Trail Riding issues

[Mtn_trails]

I do a lot of trail riding and am usually out every weekend weather permitting all year long. My two horses are an 8 year old mustang mare and a 26 year old quarter horse cross. Here’s the issue:

The mustang I’ve had for 7 of her 8 years and broke her to trail myself and did a pretty good job if I must say so myself. She has a good fast walk, goes in the lead, ties great, crosses everything I present her with, has great endurance, and is surefooted. However, when riding with a group, small or large, she loses her sh!t when first starting out. She jigs, goes sideways, bucks (not enough to get me off, but still), basically throws a tantrum. After the first 1/2 mile, she’s great. Steps out happy as a clam and trucks right along. She’s done this for years and it’s tiring having this battle at the start of every ride.

Lunging beforehand is not always feasible as there is usually not enough room at the trail head. She’s been checked for back pain and has a standing appointment for acupressure which has helped alleviate any pain but this issue continues whether or not. Little twit. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Beverley]

Hmmm. Twit, indeed. Info question- when you first get on, just hanging out at the trailhead while others get organized or just chit chatting as a group- how is she then? More tense while just standing still, starting to do get antsy and twittery things before you actually ‘start’ the ride? Or does she wait for the group to start moving before she gets playful? And does it make a difference ‘where’ in the group she is when first moving off?

And- how is she in an arena with a group? I ask because where I’ve had twits to work with and they did stuff in the arena as well (even as minor as pinning ears), I’ve had some luck getting a few cooperative folks in the arena with me so that when stuff happens I can then and there work a bit of the snot out of one and achieve adjustment of attitude (along the lines of making the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult, or at least more work). Sometimes with young horses, just for exposure/mileage, I’'ll take them to casual schooling shows for just that reason- they have to ‘behave’ in a group of strange horses and one has more opportunities to nip some things in the bud. In a schooling show setting where you don’t care about placings, there are good opportunities to swiftly and sternly correct your horse, without upsetting what others in the arena might be trying to achieve with their horses.

[cowboymom]

Can you get your group to play along a few times and as you take off and she goes into her act everyone stops and stands there? Group effort on “it’s really not that much fun and every time you freak out, we’re going to stand here for a moment”? Can you start with everyone and then double back with someone else and just tie her to the trailer for a while again? Go sit at the trail head and start out with groups and then go back to the trailer and sit there? :lol: I’m thinking that if you can break up that “ready set go” she might come off the habit. I can understand how she feels though, we all feel a bit like that too!

[The_Equestrian_Vagab]

Yes, like cowboymom said… or can you first ride off by yourself for a little loop first? or would that make her worse.

[candysgirl]

I’d gather some friends and go for training trail rides as often as possible. Make sure everyone who goes is on board with this being a training exercise and not just a fun ride.

Get on and go. When she starts her temper tantrums, have everyone stop and work the ever living snot out of her on the trail. Do small figures if you can. Make her trot or canter very collected. Do something that is physically difficult for her as well as mentally engaging. Do this for a couple minutes, return to the group and attempt to proceed down the trail.

If she is calm, carry on, business as usual. In all likelihood she will have another tantrum. Again, have them all stop and work the snot out of her again.

Basically make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard.

Also, play the leap frog game with your friends. Have the mare go in front, middle and last. I don’t EVER want my horse to be the one that has to be in X position or he acts up. He’s allowed to have preferences, but he does sometimes have to be elsewhere if someone else is on a horse who has to be somewhere specific (i.e. if I take new riders out, I want them sandwiched between experienced riders at the front and rear). He loves being last in line, doesn’t mind the middle and would rather not be in front, though he’ll do it when asked.

[Huntertwo]

Whenever my POA gets goofy, which is rare (Knock on wood :)) I immediately, yet calmly, make her side-pass about 5 steps or so. Since she is small, it can be done on narrow trails. If your guy is a Mustang, perhaps he is on the smaller side also?

I do this every time she breaks gait without me asking, spooks, etc. Honestly, it took her one trail ride to figure out it was easier to behave than all the work of moving all those little hooves…lol

I carry a crop on trails, which makes it easier to cue her into a side-pass.

Again, it has to be done immediately, and with kindness. I actually praise her when she is done side-passing.

I find doing circles just further upsets the situation and gets all the horses riled up as well.

[kasjordan]

If you are able to limit/add the number of riders when you go out… I’d start off with just one other horse…do the normal things, lead, follow, take an extra turn without the other horse etc towards the beginning of the ride (her pressure time)…when she accepts anything that goes on that way…add one more horse…repeat…don’t add any more to your group until horse is comfortable. it could take quite awhile. Maybe after there are two other horses, see if you can get someone to meet you half way thru the ride and add another two etc… Are you riding her with a buddy she knows? Sometimes all it takes is parking her nose on his butt to make her more confident.

[rmh_rider]

What kasjordan says.^^^

I would start out on foot and walk her until her bats fly back into her belfry.

When I have one like this they have to be in the back of the pack until they are ok with things. That way they do not get their wild on and perhaps hurt somebody else. Teaches them they have to be patient.

[SaddleUp158]

Have any of you noticed that horses who have to be in front are typically more alpha in their herds? The reason I ask is, we have two like the mare described above and they are definitely at the top of the hierarchy, while the steady calm ones are the ones lower in status and have no desire to move up in the pecking order.

[ladymcts]

Some great advice here already! A trick I’ve used with my gelding when he gets jiggy is to ask for lateral work. Assuming the trail is more than 1 horse wide, I’ll cue him the same as I would if I were asking for a sidepass. When he’s all the way to one side of the trail or off it completely (I know, park rangers hate it when we go off trail but it’s with a purpose), i switch to asking for the other side of the trail, all the while still moving forward with the group. I guess it engages his brain enough that he’s like, what the heck do you want, lady? and gives up on whatever else was bothering him …