Training a disrespectful horse
I've been lurking for awhile and finally decided to post a question on here.
I'm new to horsemanship. I've been volunteering at a show stable for about year where I ground work, ride, and care-take the horses. My trainer swears by Clinton Anderson, so I've been learning his techniques.
I just moved, left my trainer, and now have a neighbor with four horses. Long story short, he has a long term ill and doesn't have the stamina to work his horses anymore. I offered to ground work them for him.
Another long story short, two of his horses (they're mother and daughter btw) are rescues. They were cowboyed when they were younger, and the left in a barn to sour out. The previous owner hardly trained them; they know just enough for trail rides before the owner threw them into a barn. My neighbor got them because he thought he could work the two horses back into a healthy lifestyle, but soon got sick after he got them and was unable to work them.
I'm assigned to work the younger of the two rescue horses, Cherry. This horse is a mess. She's disrespectful, charges through a gate, has a crowding problem, gives up quickly, is extremely defensive, and very possessive, none which I blame her for. So, since I'm generally new to horsemanship, I'm learning my way through this one, one problem at a time. Above all, I'm trying to gain this horse's respect. So far we've made progress on her crowding issue (she always wants to shoulder up to you) but it's far from perfect. That's about all I've been able to do in a month. Slow, slow, work. We're working on the gate issue next.
Onto my question: Has anyone else ever dealt with a disrespectful, sour, horse? I want to hear your stories and experiences with horses like Cherry. Also, what's a good method to go about training her? I'm trying to build a relationship first and foremost, and teach in a way that's enjoyable for her. Is that a good plan of attack? Our communication is terrible right now, probably because I'm new to this, and she's never been asked to do any serious ground work. My neighbor is a big fan of Clinton Anderson, so we're turning to his DVD's for help. Honestly, I'm looking for help anywhere I can get it. Any advice is awesome!
I'm new to horsemanship. I've been volunteering at a show stable for about year where I ground work, ride, and care-take the horses. My trainer swears by Clinton Anderson, so I've been learning his techniques.
I just moved, left my trainer, and now have a neighbor with four horses. Long story short, he has a long term ill and doesn't have the stamina to work his horses anymore. I offered to ground work them for him.
Another long story short, two of his horses (they're mother and daughter btw) are rescues. They were cowboyed when they were younger, and the left in a barn to sour out. The previous owner hardly trained them; they know just enough for trail rides before the owner threw them into a barn. My neighbor got them because he thought he could work the two horses back into a healthy lifestyle, but soon got sick after he got them and was unable to work them.
I'm assigned to work the younger of the two rescue horses, Cherry. This horse is a mess. She's disrespectful, charges through a gate, has a crowding problem, gives up quickly, is extremely defensive, and very possessive, none which I blame her for. So, since I'm generally new to horsemanship, I'm learning my way through this one, one problem at a time. Above all, I'm trying to gain this horse's respect. So far we've made progress on her crowding issue (she always wants to shoulder up to you) but it's far from perfect. That's about all I've been able to do in a month. Slow, slow, work. We're working on the gate issue next.
Onto my question: Has anyone else ever dealt with a disrespectful, sour, horse? I want to hear your stories and experiences with horses like Cherry. Also, what's a good method to go about training her? I'm trying to build a relationship first and foremost, and teach in a way that's enjoyable for her. Is that a good plan of attack? Our communication is terrible right now, probably because I'm new to this, and she's never been asked to do any serious ground work. My neighbor is a big fan of Clinton Anderson, so we're turning to his DVD's for help. Honestly, I'm looking for help anywhere I can get it. Any advice is awesome!