Sunday, August 2, 2009
my horse has a really tangled main how do i get it un tangled with out hurting my horse?
Answers:
You can buy combs with rotating teeth, that work through tangles more easily and painlessly than combs with fixed teeth. You can get these from your local pet shop. Just start from the bottom and work your way up, holding sections of the hair in your hand so it doesn't pull on your horse's skin. Then in quick movements run the comb through the bottom of the section and as the hair untangles move upwards.
Also for really stubborn knots, split them up with scissors. Just slice through them going with the hair growth and they will break up more easily (I'm a dog groomer and believe me we get some sights in lol) The matts should disintegrate after you do this.
http://www.technogroom.co.uk
If it is really badly matted, you may have no other option but to have his mane hogged (clipped in short) Don't worry, it will grow back!
Good Luck.
use conditioner just like you would on your hair. Start brushing at the bottom and work your way to the top.
why don't you just cut it? it will grow back.L.
Get some Show Sheen and saturate his mane. Let it soak in for a few minutes and work it through. Then carefully untangle it with your fingers.
Then keep his grooming to be done on a more regular basis so it doesn't get so bad next time.
conditioner.
There is a detangler called Cowboy Magic. It works wonderful for getting the knots out of manes and tails. If you go to your local farm store, tack shop they will have it. It comes in a tube or a bigger bottle. It only takes a little bit to start getting the tangles out as it is a little oily, but once it is out it makes the hair really soft and shiney.
Get a bottle of conditioner - and a strong wide tooth comb. Saturate its mane with the conditioner, and then begin using the comb to pick through the hair. Don't start at the top, start about an inch or so from the bottom, and as the bottom of the ends begins to untangle, you can move up another inch or so.. keep doing this throughout it's entire mane. After detangled, rinse out the conditioner.
I would recommend pulling your horse's mane so it is shorter and easier to manage. That way, you won't have this problem again. There are pulling combs for this purpose.
You take a small section of hair, place it under the pulling comb at about the length you want the hair to be, wrap the excess hair around the comb, and give it a tug. The comb cuts through the hair, and it shortens the mane. Look for a pulling comb at statelinetack.com
if its ReALLY bad u can just cut it liek you would for a show, otherwise, showsheen will do the trick
Unlike us, horses have no feeling in their mane. It won't hurt if you pull out a few hairs. The best way to keep the hair loss minimal though is to start from the bottom and work upwards slowly. Once you have the major snarls out, Infusium spray stay-in conditioner (or just mix the regular conditioner with some water in a squirt bottle) will make it much more easy to get out all the small stuff and you'll end up with a great looking shine to the main (and tail if you desire) in the end. I've used that on my horses for about 2 years and have never had any bad tangles since and have gotten several complements on the shine and fullness to their hair. Hope that helps!
i would cut it.
Show Sheen or another silicon based detangler will work. Make sure you saturate the tangles and start untangling from the bottom up. If your horse has dreadlocks instead of tangles, you should probably roach it (cut the entire mane off at the root) just like if you were getting a buzz cut. Actually if your horse has an incredibly thick mane, keeping it roached in the summer might make your horse happier. If you think it looks stupid roached, I can tell you that I have seen world class dressage horses with their manes kept like that.
Start at the end of the hairs and comb down, moving up the hair shaft as the knots come out. You can spray it first with a detangler, a kid's hair detangler works well, and cheaper than those specifically marketed for horses (they contain the same ingredients). You won't hurt your horse either, they don't feel pain when you tug on their manes.
I'd say to roach it (cut it compleatly off) %26 start all over again. If you don't want to do that, you can always buy detangler %26 slowly brush it out.
use a razor sharp knife and draw the edge through the mane in the direction the hair grows.'comb the manewith your fingers as you do thi s and don,toverwork any area. horse breeders and trainers use this technique
DO NOT CUT IT TRUST ME !! there is stuff called cowboy magic and you can go to a store and get a tangle free comb.. start and to bottom of the mane and work your way up.. if you have to cut at the base of the tangle no more than you have to. you don't want to cut the mane.. you the cowboy magic as much as you need and take your time.. the pulling with not hurt your horse he will just agatie him so just take a little at a time.. i've had this tangles when i was a show groomer.. trust me ok.. than when you get it untangled you want to braid it and keep it braided for about 2 day and than comb it out again this causes it not to tangle back so easly.. if you need any more help or questions let me know hope_rising07@hotmail.com
cowboy magic..the ONLY way to go! well, and some patience. good luck.
roche it (shave it all off) or comb through it they can't feel their mane
Conditioner!
First of all, understand that horses' manes are not as sensitive as our hair when brushed. They have much fewer nerve endings where the hair comes out, so you won't hurt him or her unless you pull out tons and tons of hair. Don't be as gentle as you would with a human.
To untangle. First wash it well with good quality shampoo. Then condition it very well, and let it dry. Spray on a whole lot of Showsheen, and start at the very bottom of the mane/tail. Brush just the very ends, then a little higher, moving up slowly. Any large knots gently pull apart with your fingers. Take your time, turn on some music and let your horse relax. Don't let it get so bad again next time.
You're probably not going to believe this, but horses can't feel pain on the crest of the neck, which is where the mane is embedded. They can feel the tug, just not the pain, which I never believed until I looked it up. Cool, huh?
my horse has a biting problem?
Lucky is a sensitive horse %26 spooks easy. I always keep a real close eye on him. he bites often. if I bug him in any little way, he gets pissy and bites me. last time he left a big welt on my hip. what should i do??
Answers:
From some of the trainers that I've watched before, like John Lyons and Clinton Anderson, they teach that when a horse bites, it's to be taken as a sign of aggression or basically a declaration of war. They say that you have a three second window to react to them, any longer and the horse won't understand what he's being reprimanded for, and that the rules are; 1) Strike with whatever you happen to be holding, bare hand if neccessary, anything but a sharp object. 2) Never strike the horse in the face, and 3) Yell loudly, and act aggressively, you are trying your best to make the horse believe he has really messed up this time and that he is about to die. After your three seconds are up, return to acting normal and as if nothing has ever happened. I've tried this on a couple of my young colts before when they started getting nippy and it has worked very well for me, it seems to scare them half to death, but they stopped the nipping at me.
Do you have a real strong bond with her? That helps a lot. Find out where she is sensitave and what ticks her off and work with her on it. Let her know you are in controll.
* NEVER hit a horse in the head!! They will get hand shy
Also put hot sauce on your arm or hand where you think she might bite you. One time getting a hot mouth willmake her think twice.
Shouldn't you take this up with a horse trainer? BTW, I'd hate to see what a hard horse bite would feel like..I used to get all anxious when I'd feed a horse apples.I'd just keep my hand flat and pray it didn't bite me by mistake!!
With horses you have to be the suprior one but any time my horse goes to bite me I flick it on the nose or act like i'm gonna smack him on the nose but make sure he can see my hand and he quits!
well my old horse use to do that alot,
what we did was every time she would get pissy or mad or bite at me i would "pop" her in the face.
there is a good chance that he is probably saddle sore or you have given him to many treats.
thats a really good chance too.
If its because of treats, dont give so many.
and every time you do but its like your food and he tries to reach for it, and you say no, and if he gets mad and tries to bite smack him, because he is in "your space".
whats your space is your and what his is his.
and keep that in mine cuz he is going to try to do it alot and all of the sudden his mood will change.
I've been through it so many times.
but like i said everytime he bites or even nips you need to pop him one in the face.
he will learn.
Hope this Helps
It depends very much on your horse. Some respond extremely well to being bitten back immediately. It's exactly the way it would happen with another horse so they understand why it was done then they can put two and two together. Some horses react badly though. If you think it will work for your horse try to get him as soon as he's pulling back and bite him hard on a soft spot like right between the nostrils. Other than that you have to run the balance between hitting and having him become jumpy whenever you touch him. Good luck
The few times our horses tryed to bite me i have with an open hand and not very hard tapped the top of there nose. just enought to hear it cause then they would know not to start with me, and if that does not work bring him out on a long lead and work him, then he will know you are the boss. It might have a lot to do with the fact that he is a male if he is not geldded, i would look into that.
well my old horse use to do that alot,
what we did was every time she would get pissy or mad or bite at me i would "pop" her in the face.
there is a good chance that he is probably saddle sore or you have given him to many treats.
thats a really good chance too.
If its because of treats, dont give so many.
and every time you do but its like your food and he tries to reach for it, and you say no, and if he gets mad and tries to bite smack him, because he is in "your space".
whats your space is your and what his is his.
and keep that in mine cuz he is going to try to do it alot and all of the sudden his mood will change.
I've been through it so many times.
but like i said everytime he bites or even nips you need to pop him one in the face.
he will learn.
omg I have a nice scar on my face from a biting horse. If he bites you start playing with his mouth and lips until you can tell he is really not liking it he will relieze by biting his mouth will be given alot more attention then he wanted
Unfortunately, some horses are just like that. Have you had the horse a long time? or did you get him from somewhere else? Sometimes horses are taught bad manners, sometimes it comes from the fact that they've been abused at some point in their lives.
When i was 13 my parents bought me a Thoroughbred, he'd been through many homes, originally starting out in racing. Man, he was a MEAN sod, but to ride he was an absolute dream. In the stable if you threatened him in anyway, or even vocally reprimanded him he'd go for you like he was goin to take your head off. It transpires, after i dug a bit into his history, that he'd been badly abused as a racehorse and in his first home off the track.
The best way to deal with a horse like this is to just ignore it, he cant help the way he is, and all you can do is love him to the best of your ability. I'm not trying to be negative, but it's just a fact.
Anyway, Good luck, and happy riding :)
I alway suggest the natural way first of getting your horses respect yadda yadda, look up some methods used by Patt Parelli.
but if you hit a brick wall and are stuck for ideas well then use the following method tried and tested has work 100% of the time in 10 horses , who no matter what you did were determind to bite you when you werent looking!
I have a method to stop horses biting and should be used as a last resort..
Works best for horses that bite when being saddled up.
Boil and cook 5-7 good sized whole potatos , take them out when you go to saddle your horse ( make sure you wear gloves so you dont burn yourself) and every time the horse goes to bite you let him bite the extremely hot potato!
he wil stop very quickly and hes is bringing the pain on himself , its not like your belting him for biting you , hes biting you and hurting himself!
Hope this helps you.
Answers:
From some of the trainers that I've watched before, like John Lyons and Clinton Anderson, they teach that when a horse bites, it's to be taken as a sign of aggression or basically a declaration of war. They say that you have a three second window to react to them, any longer and the horse won't understand what he's being reprimanded for, and that the rules are; 1) Strike with whatever you happen to be holding, bare hand if neccessary, anything but a sharp object. 2) Never strike the horse in the face, and 3) Yell loudly, and act aggressively, you are trying your best to make the horse believe he has really messed up this time and that he is about to die. After your three seconds are up, return to acting normal and as if nothing has ever happened. I've tried this on a couple of my young colts before when they started getting nippy and it has worked very well for me, it seems to scare them half to death, but they stopped the nipping at me.
Do you have a real strong bond with her? That helps a lot. Find out where she is sensitave and what ticks her off and work with her on it. Let her know you are in controll.
* NEVER hit a horse in the head!! They will get hand shy
Also put hot sauce on your arm or hand where you think she might bite you. One time getting a hot mouth willmake her think twice.
Shouldn't you take this up with a horse trainer? BTW, I'd hate to see what a hard horse bite would feel like..I used to get all anxious when I'd feed a horse apples.I'd just keep my hand flat and pray it didn't bite me by mistake!!
With horses you have to be the suprior one but any time my horse goes to bite me I flick it on the nose or act like i'm gonna smack him on the nose but make sure he can see my hand and he quits!
well my old horse use to do that alot,
what we did was every time she would get pissy or mad or bite at me i would "pop" her in the face.
there is a good chance that he is probably saddle sore or you have given him to many treats.
thats a really good chance too.
If its because of treats, dont give so many.
and every time you do but its like your food and he tries to reach for it, and you say no, and if he gets mad and tries to bite smack him, because he is in "your space".
whats your space is your and what his is his.
and keep that in mine cuz he is going to try to do it alot and all of the sudden his mood will change.
I've been through it so many times.
but like i said everytime he bites or even nips you need to pop him one in the face.
he will learn.
Hope this Helps
It depends very much on your horse. Some respond extremely well to being bitten back immediately. It's exactly the way it would happen with another horse so they understand why it was done then they can put two and two together. Some horses react badly though. If you think it will work for your horse try to get him as soon as he's pulling back and bite him hard on a soft spot like right between the nostrils. Other than that you have to run the balance between hitting and having him become jumpy whenever you touch him. Good luck
The few times our horses tryed to bite me i have with an open hand and not very hard tapped the top of there nose. just enought to hear it cause then they would know not to start with me, and if that does not work bring him out on a long lead and work him, then he will know you are the boss. It might have a lot to do with the fact that he is a male if he is not geldded, i would look into that.
well my old horse use to do that alot,
what we did was every time she would get pissy or mad or bite at me i would "pop" her in the face.
there is a good chance that he is probably saddle sore or you have given him to many treats.
thats a really good chance too.
If its because of treats, dont give so many.
and every time you do but its like your food and he tries to reach for it, and you say no, and if he gets mad and tries to bite smack him, because he is in "your space".
whats your space is your and what his is his.
and keep that in mine cuz he is going to try to do it alot and all of the sudden his mood will change.
I've been through it so many times.
but like i said everytime he bites or even nips you need to pop him one in the face.
he will learn.
omg I have a nice scar on my face from a biting horse. If he bites you start playing with his mouth and lips until you can tell he is really not liking it he will relieze by biting his mouth will be given alot more attention then he wanted
Unfortunately, some horses are just like that. Have you had the horse a long time? or did you get him from somewhere else? Sometimes horses are taught bad manners, sometimes it comes from the fact that they've been abused at some point in their lives.
When i was 13 my parents bought me a Thoroughbred, he'd been through many homes, originally starting out in racing. Man, he was a MEAN sod, but to ride he was an absolute dream. In the stable if you threatened him in anyway, or even vocally reprimanded him he'd go for you like he was goin to take your head off. It transpires, after i dug a bit into his history, that he'd been badly abused as a racehorse and in his first home off the track.
The best way to deal with a horse like this is to just ignore it, he cant help the way he is, and all you can do is love him to the best of your ability. I'm not trying to be negative, but it's just a fact.
Anyway, Good luck, and happy riding :)
I alway suggest the natural way first of getting your horses respect yadda yadda, look up some methods used by Patt Parelli.
but if you hit a brick wall and are stuck for ideas well then use the following method tried and tested has work 100% of the time in 10 horses , who no matter what you did were determind to bite you when you werent looking!
I have a method to stop horses biting and should be used as a last resort..
Works best for horses that bite when being saddled up.
Boil and cook 5-7 good sized whole potatos , take them out when you go to saddle your horse ( make sure you wear gloves so you dont burn yourself) and every time the horse goes to bite you let him bite the extremely hot potato!
he wil stop very quickly and hes is bringing the pain on himself , its not like your belting him for biting you , hes biting you and hurting himself!
Hope this helps you.
My horse has a bad habit of swinging her head around.?
My horse has a bad habit of swinging her head around when we are petting her. She is a great horse %26 is very gentile. One time she swong her head %26 hit me in the mouth %26 allmost knoked me out. How do I brake her of this habit?
Answers:
Maybe you are standing where she cannot see you very well. Being that you are the human and she is the horse, it is your responsibility to make sure that you do not put yourself in a position to get hurt.
If you are convinced that it is a habit, hold a crop in your hand with the butt end towards her head. When she swings her head around let HER bump her head (make sure it's not by her eye) into the crop end. DO NOT hit her with or move the crop. Hold it stationary.
Act like you have no idea what happened when she bumps into it. You don't want her thinking that you are disciplining her. Simply that if she swings her head around she gets an uncomfortable result. If you do it right she will not like the feeling and it will help curb the bad habit. I think you need to also try to figure out WHY she is swinging her head around.
sorry to hear that you need to tighten the rains a bit
Is she doing it with pinned ears, a snake-neck gesture, or any other signs of annoyance? I know some thinner skinned horses don't enjoy rough brushing. .it might be uncomforable for her. Why not try super-gentle brushing with only a soft bristle brush and see if she acts any differently.
To teach her better behavior, I would not resort to hitting her or anything negative. I really like Clicker Training. You can teach her in a positive way to stand quietly and discourage bad habits. I recommend the book "clicker train your horse" by Kurland.
Let her know you are buy her talk to her. She may not see you as you may be in a blind spot for her. Try putting a halter on her and having some one hold her head steady and pet her. She should get used to someone being by her head.
Try Holding Her Head Down.
have a bridel on her and when she swings her head pull the bridel and tell her to stop
She may just be trying to rub on you if her face is itchy. Does it happen more when you take the bridle off or if she's sweaty? She doesn't know the power she has. I would have a halter on her while petting, that way you can control her head. It's probably a habit she's formed, you just need to break her of it.
she is probably head-shy. my 8-year old QH mare does this sometimes. is she touchy about her ears or around her eyes? you could just be bothering her and she wants you to stop. when she is eating, just run your hand from the withers, down her neck, all the way to her poll. slowly run your fingers up and down her ears. try to get to where you can fold them around and touch them without her going psycho. my home email is williamson7683@verizon.net if you have any other questions.
moniter her and see if she does it at any other time. she may have a sore back or teeth problems. does she eat her feed okay? is she comfortable when you put her halter or bridle on? she may be headshy and this needs a lot of time and patience. Speak gently and quietly to her and dont rush her into anything. Explore all options as it may not be that straight forward.
You have to stand in her direct line of sight and let her know who the boss is..what happens is horses do not realize that we are not as big as they are and they want to play with you.
If its an aggressive act then again you have to show her who is boss, she needs to know that you are incharge, how ever you (if you did yourself) halter broke her use that method again, she will get it.
one other option is to catch her with in seconds of her doing this and react in an aggressive manner..tap on the nose or yelling tell her to stop.she'll get the idea.
Where are you petting her? If you are petting her head, maybe she doesnt like it. I am sure she means no harm. She is simply reacting to a situation she is uncomfortable with. Try allowing her to approach your hand for the pet. Also, if it is that she is bored with her life or a little bossy, Try working with her on the ground. Lead her around an indoor arena (So no tempting grass causes aproblem) stand on her left side and hold your right hand close to the her halter on the lead rope. Don't jerk her head around but keep her attention focused to you. Practice stopping and standing and moving forward on your comands. This may not seem related but she needs a confident leader. Horses sometimes need time out of the stall and this along with horse time in the pasture may make her less of a head swinger. Also, never leave your gaurd down around a horses head, it is alot more powerful than yours!
well alot of horses do that. theres probably something wrong that your horse doesn't like you petting him. If your horse is still green, maybe thats why write back and tell me more about your horse like how old he is breed and so on .
Answers:
Maybe you are standing where she cannot see you very well. Being that you are the human and she is the horse, it is your responsibility to make sure that you do not put yourself in a position to get hurt.
If you are convinced that it is a habit, hold a crop in your hand with the butt end towards her head. When she swings her head around let HER bump her head (make sure it's not by her eye) into the crop end. DO NOT hit her with or move the crop. Hold it stationary.
Act like you have no idea what happened when she bumps into it. You don't want her thinking that you are disciplining her. Simply that if she swings her head around she gets an uncomfortable result. If you do it right she will not like the feeling and it will help curb the bad habit. I think you need to also try to figure out WHY she is swinging her head around.
sorry to hear that you need to tighten the rains a bit
Is she doing it with pinned ears, a snake-neck gesture, or any other signs of annoyance? I know some thinner skinned horses don't enjoy rough brushing. .it might be uncomforable for her. Why not try super-gentle brushing with only a soft bristle brush and see if she acts any differently.
To teach her better behavior, I would not resort to hitting her or anything negative. I really like Clicker Training. You can teach her in a positive way to stand quietly and discourage bad habits. I recommend the book "clicker train your horse" by Kurland.
Let her know you are buy her talk to her. She may not see you as you may be in a blind spot for her. Try putting a halter on her and having some one hold her head steady and pet her. She should get used to someone being by her head.
Try Holding Her Head Down.
have a bridel on her and when she swings her head pull the bridel and tell her to stop
She may just be trying to rub on you if her face is itchy. Does it happen more when you take the bridle off or if she's sweaty? She doesn't know the power she has. I would have a halter on her while petting, that way you can control her head. It's probably a habit she's formed, you just need to break her of it.
she is probably head-shy. my 8-year old QH mare does this sometimes. is she touchy about her ears or around her eyes? you could just be bothering her and she wants you to stop. when she is eating, just run your hand from the withers, down her neck, all the way to her poll. slowly run your fingers up and down her ears. try to get to where you can fold them around and touch them without her going psycho. my home email is williamson7683@verizon.net if you have any other questions.
moniter her and see if she does it at any other time. she may have a sore back or teeth problems. does she eat her feed okay? is she comfortable when you put her halter or bridle on? she may be headshy and this needs a lot of time and patience. Speak gently and quietly to her and dont rush her into anything. Explore all options as it may not be that straight forward.
You have to stand in her direct line of sight and let her know who the boss is..what happens is horses do not realize that we are not as big as they are and they want to play with you.
If its an aggressive act then again you have to show her who is boss, she needs to know that you are incharge, how ever you (if you did yourself) halter broke her use that method again, she will get it.
one other option is to catch her with in seconds of her doing this and react in an aggressive manner..tap on the nose or yelling tell her to stop.she'll get the idea.
Where are you petting her? If you are petting her head, maybe she doesnt like it. I am sure she means no harm. She is simply reacting to a situation she is uncomfortable with. Try allowing her to approach your hand for the pet. Also, if it is that she is bored with her life or a little bossy, Try working with her on the ground. Lead her around an indoor arena (So no tempting grass causes aproblem) stand on her left side and hold your right hand close to the her halter on the lead rope. Don't jerk her head around but keep her attention focused to you. Practice stopping and standing and moving forward on your comands. This may not seem related but she needs a confident leader. Horses sometimes need time out of the stall and this along with horse time in the pasture may make her less of a head swinger. Also, never leave your gaurd down around a horses head, it is alot more powerful than yours!
well alot of horses do that. theres probably something wrong that your horse doesn't like you petting him. If your horse is still green, maybe thats why write back and tell me more about your horse like how old he is breed and so on .
My horse foundered and I need to know if there are any anti-grazing muzzles people liked, and use.?
I have seen a few grazzing muzzles, and one limits the grass intake, and there is another that doesn't allow any grass intake. I'd like to not have her eat at all.
She will be getting plenty of food inside when they are not out.
Any suggestions would be nice.
Thanks
Answers:
We've used grazing muzzles reasonably successfully- I've used similar to this one here: http://www.smartpakequine.com/productcla.
I'm yet to see any animal get food into that, but the hole at the bottom lets them drink quite comfortably. Only problem is that some really resent it and will rub against a fence/tree/etc. until they manage to get it off.
Is there any other way that you can give her her bute, other than mixing it with grain? Seeing as though she's at high risk of foundering again due to the Cushings, you really shouldn't be giving her any grain/bread/other highly digestible carbs if you can avoid it. If you're using powder, have you tried mixing it with a little molasses (just enough to form soft balls- most will eat it quite happily)? Or else mix it up into a paste with some molasses water and give it to her in a syringe like you would worm her.
Are you just feeding her grass hay when she's inside? Unless she's being ridden (guessing she's not, or not much, given the Cushings) that should be fine for her in terms of energy.
Other thing- as you may know, Cushings causes the skin to atrophy with time. This can mean that if there's any rotatation or even sinking of the pedal bone, they seem (in my experience) to be more prone to having the bone come through the sole of the hoof. If she's just stabled and in a paddock then she should be okay, but be really careful with her if she's ever out on rough or stony ground. There are various shoes %26 other 'devices' around (that can be held on with bandages if she's not shod) that can help to protect feet like these- may be worth a call to your farrier or vet.
Hope that's of some help
Best Answer - Chosen By Voters
I have had a few--you are on the right track in her care--having her feet trimmed regularly will help --the thing that will flair foundering the quickest is too much spring grass--if you have her out and the grass is lush and green you should put her where you can feed her grass hay --cut back on her grain --if she has only foundered once--she will be ok to ride unless she is retired as my horses are--
Founder is due to the horses inability to rid themselves of unused proteins so they build up and become toxic--unfortunately it attacks the hooves--you can tell in some horses that they are getting to the point of founder if the top line of their necks get rock hard ((the crest of their neck)) its a warning sign--Good luck :-)
I found this, hope it helps! Good luck with your horse!
statelinetack.com sells alot of them.
My boy foundered, due to his grass intake.
We ploughed up the field to keep him off grass and only on what we gave him. I would suggest turning her out in a field that has been ploughed so there is no grass at all. It worked well for us and it was convienent. Maybe it could help you out.
She will be getting plenty of food inside when they are not out.
Any suggestions would be nice.
Thanks
Answers:
We've used grazing muzzles reasonably successfully- I've used similar to this one here: http://www.smartpakequine.com/productcla.
I'm yet to see any animal get food into that, but the hole at the bottom lets them drink quite comfortably. Only problem is that some really resent it and will rub against a fence/tree/etc. until they manage to get it off.
Is there any other way that you can give her her bute, other than mixing it with grain? Seeing as though she's at high risk of foundering again due to the Cushings, you really shouldn't be giving her any grain/bread/other highly digestible carbs if you can avoid it. If you're using powder, have you tried mixing it with a little molasses (just enough to form soft balls- most will eat it quite happily)? Or else mix it up into a paste with some molasses water and give it to her in a syringe like you would worm her.
Are you just feeding her grass hay when she's inside? Unless she's being ridden (guessing she's not, or not much, given the Cushings) that should be fine for her in terms of energy.
Other thing- as you may know, Cushings causes the skin to atrophy with time. This can mean that if there's any rotatation or even sinking of the pedal bone, they seem (in my experience) to be more prone to having the bone come through the sole of the hoof. If she's just stabled and in a paddock then she should be okay, but be really careful with her if she's ever out on rough or stony ground. There are various shoes %26 other 'devices' around (that can be held on with bandages if she's not shod) that can help to protect feet like these- may be worth a call to your farrier or vet.
Hope that's of some help
Best Answer - Chosen By Voters
I have had a few--you are on the right track in her care--having her feet trimmed regularly will help --the thing that will flair foundering the quickest is too much spring grass--if you have her out and the grass is lush and green you should put her where you can feed her grass hay --cut back on her grain --if she has only foundered once--she will be ok to ride unless she is retired as my horses are--
Founder is due to the horses inability to rid themselves of unused proteins so they build up and become toxic--unfortunately it attacks the hooves--you can tell in some horses that they are getting to the point of founder if the top line of their necks get rock hard ((the crest of their neck)) its a warning sign--Good luck :-)
I found this, hope it helps! Good luck with your horse!
statelinetack.com sells alot of them.
My boy foundered, due to his grass intake.
We ploughed up the field to keep him off grass and only on what we gave him. I would suggest turning her out in a field that has been ploughed so there is no grass at all. It worked well for us and it was convienent. Maybe it could help you out.
my horse bucked me off last week.plz only serious answers?
and i broke my wrist. shes getting really fat cuz i cant run her very fast on the barrels. ive tried doing groundwork with her, but she doesnt get very hot (even when i keep her at a trot). plz help me keep my horse fit and beautiful!
Answers:
call a vet to see what kind of diet your horse needs to go on. or call a farrier. they will be able to help you. are you feeding your horse grain,hay etc? barrel horses need grain for energy from what my cousin says because she barrel races in Oklahoma. good luck and hope you feel better
look at her diet,what are you feeding her, what is she getting on her own? Have her checked by a vet.
i have 6 horses. try a good strict diet and try to not overwork but push her limits. dont make her do the impossible because you will only grind down her bones. keep an eye on her and care for her
My advice. lots and lots of exercise.
I remember my first barrel horse. Green broke homozygous paint mare. She was basically wild. I purchased a book called "101 Arena Exercises" and we had a new challenge for every day.
If she isn't getting the exercise she's used to, you should almost expect a little bit of weight gain. Try to establish different types of exercise with her. Challenge her brain and her body. You don't have to run her. but keep her moving. Obviously if she's not getting very hot when you are able to work her, she's in great shape.
Take her out for a ride and practice leads, bending, stopping. Spend more time doing groundwork like lounging. Her only source of exercise shouldn't be. just running barrels.
And. while this will help preserve her muscle and health, it will also keep her mind fit! :)
Best of luck!
Try putting her on a diet. Since your wrist is broken, I don't know if you can lunge her (If she pulls, I wouldn't recommend it, but if she's good about it, you might be able to lunge her with one hand.) with a lunge line, but you might be able to free lunge her if you have a smaller arena. Lunging always burns off energy with my little bronco :)
When I can't ride (I have some major back problems, and sometimes I'm banished to the ground for long periods of time.) I work on showmanship (trotting on the leadline, turning on the hindquarters, backing, walking, stopping, squaring up--you don't necessarily have to start competing in showmanship, but the maneuvers make your horse much easier to work with on the ground.) and trail obstacles (Our local horse club offers lead-in trail.) such as trotting over jump poles, walking over tarps and wood, weaving through traffic cones, and sidepassing from the ground. You could always take her on walks down a trail or driveway, if you have one that's long enough and you think she'd be okay near traffic. I also do small figure-eights with my horse when I can't ride to keep him flexible.
I'm told that daily currying is good for keeping a horse's coat very shiny and keeping the muscles looking toned.
Sorry you broke your wrist, hope you get better! Good luck with keeping your horse fit and mentally stimulated!
Checking her diet is good, but if you can't exercise her with your arm you might try round pen work or having someone work her a couple times a week till your back on your feet.
if you were feeding her more food or high protein food while you were barreling her i would cut down on it and then make sure that your horse can go outside, and run around. you can lunge her do, alternating trot to canter circles just for some exercise cause all u are really insterested in is keeping her fit, not making her more fit so if you give her pasture access where she can run around and lunging, and then ride her if you can, you don't even have to necessarily worry about doing barrels with her cause she may get too quick on you, just do walk, trot, canter, ring exercise. sorry about your wrist, hope you recover fast
Cut back on the feed. If you have been feeding for a horse under hard work cut back to pleasure feeding.
Also trail ride her if you can. Lots of hill work and long periods of trot.
If you are an area where you can keep her at a trot for about 20 minutes that would burn off calories. Or if you have an area where you can run her like they do for race horses.
Run her for about a mile or so hard and cool her out.
check what you are feeding her and try lunging her more, and at a canter. If she still isn't getting hot, try getting maybe one of your friends to ride her for you.
You will need to learn how to lunge. Three really helpful tools are a set of German side reins, a caveson, and surcingle. A really good website to get this stuff that isnt really expensive is: https://greenrivertack.com/catalog/index. You can work a horse in the round pen too. You will need to work her at all paces to keep her in shape, not just at a trot. Dont forget to figure out why you were thrown too, it could be nothing or it could be a sore back ect.
If you have the money, you could put your horse in a riding stable, and ask the owner if the stable workers could work her out until you are healed.
Answers:
call a vet to see what kind of diet your horse needs to go on. or call a farrier. they will be able to help you. are you feeding your horse grain,hay etc? barrel horses need grain for energy from what my cousin says because she barrel races in Oklahoma. good luck and hope you feel better
look at her diet,what are you feeding her, what is she getting on her own? Have her checked by a vet.
i have 6 horses. try a good strict diet and try to not overwork but push her limits. dont make her do the impossible because you will only grind down her bones. keep an eye on her and care for her
My advice. lots and lots of exercise.
I remember my first barrel horse. Green broke homozygous paint mare. She was basically wild. I purchased a book called "101 Arena Exercises" and we had a new challenge for every day.
If she isn't getting the exercise she's used to, you should almost expect a little bit of weight gain. Try to establish different types of exercise with her. Challenge her brain and her body. You don't have to run her. but keep her moving. Obviously if she's not getting very hot when you are able to work her, she's in great shape.
Take her out for a ride and practice leads, bending, stopping. Spend more time doing groundwork like lounging. Her only source of exercise shouldn't be. just running barrels.
And. while this will help preserve her muscle and health, it will also keep her mind fit! :)
Best of luck!
Try putting her on a diet. Since your wrist is broken, I don't know if you can lunge her (If she pulls, I wouldn't recommend it, but if she's good about it, you might be able to lunge her with one hand.) with a lunge line, but you might be able to free lunge her if you have a smaller arena. Lunging always burns off energy with my little bronco :)
When I can't ride (I have some major back problems, and sometimes I'm banished to the ground for long periods of time.) I work on showmanship (trotting on the leadline, turning on the hindquarters, backing, walking, stopping, squaring up--you don't necessarily have to start competing in showmanship, but the maneuvers make your horse much easier to work with on the ground.) and trail obstacles (Our local horse club offers lead-in trail.) such as trotting over jump poles, walking over tarps and wood, weaving through traffic cones, and sidepassing from the ground. You could always take her on walks down a trail or driveway, if you have one that's long enough and you think she'd be okay near traffic. I also do small figure-eights with my horse when I can't ride to keep him flexible.
I'm told that daily currying is good for keeping a horse's coat very shiny and keeping the muscles looking toned.
Sorry you broke your wrist, hope you get better! Good luck with keeping your horse fit and mentally stimulated!
Checking her diet is good, but if you can't exercise her with your arm you might try round pen work or having someone work her a couple times a week till your back on your feet.
if you were feeding her more food or high protein food while you were barreling her i would cut down on it and then make sure that your horse can go outside, and run around. you can lunge her do, alternating trot to canter circles just for some exercise cause all u are really insterested in is keeping her fit, not making her more fit so if you give her pasture access where she can run around and lunging, and then ride her if you can, you don't even have to necessarily worry about doing barrels with her cause she may get too quick on you, just do walk, trot, canter, ring exercise. sorry about your wrist, hope you recover fast
Cut back on the feed. If you have been feeding for a horse under hard work cut back to pleasure feeding.
Also trail ride her if you can. Lots of hill work and long periods of trot.
If you are an area where you can keep her at a trot for about 20 minutes that would burn off calories. Or if you have an area where you can run her like they do for race horses.
Run her for about a mile or so hard and cool her out.
check what you are feeding her and try lunging her more, and at a canter. If she still isn't getting hot, try getting maybe one of your friends to ride her for you.
You will need to learn how to lunge. Three really helpful tools are a set of German side reins, a caveson, and surcingle. A really good website to get this stuff that isnt really expensive is: https://greenrivertack.com/catalog/index. You can work a horse in the round pen too. You will need to work her at all paces to keep her in shape, not just at a trot. Dont forget to figure out why you were thrown too, it could be nothing or it could be a sore back ect.
If you have the money, you could put your horse in a riding stable, and ask the owner if the stable workers could work her out until you are healed.
My horse bites when we saddle her so we give her grain is there anyway we can stop this habit without grain??
My horse loves grain more than anything in the world. even us!
Answers:
I would guess giving her grain is only making the problem worse. The grain will be acting like red cordial, making her even more fiesty, and if she comes to expect it she will bite you because you DONT give it to her! First check her back, make sure she is not in any pain. A horse who suddenly starts playing up when she was good before is usually a pain reaction. Use two fingers, press lightly all the way down her spine and watch her ears, she will put them back the second she feels pain. Then check the surrounding muscles, just knead her like your giving a massage, all the time watching her ears. If she is not in pain, just being naughty, get yourself a very spiky brush or metal curry comb, and when you do up the girth hold the spikes up just as she swings her head around. After a few times getting spiked in the muzzle she will stop. Good luck!
http://www.petplace.com/horses/how-to-cu.
When I had my horse he did the same thing. You just have to show who's boss and don't let him get away with it.
In my opinion its better not to reward a horse for bad behavior. You shouldnt beat them or anything but I do suggest making sure the horse knows that the behavior is unacceptable and he cant get away with it!
Raise you hands high and holler.
punch her in the nose and she won't bite anymore
Cinch up in three stages. First, cinch up tightly enough that you can walk the horse around without any risk of the saddle slipping under the horse. Walk the horse around for a while (with you still on the ground), in a few circles to the left and the right, etc. Cinch up a little more. Do more walking, maybe a little trotting on a lunge line. Cinch up one last time. All of this (1) lets the saddle find a good spot on the horse's back and (2) gets the horse used to the cinch in stages.
If the horse tries to bite you, wiggle your arms (assuming the horse's teeth are heading in that directly) quite vigorously without looking directly at the horse. It makes it very difficult to bite you that way and, also, this way you don't need to punish the horse for expressing a reasonable opinion (specifically, "I don't like that!"). Horses are entitled to have opinions, too, you know.
Also: www.Parelli.com -- for all that ails you relationship with your horse.
~DancesWithHorses~
We have had horses dp this as well and nothing is more irritating. With one when we would go to saddle him we started tying him close enough to the tree so that he could move his head but couldn't turn it enough to bite he really hated this and eventualy he learned to hold his head straight when being saddled, my husband broke his horse from it by everytime it would try to bite he would grab the loose skin on the neck and twist it like a pinch the horse finally figured out if it bit it got "bit" back. Never flail your arms or raise them at a horses face acting like you are going to hit as it will stop the bite but spook the horse which could cause more energy. The curry comb thing works well too. The main thing is to show the horse that you are in charge.
Its best not to give her grain. That will make the problem worse later on. When my old arab used to do this we "short tied" him to the fence or rail so he could not move his head. In time try it without "short tying" her and if she still bites go back to "short tying" her. Good Luck!
You probably shouldn't have a horse,,, obviously you won't pay for professional help, or proper equipment,,. Your horse is in charge and you don't even know it. Get help or get rid of it before you , your family, or the horse gets hurt.
If you don't know what to do in this situation WHAT ARE YOU DOING AROUND HORSES YOUR QUESTION IS I'm not going to go on about the ignorance of this question please sell your horse and buy a plant that seems to be more of your speed
would check and make sure your horse is not hurting anywhere. Sometimes bad behavior while saddling the horse means they dread the thought of a ride due to pain and pressure. Check her back real well and put pressure on it and also her legs and shoulder area. If she flinches, give her some Bute.
well it sounds to me if your horse is slightly cold backed not fully or you would say the horse rears ect but i had a tb x Arab and she done the same thing u just have to do the saddle up a bit at a time and DONT tie the horse up short as it may start rearing which is a harder problem to resolve feeding the horse grain will only give your horse more energy try using slow release pony nuts there brilliant and when ur horse needs more energy feed it compertion mix its great and dosnt cause fizziness good luck hunxxxxxxxxxxxxx
horses bit out of fear or playful is what you can do is to let yor horse smell the saddle or you could let her run alittle in your pin to run some of his/her enegy out of the body of your horse my horse does the same thing in her stall and out side of her stall
There are many reasons as to why a horse bites when being tacked up.. the most common being that, quite simply, they are ticklish..
1. You could try doing the girth up more slowly (im presuming you ride English). walk her round, till the girth is loose, and then do it up again. when the girth is firm enough, you should get a leg up onto her, and then do the girth up to your satisfaction.
Your horse could also be suffering from a sore back.
2. check to make sure that your saddle is still fitting her correctly, bearing in mind that the "padding" in the saddle should be redone 1 -2 times a year. also remember that over time your horse will changeshape according to muscle development.
when mounting, try to do so from a mounting block, or get a leg up, as mounting from the ground twists the saddle and the horses back, both not good things. Twisting the saddle can cause the "tree" of the saddle to move, and twisting the horses back is NEVER a good thing.
Well, i dont want to make this too long, so i hope this helps, drop me a line if you want to know more, just remember to leave a contact address so i can reply!!
Answers:
I would guess giving her grain is only making the problem worse. The grain will be acting like red cordial, making her even more fiesty, and if she comes to expect it she will bite you because you DONT give it to her! First check her back, make sure she is not in any pain. A horse who suddenly starts playing up when she was good before is usually a pain reaction. Use two fingers, press lightly all the way down her spine and watch her ears, she will put them back the second she feels pain. Then check the surrounding muscles, just knead her like your giving a massage, all the time watching her ears. If she is not in pain, just being naughty, get yourself a very spiky brush or metal curry comb, and when you do up the girth hold the spikes up just as she swings her head around. After a few times getting spiked in the muzzle she will stop. Good luck!
http://www.petplace.com/horses/how-to-cu.
When I had my horse he did the same thing. You just have to show who's boss and don't let him get away with it.
In my opinion its better not to reward a horse for bad behavior. You shouldnt beat them or anything but I do suggest making sure the horse knows that the behavior is unacceptable and he cant get away with it!
Raise you hands high and holler.
punch her in the nose and she won't bite anymore
Cinch up in three stages. First, cinch up tightly enough that you can walk the horse around without any risk of the saddle slipping under the horse. Walk the horse around for a while (with you still on the ground), in a few circles to the left and the right, etc. Cinch up a little more. Do more walking, maybe a little trotting on a lunge line. Cinch up one last time. All of this (1) lets the saddle find a good spot on the horse's back and (2) gets the horse used to the cinch in stages.
If the horse tries to bite you, wiggle your arms (assuming the horse's teeth are heading in that directly) quite vigorously without looking directly at the horse. It makes it very difficult to bite you that way and, also, this way you don't need to punish the horse for expressing a reasonable opinion (specifically, "I don't like that!"). Horses are entitled to have opinions, too, you know.
Also: www.Parelli.com -- for all that ails you relationship with your horse.
~DancesWithHorses~
We have had horses dp this as well and nothing is more irritating. With one when we would go to saddle him we started tying him close enough to the tree so that he could move his head but couldn't turn it enough to bite he really hated this and eventualy he learned to hold his head straight when being saddled, my husband broke his horse from it by everytime it would try to bite he would grab the loose skin on the neck and twist it like a pinch the horse finally figured out if it bit it got "bit" back. Never flail your arms or raise them at a horses face acting like you are going to hit as it will stop the bite but spook the horse which could cause more energy. The curry comb thing works well too. The main thing is to show the horse that you are in charge.
Its best not to give her grain. That will make the problem worse later on. When my old arab used to do this we "short tied" him to the fence or rail so he could not move his head. In time try it without "short tying" her and if she still bites go back to "short tying" her. Good Luck!
You probably shouldn't have a horse,,, obviously you won't pay for professional help, or proper equipment,,. Your horse is in charge and you don't even know it. Get help or get rid of it before you , your family, or the horse gets hurt.
If you don't know what to do in this situation WHAT ARE YOU DOING AROUND HORSES YOUR QUESTION IS I'm not going to go on about the ignorance of this question please sell your horse and buy a plant that seems to be more of your speed
would check and make sure your horse is not hurting anywhere. Sometimes bad behavior while saddling the horse means they dread the thought of a ride due to pain and pressure. Check her back real well and put pressure on it and also her legs and shoulder area. If she flinches, give her some Bute.
well it sounds to me if your horse is slightly cold backed not fully or you would say the horse rears ect but i had a tb x Arab and she done the same thing u just have to do the saddle up a bit at a time and DONT tie the horse up short as it may start rearing which is a harder problem to resolve feeding the horse grain will only give your horse more energy try using slow release pony nuts there brilliant and when ur horse needs more energy feed it compertion mix its great and dosnt cause fizziness good luck hunxxxxxxxxxxxxx
horses bit out of fear or playful is what you can do is to let yor horse smell the saddle or you could let her run alittle in your pin to run some of his/her enegy out of the body of your horse my horse does the same thing in her stall and out side of her stall
There are many reasons as to why a horse bites when being tacked up.. the most common being that, quite simply, they are ticklish..
1. You could try doing the girth up more slowly (im presuming you ride English). walk her round, till the girth is loose, and then do it up again. when the girth is firm enough, you should get a leg up onto her, and then do the girth up to your satisfaction.
Your horse could also be suffering from a sore back.
2. check to make sure that your saddle is still fitting her correctly, bearing in mind that the "padding" in the saddle should be redone 1 -2 times a year. also remember that over time your horse will changeshape according to muscle development.
when mounting, try to do so from a mounting block, or get a leg up, as mounting from the ground twists the saddle and the horses back, both not good things. Twisting the saddle can cause the "tree" of the saddle to move, and twisting the horses back is NEVER a good thing.
Well, i dont want to make this too long, so i hope this helps, drop me a line if you want to know more, just remember to leave a contact address so i can reply!!
my horse backs up constantly?
every time i try to mount my Appy. she backs up, making it really hard to mount.got any suggestions?
Answers:
First thing to think about: Are you mounting from the ground? If so, you're probably hurting your mare's back during mounting. Mounting from something a foot or two off the ground like a mounting block or even the bumper of a truck can drastically improve the demeaner of your horse during mounting. It has also been proven that using a mounting block significantly reduces the stress placed on a horses back during mounting. No point in moving if there is no pain, right? :)
If you're using a mounting block and are still getting crap from your mare there is a real simple solution. Once my horse started this little evasive trick I nipped it in the butt, so since your mare has been doing this for awhile, it may take a few times before she catches on.
No matter what part of mounting you are in the middle of if she moves (regardless of what direction she moves in), immediately stop what you're doing (take your foot out of the stirrup if you have to) growl, get in front of her quickly and demand that she move back so it becomes something you want from her. You own the movement at that point and it is no longer her decision. She will begin thinking, "Crap. Backing up isn't so much fun now that she's making me do it." Make your horse back up at least 3 strides and with each stride demand, "BACK! BACK! BACK!" then ask her to stand for just a moment to give her a chance to think about what just happened. Don't touch her, don't pat her. Ignore her.
Walk her back up to the mounting spot and try again. You must be consistant with her and never hurry yourself into the saddle if you feel like she is going to move. Her job at that moment is to stand regardless of what point in mounting you are at. If you've only just approached your mare and she starts backing up, demand it from her to continue backing up. Always give her a moment to think about what just happened, then go back to the spot where you originally tried to mount. She'll figure it out. Once she does and stands patiently while you mount make sure you make a fuss about what a good girl she is.
I only had to correct my mare three times before she decided to plant herself with patience. When you think about it, it took less than 5 minutes to teach my horse that moving while I'm trying to mount is unacceptable.
Good luck!!
See what she does if you shorten the left rein, so that her head is toward your left foot. Hold it really tight. In this position, lenthen your stirrup, she just may try to rear, so be careful. The other option is to have her right side against a fence, and her butt against a wall trapping her.Have some one help you keep her in this position, but have them not, repeat, not hold the rein. All of this assumes that she has no burrs in her blanket, that you have properly cinched her up, that the cinch is not pinching her, and that the saddle fits properly. Check all of that first. Secondly, does she like her bit?
Don't do any of this without someone being around. As you know, some horses just don't like to be forced to do what they don't want to do. Also, how is she after you are mounted? Does she wring her tail, chew on her bit, etc? Assuming not, then she just need to be trained to accept the fact that your are the boss, and she is going to be ridden.
The best thing would probably be to go back to basics and teach her the "whoa" command, but something else that worked for me on a high-strung Arab cross I once had was to tack him up while he was tied, provided your horse stands tied quietly, and work on stepping on and off while he was tied. Then we worked up to putting the bridle on over the halter, (never tie a horse by the bridle) and stepping up, then leaning over and unsnapping the lead. Then up to untying him, bridling him and mounting,(always at the same tying place) This worked well on this particular horse because he always thought he was tied.
Not really enough info. how old is your horse, and how much training has she had?
She may have an extremely sensitive mouth and when you gather the reins in your hand she's getting the signal to back up. Keep your reins more loose in your hand so the bit and earpiece of her bridle aren't putting pressure on her mouth and top of head.
If that's not the reason, mount her while she's got her hindquarters tight against a wall or the corner of the corral so she cannot back. All the time while you're mounting her, speak gently and encouraging to her to keep her mind occupied. Practice getting on and off while she's unable to back up.
It's also possible there's something abrasive and irritating in her saddle blanket, cinch or the underside of the saddle somewhere and she's just trying to back away from it. Look for burrs, slivers of wood, or tiny bits of gravel or anything but the fleece or woven blanket.
Sometimes bad habits take a while to train into a new, more appropriate habit of standing still, so don't worry if it doesn't happen overnight.
Try this. If you can put your horse in an arena that has a corner put her butt into the corner. Mount her smoothly and quickly and keep her butt in the corner while talking to her and praising her for sitting still with the railing at her butt to prevent her from backing up. Let her get accustomed to standing still with you on her back. Then dismount and do it all over again. And again. And again. Then go on to ride. Then when you get ready to put her up, do it again and again and again. Then the next day guess what. Do it again etc etc etc. And the next day. You have to be more persistent and stubborn then your horse. And as you know horses can sometimes be pretty stubborn.
it sounds like she just learned to do this to get away from you mounting her. if you don't mount her from a mounting block maybe her back is being pulled as you mount her. if you hold onto the reins too much when you are trying to mount her it could just be telling her to back up so when you go to mount her try to not have as much rein and have somebody hold her if she acts up too much.
Try making him/her do really tight circles then tell her to walk on and dont forget to praise her with lots of love!
back her into a corner with her butt in the corner- like in a fenced area. Then place your mounting block beside her and jump up. the only option that she will have will to be to go forward.
Answers:
First thing to think about: Are you mounting from the ground? If so, you're probably hurting your mare's back during mounting. Mounting from something a foot or two off the ground like a mounting block or even the bumper of a truck can drastically improve the demeaner of your horse during mounting. It has also been proven that using a mounting block significantly reduces the stress placed on a horses back during mounting. No point in moving if there is no pain, right? :)
If you're using a mounting block and are still getting crap from your mare there is a real simple solution. Once my horse started this little evasive trick I nipped it in the butt, so since your mare has been doing this for awhile, it may take a few times before she catches on.
No matter what part of mounting you are in the middle of if she moves (regardless of what direction she moves in), immediately stop what you're doing (take your foot out of the stirrup if you have to) growl, get in front of her quickly and demand that she move back so it becomes something you want from her. You own the movement at that point and it is no longer her decision. She will begin thinking, "Crap. Backing up isn't so much fun now that she's making me do it." Make your horse back up at least 3 strides and with each stride demand, "BACK! BACK! BACK!" then ask her to stand for just a moment to give her a chance to think about what just happened. Don't touch her, don't pat her. Ignore her.
Walk her back up to the mounting spot and try again. You must be consistant with her and never hurry yourself into the saddle if you feel like she is going to move. Her job at that moment is to stand regardless of what point in mounting you are at. If you've only just approached your mare and she starts backing up, demand it from her to continue backing up. Always give her a moment to think about what just happened, then go back to the spot where you originally tried to mount. She'll figure it out. Once she does and stands patiently while you mount make sure you make a fuss about what a good girl she is.
I only had to correct my mare three times before she decided to plant herself with patience. When you think about it, it took less than 5 minutes to teach my horse that moving while I'm trying to mount is unacceptable.
Good luck!!
See what she does if you shorten the left rein, so that her head is toward your left foot. Hold it really tight. In this position, lenthen your stirrup, she just may try to rear, so be careful. The other option is to have her right side against a fence, and her butt against a wall trapping her.Have some one help you keep her in this position, but have them not, repeat, not hold the rein. All of this assumes that she has no burrs in her blanket, that you have properly cinched her up, that the cinch is not pinching her, and that the saddle fits properly. Check all of that first. Secondly, does she like her bit?
Don't do any of this without someone being around. As you know, some horses just don't like to be forced to do what they don't want to do. Also, how is she after you are mounted? Does she wring her tail, chew on her bit, etc? Assuming not, then she just need to be trained to accept the fact that your are the boss, and she is going to be ridden.
The best thing would probably be to go back to basics and teach her the "whoa" command, but something else that worked for me on a high-strung Arab cross I once had was to tack him up while he was tied, provided your horse stands tied quietly, and work on stepping on and off while he was tied. Then we worked up to putting the bridle on over the halter, (never tie a horse by the bridle) and stepping up, then leaning over and unsnapping the lead. Then up to untying him, bridling him and mounting,(always at the same tying place) This worked well on this particular horse because he always thought he was tied.
Not really enough info. how old is your horse, and how much training has she had?
She may have an extremely sensitive mouth and when you gather the reins in your hand she's getting the signal to back up. Keep your reins more loose in your hand so the bit and earpiece of her bridle aren't putting pressure on her mouth and top of head.
If that's not the reason, mount her while she's got her hindquarters tight against a wall or the corner of the corral so she cannot back. All the time while you're mounting her, speak gently and encouraging to her to keep her mind occupied. Practice getting on and off while she's unable to back up.
It's also possible there's something abrasive and irritating in her saddle blanket, cinch or the underside of the saddle somewhere and she's just trying to back away from it. Look for burrs, slivers of wood, or tiny bits of gravel or anything but the fleece or woven blanket.
Sometimes bad habits take a while to train into a new, more appropriate habit of standing still, so don't worry if it doesn't happen overnight.
Try this. If you can put your horse in an arena that has a corner put her butt into the corner. Mount her smoothly and quickly and keep her butt in the corner while talking to her and praising her for sitting still with the railing at her butt to prevent her from backing up. Let her get accustomed to standing still with you on her back. Then dismount and do it all over again. And again. And again. Then go on to ride. Then when you get ready to put her up, do it again and again and again. Then the next day guess what. Do it again etc etc etc. And the next day. You have to be more persistent and stubborn then your horse. And as you know horses can sometimes be pretty stubborn.
it sounds like she just learned to do this to get away from you mounting her. if you don't mount her from a mounting block maybe her back is being pulled as you mount her. if you hold onto the reins too much when you are trying to mount her it could just be telling her to back up so when you go to mount her try to not have as much rein and have somebody hold her if she acts up too much.
Try making him/her do really tight circles then tell her to walk on and dont forget to praise her with lots of love!
back her into a corner with her butt in the corner- like in a fenced area. Then place your mounting block beside her and jump up. the only option that she will have will to be to go forward.
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