[RC] [RC] spinning horse going down the road? - Erica DeVoti
I used to have a spinner that would
leave me in the dirt quicker than a sneeze. I did the following and I
would no longer classify him as a "spinner"--this worked for me for riding
endurance--it may not be what you want in other disciplines:
Pay close attention to his body
language and hesitancies--when you notice he is getting tense (pre spin/spook
signs--they are there if you listen closely) give him a consistent cue (clicking
or kissing sound, whatever) and urge him forward--this keeps him forward
moving. I would also do this if I spied something on the trail that he may
worry about.
This trained him to stay forward and
steady on the endurance trail and in conditioning rides--I believe it is a
"muscle memory" type of training where he went on "auto pilot" going
forward (i.e. *not* spinning) . Consistency and time should help
immensely. (Note, by going forward I don't mean bolting of
course).
Secondly, your horse is
still young--if you can ride w/ another steadier horse and let your horse
take short turns leading and using the above cues, that should help,
too.
