How do you teach your horse to not eat grass when you ride?

Question

i cannot ride my horse in a field because every time she will pull and tug at the reins to try and eat grass. how do you stop this or train them to not pull at the reins.

Answer 1

You don't train them not to!  You just have to pull their head up and urge them forward (immediately - don't let them havea bite and then ask them to move).  Making sure they're paying attention to you during your ride might help, also.  You might do little things here and there on the trail like a few steps of a leg yield, or a turn on the forehand, or something like that, just to keep their mind on you and not the lovely green grass beneath them.

Answer 2

uhm pull her head up

Answer 3

correct her before she makes the mistake. you should be able to feel when shes going to put her head down t eat so when you first feel it pull the rein a little. dont yank it but give her a reminder that your still there and that you guys are working. and you will probably have to do this a coule hundred times but dont give up cause after awhile she'll get tired of being corrected and just wont do it anymore (horses dont like to be corrected)

Answer 4

She is pulling and tugging at the reigns for a reason.  Before you ride your horse, you have to get her comfortable.  Why is it a problem for you if she wants to eat some grass before you ride? Sitting on the back of a Horse is a two way street,

Answer 5

feed her half an hour befor riding.

also maybe get a crop, when she puts her head down tap her on the shoulder and pul her head up./

Answer 6

Don't let her pull and tug.  You know she is going to do it so be aware and move her on when you feel like she is starting to slow down and look for a nice grassy spot to stop and eat at.  Be one step ahead of your horse...be an aware rider.

And, you should never feed or allow a horse to eat when they have a bit in their mouth...treats included...even when stopped and resting in a field or trail riding..take a halter along if planning to dismount.

Answer 7

Don't let her eat whenever she has her saddle and bridle on. This way, she will know that when she's wearing her tack, you mean business. If she tries to eat while you're riding, simply make her move so that the mentality becomes "Grass = work".

Be sure to graze her whenever she's not working though! :)

Answer 8

im sorry to say but ur horse is not going to respect u if you just kick her and move on you must reward her whe shes good but also enable boundries.maybe u should look at this link it has a lot of good information:

http://www.parelli.com/content.faces

i think that by looking through this site it will give u great ideas on how to get ur horse to respect u without being overbearing.

Answer 9

The horse has no respect for you. You have to show the horse that you are the boss.

Answer 10

Get her moving and don't allow her to get her head down...I do not allow eating with a bit in the mouth, nor do i allow it while in a halter and I'm working them.  Now i do have a place i will walk them to and they are allowed, but i have to practically pull their head down so they know its ok.

Answer 11

Don't let her....

Pull her head up.  If she's pulling the reins through your hands, your being too easy.

Answer 12

I give a good hard pull-up on the reins and thump with both of my legs at the same time, which tells the horse "NO".  Usually if you do it a few times the horse gets the idea. For the really stubborn ones, I use a western saddle and tie the reins up short and hook them over the horn so I don't have to keep tugging...it's kind of lazy, but sometimes I like trail rides to be relaxing.

Answer 13

To tell a bossy horse not to eat, you'll need to give it a big smack on three occasions and it won't try it again. He needs to know you are boss. Don't just nag and nag, the poor horse. One big smack, just behind where you leg would go is better.

Horses learn so quickly, it will take three times at the most. First time he'll think 'what did I do', second time 'does this have something to do with me eating' third time 'oh you mean you don't like me eating - okay I'll stop that'.

For little riders who don't have arm strength - we use grass reins, just a tiny thin piece of string attached from saddle to bit. Fine enough to break if rider gets into trouble.

Answer 14

When she starts to put her head down, pull hard on one rein rather than both. If you get locked into a pulling war with her using both reins, especially if you are small or inexperienced or your horse is strong, she can brace against you and will usually win. Pulling on one rein bends her neck and makes it harder for her to resist. Carry a crop and keep her moving to try to prevent the problem at all. A lot of horses have this problem, and are still used as school horses or ridden by small children. That's fine in the ring or out in a field on a lead, but I've seen horses with this habit pull little kids right over their heads. Keep an eye on her if kids under about eight ever ride her. If the problem persists, try a stronger bit which may help you pull her head up more effectively. Don't hesitate to get an instructor to help you if you need it.

Answer 15

For the next several rides take a piece a baling twine and tie her halter to your saddle.  Then take her into the field she likes to eat grass in.  This is to be used for training and should not be used on rough terrain or up and down hills since it interferes with the horses balance.

Another option (works best with a curb bit) is to simply pull her head up firmly but gently (means don't jerk just firmly and steadily pull) her head up with the reins and do not let her eat any grass or leaves.  It takes a while but they catch on if you are consistant.

Answer 16

We've trained our horses to know that a bridle means work and no food and a halter means play and eating.

So the less you let her get away with it, the less she'll try it. Keep the reins tighter when you're on grass, and don't be afraid to use a crop for immediate results.

It's very tempting for a horse, since they're walking on their food. Kinda like if someone were sitting alone in a room with a fresh, hot pizza.

Answer 17

You can bump them with one of the reins..

Answer 18

Keep her moving! And whenever she does, make her work TWICE as hard.  If you just trotting around, start making her bend.. anything that's harder.

You can also get grazing reins that attach from the saddle, over the brow band, and then to the bit.  It only comes into action when the horse puts its head to far down, and they might be good to use for a while until your horse understands the concept.  

these are grazing reins: http://www.custom-tack.com/images/gr.jpg

as are these: http://www.horse-rider-etc.com/tack/dais...

But, they best thing is to keep her moving!

Good luck!!

Answer 19

Put your horse to work everytime she tries to eat. Don't let her put her head down at all. Keep her moving!! Good luck

Answer 20

When she starts to go to eat, pull hard and kick her to go on.  You might have to jerk once or twice for her to get the message, and you might have to kick really hard for her to go on.  It is important for her to keep moving.  Also, using a crop or spurs might help for faster results.

But if pulling with both reins doesn't work, then just try one rein.  Bend her so it puts her in an uncomfortable position.  She will learn that if she goes to eat the grass, then she will be put in an uncomfortable position.

Answer 21

jus give her a tug when she goes for grass.

eventually she will realize what she is doing is wroong.

Answer 22

Every time your horse does this, push her forwards at a brisk trot. If she tries to slacken her pace, push her forwards. Keep her moving at the trot, this is the hardest gait for her to get her head down at. Hope this helps! P.S: Another good thing to do, if your horse is not whip shy, carry a crop with you. You may not even have to tap her, just having it will make her respect you. You can also use it to keep her moving forward at the trot.