I have been working with a Shetland-cross filly rescued from auction for about 2.5 years and while she has made progress in most areas, I can not get her to lunge. She loves to play “follow the leader” and will not separate from me. I have tried having others work with her but she just does the same thing. When I try to move her out of my space, she tries to bite and kick along with rearing up. I do not have access to a round pen, and I need this to stop. She is now 3 almost 4 years old and this behavior is unacceptable. This is her only big problem, and it seems to be something I just can’t fix without some advice. What would you do in my situation? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!
ALL horses will lunge…she just doesn’t understand the concept…yet. I start out with a newbie on a lungeline, but with my left hand maybe 2-3 (or less) from the horse’s halter and a lunge whip in my right hand. I make the horse move around me by tapping the rump and offering a leading hand with my left hand. A step or two is rewarded with verbal praise. Refusal to move is met with a tap on the butt escalating until the horse moves forward and around me. The more forward the horse moves, the more line I give out. Two or three circles is rewarded with a pat on the neck…then repeat until the forward reaction is immediate. I then reverse and repeat. Two or three repetitions and I quit for THAT day. It may be slow going in the beginning, but once she understands the drill it will stay in her mind. Good luck.
Why do you need her to longe?
It’s cheap enough to pick up round pen panels, especially if you’re longeing a wee pony who doesn’t need 60’. If it’s really that important to you, I would do that, or send her off to a trainer to have this specific skill installed. If it’s been 2 1/2 years and you’ve not been able to break this nut–and have presumably tried lots of different ways to approach the issue–I’d say it’s just not going to happen without a real change in venue (round pen) or total approach (trainer.)
This sounds like the horse has your number. I think you would be ahead if you spent some money on a couple sessions with a good trainer.
I agree to all the above! You need someone to teach you how to be a better trainer… The first horse you train is always the hardest! Do it right the first time, and take your time (can’t stress that enough). It’s harder to retrain the horse than it is to do it right the first time. 
I wonder if she has become a bit of a pet. Sometimes I find owners are afraid to “be mean” and so end up giving the horse mixed signals rather than being really clear and focused on what they want. This can lead to the dangerous behaviours your horse is doing to show her frustration. These same owners worry that by sending the horse away from them when they want to be close will be seen by the horse as punishment for wanting to be friendly.
If this is the case with you, then I agree that having someone else help you can really be the best thing…it’s just sometimes easier to let someone else be the tough guy when it is your horse, particularly when it is a rescue.
Alternatively, have you every tried ground driving? You can use a side pull if your horse isn’t bit ready. Might be a good next step instead of lunging.
Start with leading. The horse should walk before you walk with just a single click from you. Halt when you say halt and go back when you say back and put your thumb on their chest. (Always two signals for back)
Then you need someone who knows how to lunge otherwise the horse will lunge you.
You click. Horse walks before you walk, you step back and you are in the lunging position with horse already going forward.
A second rein through the stirrup and round the rump helps to keep them out. Through the stirrup on this side and you can drive as well. The horse must accept ropes around them of course and the lunge whip, before trying.
That she feels that it’s well within her rights to bite and kick at you is the problem I would start with (the longeing is secondary). It indicates that she’s missing some important foundation blocks in her training. I can 100% guarantee she’s exhibiting other, perhaps less dramatic behaviors when being handled that indicate hierarchy issues. And probably she does not have a clear understanding of your cues (usually because they’re not used and enforced consistently). Fix these and the longe question gets a lot easier.
Unfortunately, to learn how to see something that you’re not currently seeing will take another set of eyes on you, to point it out. Not something you can get over the internet. Can you find a good trainer and just do like one session a month with them?
[QUOTE=JD1998;7887110]
I have been working with a Shetland-cross filly rescued from auction for about 2.5 years and while she has made progress in most areas, I can not get her to lunge. She loves to play “follow the leader” and will not separate from me. I have tried having others work with her but she just does the same thing. When I try to move her out of my space, she tries to bite and kick along with rearing up. I do not have access to a round pen, and I need this to stop. She is now 3 almost 4 years old and this behavior is unacceptable. This is her only big problem, and it seems to be something I just can’t fix without some advice. What would you do in my situation? Any advice is appreciated, thanks![/QUOTE]
What kind of progress and in which areas?
You need a real trainer. Not ‘‘others’’.
Besides the trainer, don’t take this the wrong way, but stop referring to the pony as a ‘rescue’. It was over 2 years ago. I have a suspicion that is coloring how you handle the pony. If you get over it & treat her like any other horse, her behavior will probably improve.
Good point. Don’t let yourself succomb to any excuses whatsoever about her past being a reason to explain unwanted behavior. Any horse that you obtain at 6mos old is a blank slate. You trained her to be this way, so you’re going to have to change your approach to training, hopefully with expert help. Only reason I emphasize this is that your OP is focused on what she’s doing, what her problem is. So definitely adjust your thinking to be about what you’re doing.
If the pony is still not lunging after 2 years I agree it’s time to get some professional assistance - especially if her protests include kicking and rearing. She needs to learn respect on the ground first.
You need to go get after her, especially if she’s biting and kicking! I’ve seen some trainers literally go and chase them away from their space, usually a cakewalk after that. Just like a horse will chase after a new/irritating horse, go after them half force for a couple yards and then back off. But since you’re a person and have spoiled this little horse, you’ll have to put all your energy and force into the mock charge to her moving out and away from you.
I have a mini rescue who rathers to live next to me than anything else. But we do chasing games, tag, etc and she was fairly easy to teach how to lunge after that. She respects my space and never gets too close during games. Usually the others join in and then I back off and just watch.
Please don’t suddenly start playing chase/tag with your horse…Most likely, it won’t end well. I have a feeling that she would plow through you, since she won’t even move away from you to lunge.
Or get a professional trainer.
Day after OP from a 1 time poster? And not back?
[QUOTE=JD1998;7887110]
I have been working with a Shetland-cross filly rescued from auction for about 2.5 years and while she has made progress in most areas, I can not get her to lunge. She loves to play “follow the leader” and will not separate from me. I have tried having others work with her but she just does the same thing. When I try to move her out of my space, she tries to bite and kick along with rearing up. I do not have access to a round pen, and I need this to stop. She is now 3 almost 4 years old and this behavior is unacceptable. This is her only big problem, and it seems to be something I just can’t fix without some advice. What would you do in my situation? Any advice is appreciated, thanks![/QUOTE]
You turned her into a big pet and she has no respect for you. Seriously you don’t get after her for biting and kicking when you try to move her out of your space? What a dangerous habit for her to have. The very first thing I do with a horse is make sure that the horse learns to respect my space and get out of my space when I ask. And I remind every horse of this every day as they are routinely handled. You need help from an experienced, humane professional trainer.
Every horse can be taught to work on the longe. The issue here is the way it’s being taught.
If the horse has come the point there it bites and rears when commanded to do something it doesn’t want to do then the OP likely needs some professional help. The best help would be the OP learning to correctly longe a horse and then getting some “coaching” in working this this horse.
G.
I had a trainer once tell me “Choose your battles. Don’t start something you can’t win or don’t think you can win.” Now I don’t think of working with horses in terms of being a battle (usually!) but the concept is sound. If you start something then make sure you can finish it on your terms one way or another.
Another good way to think of it is “This will profit you. This will profit you not.” Correct behaviour is rewarded while incorrect is not. Sometimes the ‘not’ is to just keep doing what you’re doing until the horse gives at least an inkling of guessing the correct answer. Sometimes the ‘not’ is a strong, hard, fast, and quick response which is what a more alpha horse would do in a herd.
Never ever let anger drive you. Even if you are, stay calm, deal with the situation rationally, then walk away and regather yourself if you need to.
There’s been a lot of good advice in this thread so I won’t repeat it.
OP, There’s always going to be a “Top Horse” and right now, you’re not it, and haven’t been for quite some time.
Get thee to a pro.
