trail horse no longer likes trails

[gymangel812]

in the past few weeks my horse who used to like going on trails has decided she doesn’t want to go. we’ve always been a bit slow leaving the barn but she is now refusing and turning around. it is a bit better with a horse leading us. by ourselves is pretty much a no go. she will just keep trying to turn around, back up, or refuse to move. i try to encourage her to move with my legs, tapping with the crop doesn’t matter. i try to reward any step forward she makes too and i’m sure i’m not accidentally pulling on her mouth. she is fine in the outdoor and indoor arena. i’ve tried getting off and leading her to a point (she acts just fine when leading) but when i try to get on and go, she just tries to go back home (not running). i don’t think there was any traumatic event and i’m the only one that rides her. she gets turned out right near the trails and has no problem then. i’ve tried going to different areas and entering the trails in different areas.

any suggestions?

[DunByMistake]

Based on what you have written, I get the impression you need to be a bit tougher with her. It sounds like this mare is pushing boundaries because she hasn’t felt any real consequences of misbehaving. The fact that she doesn’t sound like she’s anxious to be away from barn and isn’t try to run home tells me she is likely just trying to avoid work. When she starts to head home, what do you do? Do you make her head to trails or let her go to barn and get off?

You are going to have to make things more unpleasant for her when she disobeys. Don’t just encourage her with your legs - kick. Use a spur if necessary. Don’t just tap with the whip - give her a couple good smacks behind your leg. As soon as she walks forward, take the pressure off by being passive. If she stops walking, reapply your aids.

If you have a trainer or more experienced person at your barn, I would ask for help. If your mare has gotten away with this little trick before, she’s going to need a little reality check on who is the boss.

[csaper58]

I think hiring an experienced trainer would be a wise next step.

This behavior is often referred to as ‘barn sour’. Many horses exhibit this behavior. They vary in how determined and dangerous they will become in order to have their way.

[the_rook]

Agree with Dun. My mare was like this when I got her. She would pretend like she was going to rear, pin her ears, wring her tail, and basically act as mean as possible when I would ask her to leave the barn area. It was very intimidating (and annoying)!

I had to learn to remove my emotions from the situation and adopt the attitude that I had all day to deal with it (never give up, never surrender!). I would ask her to make circles in either direction when she would refuse to go forward to keep her feet moving and keep her “working”. I also would bring along the crop if she didn’t listen to my nice requests. But I wouldn’t suggest doing this unless you can ride out the possible response (angry pony) and then reward when she makes an effort.

I would also suggest picking a physical location and working on getting there (I chose the end of the barn driveway at first). And then when she has made some effort to walk forward for a bit, and you’ve made it to your “destination”, call it a day. Don’t try and go on a whole trail ride the first couple times you attempt to get through this behavior.

As the others have said, if she is getting too difficult for you to deal with it, employ someone with more experience to help you.

[Lisa_Preston]

Yeps. What The Rook said.

[Sticky_Situation]

As others have said, she isn’t scared of the trails … She just doesn’t want to leave her nice comfy barn where she gets to eat and hang out with her friends, and she has learned that if she puts up a fuss, she doesn’t have to.

Basically, she needs to be told in no uncertain terms that she must leave the barn, so that she learns that being a spoiled brat will only cause her to have to work harder, not get her put away in her cozy little barn to eat and nap with her friends. If you don’t feel comfortable, have a trainer or experienced friend ride her.

Also, with a horse like this I would avoid rides that involve turning her around and riding the same path back to the barn that you took on the way out … Try to make it a loop so she must keep making forward progress if she ever wants to make it back to her happy place at the barn

[snowrider]

This happened to my mare when she fell in love with her new neighbor. They could never be apart again. She actually pitched such a fit when I led her away from her love at one point that she fell down so it wasn’t something I wanted to ride through. This was a horse that I showed, evented and rode everywhere: freeway overpasses, next to the train tracks etc. She usually could care less about other horses. We moved them to opposite ends of the facility and after a day of pacing and squealing, her brain came back.

[LookmaNohands]

Check for back, foot or mouth soreness (teeth).

Then try a trainer.

[Foxglove]

You might try a rather simple solution that worked for me. WD-4D and I have access to 3000 acres of farmland out our back gate. We can ride there when the crops are not in. W is a clever fellow and figured out that if he doesn’t go through the gate, he doesn’t have to go on a long trail ride. He’d balk. My solution was to back him through the gate. At times he’d balk on the trail, too, clearly wanting to go home --FYI he was FINE going home, no matter how far out we were, the second the distance from home became LESS than the distance to home, he’d pick up the pace, and move right out. But up to that point, he was well, balky at times. When he refused to take a step forward, I’d turn him around and back him 5-10-15 -20 steps back. Then we’d go forward again. He did (does) figure out that going forward is EASIER than going backwards, so eventually he does go forward and gradually our problem resolved, although he will try it again now and then.

Before you try this, however, be SURE you have a nice smooth back up cue in place. W will back forever if asked, but he’d really rather go forward.

The only other solution I’ve seen is to pack a short (17’) lunge rope with you and put your halter under your bridle. If (when) horse decides to balk, immediately dismount and lunge in small circles at the trot, reversing directions often, for (by your watch) 10 min each way --horse should be pretty pooped and willing to listen by then. Again, horse has choice -go forward or go to work on the ground.

WD-4D is more likely to balk when he’s alone and it’s spring time. I can spur and whack all I want and he’ll just become more reactive, but put him to work backing (or lunging) and he’ll choose the path of least work --going forward.

Foxglove

[AshleyandAnnabel]

It sounds like she’s being barn sour; giving and attitude and refusing to go forward in order to not leave other horses or barn area. Can you think of any changes that may have occurred recently that would cause her to not want to leave the barn?

The only way to really solve it is to send her forward anyway you can. My mare used to do that on the trail at a particular barn I boarded at when I’d take her out to the regional park trails.

[roseymare]

I can’t believe we are to post ten and not one person has mentioned…
ulcers.

I agree sounds like the beginning of barn sourness.

[clanter]

… with no ideas as to where the op is …could there be a predator on the trails? Our horses who were used extensively on trails we learned to watch their take on conditions as their senses are keener than mine.

I had one mare who when being ridden on a loop trail kept attempting to turn toward the trailer as she thought I was lost, once she understood we would get back to the trailer and she would not have to walk home she was fine …but she was doing her job in protecting me

[rainpants]

@Foxglove;8674884

You might try a rather simple solution that worked for me. WD-4D and I have access to 3000 acres of farmland out our back gate. We can ride there when the crops are not in. W is a clever fellow and figured out that if he doesn’t go through the gate, he doesn’t have to go on a long trail ride. He’d balk. My solution was to back him through the gate. At times he’d balk on the trail, too, clearly wanting to go home --FYI he was FINE going home, no matter how far out we were, the second the distance from home became LESS than the distance to home, he’d pick up the pace, and move right out. But up to that point, he was well, balky at times. When he refused to take a step forward, I’d turn him around and back him 5-10-15 -20 steps back. Then we’d go forward again. He did (does) figure out that going forward is EASIER than going backwards, so eventually he does go forward and gradually our problem resolved, although he will try it again now and then.

This works great on some horses.

Tried it with my mare… she mare learned to run backwards at anything unsafe (wire fences, ditches, thorny bushes, etc) to get me to quit pushing her any direction. So YMMV on that tactic. (I’ve used it on other balky horses and it worked well though, depends on the horse!)

[Hermein]

Ha. Reminds me of my late mare, Hermein. When we left the paddock to go down the hills, we had to go in circles All The Way–probably about a hundred yards or so. We were both dizzy by the time we got down to the flat. Fine in the arena.

[gymangel812]

sorry didn’t have time to check in. i am wondering if there’s something out there now that she’s smelling. but can’t really tell the difference between this and not wanting to leave. there’s many other horses that go out on the trails and she gets turned out practically on the trails.

i tried to take her out again, with spurs and a crop, started in a location farther from the barn. it took a lot of coaxing to get her moving again. she kept wanting to stop and turn around but i tried to be firm. she acted like there was possibly something there. i had to get off once to lead her but got back on and did some trails near the barn (but she couldn’t see the barn). she was pretty “up” but i got her moving at least. i kept the trail ride short and tried to end on a good note.

nothing in her living situation has changed that could cause this that i know of.

[QUOTE=clanter;8675706]
… with no ideas as to where the op is …could there be a predator on the trails? Our horses who were used extensively on trails we learned to watch their take on conditions as their senses are keener than mine.

I had one mare who when being ridden on a loop trail kept attempting to turn toward the trailer as she thought I was lost, once she understood we would get back to the trailer and she would not have to walk home she was fine …but she was doing her job in protecting me[/QUOTE]

[gymangel812]

she doesn’t seem to have any other symptoms of ulcers and has no problem being ridden in the arena.

[QUOTE=roseymare;8675447]
I can’t believe we are to post ten and not one person has mentioned…
ulcers.

I agree sounds like the beginning of barn sourness.[/QUOTE]

[gymangel812]

[QUOTE=LookmaNohands;8674601]
Check for back, foot or mouth soreness (teeth).

Then try a trainer.[/QUOTE]
vet was just out about 2 weeks ago, she got a clean bill of health. teeth were done several months ago (she usually gets them done once per year).

i am working with a trainer but she is a dressage trainer.

[the_rook]

[QUOTE=gymangel812;8678059]
vet was just out about 2 weeks ago, she got a clean bill of health. teeth were done several months ago (she usually gets them done once per year).

i am working with a trainer but she is a dressage trainer.[/QUOTE]

What does trainer say about the behavior?

[Palm_Beach]

[QUOTE=gymangel812;8670403]
in the past few weeks my horse who used to like going on trails has decided she doesn’t want to go. we’ve always been a bit slow leaving the barn but she is now refusing and turning around. it is a bit better with a horse leading us. by ourselves is pretty much a no go. she will just keep trying to turn around, back up, or refuse to move. i try to encourage her to move with my legs, tapping with the crop doesn’t matter. i try to reward any step forward she makes too and i’m sure i’m not accidentally pulling on her mouth. she is fine in the outdoor and indoor arena. i’ve tried getting off and leading her to a point (she acts just fine when leading) but when i try to get on and go, she just tries to go back home (not running). i don’t think there was any traumatic event and i’m the only one that rides her. she gets turned out right near the trails and has no problem then. i’ve tried going to different areas and entering the trails in different areas.

any suggestions?[/QUOTE]

She is not listening to you. I’d go back to the arena, do a ton of ground work, focusing on Go Forward, and head back out when she is doing all of the ring work exercises correctly. You can’t have the horse picking and choosing what it feels like doing and what it does not feel like doing.

[tpup]

My first horse was a 20-something Appy. Quiet, bombproof but barn sour when I got him. I was timid back then…the barn manager used to laugh watching him turn around along the fenceline to the trails to head back to the barn. It was his version of a pirouette! This went on for weeks. He would also do mini-rears and I would get scared. A few things worked - I’d put him to work NEAR the barn. Trot circles around trees until he was sweating. Then walk off quietly toward trails. If he balked, rinse and repeat. Trot trot trot in circle…work him…and then he gets to walk quietly toward trails as a reward.

The final straw though came when my trainer told me to put on a western saddle, grab a crop and ride to the trails like I meant it. She said “Imagine your 4 year old son is in the woods and needs you - he’s alone. You have no car. You have to ride your horse there. Ride like you mean it and GO. As SOON as you feel him sucking back or slowing down, give strong leg aid and if he doesn’t respond, wack him on the butt with the crop.”

That helped! FINALLY…it is important to train through this issue several days in a row. End on a success. It’s not something you can fix by working on it once a week. Dedicate several days in a row to it and you should have it fixed in no time.