Barn sour and lazy horses!?

Question

how can i cure the barn sour in my horses? when i ride just one at a time, they dont want to leave. any exercises to help this? and how would i prevent a horse fro being lazy all the time?

Answer 1

My brother used to get on my horses when I was young if they behaved like that. Do you have someone who is a top rider that can ride them through this. It only takes one go and they may be good for many months. The horse thinks he can take control..

I also always walked the last 500m back to the barn. I'd half pass/ leg yield etc if they misbehaved. Another tip: when you return, ride him to the barn or past and away again - just basically he needs to know you are boss.

Answer 2

there is no 1 technique to cure that. My horse still loves running back towards his pasture and i've had him for 4 years. The best thing is.. only walk them towards the barn, don't let them walk faster when they're headed back. Try some different oats for energy so that your horse doesn't act lazy. Also try taking the horse you're riding out of site from the other ones and work with them there.

Answer 3

i do not know but i love horses

Answer 4

Train it!

Answer 5

The best way to cure a barn sour horse (one that doesn't want to leave the barn area) is actually to work it there. Get it to the point where it wants to stop at and work him in that area, keep him working from that area all the way back to the barn. Then ask him to go a little further and let him rest. Keep doing and getting further and further, before long he'll want to be further away from the barn as that is now his "resting place"

The reason they don't want to leave the barn is usually because they think the work area is away from the barn and see the barn as their safety zone. You have to change that make him think "I don't want to be back at the barn. I have to work there!"

Answer 6

I have never had a barn sour horse but I would ride the horse out to where he starts to have problem and ask him to go a little farther than his "comfort zone" every day. Try to make going out away from his buddies fun (not just work). To keep a horse from being lazy (that doesnt have a medical reason to not want to go) you need to teach it that what you say/do is LAW. I would get a crop and find a ring to start off with. While walking on the rail give squeeze/bumb for a trot. If he doesnt go then give another squeeze/bump and immediatly give him a smack on the butt or behind your leg. When he trot off, praise him and trot for a little bit. After a bit, take him back down to a walk. I would do some circles and serpentines to keep him thinking. Take him back on the rail and repeat the process. Quit before he get bored. You might also want to try bumping up his grain to give him more energy.

Answer 7

A barn sour horse is really not respecting you or trusting you as their leader. They are not feeling secure about leaving their herd. This can be a very tough one to fix. You could try walking out on foot leading your horse the first 10 or 20 minutes.

Best would be to go out with an experienced, calm horse so your horse can see there is nothing to worry about and help him gain confidence. I am assuming you are talking about going out on trails by yourself, which isn't such a great idea, safety wise anyway, but I've sure done it many times. I've also walked home on foot a couple times!

Answer 8

barn sour is a common misconception