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Bad habits after 30 minutes on the trail
I have had a 10 year old gelding for around 6 months now. I routinely ride him with simply a halter around the stables and he is perfect every time. The problem begins when we've been on the trail for about 30+ minutes. Then, and only then, he shows bad habits – rearing when he doesn't want to go forward, running off when remounting, prancing in place and throwing his head when asked to stand still. I have no round pen on the trail and the ground is pretty bad. I don't know what to do. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Melissa
Hi Melissa,
Something I like to do when my horse shows behavior I do not want, is to have him do small circles (yielding the hind quarters). I can do this whether on the ground or in the saddle. In the saddle I have the horse bend around an 'inside' leg. On the ground I move his hind quarters away in a very tight circle (horse is pivoting on his front feet). This simple technique will, if done right, re-focus the horse's attention on you and not on anything else.
Let me know if you understand this process. It does not take a round pen, much level ground or anything. It can be done in a tiny space and anytime. Let me know how it goes and thank you for your question.
Sincerely,
Franklin