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[RC] Trail Riding in a Group - k s swigart

Amy said:


Last weekend when he went off in the back of
the group I started him collected but when asking for
the stop or to slow down since I felt him get too
strong he stuck his head in the air and just refused.

...

But here is my
thought to try?  Maybe when my friends would like to
canter I could prepare myself by turning my horse away
and when they go start circling my horse if he will
not walk.  Then as soon as he walks let him move
forward.  If he refuses to round and listen go back to
circling.  I think this is a good thing to try, does
anyone have any other suggestions?


Asking a horse to stay back when the rest of the group he
has been with for the rest of the ride is one of the hardest
things for a horse to do, and I, generally, put off that
lesson until after I have spent a lot of time with the horse
(and consequently the horse has spent a lot of time with me)
so that the horse has had the opportunity to learn, "you are
not with them, you are with me."

Additionally, I don't ask my horse to let other horses
canter away from him until he is comfortable with having
other horses walk away from him and then trot away from him.
After which, I generally, the first time I want the horse to
let the other horses canter away from him, I do it at the
canter. I.e. we canter along in the group, and then I will
ask my horse to let a little space open up between us and
the others....and then I will ask my horse to CLOSE the
space between us and the others (which is what he wants to
do anyway).

This way, the reward he gets for doing what you ask (to let
the group leave him a little bit behind) is to be allowed to
catch up with the group.  Consequently, he doesn't equate
being asked to hold back with being left behind forever.
Then you ask for progressively longer intervals between
staying back and getting to catch up.  (It is best to do
these lessons with people who are willing to accommodate you
with respect to pace...and to wait for you to catch up so
your horse doesn't have to gallop all out to do so).

What you are trying to teach your horse is that allowing you
to hold him back doesn't mean that he is going to be
abandoned.

Your other method, could very likely, just increase his
anxiety about being left behind.  It wouldn't be my first
choice.

kat
Orange County, Calif.
:)




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