Sigh..... as always, I continue to struggle with Tori and our difficulties in becoming a team. Before I even got last week’s column finished, I went out to ride her midweek and we had a disaster on our hands. She was spooky and silly, and instead of reminding myself that I was to just *hold her hand* as Kevin suggested, I started to get frustrated and angry. After less than five minutes, I gave up and got off - by then she was already nervous and understandably very upset by my abruptness.

Somehow, some way, I need to defuse those situations before they ever start, or recognize them before they even get that far. I was pleased with myself that I didn’t continue riding her, but I still feel I let Tori down by not recognizing it sooner and just not pushing the issue at all.

I did determine two of the possible causes for the change in her attitude from the start. One was that the arena was exceptionally busy - I still haven’t decided whether it makes her more nervous or me more nervous to being with, or maybe it’s both of us and we then proceed to feed off each other. In any case, a busy arena doesn’t seem to work well for us at this point.

The other cause is the attitude with which I approach tacking her up. As is usual for a weeknight, I was in somewhat of a hurry to get her under saddle. Instead of giving her a full grooming, a nice scratch, and some time well spent in just being friends, I hurriedly brushed the saddle area, tacked her up, and headed out into the arena. The rushing may be part of what caused her mental discomfort from the start, and then I added to it but not being quiet when she showed her concerns.

Photo credit: Chris Hassell

On the weekend I rode again, but I decided - ahead of time - that I was not in any sort of hurry to catch a specific ferry. We had a super ride, with lots of time for scratches, rubs and carrots, and we both seemed to thoroughly enjoy ourselves. I even had time to let her roll in the arena, and I fed her some treats when she followed me around the arena while I did some raking. I even managed to fit in a complete brushdown after we were done. She remained totally relaxed the whole time - and so did I!

On the way home I decided that I will no longer give a definite time to be returned home by. I just end up pushing too hard, too fast, and both Tori and I pay for it. If I get to the arena and feel stressed at all, rather than riding and creating more problems, I’ll just spend time brushing her, maybe hand walk her in the arena (she is pretty high when lunging too, so that doesn’t usually work well), and feed her some treats - just spend some quality time as it were. This way I won’t create more problems and I will increase her confidence in me!

Now that I have realized that her key issue is not being hot, but being afraid, I can build the tools I need to help her along. Consistency, fair handling, and gentleness will all combine to increase Tori’s confidence. Her lack of confidence shows in virtually everything she does, from being under saddle, to loading in the trailer, to walking through a stall door. It’s up to me to handle her consistently and fairly in order to increase her confidence.

‘Til next week,
~ Kristi :)

(Kristi has updated the 2003 Events List)

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Over time, if you are walking down your horse, you’ll come to notice when you get to the point that makes your horse run. Many horses get very good at realizing when you might have them cornered and they will bolt out before you get them caught. If your horse is likely to do this, be careful! Many times horses will come right over top of you in an effort to escape. Instead, try using a treat to entice their head slowly out of the corner towards you.

Another bad habit is the horse that pulls away just as you go to put the rope around his neck or the halter on his head. One gelding I had was so bad for this that he’d usually push off hard - from on top of my toes - as he left the vicinity at a high rate of speed. Ouch!

In addition to the advance and retreat methods, with a horse like this you can also turn to the roundpen. Round penning, properly done, is far beyond the scope of this column, and would take weeks to present. However, there are many good books and videos (such as the John Lyons ones) that are very helpful. I personally found that the video taught me far more about reading body language than a book ever could.

By using a round pen, you eliminate the opportunity for the horse to stick his head in the corner and defend himself with his hindquarters. You also give him a safe space in which to move him back and forth in the direction of your choice.

At first, you can not control the speed, by by controlling the direction, you can eventually gain some influence over the horse’s mind. I like how John Lyons explained in the video set I have that each time you change direction, there is a stop as the horse stops going one way and starts going the other way. Eventually you can build on that stop, and you can also teach the horse to come towards you instead of turning away. Soon the horse will be linked up with you and wanting to be with you rather than out on the rail where he has to work.

Every retraining project takes time and patience, and you have to have lots in order to be successful. If you get in a hurry, you can often undo the previous work you have put into the horse, so don’t lose hope or patience!

The retraining a spoiled horse series will continue next week with the horse that is cranky or pushy when being fed.

If you have comments or suggestions along the way, please share with me at kristi@hiway16.com

Welcome to Andy and Deanna Reimer from Reimer Ranch, near sunny Vanderhoof.

We're pleased to have them as sponsors of Northern BC Horse and as a new listing on the Stallion Page.

The more breeders and businesses who join as sponsors, the more we can offer on the Northern BC Horse website. It all costs money and time.

The more free services we offer, the more viewers we attract. ....More viewers mean more exposure for those businesses who choose to join as sponsors.

Works nicely...eh?

Of course, we have to be enthusiastic about equine sports. And convinced that there is no substitute for that special bond between a person and a horse, especially for our children.

Kristi's second column will return next week.

Northern BC Horse is sponsored by local businesses who support equine sports in our area including:

• Baerental Ranch
• Burns Lake Building Supplies
• Hoskins Ford
• Northern Horse Supply
• Reimer Ranch
• Ridennoure Paint Horses
• The Tack Store

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