Green Horse won't stand in crossties! Please help!?

Question

My mare is only 5 years old and she just won't stand still! She is pretty fine when i am riding her she just doesn't understand the concept of standing still in crossties. When I am grooming her she backs up, side steps, moves forward and when I tell her "over" and gently push her she goes the opposite way and accidently rams me into the wall. Also when I am putting on her bridle, she puts her head all the way down so it is touching the ground and I have to crouch to tack her up properly. Even when I pull her head back up she puts it back down. She isn't being naughty, I just think that she was never taught to stand properly. Pleae help me!

Answer 1

Hello!

Well you just explained it yourself, she is green haha. And a mare...mares are notoriously impatient (not all, one of mine is literally a *perfect* horse but alot arnt like this) I would see if you can start cross tying her in her stall so she has no where to back up/step into. Then take your time and teach her the word "STAND" because all of our horses are required to learn to ground tie, tho we never use this, it is a great concept if a horse is standing for a procedure because they expect to have to be calm. Reinforce the "Stand" word with a firm voice and if she moves, back her into spot, don't let her get away with it and she'll soon realize, its easiar to be a calm pony than a figety one or else mommy makes me stand any way on top of it! :) Good luck! Also, don't forget, as a green and young horse, they are testing, just reinforce good ground manners and you will have a lovely mount.

Answer 2

If she's pushing you into the wall, she's not responding to your pushing on her in a respective manner.  When she's not tied up, practice some ground work asking her to move away from pressure.  Poke her in the side, and ask her to move, and if she doesn't, gradually increase your pressure until she moves, then back off.  Always start light, then increase pressure.

As for the crossties, young horses are typically going to be more impatient.  Find a safe place to tie her that isn't cross ties, and just make her stand tied.  If she wants to move around, let her, but don't untie her until she's quiet.  I always take my young horses, and tie them in their stalls while I'm cleaning the other stalls.  So they stand tied for at least 30 mintues every day.  I'm in the other stalls, so I can keep an eye on them, and after a few days of it, and realizing they can't get anyway from dancing around, they learn to stand still.

If you work on just patience, she'll get better in the crossties.  I just don't think crossties is the safest place to work on it.  I hook a chain with a clip, tie a lead rope up high in the stall that I can clip to their halter.

Good luck!

Answer 3

if you are riding your horse it is not a green horse(you should never put a green horse in cross ties)most horses don't put their head down when bitting they throw their head up so someone has taught your horse  to put its head down by feeding it on the ground when getting bridled up.you need to get her outside with a halter and a lead rope and tie her to a tree or fence post(not a t-post) or a tying rail so she can see other horses to keep her mind off of you and what you are doing.some horses get claustrophobic in cross ties so allowing her to be in open spaces helps her to calm herself down and feel more comfortable.watch when your farrier comes out and see where he leads her.does she stand good for the farrier?

edit:i have been training horses since i was a little boy.a green horse is a horse that has not been broke,a green broke horse is a horse that has just been introduced to a saddle a bit and a rider.

Answer 4

My 3 year old had this issue. Well, he still sort of has it.

The most important thing is to reward the good behavior. If she stands for a minute, then reward her by removing her/giving a treat. That's what I've been doing with my gelding. Luckily there's tie posts outside, and he's OK with those most of the time (he'll stand, but occasionally will move around, it's usually because he's just curious) Make the cross ties the coolest place to be in the world. Maybe you could feed her there, give her hay, anything to make her comfortable. Crossties aren't fun to horses, so try to make it a nice place to be. For now I wouldn't cross tie her if possible - try as little a minute, no brushing or anything, just have her stand there. Then say 'good girl' and take her off and graze her or give her treats. She'll get the idea.

My gelding is weird about cross ties. When I went to look at him at the barn he was at, he was in cross ties for a while and didn't move at all. When I moved him to my barn, he turned into exactly what you described - a fidget! It was SO annoying. When he's on them in the barn (with horses in their stalls) he'll stand and not move an inch. (KNOCK ON WOOD) But, when he's alone, he usually will fidget after a period of time. He does most of his moving when I live him unattended. I think it's mostly when he's inside alone, watching other horses outside. But who knows, somedays he stands like a little champ, and other days he's more fidgety. He's certainly gotten better though. It just takes time and experience!

Try having another horse with her in the barn, maybe? See if that helps?

Also, make sure there's no loud distractions or a lot of busy activity, because I know that is what makes my gelding more prone to fidgety-ness.

Answer 5

It is unnatural for a horse to be in cross ties.  They are claustrophobic by nature so strapping their heads on both sides can increase their panic.  They can be taught to tolerate it, but shouldn't be.  By nature, horses move "into" pressure.  As humans, almost everything we ask them to do is "against their nature".  From your description, your horse has not learned to move away from pressure.  She does not know what "over" means as horses are not verbal animals.  She does not accidently ram you into the wall, she is being dominant and knocking you out of the way because she is obviously in charge.  Her behavior has nothing to do with being "good or bad", she is just being a horse - a young, green, untrained horse - normal.  You are right, she has not been trained to stand and primarily, she is very disrespectful.  Take care so that you don't get hurt.  She needs some basic training so you and she can be safe.  If you don't feel you can accomplish it on your own, get some help.

Answer 6

slowly get her used to crossties.  its a pain in the butt, but tie her for 10 minutes while you groom her and then take her for a little walk around the barn

the groom, then walk.

put her saddle on, then walk

bridle her, then walk

then hold her in the cross tie area for several minutes

in a month or two shell get used to it

this is what we had to do to teach my tb to crosstie

they just get bored, you would too.

eventually shell learn to stand still.

if she puts her head down when you bridle her pull it up and hold it, even if you have to have a friend hold her head up while you bridle her.

annoying, but it pays off.

theyll all learn eventually if you patient lol

Answer 7

I personally don't use them...don't like them.  I train my horses to ground tie...when I groom them, I have a rope halter and long lead that I loosely drape across the horse's back or loosely tie into a loop around the neck in front of the wither.  When I used to board at stables where other horses were being brought in and out, in order to keep control when I worked on the hind hoofs, I draped the end of the lead in the crook of my elbow in case the horse was startled.  Now that I have my own barn, I just drop the lead on the ground and go to work.  I've seen many horses injured or loose when crossties broke and I think they are a bad idea.  Get help from a good cowboy type or natural horsemanship trainer to teach your horse to ground tie...it will be money and time well spent.  Your horse is not responding to being pushed away from you and this is also something to address with ground work.  In the meantime, groom her in the arena while you hold the lead in one hand...you can make grooming and training sessions happen at the same time. If you know how to tie a quick release loop, you can tie the horse to a sturdy post or tree as well, but tie him high so he can't get a leg over the rope.  Good luck.