How to train a disrespectful horse.....?

Question

I bought a 5 yr old Tennessee walking horse mare,15 hands,broke,black with a star and one sock,black mane and tail in June of this year.

Shes a nice horse,not high strung much at all...but she has her momments.

Heres the problem: I got her because I didnt have a trail horse...only compaion horses.She is broke because i have ridden her bareback with someone leading.I am afraid to ride her without someone leading until i get a saddle(i dont have one because i had to sell mine because it was too small).I have led her up the road when i first got her and when she saw the neighbors horses...she got excited and went crazy..she started neighing at the horses and started to pull me around dragging me everywhere.I had to keep turning her in circles the whole way home to try to clam her down.As soon as i let her loose in the pasture..she calmed back down.

She also has this problem to were when i try to put her in a stall..she freaks out and runs all around in every direction possible in her stall.I have used a stud chain on her and it has seemed to work a little bit.

She also disrespects me by rubbing her head on me all the time.I want to break her from doing this,but i dont want to do something that will ruin her trust in me.

Other than that...shes a good horse.She is not spooked easily.You can pop up behind her and try to spook her and she wont jump or anything.

She is not the bossy horse of all the others...in the pecking order...she is basically the last horse.(she gets bossed around by the other horses)

You can walk up to her and put a halter on her and she will just stand there,loads in trailers great,when you call her..she comes.

Answer 1

i cant start to count the problems with this question.... please go to a trainer if your scared to ride that horse with out someone leading you.  NOBODY on yahoo can give you a good complete safe answer. there is so much involved that if someone left out one thing, you could end up in bad shape as well as the horse.

I'm not trying to be mean, i'm just worried for your safety, as mean as i can be i just dont want to see anyone get hurt.

Answer 2

Your horse sounds very unsafe. You should get a trainer in there immediately! No one on Y!A can give you a fair or accurate answer without first seeing your horse. I'll point out a few areas that concern me:

"She is broke because i have ridden her bareback with someone leading" - This is not a broke horse. Bareback riding comes after learning how to ride with a saddle. If someone is leading her, they are commanding the horse, not you. You are simply along for the ride.

"I have led her up the road when i first got her and when she saw the neighbours horses...she got excited and went crazy..." - First off, you shouldn't have done this the first second you got her. You didn't know how she would react. Introductions to other horses should be done gradually, not suddenly like that. She was in a new situation and saw a strange horse... how do you think she would react? She didn't recognize you as her human, her rock, she was bound to freak out.

"when I try to put her in a stall... she freaks out and runs around in every direction possible in her stall" - Stalls are scary for horses who have never been in them before. Horses are flight animals - a stall means that they cannot run. This, again, needs to be done gradually.

Please come and get a trainer in to work with your horse. Your horse will appreciate it, and you will have a much better time training and working with your horse.

edit: Dreamer, head rubbing IS a sign of disrespect. Would your horse get away with rubbing his head against the dominant horse in the herd? I think not. Head rubbing can also get violent, horses don't know their own strength. My trainer got knocked down by a horse who was showing her "affection".

Answer 3

i agree with the first person that answered you, you should go to a trainer, cause no matter how much advice i were to give you, something would be misinterpreted, if you just got her she might be still settling too, so check into getting a good natural horsemanship, trainer, they should help

ttys  

Answer 4

Dont worry about riding her for the time being.

I used to handle alot or bossy race horses that needed to be put in their place.

Sometimes its best to use a rope halter and a long lead. When she goes to walk past you give her a quick "jag" of the lead rope. Sharply tug on the lead rope everytime she goes to be pushy, and use a couple of smaller ones so she remembers her manners. You may have to use an anti-rearing bit or the likes.

With a horse like this, you have to be the boss from the start. I think she has you sorted out, so you have to have a strong will and make her do what "YOU" want.

You have not had her long so she may not trust you 100% yet and is seeking out the comfort of other horses as she passes by.

What is the history of her? Does she have other horses as company? When she is an a box can she see other horses? Did the last owner lock her in a box for long periods? Some horses just dont cope in a box. When you box her put a quiet horse next to her to settle her down and leave her in thier only a short time or the instant she settles down and bring her out as a reward. Each time you put her in the box, make it a little longer, or, wait until she is realy good. Eventualy she will get the idea that a box is not so bad. Also feed her in the box only so she sees the box as the reward.

Be the boss from the begining, dont be scared to be firm or strict. She will see you as the leader and respect you. You have seen how bossy other horses are in the paddock, you need to be that bossy, dont feel mean, other horses kick and bite!!!

Let her know that you are boss from the start, not angry at her, but boss.

Hope this has helped, Jane

Answer 5

Head rubbing is not disrespect, it's a sign of affection.  Your horse is trying to connect with you.  If you want to discourage that particular behavior, just give her a pat and push her head away when she does it.  My horse always give me a nuzzle after we ride, I rub his mane and he follows me around like a puppy dog.