[QUOTE=Guilherme;6163549]
OK.
But if the horse wants to go the front, misbehaves, and you take it to the front why does that not reward the misbehavior?
G.[/QUOTE]
Wants to go to front- run to front (what is meant is run up and around the front) and back to the end of the line. The idea is the horse ends up where he started and also eventually the horse should get tired of running and prefer to walk nicely in the back.
I would never let my horse run to the front. Bad idea.
Tired? I ride an OTTB. He’s never tired :D. I once galloped my horse 12 times around a large field figuring that he’d get tired and then would be grateful that we were stopping. Guess what? I was tired. He could have gone around a few more times.
Maybe with another breed.
[QUOTE=Mukluk;6163807]
Wants to go to front- run to front (what is meant is run up and around the front) and back to the end of the line. The idea is the horse ends up where he started and also eventually the horse should get tired of running and prefer to walk nicely in the back.[/QUOTE]
The “training logic” of this is unsound. If the horse acts up to get to the front of the pack then getting there rewards the behavior. Moving to the back again does not have any relevance, because once the desire has been satisfied that ends the question in the horse’s mind. If you move back in the pack and do it again you just re-inforce the idea that “misbehavior gets results.”
G.
[QUOTE=Bogie;6164007]
I would never let my horse run to the front. Bad idea.
Tired? I ride an OTTB. He’s never tired :D. I once galloped my horse 12 times around a large field figuring that he’d get tired and then would be grateful that we were stopping. Guess what? I was tired. He could have gone around a few more times.
Maybe with another breed.[/QUOTE]
My Jet is the same way - you can’t work her as “punishment” and offer rest as a reward. After we’ve ridden all day, she’ll bypass the trailer and keep going if I give her her head.
[QUOTE=Bogie;6164007]
I would never let my horse run to the front. Bad idea.
Tired? I ride an OTTB. He’s never tired :D. I once galloped my horse 12 times around a large field figuring that he’d get tired and then would be grateful that we were stopping. Guess what? I was tired. He could have gone around a few more times.
Maybe with another breed.[/QUOTE]
And the other breed definitely isn’t an Arab or Morab either. I get tired before they ever do.
Mine prefers the front most of the time as well. But so do several other horses we usually ride with, so someone’s gotta give. If mine is being a dink about it, and most of the time this happens at the beginning of a ride, then we get to be dead last so nobody behind us has to put up with his nonsense.
I try to switch it up throughout a ride, unless we are with really slow horses. Then I get annoyed, so I can’t expect him to mince along behind them. We ride with all kinds of horses and in different size groups, on varying trails, so sometimes the horses can double up or more, sometimes there are large gaps between groups of horses, sometimes it’s single file.
I would try the leapfrog where the front horse moves to the back. I also agree with others that running to the front could be a bad idea.
Well it could be that running to the front is a bad idea. Just something I heard of. I also have an OTTB and probably wouldn’t try that with her. To her running is a reward. And she seems to never get tired though if you did this all day, she might. When she gets antsy in the back I make her do various forms of work like side passing etc. My girl is a firm believer in the “no horsie left behind” act.
Another approach is to get a couple of folks with dead broke, quiet horses, to ride alongside the more excitable horse. Put one on each side, if trail width permits (if you’re going to do this, be sure to pick a trail that permit it 
). If you can arrange it, get folks with quiet horses to surround it if there space to do so. Then ride at a walk. Let the “calmness” of the broke horses seep into the brain of the “excitable one.” This does take some time, effort, and few friends willing to help out. It works quite well.
G.
Play leap frog, staying in the back a little longer each time. My boy is a wuss to lead so I do this to get him to go in front for a bit.
OK I am NOT a CA fan, but I did see something on one of his shows that worked for my lead-bound pony.
Have the other riders walk with at least 3 horse lengths between them. Trot and work your horse in and out of the others (it works fine even if there’s one horse), circling around, making figure 8’s in and out of the other horses (then turn around and go back at them). You can canter in and out too if the trail is big enough. When you get to the front, turn around and weave back. Keep this up as long as you need to until horse seems like they want to quit and walk. BUT - only let them walk and relax at the end of the line, behind the other horses. If the horse starts to get feisty again, immediately work the horse in and out of the other horses, weaving in and out, rinse, repeat, etc. The key is that the only “rest” place is in the back. Eventually, this is where your horse will learn to want to be.
Take this method or leave it, but it did work for my pony that would haul me to the front (who is now very happy to walk in the back, since he knows that’s the only place he gets to rest). It does take some time and quite a few repetitions.
I call it dancing with the sage brush. If they don’t behave where I put them in the line, They get to dance circle around what brush is along side the trail. soon they realize that it is easier to just walk in line than to have to work so hard with brush tangled up around their legs.
Just reach up and grab a rein and pull them around every time they get get jiggy and won’t behave in line. They will learn real fast.
I vote the CA idea. I was just going to pipe up and suggest that you ride last and trail far behind, take a few detours, let the horse stop and smell things on the trail if he will, nibble some tree leaves or weeds (just for now).
I started a young horse eons ago, trail riding with a neighbor lady out in a wilderness area near us. She used to spend every summer in WY as a cook for the big mountain rides out there. The third time we went out she awarded my horse a certificate she made up - that he had learned to relax and lag behind on the trail and that he sniffed all the trail markers. She saw it as an important stage of his learning. Huge spot when they don’t have to rush and keep up and they smell so they mentally mark how to get back.
On the trails the first and last horse are the herd protectors. The last horse has a very important role also. Likewise insecure horses need to be in the middle and benefit from the natural herd order.
I also use the one rein sharp circling to relax their feet. Keep a strong rein and turn then in and then immediately relax the rein the minute their feet stop. Repeat, repeat as necessary until the feet connect with their brain! Teach them to relax themselves and how to find their happy place. And that you ain’t puttin up with it!! I calmed a jigger this way and we’ve restarted a number of OTTBs, all horses that you can’t wear them out, it only makes it worse. The jigger was a POA and he had more energy than any horse I’ve ever owned!! He could jig a 6 hr trail and come in fresh as a daisy and ready for more. It was like riding a vibrator 
Do let us know what discovery/what ends up working for your horse.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
