The Problem:
I own a six year old gelding that I have had for three years. When I bought this horse he had been underfed, abused, attacked by a stud and was a cripple.
He was barely green broke so as soon as he become sound I began riding him, usually letting him follow along beside his pasture mate. The problem is now that whenever this horse looses sight of his buddy he starts nickering. If his friend doesn't return he becomes nervous and tries to turn back .
I've tried correcting him by scolding, using a bat, switch, spurs and a rope. Nothing seems to do any good. Riding is getting to be a chore rather than fun! A solution to this problem would be greatly appreciated.
Sarah B., Fayetteville, NC
Horses have memories like the proverbial elephant. Sometimes this can be a good thing; other times a curse. Favorable experiences with the memory retention of horses are always good stories. One of our most notable involved a little black mare. Broke at two and returned to her owner, she became quite a little handful at a local riding stable. At the age of six they called and wanted to know if we were interested in buying the little bucking, running off wench. We did and took her immediately back to the breaking pen. There she began to free lounge like her old self - sliding, turning, and doing 180 degree spins. Then we mounted her without a saddle and bridle (that was the way she was broke) and she rode like she'd never left. We owned this mare about six years and she never reverted to her old tricks.
Unfortunately, a horse's recall is also as good for information that we would just as soon it forgot. Their memory certainly complicates the weaning process. To wean a foal off of his mama's milk the separation must be at least long enough for the mare to dry up - about six to eight weeks. Allowing a foal to return to run with its dam before this time can bring the mare back into milk production. It has been our experience that mares never really forget their foals even after lengthy separations.
What does all this have to do with Sarah's gelding? Horses also tend to bond with herd groups. Even after long separations, they will recognize former herd members. How long it takes for this herd bonding to occur and how strong it becomes is related to the disposition of the individual.
Each horse has individual social needs. This is based in part on gender, in part on inheritance and in part on the environment to which the horse has been exposed.
In the case of our lonesome gelding it appears that his need for companionship is very strong, particularly for his pasture buddy. The quickest solution is for Sarah to swing up into the saddle and take control of the gelding. Accomplishing this would thrust Sarah into the role of the dominant herdmate - a being from which the gelding could gain a sense of companionship and the security of being told what to do. From Sarah's letter it sounds like she tried this approach but couldn't get it done.
Our next suggestion begins with the manipulation of her horse's environment. Placing the gelding in isolation (for example in a stall) will open up the opportunity for Sarah to step into her horse's herd. In this situation, the gelding is going to be very receptive to any sort of companionship.
Sarah can now begin to build her horse's trust and develop his reliance upon her. To start Sarah needs to have a very clear cut image of exactly how the gelding should behave. For example, perhaps he should back away when she enters the stall to feed, and approach when she comes to halter him. Maybe she should demand that he stand still while being groomed and saddled. While these points of manners are important to us, the one thing that Sarah must require is that her gelding never nicker or call to another horse in her presence.
Any breech of etiquette should unleash an appropriate reprisal. Learning these manners the gelding will begin to develop a sense of security from his relationship with Sarah. This foundation must be strong to carry over as training moves out of the stall and into more active training areas.
The next step is to work the gelding on the ground (lounging). This will continue to build the horse/human relationship with Sarah as the herd boss. Again, the rules of behavior should be clear and include
NO TALKING TO OTHER HORSES WHEN I DEMAND YOUR ATTENTION.
Once Sarah has assumed control over the gelding during ground work it is time to mount and ride. The lessons should begin in the schooling pens where it will be easier to discipline the gelding should he "remember" some of his former negative behaviors. None of them should be tolerated.
Moving from the riding arenas to the trail is the next step. Mastery of her horse in each of the previous environments should make this transition easy. However, realizing that Sarah is not a professional horse trainer it is possible that her gelding might do something that Sarah would not be able to control. Should this occur, our suggestion is to return to the previous training level and deal with the problem in a more controlled environment.
Perseverance and a solid plan go a long way in training horses. Sarah can win this war by winning every battle. Any victory that is threatened should be moved to a more advantage spot.
Time and commitment should finally bring Sarah to final test: to ride her well disciplined gelding in the presence of his former beloved pasture mate. Should his nickering behavior return, we have one finally suggestion. Every time the horse nickers, immediately turn and ride him away from his herdmate. This should teach the horse that nickering produces the wrong reaction. It takes him away from his companion. We’d like to hear how these suggestions work . Problem solving techniques must be suitable to the rider’s level of expertise. Finding solutions that can work for novice riders is a difficult quest. We would appreciate hearing how these techniques work for you.
Copyright © 1994. Dr. Jim and Lynda McCall
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