My horse will not lineup in the show lineup?

Question

I have a 12 year old Arab mare that has an impressive show record in her earlier years doing huntr pleas. She spent the last 4 years in a field having 2 fillies. At first she was very nervous, even for an Arab. I couldn't put a leg on her without her jumping out of her skin and she would paw and dance around quite a bit in the cross ties. But after only 5 months we've overcome these challenges. We've settled into a routine together and she's 100% more calm, stands quietly, allows me to put my legs right on her and is very trusting of me. She's wonderful, moves well & catches the eye of judges at the shows we've gone to. The challenge is that we have a great ride through the class but when it comes time to line-up she will stand for a few seconds & then either starts to paw or backs out of the line & will not approach it again. She hunches down, backs up rapidly. I work to be the last to line up, away from the gate but it doesn’t seem to help much.

Answer 1

Sounds like your mare is having some anxiety about the line up.  Do you have some friends that could help you with this?  I would start off by having her line up with a group of horses she is familiar with, leading her by hand and standing at her head to keep her calm, praising her lots when she does well.  Take it all in baby steps -- first ask her to stand for  10 seconds, praise and repeat, praise and repeat.  Next move it up to 20, and so on.  Once she is standing nicely with you at her head you can graduate to her back.  Not every session needs to have a group lined up at the center, but it would be nice to include it at least once a week.

Also, remember not to "hold" her too tight.  Some people hold their reins tighter and tighter when their horses get ancy and this only makes the horse more ancy.  Hold until the second you feel your horse stop -- then immediately release, hold/release, hold/release.  That way she gets a reward for obeying and starts to think she should just stand still anyway.

Good luck!

Answer 2

jsut work on standing still.  Go do your normal workout but go once a round the ring then stop count to ten(out loud) then move out then a few minutes later stop again and count to (15) and so on. Eventully get up to a minute.

If she moves while your counting get her settled back down and start over.  Saying the numbers helps them anticipate the next number but eventuly she will have been standng for so long she won't even relize that you stop counting out loud Once youve mastered the Stand.

edit- also when you go to lineup go to the end that way your not squised between two unkown horses and if she baulks shes not disturbing horses around her.

Answer 3

She really wants to be a "Cutting Horse" after all.

...it is really not so unusual for a girl to switch career paths like this

Answer 4

You need to get some barrels at home, line them up in a row, and do your class as if in the ring, stop, head her to the tip of the barrel, stand at least 30 seconds, if she begins to move, move out, circle the ring, and come back again...

continue this every day, till she knows she needs to stand,.

I had the same problem with Bullet, my Arab Stallion, it took me a good month to stand him...now he does not ,move till I give the okay...he is wonderful...

keep it up, do not put her chest or let any part of her touch the barrel, just keep her at bay by it...nothing behind her, just air.

keep trying it, and I think you will, as I did have the perfect standing Arab you have ever seen.

the judges have even said, they have never seen such a laid back Stallion for standing........

good luck

you can also halter her, and walk her to the barrel, and side by her side, make her stand with you, talk to her, if she wants to back away, let her, circle and come back

Answer 5

I show Saddlebreds and they can get very fidgitity and hyper after going through the excitement of a class and being asked to line up and stand.  Once the judge has done his inspection of us....we do allow the horse to walk around and replace their stance in the line up.  No one has ever been pinned down for this...so I'm wondering if this is allowed in your classes.  

Of course it would be best if the horse stood still and I'm not saying not to work on it...I'm just saying what happens in our line ups.