This harks back to the post about being ‘present’ with your horse, every second. Or - so help me - he will know when your mind is wandering and you are being a passenger.
I’m a fan of the “make them work” method. My mare isn’t great to trail ride alone. On the way home, she wants to trot, jig etc. etc. Every time she does, she gets turned back around and has to “work”-trot away from home, leg yield, collect, shoulder in etc. Then we turn back toward home again. On the days she’s not behaving, it only takes once or maybe twice before she remembers to walk quietly back.
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Wow, great thread and helpful advice!
I would only add (as I have a horse who can certainliy be piggy) that I also do a lot of work with him at the END of the ride at the barn, so “BARN!” doesn’t mean “NO MORE WORK”. He knows that we will be doing some boring ring work when he gets back, so the “fun” part is the trail!
We also work a bit on the trail - leg yields back and forth, other little exercises - to keep his attention and, as cowboy mom said, because I want to have maximum control of his feet.
I also insist on riding home on the buckle and he knows that while he can walk right out he cannot break gait (no jigging, trotting, etc.).
And one more plug for groundwork. I need to do more of this right now, actually, as when I don’t do it for awhile my boy (and I) can forget. I got some terrific help with this last fall that made a huge difference in our trailriding!
Great suggestions here and I am going to try several of them!
Good to see you, lilitiger2!
you might want to check out Warwick Schiller on youtube. Especially the bolting warmblood or the rearing sport horse.
if you like what you see there, WS has a performance horse page on FB too
My horse reads this thread - my 10 y.o. experienced horse pulled just that today - spun because there was some trail work going on and it was new.
She surprized me, but I was quick enough to pull her all the way round so she was still facing the way we were going…then I had to keep her straight. I just waited her out and nudged her forward, game over. Brat.
I have not read this whole thread but would put a firm rider on this horse to immediately break the habit that is forming and then ride with someone who can coach you on how to prevent these occurrences in the first place. You should be able to anticipate them and stop them or at the very least, make it very unpleasant to continue. Very unpleasant.
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;7273564]
My horse reads this thread - my 10 y.o. experienced horse pulled just that today - spun because there was some trail work going on and it was new.
She surprized me, but I was quick enough to pull her all the way round so she was still facing the way we were going…then I had to keep her straight. I just waited her out and nudged her forward, game over. Brat.[/QUOTE]
Computer 101 - NEVER give your password to your horse…
… - but it is pretty easy to figure out as it has her name in it!! 
She’s just smart.
[QUOTE=trhlnancy;7271005]
By the way, there is a stern conversation with him after he does this…[/QUOTE]
Unless you speak horse he doesn’t understand what your saying and unless you get after him AS HE IS DOING IT he doesn’t know what he is doing wrong.
My first horse would occasionally do the spin and bolt number. When this happened I was always ready ( i could feel it was coming) and I continued to turn him and drive him forward so we ended up going in the direction we started. He always went " huh??" and eventually he stopped doing it.
I think at this point he needs more training than you can give him and that you both need help on this issue.
I have not read ALL the responses here, but from what I can gather, your horse is not “broke”. That is, he does not respond reliably to pressure, and he does not put your opinions over his own. He lets you sit on his back, he may go places if he feels like it, but he’s not “broke”. A “broke” horse has a beam of understanding between his brain and yours, where you know what each is thinking, and communication is seamless. If you don’t have that, he is not ready to be going trail riding.
He’s not a “pig”, he’s a horse, and he needs some training, even just to walk down the trail. Because if he doesn’t have that, he is free to do as he pleases, when he pleases, and it’s not his fault. He must trust and respect YOU, as his leader, as the person he listens to. He has to believe that what you tell him is true, and respond to your cues whether he feels like it, or wants to or not. He needs to respond to pressure, forward from leg pressure, yield to rein pressure, and he needs to do this consistently. If he is listening to you, and paying attention to you, he is NOT looking for things to spook at. If he finds himself being frightened of something, he needs to know what to do… listen to you in that situation, and believe you when you tell him that it’s OK. If he does not, he will spin and bolt, and you are not strong enough to stop that behaviour. Especially with a Belgian. A Belgian and other drafty types can be just as sensitive as any other horse, watch a 6 horse hitch perform to see this. Your cues do not have to be harsh, they should be light, as light as any other horse, and he CAN respond adequately. If he’s trained.
A whip is used to draw attention to some part of the horse’s body, usually where your leg is, because they are used to accentuate leg pressure. A spur is only used correctly on highly schooled horses, to make the cues more subtle. They are not for pounding on the sides of unschooled horses or trying to force horses to do things they are not ready or prepared to do. Remember, when training a horse, it is not the “pressure” that teaches, it is the release of pressure that is the point at which the horse learns something.
So get some lessons on basic training, cues and responses, goals of riding and training. When you get the relationship between you and your horse on track, then go trail riding, not before.
Good luck, and stay safe.
I’ve ridden a few spinners. I figure if they want to spin, well I’ll make them spin. Get that rein down and pull his head to your foot. Put that inside leg on and boot him around with your outside leg. Spin a few times and stop when front is pointing back the way you want to go. Let him relax. If he tries again, spin him a few more times. It quickly becomes NO FUN for them.
They gave me a damn spinner to ride in Hawaii. As soon as he picked up a canter, he tried to drop his shoulder and spin. We had a come to Jesus meeting. The cowboy rides up to me later and says, “Oh, you CAN ride.”
Holy…
I guess the idea was that the horse would dump me and they’d all have a good laugh at my expense.
Ride it like you mean it.
He’s a good looking horse and he looks very smart. When you get down here, or if you are already here, call Luis Guerrero, who is a wonderful, gentle, smart horse trainer! I’ve seen him in action, on other people’s horses, when there was no one else around. He’s got a magical touch with horse training. I recommend him to everyone. He’s not harsh or rough. I have his cell # in my truck, so I’ll give it to you. Luis is also very reasonable. (I buy my horses already made, but all my friends buy the green ones who intimidate them with little things, not major vices.)
Luis will solve any problem you are having.
ETA My friend Lucy bought a quarter horse that I recommended she buy. The horse did not spin and try to go back to the barn till months after Lucy bought her. so Lucy got Luis to work with her and her horse,a nd then Dymond became again a great little mare.
