'll still be working and needing to listen to you.

If you want to trail ride with him, have you tried trailering him out to a trail? I'd trailer him out for a couple of rides in the company of other horses and see if that gives him the idea that this is an ok thing to do.


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## mountainwmn (Sep 11, 2009)

With one that bad I usually do back and forth past the barn until we are both bored mindless. Take him as far away as he will go, then let him jig back and keep going past it until he won't go anymore. Keep repeating until he will finally walk back towards it willingly then put him away and start over again tomorrow. I don't push them more than a step or 2 past where they want to resist because I don't like to get bucked off anymore. 
It may also help to saddle up and take him on some relaxing trail walks just leading him, then take him home and ride the snot out of him. He may be terrified of the trail, not really barn sour. 
I have also found that what works for one horse may not work for others, so you might try a few different things before you figure out what works best for him.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

More info - he isn't stalled all the time, he has a very large turnout with other horses and is ridden 5-6 days a week. He is up during the day and out from 5 pm until 7:30 the next day. Fed very low amount of grain - 2 cups each feeding and two flakes of bermuda hay while stalled. He has grass at night. I have not longed him, will try to see if he does. Wasn't really concerned about longing due to the amount of time he has been ridden and shown.

I have tried not going to the arena (that is how I first found out that he really wants nothing to do with leaving the barn area). Yes, I do not like rearing but hate the half rears even more. I don't "hold him back" when trying to leave the barn, I give him the same amount of rein as a western pleasure horse as he is a country pleasure TWH. Light contact with a tender touch bit. He doesn't step back, he literally runs backwards as fast as he can go (last time he ended up in the grill of a truck parked near the barn). He will duck out to either side and has no obvious knowledge of yielding to leg pressure. I do not wear spurs with him.

I ask him to go forward with seat, legs and if he doesn't go, I tap him with the whip. He stiffens up, then either runs backwards or goes up. Sometimes he tries to duck to the side and spin around. I have taken him out with the calmest old horse at the barn and he followed fine, but coming back was jig, prance, dance, rear up, etc. despite the other horse literally ambling along, then stopping to see if my horse would quit but he continued on. I do have to hold him back or he will run to the barn if allowed. That is dangerous due to the number of people coming and going and the fact that I would be on a paved road for part of the trip.

I will try the hand over the head, and see if that works. What is really so funny in a weird way, is that I work him hard in the arena, he does his standard gaiting, then figure 8's, and circles, stops, etc. He is constantly moving there and he appears to really enjoy that work. Sat. we spent a good 45 minutes of really hard (for him) work and he never tried to quit or give any resistance. we are working on circles and bending as he is stiff as a board. 

Going down the driveway is a piece of cake compared to the arena work. Oh we are always alone in the arena - there are three arenas at this stable and so I usually have the largest one to myself, so he isn't out with other horses working so that isn't a reason for him to want to work in the arena. 

I haven't tried riding him off the property yet, I may have to trailer him away to see if this is a fear of trail riding problem or a I don't wanna leave the barn problem.

After I got him going down the drive Sat. he was good. Looking around, ears up, walking briskly but not doing a running walk and seemed to enjoy it. Then I stopped and stood for a few minutes and turned for home and he started the act again.

Personally I'd rather have a bucker than a rearer - a rearer can flip in a minute and some don't hesitate to do so if they lose their mind. A bucker will throw you and that's pretty much that unless they step or kick you on the way down. One thing about horses, you will always get a different hole to fill.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

Can you back him all the way down the driveway?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

I was going to suggest trailering to an unknown area.


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## DaniR1968 (May 24, 2008)

Keep doing what you are doing to get him out. Do you pull him in a tight circle? I have done that where I almost spin them. They get tired of that pretty quick. I wouldnt' like the rear or half rear. 

When you get back, does he go right to the barn or to be fed or? Take his butt in the arena and work him hard or tie him up for a while. He's decided he's done when he gets back. Make the trail the fun place to be, the place he can relax and have a good time.


But don't get hurt.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am thinking I am going to trailer him out and see what happens. Also, since he seems to be pretty good about going backwards, I think next time he starts running backwards, we will just keep backing..that driveway down to the road is a good mile long, I reckon he might just get tired of doing the back up thing about 1/2 there.

Never had a horse that can run backwards before, even the barn owner was amazed at how fast he can put it in reverse. She suggested I turn him over to one of the former eventers at the barn and let her work him a bit in the fields. I may do that if he doesn't straighten up soon. Eventers know pretty much there is one way to go and that is forward.

I think this horse is spoiled to doing his five minutes in the show ring then back to the barn/stall/trailer to eat. Once I get him going away from the barn, he does seem to enjoy seeing the new sights. He has not spooked once which I figured he would do if he were afraid of leaving his "area".

Thanks and I'll check back in after this weekend with a report on progress or no progress.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I had a barn-sour horse once that learned to rush in reverse because it got me "ahead" so I couldn't use my forward aids effectively. So we backed away from home. For about a mile. Not all at once, but in increments. No forward movement at all. After that she wasn't so keen to volunteer to go backwards.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Knowing he's a TWH changes my idea a bit. Was he professionally trained?

BTW try showing him the way to the ground. Teach him to reach for the bit. Does he tend to overbend? 

Being a pleasure horse does not neccessarily mean he's escaped from walking horse training methods.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I want to explain that my first horse was a Saddlebred with the fastest reverse on the face of the earth. He ended up sitting in a ditch once when he backed across the road over a little hump and backwards into a 6 foot ditch.
Part of his problem is that he was trained by being put into a bitting rig, even in his stall, until he kept off the bit at all times. 
That is how my interest in dressage started. I read about teaching a horse to stretch into the bit. So, not knowing what I was doing, I taught him to nibble the bit all the way to the ground. But it worked- allowed him to go much more forward. I left of the double bits (a 9" curb) and went to a hollow mouth sanffle. 
Rearing and running back can be a result of that kind of training.


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## Chief Cook (Apr 24, 2011)

I had a barn soured mare to work with once and it can be the drizzlin pits! She thought all she had to do was walk around the corral and stop at the gate, TaDa, end of ride. I think it shocked her when I expected her to head out on the trail. That first day was a spin and swat kind of affair. It took most of two hours to go on a short trail ride. Every time she threw her little fit, I made her sit down on her hocks and spin tight. When we stopped I made sure we were always pointing the direction that I wanted to go. By the time that ride was over she was happy to walk like a real riding horse. She only got to the corral with me one time that entire summer. Imagine her surprise when I made her work her little bay tail off in that corral. By the time summer was over, she was a very nice mare for an experienced rider. I sure hope all the best for you with this horse.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Where I want to has some good points.
Personally, I'd try a few different things before I asked him to back down the drive. I'd want to stay out of his mouth pretty much entirely until I was sure nothing else would work. Any pressure on the mouth will encourage him up, and that's not a direction we want. 

If you've got experience riding with a dressage whip (I think you do, from other posts) I'd use that as low on his hind legs as possible when he started to go backwards. Not so much to pop him a good one, but, like the ear trick, to let him know that there is a boogey man right there just waiting for him to back up.
I would pop him one on the shoulder/side of the neck if he tried to duck out to the side. I wouldn't mess with it, I'd welt him once.
Rearing and backing are escape mechanisms, ducking out is more aggressive response. Like you get horses who kick out of fear, but biting is always a lack of respect, even though the horse might be afraid too.

But first I would try what I listed above. Also, with the more info, I'd try a different bit. A kimberwick or a nice, fat D-ring snaffle with no shanks - something that feels totally different in his mouth.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

sidepasser, you have some great advice on how to handle the direct problem but it does help if you shake things up a bit. A lot of horses are ridden out, ridden back, stripped, brushed and put away. With problem horses, I'll strip tack in random locations and seldom back at the barn and periodically, I'll strip tack and tack them back up in the middle of nowhere.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

Since you say he doesn't move off your leg, what about more ground work, so that he learns to respond properly to your whip aids? Partly he may be confused about what you want in regard to moving forward and is frustrated? Just a thought.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

He is a TWH that was trained for country pleasure and english pleasure. He may have had pads at some point in his life, but not recently. He was last shown three months ago and won 3rd out of nine in western pleasure which was his first show in around 3 years.

If he were at my farm, a barn would be the last thing he saw - lol..I would untack in the pasture and brush him down there and leave him there. However I board at a "fancy" barn where there are rules about where you can tack up and untack, etc. I understand that the barn has to have rules as there are so many people with horses if there weren't rules, it would soon become mayhem. I could untack at the trailer though and I think I will start doing that and brushing him down there.

We do go for a walk w/o tack after every ride, and I let him eat grass along the way. He seems to like that. 

As far as the bit, it is a very short shanked tender touch snaffle bit. I have tried a medium d ring snaffle - he chewed constantly and shook his head with that one, I tried a low port curb, he hated that one. I will look into a kimberwick bit but don't know how well he will like that either. He has a regular mouth, no teeth problems. He was taught to work on the bit like a western pleasure horse and he does not like direct contact (he will throw his head up and ears promptly go straight back). If I give the reins a couple of shakes, he sets his head and promptly goes to work with head bobbing and ears flopping. He rides in the arena with his head held low (poll level with withers). A TWH can't be "cranked in" or they can't bob their head which acts as a fulcrum to their rear end and gives that nice walking horse gait. You can ride dressage but the contact is not as direct or the gait is lost as the head and neck must be free to move up and down as the rear pushes forward.

I will keep working with him and think it will be something that can be overcome but is going to take some time. He is a super nice arena horse and will work like a dog doing whatever I ask in the arena. It is going to take a little time though to change his mind about leaving the arena and going down the trails after ten years of doing nothing else but arena.

Looks like it might be an interesting summer - lol.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

I look at this as he's being taken out of his comfort zone, he's never been trail ridden and doesn't know what to expect and may be a bit confused and/or scared. I think this because he's not refusing to work, he's refusing to do something new. Is there someone else you can trail ride with for the first couple of rides? The presence of another horse may be enough for him to realize that something different won't hurt him. 

Holding something above the head does work with some horses but be prepared for _any_ reaction. I saw a pony actually lay down after coming in contact with a baseball cap- he just collapsed. That one was funny but many aren't.


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## JPiantedosi (Apr 23, 2012)

Ive been fighting this very same battle with a Paso mare I bought as a field trial horse....

she does great in the arena, great within sight of the barn, but you put her on the road headed away from the house and she starts dancing in the road trying to turn around or back up. You name it we have fought it, to the point there are scuff marks in the road from her shoes. when she tries to turn I will pull her head around till her chin about touches my knee and we will spin the direction she wanted to go in a TIGHT circle till she is facing the way we were going, if she tries to back up I do the same thing. if she rears up I fight her down.... The funny thing is once we get past a "line" in the road she settles in and acts reasonable. At some point it is about you and the horse deciding who is running the show.

I don't know what kind of saddle you ride in, but i more often than not would prefer to fight my mare from a good western saddle I can settle into rather than my troopoer or my buena vista.

As far as trailering your horse some place, when I work my dogs from horse back, I trailer my horse down the road about a mile to my training field and she is GREAT. When I take her to Field Trials she is great. I think that if you can get a chance to get her out some place else you may be pleasantly suprised.

I will say that I ride this mare 3-5 days a week and this has been going on for about 5mos, I am to the point now where it is only the occasional silliness. It takes repetition, and it may never be right, but it should get better.

Also as a side thought on bitting your horse. Have you thought of a hackamore (sp) or a side pull?

Jim


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Sounds like he needs a weekend trail-ride/camping experience.

Couple of nights tied or stalled in an unfamiliar place and the days spent with a group moving down an unfamiliar trail.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Actually a gaited horse can be "cranked in" and still gait. The head bob is usually a sign of relaxing and smoother gaiting although the TWHs that I've ridden haven't been half the nodders that my foxtrotters are. 
Most gaited horses, especially ones with reach in the rear like TWHs, are more like trombones- they have a sliding scale of gait that is modulated by lengthing or shortening the neck (really collecting or extending). A non-gaited horse is more like a trumpet- you have clear seperations in gait.
But your boy has been "set" in his gait- some trainer found his "best" performance and locked him in that body postition. I imagine he get very tense when asked for anything, trying to twist himself into the body shape he's had drilled into him. 
All my gaited horses have been "dressaged" like my thoroughbreds, anglo-arab, arab, etc have been. The only thing I don't do with them is lateral work at the gait because without the suspension, moving laterally really twists the leg. Not that I think it would be impossible with them- they are very clever with their feet.
But all have accepted contact with the bit just like any other horse. Just need soft hands.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Smacking myself on the side of the head. I just realized I didn't make it clear why I think dressage would help your horse. It's not collection that I think is so important for this horse- it the opposite- extension. 
To keep a rear from progressing, you need either to keep the feet moving, which he seems to have developed ways to avoid or you need to get him to move more on the forehand. This is what teaching him to reach into the bit will do- give you a tool to get him to abort his rear by shifting his weight to the front. And relaxing him.
If you have no contact, you only have legs to urge him to change his mind. In my experience, that has not really changed a rear no matter that I've heard that all my life. It's just that he can't rear if he's going forward- if he won't go forward, you're out of options.


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## sidepasser (May 10, 2002)

Where I want to - that is correct regarding the collection, I definitely do not want to collect him up and sit him on his rear, he does that quite nicely all by himself. He needs to learn to stretch down and round his back (to the extent that his conformation will allow). Also he has never, apparently, been taught to bend in either direction so the first few times I asked for a 20 meter circle with a bend, he bulged out at the shoulder and walked sideways across half the arena. So we are working on that as well.

He is quite comfortable doing his job that he was trained to do. He is excellent on the ground, stands quietly to do most everything (except clip ears - which I don't do anyway).

I think I have a lot of work to bring him out of his arena comfort zone and get him excited about other things. I haven't tried crossing water yet, that should be REAL interesting. He may be completely different at an off site location so I plan to take him with a small group of friends who understand "horses with difficulties" and see how he acts then.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

My friend Larry has a slick little rig he uses for starting driving horses. It is rack that fits in a receiver hitch on pickup. We tie the horse (or team) to the rack and start down the road, eventually untieing (depending how things go). We keep the team right up to the truck when we first untie, and slowly pull away. If we have trouble we can usually bring them back up to the rack. With saddle horse I would probably have another solid horse and rider riding along.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

tinknal said:


> My friend Larry has a slick little rig he uses for starting driving horses. It is rack that fits in a receiver hitch on pickup. We tie the horse (or team) to the rack and start down the road, eventually untieing (depending how things go). We keep the team right up to the truck when we first untie, and slowly pull away. If we have trouble we can usually bring them back up to the rack. With saddle horse I would probably have another solid horse and rider riding along.


This sounds interesting and I'm trying to picture it. Do you have a picture or a name for this device?


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

wolffeathers said:


> This sounds interesting and I'm trying to picture it. Do you have a picture or a name for this device?


I'll check tonight to see if he has any youtube vids with the rack in them.


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## gunsmithgirl (Sep 28, 2003)

I would work him by the barn. Make him hustle do rollbacks against the barn keep those feet moving and make him really work! Then take him away from the barn and let him rest. Then back to the barn and hustle, hustle, hustle, really drive him and make him work. Rest away from the barn. After a while he'll figure out that going back to the barn means work. I have did that with barn sour horses and had great success. Eventually they will walk calmly to the barn.


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## dkrabec (Apr 5, 2012)

I am dealing with same type of thing right now. The owner was having trouble with this horse rearing and not wanting to go forward on the trail, so she brought her to me and I did nothing for the first three weeks but ground work, not just lunging in circles. I set up jumps, tire obstacles, cavaleties (sp?), yield the hind end and front end, side-passing, roll backs, backing up lots of backing up ect. Essentially everything I want her to do when I am on her back. I circle drove down the road where I wanted to ride, and every new request was met with opposition/rearing/bolting. And to top it off she would not load in a trailer. She was incredibly disrespectful. She tried biting me, kicking me, she reared up a lot and every other thing to get me to stop asking her to do as I asked. When she did those things I let her know she did the wrong thing and kept asking until she figured out what I wanted, every move in the right direction was rewarded. After a few good sweaty sessions on the ground or about two weeks she finally became more willing to let me be the leader. This horse has been getting with so much bully behavior for so long, and on the other hand she had no confidence in herself. But by asking to do new things and allowing her to figure it out her confidence built and our relationship grew. The first time I rode her I stayed in a round pen and just let her walk around with no guidance I just wanted her to know I was not going to hurt her, I think she has been ridden with very heavy hands and part of her problem is she is afraid I will bump her mouth. Any way after only four weeks on the ground and only after riding her three times I took her to an extreme trail challenge where we placed 8th out of 60 riders. I know it is because I gained her respect on the ground and she is trusting me that we did so well. I have taken her on trail rides, she is now also loading in the trailer, knock on wood she has not once thought of rearing with me on her back. You have to get that respect on the ground before you get on their back. Like I said ground work is not just lunging it is getting them to move their feet in the direction and speed that you ask for. Just because a horse has been shown does not mean they are trained, I have learned that. Sometimes they are the worst ones because the show ring behavior has been drilled into them and everything else is outside their comfort zone. Keep things interesting, change things up and master the ground work before asking your horse to move out of their comfort zone. BTW the owner gave me the horse because she did want to deal with her and keep up with the program, and we are getting ready for our second extreme challenge in two weeks, and I am going to have a really nice horse that will do anything I ask because she trusts me and I have faith in her. Good luck.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Well, for the rearing, you could always try breaking a bag of warm water over his poll when he comes up off the ground. That will often stop rearing. It's worth a try.

I haven't dealt with a barn sour horse, but this might help. It's how I train my trail riding horses.

When they are young, they go out with a steady older horse and we ride away from home and stop and I have lunch and the horse gets a rest and a bit of grain. Maybe a nice brushing. So nice things happen away from home.

I rarely go out and back on the same route. Rides are circular.

Since my horses had been ponied out for 2 years before they ever got ridden, and had been on the road in harness, barn sour wasn't an issue. They were already with the program. But still, I would make it pleasant to go out away from home.

Also, we'd trailer to the mountains to ride the hiking trails and they all seemed to love that.

It sounds to me like your horse has never known any different and the unknown is frightening him.


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## Otter (Jan 15, 2008)

Btw, the logic behind a different bit is, from your description, he seems pretty well trained to two things, arena work and keeping off the bit. He's good at these two things.

You want him to do something different. he is uncomfortable doing something different, he wants something familiar - which is why I didn't recommend working him at the barn - he's ok there, he likes it, it feels the same to him.

Give him a bit that feels different in his mouth for this new, different job. A bit that he hasn't been trained to stay off of. Eventually using this bit will tell him _It's trails today, not the arena_, and he'll start to feel like things are predictable and safe.
And he is not going against his training by having contact with this new, different feel to the bit in his mouth, and it will be easier to re-train him if you aren't also saying to him _Yeah, remember those 9 years that you were supposed to stay behind the bit? Forget all that..._
But by all means, for arena work, use his regular bit.


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## hrslvrtrailridr (Jan 9, 2007)

Just stay persistent. It may take a few days and you may have to mix it up a little with ground work. Most barn sour horses know how to outlast you. I would work at getting past a certain point everyday. I make it a habit not to be to routine when working a horse and don't strip gear as soon as I'm done. I let them stand tied in various locations each day before untacking or maybe lead them around with me while I do chores and such.


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