Agressive bossy gelding.?

Question

I just got an eighteen year old gelding in the en of march. I went out to do some ground work with him and I free lunge him before any of this and then make him join up with me. The only problem is he is stepping on my feet and right up my but.

I had him on the leadrope and I was tring to get him to WOAH! and he didnt so i pulled the halter pack said it again about 5 times. He is trained to woah and all he was doing was taking his inside shoulder and spinning me in circle the whole time I was asking him to woah. So I had t jump on the fence and crack the whip to make him leave me then when he came back i tried it again and he did the same thing all over again. what should I do?

AND: At feeding tie he is very mean he'll throw his head in his stall and try to run the door over. I tell him to back up when he gets his grain and he'll back up but his ears are flat at me the whole time. He gets 1 coffee can of triple crwon senior feed and 2 cans of beatpulp. So I dont think its because

Answer 1

He has major respect issues.  You need to establish your space.  Get him on a lunge line, or free lunge him again, and work on switching directions and switching gaits.  Get him so he is listening (head tilted slightly to the inside), and responds instantly to your cues (might take more than one session).  Go back to leading.  Put a chain on the lead.  Put your arms in 'chicken wing' position, and swing your elbows around to keep him out of your space.  If he touches you, or ignores your elbows, jerk on the lead.  Also, teach him to back up and make him do it whenever he invades your space.

Answer 2

I wonder if this is why they sold him.

Answer 3

When he gets aggressive and tries to step on you or spins you in  circles put him to work!. Send him away at a gallop around the round pen. Make him go a few circles and then let him slow down and come to you. Does he step on you when you are leading him? If he does, I suggest getting a court(crop) whip and when he gets in "your space"  whap him on the chest and tell him space. This usually works. My cousins yearling filly had the same problem. Hope I helped!

Answer 4

Wow! I must say you do have a handful! I've tooken care of several horses with these same problems and the most important thing to remember is that you have to make sure he knows YOU are the boss! Try using a stud chain and not letting him have his food until he calms himself down. When you are telling him to woah use a relaxed, but firm voice. Also if you are expecting him to do something bad then he has a greater chance to sense your fear. Scaring him will never help any problems you just need to show him that even though he is bigger that you are the "alfa horse". It will be a hard and long a fight, but in the end it will work. Also over exaggerate your affection if he does something right do the same thing if he is relaxed this. But, do not scold him, because he will find that any attention is telling him that he did something right.

Answer 5

take him out in a pen and lunge him with a lead rope.. make him work. ask him to lope and lope and lope. make him l**k his lips. when you want him to stop lean your body towards his butt. tighten the leadrope and make him face you repeat whoa. swing his hip over with the end of the rope so his butt isnt even close to facing you. repeat whoa and wait for him to stop.. still doesn't? choke up on the rope so your holding it like a lead rope. walk him around the pen and suddenly stop and say whoa.. hold on to the rope until he stops ( repeat process ) still doesnt work? put a chain on him like at the shows.. do the same thing and im 99% sure he'll listen this time.. get him good at this.. take off the chain and do the walk/stop/whoa without it. once he's good at this lunge him and do what i said before.. if worse comes to worse and you just can't get him.. put the chain back on. as for the grain.  too much of it will make him act up..  i feed my horse about half a coffee can every day once a day.  put a lead rope on ( with a chain if you wish ) and act like you are going to feed him grain.. if he pins his ears punish him and pull down on the rope. ( repeat until he doesn't pin his ears ) the time he doesn't pin his ears emediatly reward him and give him a bite of the tasty grain.. then do it over. let him know you are the boss..

Answer 6

Major lack of respect. You don't need him to join up but back off. Period. He needs to learn that your space does not include him at all ever unless you invite him. As he doesn't get this, he invites himself into your space and takes it for himself. You are below him in his pecking order. You could start by holding a short whip or stick in your left hand as you lead him. When you say whoa, you should be facing forward as if you were still walking. Short jerk on lead. He doesn't stop, whack your stick in front of his chest and say whoa in your firmest authoritarian voice. Repeat if he doesn't stop. If he decides to back up, tell him to back and make him back several steps, move your stick to the rear and say whoa. He should stop now. You may have to do this many times. When you free longe, make him whoa and stay put, turn him and repeat. Several times. Do not let him walk to you until he's obeying well out there on the rail. If he wants to walk over you, step aside quickly and push him back out to the rail, work and ask for obedience again. ou need to be firm and you need to be consistent.

In the stall. If he pins, leave with his food. Wait a few minutes, try again. Do not put any food in his reach until he backs away from you and leaves his ears up. And do not allow him to put his rear to you in the stall. This is major disrespect.