When dealing with bad behavior, consider all possible factors

By Sheryl Lynde / Horsetrader columnist

“No-go” is a common complaint. The behavior ranges from slow walking — always lagging behind others in a group — to breaking gait once asked to transition to a trot or lope. The most extreme defiance is refusing to move forward altogether, or flying backwards once urged with leg. The more extreme refusals could culminate into rearing or bucking once coerced to move their feet.

A gentleman had a 9-year old gelding, newly purchased at auction. The information given on the gelding was that he had been used to take dudes out for rides to see the countryside. When the owner got him home, he saddled him up and asked him to move out. The horse refused to take a step forward. He had tried on a couple of occasions, but his efforts proved fruitless.

When I worked with the gelding on the ground, I noticed that he moved forward with plenty of energy. When I rode the gelding, he moved out, but he was unsure and didn’t travel in a straight path. When a horse has been used in a rental string, they are typically ridden in nose-to-tail formation. If they are carrying inexperienced riders, the riders become passengers and their horse is simply following the horse in front of him. Without another horse in front of this gelding — or for that matter, anywhere close by — his feet were pretty sticky. A horse with little or no motivation to go forward generally needs a new and safe environment to entice him to move forward, such as trail with trees and brush and hills to maneuver. But without knowing the full history of this gelding, I preferred to put him through my program to eliminate possible holes in his training.

I offered to work with the gelding for a couple of weeks just to ensure the new owner would be safe taking him out and about. He brought him back the following week. I saddled him and, while in a halter and lead, I urged him forward to do a couple of exercises on the ground. He took one step and he broke in two like a colt who had never been saddled. I had a hold of him with the lead rope so I could redirect his feet, but with each step, he sucked up and bucked. As I observed his movements, it didn’t look as though he was objecting to the saddle itself as much as he was offended by the girth. I worked with him until he was calm. Once he relaxed, I hopped up in the saddle. I was able to get him moving forward but he wasn’t completely freed up. The next day, same thing — he broke in two as soon as he took a step forward.

I observed his movements. He could be cold-backed, which by definition is a horse with a sensitive or painful back. A cold-backed horse needs to be worked on the ground to warm up his muscles prior to riding. Warming up allows him time to adjust to the feel of the saddle on his back. Once warmed up properly and allowed to get out his bucks, he is good to go.

But the way this gelding sucked up and exploded on the first step made me suspect it could be an ulcer. I considered his most recent circumstances. Being in an auction environment with a variance in diet were both plausible indicators of a stressful change in his routine. I asked the owner to give him a dose of Ulcergard in the morning prior to his training session.

Mid-afternoon, I saddled him and moved him out, asking him to complete the same exercises that produced the buck in the previous days. There was no buck. He moved out willingly. We repeated the same dosage of Ulcergard the next day and again there was no buck. He also didn’t suck up as though he was objecting to the cinch — he was extending himself and moving more fluidly. Visually, there was a huge difference in how he traveled. When I rode him, he felt more comfortable accepting leg pressure.

The gelding’s progression increased rapidly. We were able to move safely around the property and ride by his pasturemate who had been calling to him. He still had objections which we met with corrections, but each day he improved. By the third week, the owner was riding a horse that had all the forward movement that he was looking for.

If the owner had insisted on forward energy when he first brought him home by delivering a kick out of frustration, he may have found himself riding a bronc, rodeo style. When dealing with bad behavior, consider all possible contributing factors. It’s important to rule out pain. Be safe!
— Sheryl