My 4 year old QH mare is acting up lately! HELP!?

Question

i have a young 4 year old QH mare that is over at my friends house that i bought (but is still over there). she doesnt want to trot at all. she might only go 15-20 feet of trotting before she stops and goes to a walk, sometimes she just stops and just stands there, and doesnt go.Ive even tried spurs very LIGHTLY on her and it only had effect on her for about 1/2 of the time, but she still wouldnt trot! i would really like some opinions or some help on this because she is a very good horse, and is worth it if i can fix her problem! thanks

Facts about her:

-she is very docile, and lets you handle her feet

-you can ride bare back without problems

-she is very sweet, and likes little kids

-she is a fairly tall horse, but not short

-(15.2-15.4 hands?)

-she is barn sour, (how do i fix that?)

AND LASTLY : )

how do i get her to trust and respect me.

Answer 1

I don't know much about horses but maybe if you spend time with her she will learn to be more comfortable around you...thank you so much for answering my question...it was hard to pick a best answer...=)

Answer 2

Have her checked by a vet and farrier to make sure she isn't suffering from any type of pain that could cause her to not want to trot. If she is okayed by the vet and farrier, then she just isn't listening or isn't trained to do what you are asking. Does she trot when anyone else is riding her? If she does, then it is just lack of respect. If she doesn't, she probably wasn't taught.

I would suggest leaving the spurs alone and using a crop instead. Spurs are for horses who are already trained. A crop will most likely give you a better response. When you ask her to pick up a trot, give her ample time to make the transition. Give her a voice command (or kiss/cluck). If she doesn't transition, give her the command again and tap her with your heels. If she still doesn't trot, give her the voice command, tap her with your heels, and give her a tap of the crop. You don't have to smack her, just give her rump a little switch. Another thing I have found to work well (at least for me) is to have a friend lead or lunge your horse as you give commands if your horse knows commands from the ground. As your friend gives the ground cues, give your riding cues. Soon, your horse will associate your cues with the ground cues and take the ridden cues to mean the same as the ground cues.

As for her being barn-sour, I'm not sure. I've never really worked with a barn-sour horse. Is she barn-sour or herd-sour? If it is barn-sour, she will have trouble returning home (towards the barn). If it's herd-sourness, she will have trouble being away from the other horses.

A barn-sour horse needs to be reminded that nothing will help it get back to the barn faster. If she tries to move any faster towards the barn, turn her in the other direction. Once she calms down, begin walking towards the barn again. It may take a while to get back, but it will show your horse that you will not accept her running back to the barn. Be consistant in your training and don't ever run her towards the barn.

A herd-sour horse needs to be shown that it's okay to be seperated from them. You need to take her away in small incriments. Take her to the point where she starts getting anxious and just work with her there for a while. Do simple exercises that she can do to focus on you instead of the herd. Each time you take her for a ride, increase the distance slightly. Make sure she stays calm and that nothing happens that will make her want to run back to the herd. With some time, you will be able to take her anywhere.

As for getting her trust and respect; I always go by the philosophy that if you spend time with your horse out of the saddle, that your horse will trust and respect you more. Horses need companionship. Spend time with her just brushing her, leading her, and sitting with her. Let her get used to you being around. She will soon see that you are there to protect her and that she can always come to you if she needs something.