How do you stop a horse from bolting on the lunge?
Sounds like the horse has your friend buffaloed. Unless your friend wants to try to fix this, nothing we say will help. Its your friend that has caused these issues. She needs to push this horse forward, even in the bucks and rears. Even if it means pushing him forward with a whip. I personally would tie a bag on the whip to enhance my cues, but would not let a good smack be prevented if this horse was being disrespectful. She also needs to constantly control his gait and movements. Lots of transitions and turns. She needs to make the horse think and listen to her. I suggest she gets herself some good round pen videos , or better yet, an experienced trainer that can help her with these. Without her getting forceful, this horse is gonna just be a ruined pasture pet.
How can I stop my dogs from running whenever they see the front door open?
Like the other person said in their answer, training is the solution. I lived with a dog who would bolt out the front door any chance she got. It was dangerous and annoying. When she passed away, I made sure to train the new dog not to do that.There are several techniques. One is to make them sit before you leave. They’d obviously need to stay sitting long enough for you to get out the door. That requires some training and a release word (you really don’t want your dog deciding when it’s okay to get up again).Another technique I used was to put them on a long leash (so they forget it’s there) and tie it to something inside the house. You can do this while you’re teaching the “sit to let you leave” command. That way you won’t have to chase the dog throughout the neighborhood. It’s also helpful in that if they lunge for freedom, they will be jerked back suddenly. If you time it right, you can say “No!” as they go for the door and “Good dog!” when they are jerked back in. Giving praise or reward at the right time helps immensely.But mostly, you should take your dog to a training class. Most humane agencies have them for a low cost. They’re actually a lot of fun and it’s exciting to see your dog improve.
How can I get my dog to stop barking at people and other dogs?
It sounds like she has taken an alpha role where she thinks she is in charge. By ‘stressing out’ you are only feeding this assertion. When she barks in situations that aren't necessary for you to be notified about something you need to correct her, calmly and assertively. This is best by using your hand to gently ‘nip’ the neck area just as if you were a dog using your teeth. When dogs interact they correct each other based on position in the pack. You need to assert that you are in charge not him/her. Since it would be best to not ‘bite’ your dog with your teeth you should use the appendage thousands of years of genetics gave you which is your hand. It doesn't have to be hard. Just enough to get your dogs attention and break her train of thought whether it be the barking or any other numerous behaviors that may seem abnormal to you but are based on the centuries of interacting with humans as a companion.Keep in mind also that this is not a one and done kind of thing. This is something you have to do all the time because like children they require constant attention. So when you see something they are doing that you don't want them to do correct them, calmly and assertively.
My horse falls in on the circle during lunging. help?
First of all, good for you for helping this poor horse. It's terrible what people do to horses and they call it "training" when it's really abuse. Your instructor is right about pointing the whip at his shoulder (actually I point it at the middle of his barrel, but close enough) and asking him to move back out. My guess is that you are not doing it aggressively enough. You can't be half-hearted about it. It's not "please move out if you want to," it should be "get yourself back out there on the circle or this whip is going to whack you on the side!" When you ask the horse to move out, you have to get a response. The horse can't just ignore you. It seems like he listens to you 50% of the time and you let him get away with that. If he ignores your signal to move out, you have to immediately ask again more aggressively. Step towards him with INTENT so that he knows you mean business. It's Ok if he speeds up so long as he moves out. As far as the tail being held to the side, this indicates the need for a chiropractor. A regular vet will probably be of little help unless he or she has chiropractic training. A chiropractic problem is likely contributing to your horse's falling in on the circle in one direction. The side reins I prefer are leather and have the rubber donut in them. Leather is better than nylon because it will break in an emergency. The donut is better than elastic because it allows a small amount of give, but past a certain point there is no more give. Just like your hands should be when you ride. Your horse's movement causes your hands to gently follow, but if he tries to yank your hands forward he should feel like he's hit a brick wall. The elastic allows him to root and yank because it stretches too much.
For jumping phases of eventing: kimberwick or pelham?
I know everyone is going to tell you that a bit won't fix your problem, which essentially is true. With the proper training you should be able to ride in a snaffle. HOWEVER I have ridden with elite 'A' circuit hunter jumper trainers, and the reality of it is, is that sometimes you need a stronger bit. People are probably going to disagree with me and give me some flack, but it is true. Not all horses have the calm demeanor and laid back attitude that you can successfully ride them in a hackamore. Some horses get more excited than others and the truth is, that you need something a little extra. That being said, assuming you have the proper training and you truly are riding a horse that needs a little more umph, I would NOT go with a kimberwicke. Kimberwicks are for inexperienced riders who can not handle double reins, and show in 4-H. I don't like the way they work, and in the real world no one uses them except for maybe some trainers at a breed show or your local open show. Take a look at what people are using in the jumper ring.. see any kimberwickes... didn't think so. If i was you I would go with a slow-twist short shank pelham. Be sure not to use a converter, as the double rein is essential to the proper workings of the bit.
Rearing when inside the trailer?
We recently moved and have to trailer our horses to go to trails instead of them being right across the street like they were. My mare has only been in a trailer to move barns and I guess it's made her afraid of them. I've been working with her for the past month to get her into the trailer because, well, if we had an emergency she'd /have/ to go in reguardless. I've been doing the monty roberts method, bringing her up and backing her the second she refuses, I've tried turning her in circles and then walking and turning again if she refuses. I've tried standing in the trailer and applying a small amount of pressure and then releasing pressure when she came forward. Nothing really seemed to work. On a loose lead, she's /very/ nervous about the trailer. She prances in place, she whinnies, her head is always up. I try to walk her around it every day and slowly she's getting better. Currently, I'm feeding her inside it. She'll step up into it and then quickly run back out and look around. Yesterday she walked inside, with a 12 foot lead on and she reared up and injured her nose on the roof. I realize this is my fault, I should of had a head guard on her but it's just insane that she has this reaction! If you can get her inside the trailer, she constantly licks the metal and prances.She's even tried kicking her way out of one before. We've had her since she was two and she's always had this problem from what I've seen, it's just never been an issue till now which I realize is also my fault. I wish I would of worked on this when she was two but we only recently purchased our own trailer. Does anyone have any tips on how to make her more comfortable in the trailer? As of right now, we feed her inside it every night. She'll walk her front end in with /no/ fight and stretch out so her back legs hang out the back. She's /very/ nervous when she's inside it and if you move at all she'll run back out, some times rear up. I usually stand by her head and pet her neck and if I have someone with my, they'll pet her side or play with the doors. We've yet to try and close her in it even if she does go all the way in. Is this the right way to go or is there or methods we could try?
Controlling an unruly horse?
This horse needs new brakes installed. Your first job is to ride her at a walk only. Get her used to stopping exactly when you ask, and not getting excited and breaking gait. Remember to use your seat when asking her to stop--you should be able to easily get her to stop and halt without the use of your hands. When she is consistently walking calmly and stopping without the use of your hands, you may do the exact same thing at a trot. When she has mastered listening to you perfectly at a trot, try a canter. If she fails at any point in time with the gaits, go back to the previous gait and work with her on it. Remind her that she stops when you ask, and that you are the one to dictate which gait you will be doing. This may take a handful of weeks, but most horses are able to pick it up without too much of an issue. It won't take too long for the mare to realize that if she doesn't listen, she gets sent back to a boring gait. Remember to stay calm and make things clear for the horse--don't be inconsistent. Even letting her get away with something "just this once" can make for undoing quite a bit of training. And never ever let her run back to the barn. A nice calm walk is a good gait for heading back to the barn, plus it gives your horse the ability to cool down.
What to do when ex-racehorse bolts?
If he still has the exact mindset of a racehorse, tightening your reins is useless! If he takes off, the only way to stop in to pull him into a big circle, then gradually spiral tighter and tighter and tighter until he stop. Also, see how he responds if you just drop the reins, it sounds counter-intuitive, however, racehorses are trained to go faster if they have a tighter contact, not vice versa. In the long term, you need to work on your control. Begin just in walk and practice absolute control in walk and halt, with circles, serpentines, loops and backing up and turn on the forehand. Once you can do all this in walk, try it in trot, then in canter. You need to have control over your horse, and no matter how few the facilities you have access to are, for your safety, as well as the horses, you need to resolve this issue.