Green, unridden mare only walks a few steps on lead, is fat and lazy in a large pasture.My first time to train

Question

a horse and I'm stuck on the first step. I have a round pen, but it's uphill about a quarter mile away from the pasture. How can I get her to move forward? She will turn, but then only takes a couple of steps again.

Answer 1

When you lead her, carry a dressage whip so that when she stops you can give her a gentle flick on the side and hopefully, she will continue. When she stops, don't turn around and look at her and tug, she will just get confused. Keep your body pointed where you want to go, give a sharp forward tug on the lead (don't yank, though, you don't want her to get upset), and if she doesn't follow, give her a flick and just start walking, she will probably follow. Make sure to reward her when she is good, carry a few treats with you and she will probably be happy to follow.

Good Luck!

P.S. you could also try keeping her somewhere closer to the round pen.

Answer 2

She may be afraid to leave the pasture, particularly if her buddies are there.

I'd practice leading her in the field as the first step.  She'll be less stubborn about moving where she knows the territory than when she's stepping into the unkown.  

Stand beside her and stride forward, giving her go signals.  If she won't go, try turning her slightly back and forth and see if that makes her move.



You can carry a dressage whip behind you in your left hand.  When she won't step forward, without changing your upper body reach behind you and flick her in the rear with it.  This may help.

You can also try having someone help.  They can lead another horse beside or ahead of you to help give her the idea.

Once you've got the idea of "forward" into her in the field, she should be easier to get up to the round pen.

If all else fails, teach her to back up!  Back her where you want her to go.  Periodically you can turn her and try to go forward, but if she won't back up more.  Get her all the way to the round pen, then you can teach her to move forward by free lunging and so on.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

A lot of young horses will "freeze up" when you first start riding them, not because they are lazy, but because the leg commands mean nothing to them yet.  I would start by teaching her to longe.  Get her to respond to your voice commands, like clicking for the trot, and kissing for the canter (after you click, use the longe whip to make her trot if she doesn't listen, same for canter).  After she starts understanding this, it will make it easier when you ride.

Then, when she's good with your voice commands (and she'll be in better shape from the workouts), you can have somebody else longe her, while you sit on her.  You can click to her for the walk or trot, then ask with your legs, then the person with the longe line can flick the whip.  So it would go "click, legs, whip".  After she starts getting used to that, she will respond to just "click, leg", and eventually just the "click".  Working on the line is great, because you don't have to worry about steering, but you can establish forward motion.  Once she gets the hang of that, start working her off the line and teach the steering.

I hope this helps.  I start a few 2yr olds every year, and they all go through this, and I've found this is the best way to do it.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Clinton Anderson... He has all the answers! First training and experienced training. Look him up and then order his book or video! My horse was trained by him and you might want to look at what I said in the question:"What is your favorite thing about your horse"

Hope I helped!

Answer 5

You could try riding her with spurs.  Just remember it is not necessary to gouge her with the spurs, just press the spurs lightly against her side until you get the desired response.  And be sure to have a good hold of her as she may lunge forward this first few times you touch her with spurs.

Another method is to have someone ride an experienced horse along with you.  The mare will have a tendency to go with the experienced horse.  That's how my husband and I train our horses.  It is almost effortless and we can teach them to neck rein from the beginning.

You can also teach her on the ground by driving her before you ride her.  Or lunge her before you ride her.  

I hope this helps.

Answer 6

Be gentle but firm, work with her, not against her. Don't look her straight in the eye- untrained horses can take it as a threat. Look up Monty Robert's Join-up technique- it really works! It is pain free, and effective, and a wonderful, all-natural, way to bond and train a horse.

To get her to the round pen try setting up a kind of wall of whatever you can use to create a sort of pasture from the pen to her pasture, then try driving her through or just letting her wander there herself. Or you can try the join-up in the pasture (thats how I did it) and then she will follow you to the pen!

First you send the horse into the round pen (or pasture)You stand in the center and send her out, keeping her moving by flicking a lounge line behind her. Keep your shoulders squared to her, and look as threatening and big as possible.

When you see her either make chewing movements with her mouth, or lower her neck, looking submissive, turn away from her and drop your shoulders- look passive and small. You will hear her stop, then she will come and touch her muzzle to your shoulder. It is an amazing, magical experience! Then she will follow you! Try it if you want!

Answer 7

wow she sounds lazzy.

:]

make it harder for her to be lazy.

when walking her on a leadrope[on the ground] :

when she doesnt walk  forward, walk with a long (id haTE to say it) whip or Clint Andersons Handy Stick and when she doenst walk tap her on her side with the stick. [ so if u walk ur horse on the left side, have the stick in ur right hand parralell to the horses middel area]  start lightly and the more she wants to just stand there the harder ur gunna tapp her. So start like this.

she doestn move. tap the stick in the air next to her 4 times. no movent? tap her tummy for times. still no movement? tap her a little harder for times. and so on and so forth.

i hope i dont sound mean (=-/ but ur NoT gunna hurt her.

Answer 8

You need get her feet moving.  If she will turn...that's good.  You just need to add 'forward' to it.

For starting..I use a long cotton lead rope.  I hook the horse up like normal...and begin to walk.  Adding my 'forward' cues.  Could be clicking or kissing or whatever sound or command you choose to use.

If the horse freezes, I will keep steady pressure on the lead and ask with my commands again.  I will use the tail of the lead rope to encourage any forward or sideways movement.  If the feet are moving, we're gaining ground.  Except for backwards...that's bad.  If the horse goes backwards...I will continue to force backward direction so the horse knows that is a bad idea unless I ask for it.

If I'm getting nowhere with a leadrope and forward commands...I will use a whip.  It's an extension of your arm and can reach the side or shoulders or rump of the horse without you moving.  If the horse freezes and refuses to move...I will tap the shoulder to get the feet moving.  If the horse comes forward...They get approval and release of pressure.  If they go sideways...I keep the forward pressure but don't ask them to move with the whip.  If they step forward...I reward with praise and a pet and relief of pressure.  We stand for a few seconds, then go again.  

Every single time the horse stops without being told to...you need to move sideways or even back if that's all you can do.  Make it work for the horse to NOT come forward.

Be persistent and never quit a lesson when the horse is not behaving.  If you do that...the horse learns FAST what to do to avoid work.