really need help with this horse, please!

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Posted : 11/18/2010 5:42:33 PM

I just bought a half Arab/ half Appaloosa. She is 6 years old and knows the barrel pattern and everything. I have a tendency with letting horses boss me around but I really don#%92t think I#%92ve let her get away with it. So the first time I really rode her I took her to a show and she messed with me at first but her previous owner was there to help me out, by the end I started doing pretty good on her just riding around, but I was using the former owner#%92s bridle and bit that she had set up for my horse. I got her a wonder bit which is what I#%92m pretty sure they were using on her. They did warn me she has a very sensitive mouth. So the next day I took her on a trail ride around my neighborhood, but the bridle I had was too big for her and I didn#%92t have a hole punch so I just left it loose, that day she did great, my fiancé even rode the four wheeler next to us, we saw all different horses and all kinds of things. So the next day I took her over to a friends house to practice barrels on her and I used a hole punch to tighten the bridle correctly so this time she got really nasty and wouldn#%92t listen at all and eventually ended up pulling her head up so hard that she hit me in my chest, so I tightened the tie down and she managed to do it again. My friends told me it might be because it was a new place and their were other horses around.. I#%92m not sure. Yesterday I tried to ride her again at home and she got nasty again, so I got off her, changed her bit to a training bit and tried again and she was still acting weird so I lunged her for about 30 minutes and she did great. Stopped on a dime and everything, but still is just mean when riding. Some other factors might be that now shes alone whereas before she had other horses, and ive seen a lonely horse turn his attitude 100% when I got him a friend so I don#%92t know if that could be apart of it because all she does is stand at our fence line looking for the horses next door, shes also in heat or I just don#%92t know if its lack of respect because she wont load for me like she will for others so I know she thinks she can push me around. Any advice you can give me would be great, I really could use it, I just want this horse to bond with me and be a forever horse.

Thanks, Megan

danastark

Posted : 11/19/2010 5:45:48 AM

From what I understand, she was fine when you did trail riding but when you went to practice barrels, she became excited and out of control? If so, I wouldn't say she is being mean, just revved up about what is going to happen. Maybe she's been treated roughly in the past and gets anxious when she sees the barrels. Maybe experiment again, do some trail riding and see how she is vs. when you get her in an arena around barrels. Be careful about pulling on her mouth because you might make her rear up and possibly over. Horses are herd animals so living alone is hard on them. Even a goat would be better than nothing for her.

TanyaC97

Posted : 11/19/2010 1:44:00 PM

1. Check her teeth---sounds like she might have a sharp tooth.
2. Ask the previous owner exactly what they were using for a bit.
3. Seems like the previous owner might be able to help you a bit.
4. A horse with a sensitive mouth needs to be ridden with EXTRA light hands, you are lucky she did not go up and over on you.
5. Why the tie down, why did you tighten it up, was it adjusted correctly to begin with?
6. Take things slow with her, do so small flex, bending, etc. type of work with her so you two can get used to each other.
7. If her heats are that strong you may want to consider putting her on something to take that edge off.

You might want to consider one bit to work her in and another bit to compete with her in. How experienced is she of a horse? How experienced are you with barrels? Just trying to get a better understanding.