Fixing Stubborn Horses

Welcome to your next issue of "Horse Class," your how-to source for equine tips, tricks and solid foundational training brought to you by horsemanship101.com and John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman. This issue offers DIY fixes for horses that freeze up and refuse to take even one more step. What exactly is the prescription to fix a horse who just decides he ain't moving and we can't make him? (Hint: Keep reading!) You'll find "Horses That Won't Go" sampled below. To read in its entirety or to print it out, follow the links provided. If they don't work or you're not getting the emails properly, see the bottom of this page.

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Horses That Won't Go

"How do I get my horse to move when it freezes up?" I've heard this same question many times at clinics all over the US - and world, for that matter. (Odd but true: Everywhere I go to conduct a clinic, from the US, to Germany to the Czech Republic, people have the same horse-training issues as we do here in America. Funny that!) I actually had this exchange once: A guy asked me "What do I do when I'm out on the trail and the horse just freezes up and won't walk off and I'm stuck miles from home?" I asked "How did you deal with it last time?" He answered: "It's my wife's horse. I took out my cell phone, called her and told her to come get me and her (bleeping) horse." So this article, then, is for those of you who get caught out on the trail with your lover's horse and no cell phone. Important: Horses that pull this stunt are signaling that they need you to fall back and teach or re-teach some basics. Well-trained horses don't flip you the metaphorical bird. (Duh.) You need to dedicate yourself to getting better with your hands and going easier on those reins, to bluff more often than you actually kick and to look for and capitalize upon tiny improvements. (Those teachings are beyond the scope of this article. I suggest you visit Horsemanship101.com/Articles for step-by-step how-to info that you can print out and pack along when you ride.) So, should this happen to you, try one of today's quick masking-tape fixes, and make a mental note to spend some genuine training time tomorrow. Your horse's training has sprung a leak - and what I give you today are patches - not long-lasting fixes. First I'll offer some tips more advanced riders might have heard before. It'll be new to the novice riders, so hang in there, my more accomplished equestrians. I'll finish up by offering a real trick to get your horse moving, one you've probably not heard before. I picked it up from Josh Lyons. It's kinda cool in its simplicity and works on older, stubborn horses as well as the young green ones... keep reading this article

Big Tip: Stepping on the Gas

Here's an excerpt from an earlier article called "Speed Up Your Slow Horse." It's recommended in this month's featured article ("Horses That Won't Go," above) and is included here for convenience: "One of the hardest things, is that as you ride your horse, the more you mess with the bit, the more you restrict movement. You're restricting movement every time you pick up the rein. If I have a horse that doesn't want to move and I pick up that bit, restricting his movement, then it's going to take more drive from me to keep this horse wanting to move. It actually makes it harder for me to keep the horse moving through it, but he's actually learning it better...." Read the entire article by following the link or by visiting Horsemanship101.com/Articles. - - - Recommended material from this month's article: - "Speed Up a Slow Horse" (for speed control) - "Handling Your Reins Like a Pro" - "Tips to Improve Your Use of the Reins" All articles are online and available 24/7.