Ideas on Keeping a Horse From Backing Up to Escape Work?
I’ve been riding a very intelligent and well schooled Morgan gelding, trained in western pleasure and some dressage and jumping, he’s 16 and came from a home where he was allowed to get away with quite a bit of unacceptable behavior. He and I have been getting along well, every time I ride him it gets better and better, but I do have some issues with him on the trail I would like to resolve.
He displays passive aggressive behavior when he doesn’t want to leave the barn, and instead of outright refusing he simply backs up, often in areas where it is dangerous for him to do so. Obviously trying to ask him forward just speeds up the rate at which he backs, so I’ve tried a few things.
1) I’ve gotten off a few times, mostly where the behavior is dangerous (like around traffic) walked him a little ways, and gotten back on. This helps some, but not very much. (kind of what I expected)
2) I’ve gone different directions besides straight forward, like I’ll zig zag or go in circle and then go forward, and that helps some, but this must have been done in the past because he stiffens up and fights me. Unfortunately I don’t have real trails, I have a road with grass next to it to ride on, so it’s difficult to really accomplish this.
3) In the areas where there is space, I’ll do some dressage work. Every time he tries to back up, I’ll put him on a circle and ask him to collect and extend at the trot, and do transitions for 10 or so laps to get his brain back to work. Then I ask him forward, but after just a couple minutes, he begins backing up again, which I immediately respond to with the same work, and the behavior continues to repeat itself.
4) I’ll just one reign stop him, and spin him around and around. This he responds to the best, but it still hasn’t accomplished getting him to just walk out. On the same note, when he wants to back up, I’ll make him back up more and more, but that’s just dangerous and doesn’t really seem to accomplish anything either. But, I figured I’d try it.
I wanted to know if anyone else has had a similar problem like this? It doesn’t get better as we go along either, even after he’s out of view of the barn and out of hearing range of his buddies, he continues to try and back up and stop going forwards. Obviously this must have worked in the past, and he is very herd bound and high strung in nature. His arena work is good, and although I haven’t ridden him too much yet, he is very respectful of me and listens pretty well. I’d love to hear some ideas and experiences please!
I have been working him on the ground and the arena before we go out on the trail. I generally turn him out for about 15 minutes and let him run around and buck and do whatever before I tack him up and lunge him side reigns and driving reigns for about 20 minutes. I then ride for roughly 45 minutes with the morning group lesson, working on upward and downward transitions (walk to trot, halt to trot, walk to canter, canter to trot). He has been submissive and cooperative in almost all other areas, but especially on the ground. He never crowds me, surges past me, nips at me, or displays any dominance issues.
I have reformed several horses that try to back up when they want to avoid work, but I’ve always done it in an arena. When they start the backing up, I don’t escalate the situation by whipping or kicking. I just keep the steady pressure on the horse (light contact on the reins and legs/seat urging forward) until the horse takes that one step forward again, at which time I immediately release all pressure and ride on like nothing happened. The horse eventually learns that the only way to release the pressure is to go forward, and usually by the end of 1 month the backing up behavior is completely gone. But that first week can be pretty ugly. I remember one mare that ran backwards into walls for about 30 mintues straight! But she turned out to be very kid-safe once she figured it out, and her 16 yo owner was very pleased after 2 months of training. It’s the old "make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard" school of horse training. Or as my old trainer used to say, "lightly brace against them and wait for them to make the right decision."
But with your problem out on the trail, I don’t know what to suggest. Since your horse is well behaved in the arena, you can’t practice it there. And when you are in a dangerous unenclosed area, you can’t just let him back up until he figures out he’s not going to get what he wants that way. I honestly wouldn’t know what to suggest. I’ll star this and hope somebody with more trail experience answers for you. Oh, and definitely stop getting off when he does this because that is actually rewarding this misbehavior in your horse’s eyes. Well, on second thought, since you are only doing this when you are in danger (like around traffic) I don’t suppose you have any choice.
I used to have a horse that did this. What worked for me was when he wanted to back up I made him go forward a couple steps and then make him back up and back up and back up until he decided to stop then I made a tight circle and then he just walked on. It took time but it stopped eventually.
I had this problem with my gelding when I started working with him!
It IS fixable!
This is what I did :
When he backed up, or refused to go forward, I would put myself back in control.
e.g. When he backed up, I would MAKE him back up, until I decided he was completely under my control again. Only then would I let him stop, and then ask for the forward step again.
e.g.2 When he stopped, and refused to go forward, I would let him stand until he got bored. When he tried to move forward or to the side, I would make him stay COMPLETELY still until (again) he was listening to me and under my control.
I also had arena problems – he would freak out whenever he went into the arena. I fixed this by lunging him for about 10 minutes in the arena before hopping on. This got him focused, and ready to work.
This is a problem that is going to take a lot of patience and motivation to fix, but it IS possible. My boy is now the perfect gentleman by himself.
I wish you good luck, DON’T GIVE UP!
I would do the same thing with this horse that I would do with any buddy or barn sour horse. I would do some serious work at the barn or in the lot, etc., and then take him out on the trail.
Since this is described as pretty dangerous to do schooling saddled, I would lead him with a 12 to 14 ft lead and a rope halter. Leaving him saddled is fine. I just wouldn’t ride at first for your safety.
The second he hesitates and tries to NOT follow your feel forward, work, work, work. The lead keeps you in the grass. Mini circles, hip disengagements, quick work. Then move forward.
Repeat as necessary. He sounds like he will catch on fast. If he gets quicker going back to the barn, mount up and do serpentines, figure 8s, and work up a little breath and sweat. Dismount, and walk quietly back out on the grass. Stand and relax. That will be the relief. Two or three days of this and he will not be interested in backing up to that barn. Then do it in increments mounted until you have the same response you had on the ground. You are teaching him that the quiet.pleasant place to be is out with you. His former method of getting back to the barn results in some serious work. Walking out with you results in relief.
Make those trail rides enjoyable. Stop along the way. Stand and look at things. Dismount somewhere and let him eat grass if possible.
I have one like this and it took alot of work to get him under control but you can change it with lots of time and persistance. He sounds barn and buddy sour. mine was the sameway. I firmly believe in round pen training for behavioral horses. for example if I saddled up either close or by the barn and tried to mount mine he would try crow hopping and raring because this behavior was acceptable by his previous owner. I would immediatley get off because I didnt want to get hurt and lead him to the round pen and run him until he followed instruction without attitude. then I would lead him back to the same problem area and repeat mounting and if he started to back up or do anything I hadnt commanded I would run him again in the round pen. this has worked wonders for me mine stopped raring, and bolting when trying to mount because of doing this. and then once I felt confident with his behavior we would go places. its not worth them having disciplinary issues and getting you and your horse hurt.
The key to this is making sure your horse is not the leader in the situation. You need to be the one in charge and every time he does what he wants, he is seeing himself more and more in the leadership role.
If he backs up, make his choice very unpleasant for him. Back him up. And keep backing him up. Again, this is something I would be working on very hard in an arena or round pen where it is safer to do so.
I would work him on the ground and in the arena before taking him out on the trails until this matter is resolved. It’s a respect issue and clearly he is testing you.
I have had more Morgans come to me to fix for downright
than any other breed.
I would hope that you could get a very good agressive rider on him for a couple days that would whip his hinder hard at his first sign of refusing and let him know that is not permitted. and then you follow up and do the same and never let him do it with you.
If you permit him to do it, he will start to rear when you try a few times and fail. and that is not good.