# How do you stop "Jiggin"



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Sounds like you may be tensing and anticipating which will just worsen the problem. Make sure to stay relaxed and work through the problem while trying to keep frustration out of the picture. 

What is your normal routine with trail riding?


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

um well my normal routine is i catch him,brush him, tack him, and then we take the road to the woods and he leads most of the time. Is that was you were looking for in a routine?


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Do you ride with other people? 
Does he jig from the moment you get on? 
Do you ride in an arena ever? If so, does he jig as well?
Do you walk? Trot? Canter? Gallop? Jump?
What do you do when he starts to act up?


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

Do you ride with other people? Yes usually just with my mom on her mare
Does he jig from the moment you get on? most of the time yea
Do you ride in an arena ever? If so, does he jig as well? Yea i do barrels and most cow events and i have to have someone lead me into the arena and then he just starts to pop up
Do you walk? Trot? Canter? Gallop? Jump? i usually just walk and trot unless im with some friend who wanna race 
What do you do when he starts to act up? most of the time i ask him to move into a trot and then i make him wait for a minute

is that good


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Barrels, cows, racing friends -- These are all things that can hype a horse up fairly easily. When you ride, don't make it stressful for the horse. You want your horse to be able to walk nice and free and long, but still be able to snap back up for speed if you need it. When your horse starts to get tense and jig, keep yourself calm and collected and keep his feet moving, but give him a place and try and get his mind on you. Try some half halts and start asking him to bend, circle and pay attention to your leg rather than just let him trot forward. If you can, try and get him to come back down to a walk rather than pushing him forward into a trot. 

It's going to take a bit of patience, but let your horse realize that everytime you ride, it's not going to be a race. Try and let him relax and losen up and calm himself so he can focus on you, not which direction he's going to take off in.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

yea ive tried bending and circleing but that hypes him up bad like i was bending well trying to and he ended up bucking hard, I have tried so much i have even considered getting a new horse for trails but i just brush that thought away, I bought him at an auction and when we brought him home we would almost run when he was walking, just because he always had to run when his old wranglers would ride him, i have tried everything please i really dont want my horse to be only an arena horse and i need help,
Dove i will try what u have suggested again but i dont know if it will work


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## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

Hey there Buddy it sounds like you have a very forward moving horse! If you really want a good trail horse you are going to have to do some hard yards first. Your going to have to learn patience too, if your not patient neither will your horse be. The reason I have started my post like this is because you are going to be doing some really boring things for a while if you want to correct this problem.

I like doves advice, stay relaxed (if you can on a hyped horse!) try the half halts and circling. These aren't working then start going backwards. Does your horse reverse nicely? Now is the time to start practicing. If being made to back up also annoys your horse, try turning around and walking back the way you came. As soon as your horse starts jigging to go forward stop it, make him stand then start backing him. Keep it low key and controlled this is not a punishment it is just an option, walk forward nicely or reverse.

If backing is not an option then when your horse starts jigging stop it, make it stand then quietly turn it around and walk back the way you have come. Jigging starts again, do exactly the same again, you may end up pacing the same piece of trail for a while. If you are methodical in breaking the habit of jigging by making the horse do something else you will be able to break the pattern. Remember, calm and relaxed, not punishing, just not jigging forward. Also you are going to have to be consistent no racing off with friends while you are trying to stop your horse jigging otherwise you will be sending mixed messages and your horse won't know what you expect. Good luck!


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

kiwigirl said:


> Also you are going to have to be consistent no racing off with friends while you are trying to stop your horse jigging otherwise you will be sending mixed messages and your horse won't know what you expect.


This may not be your problem, but it is very important none the less. As much fun as it is to let your horse go, we never gave our horses free rein and let them 'pick their own speed' until they would consistantly maintain the gait that we wanted, whether it's a walk, trot, lope, or gallop.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

kiwigirl my horse couldn't back if his life depended on it, he really hates to go any direction other then forward.
and Painthorsemares i can't even have my horse on a free rein at a walk because he will try to take off, he's getting better but not getting it yet,


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## Macslady (Oct 23, 2009)

If he won't back with you on does he on the ground? If he does it sounds like he needs some more ground work. Remember all he knows is forward so it will take a lot of patience to let him get the idea you don't always need go go go.

Ever tried riding single file behind your mom so he doesn't have to lead? I know whenever my mare starts to pick up the pace too much I just switch
position to slow her.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

he does back up on the ground and yea ive tried getting behind my mom but her horse has kicked him pretty hard before when he got to close to her


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

buddy09 said:


> ... Painthorsemares i can't even have my horse on a free rein at a walk because he will try to take off, he's getting better but not getting it yet,


Perhaps unrelated, but what are you feeding him?


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## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

PaintHorseMares said:


> Perhaps unrelated, but what are you feeding him?


That is a very good point. Your horse sounds super hyped as well as unruly and undisciplined. You said that you are doing barrel racing and cow events, when you school him for these events do you ever do slow flexing and bending excercises or is it all gallop, gallop, gallop! Even in an arena you can school a horse quietly which will then help out on the trail. 

I think you need to slow your horse down but you probably need to slow yourself down as well. Learn some slow exercises such as backing, side passing,get him off any food that will make him hot and start to slow down. If your in the arena and he starts to jig and gets too amped up to even try and back up or circle then get off if you have to and start pushing him in circles and backwards from the ground. Do it until he is sick of it then try riding him quietly again, if he amps again and feels like you have no control, get off and do it all over again.

Remember, it is up to you to choose the direction and the speed that you go - not the horses. Sorry mate, I think you have a lot of work ahead of you.


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## masatisan (Jan 12, 2009)

My suggestion: _let him._

Just let him run his little heart out,

and when he says "all right, I'm ready to slow down"

Make him keep going, and going, and going...

until he is absolutely _begging_ you to let him stop.

And then, you let him slow down.

And he will walk, nice and calm.

If you do this with him there are three important things to remember: 

Push him hard, but remember his limits, don't let him get winded.

Choose a safe place, no holes in the ground or things he could run into

Make certain you cool him properly.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

i feed him gain because he acts like a stud and runs the fence lines so he loses alot of wieght, when i do barrels at home we start out walking and get up to a fast trot and that usually it, and i have tried pushing him to his limit but he could run for days with out getting tried of it, his stamina is way to good even when i try running him like you said he never wants to stop.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I actually disagree with pushing the horse to run to teach it to walk. Horses that love to run, will run until they drop and the more you run them, the longer it's going to take you to tire him out. When you trot the barrels, make sure he is balanced and YOU are balanced and he's not just running around like a chicken with his head cut off. 

If you need to take him for walks (in hand) down the trail. Let his mind settle. It's not going to work the first time normally but whatever you decide to do, be consistant.

What type of grain are you feeding him? I would offer him free choice hay (I like grassxalfalfa). Grain is generally just going to compound your problems.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

well i do feed alfalfa most of the year and we feed Sr. feed(we just give it to all of our horses),soy beans, corn, and his minerals(i dont know what their called) Is his grain making him the way he is because if it is i will just either cut it off or give him less


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

buddy09 said:


> well i do feed alfalfa most of the year and we feed Sr. feed(we just give it to all of our horses),soy beans, corn, and his minerals(i dont know what their called) Is his grain making him the way he is because if it is i will just either cut it off or give him less


How much feed/soy/corn ? If he's running fences like a stud, he must be really hyped, and I would seriously look at what you're feeding.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

only about 1/2 a pound maybe even less but we had to start him on grain because of his running the fences and lossing so much weight


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## kiwigirl (Sep 30, 2009)

So when did you start feeding the grains? Has it been since you started feeding it that he has got so hyped or has he been this way since you got him? You could try changing his feed from grains to beet pulp which is great for putting condition on a horse but non-heating.

So has he been the same since the day you first got him? Has he suddenly got hyper? Or is it a behaviour that has been getting worse over time? I am just wondering if it isn't the food, then when the behaviour was learned and if maybe you are a contributing factor to how he acts.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

he has acted like this since we brought him home last year, it is really frustrating beause at the auction he was just a little angel but then when i went into the arena with him the first time he got a little attitude and now that attitude is really making me wonder if i should even keep him, i hate thinkin about selling him because he was my very first horse that i bought and he is the only boy worth my time. My mom says that I have an attitude and a horse to match, please as you all no it is hard to get rid of your first horse, im almost crying thinkin bout it, please help me i dont think it's his grain because he's always been this way.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I've had some pretty excitable Arabs in my day and I've had some pretty laid back foxtrotters. Each horse will have his own disposition. When I used to compete my NSH in CTR events, The judges would comment on how Fractacious he was. He was just a hot horse. And now even at 15 yo he is still a going horse. That is very hard to tire out. But he has learned some manners over the years. 

I don't feed any grain to my horses. A good mix of alfalfa/grass is all they needs unless I'm doing a lot of 50miler endurance rides. Some horses even get hot just from the alfalfa. You may just want to try straight grass hay for him, unless you are working him hard. 

I might of skipped over, but I didn't see if you stall him or if he is kept out in a paddock/pasture. If he is kept penned up, that can also be another reason he wants to go.

Just understand that each horse is different. If he is a hot horse, you need to be enough of a rider to handle him. If he makes you uncomfortable, there are plenty of other horses in the world. Sell him and buy one that fits your needs better. I'd rather loose a little sleep over selling the horse than lay in a hospital bed busted up. 

If your horse is getting kicked by the horse ahead of it on a trail ride, You are following too close. increase the space between your horse. This is just good trail manners. He needs to learn to obey you. Use half halts, spins, dance around a tree a few times, to slow him down. Be consistent. Don't ever let him get close enough to be kicked, ( No matter what horse he is following) He needs to learn that when you are in the saddle this is the spacing that he needs to keep. Horses in the wild will crowd right on top of each other, So you have to teach him different.

I enjoy riding a hot horse. They are flashy and eager to move out. But they require more horsemanship skills on the riders part to control.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

no he is has never been kept inside, I am a good rider but i like trails and games and he is really hot on the trail and people have started talking about him, i do enjoy riding hot horses to but i would like something less hyped for trails


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## AQHA13 (Apr 19, 2017)

When he jiggs around you could try backing him, side passing or anything else that is harder for him to do. You could also just keep going until he stops jigging, and I wouldn't turn around to go back home until he has stopped and is walking calmly. 
Although, he may be jigging because he is nervous. In that case maybe some desensitizing would be good.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

he is used to everything and i guess i could try everything one more time


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## toadflax (Jul 14, 2009)

Have you tried turning him around and walking him in the opposite direction till he calms down, as was already mentioned? And repeating that every time he starts to jig?
My Arab can get very obnoxious in company and do a lot of jigging and fretting, that technique is about the only thing that worked very much with him. He is starting to settle now after a season of riding in groups, but he's 19 years old, you don't want to wait that long.
The other thing is if he's just jigging that's not the end of the world, as long as he isn't explosive.
Sounds like you need to decide if you like him enough to deal with the jigging or start looking around for a calmer horse, there are lots more horses in the world. I don't mean to sound callous, I know you love him, but it seems like some horses are just going to jig and that's that.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

well i dont mind it as much as i used to but i was just asking if there was a way to try stopping it and the only part the really bothers me is at shows now, we were at a show and the gate lady went to grab him to lead him in and he just totally freaked and now he wont go near the gate and if he does he starts pracing and rears up and he does it in the arena too and i have found some horses, there in the western forum under what do you think bout 'em go take a look


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## Gutzzyhorse (Jul 29, 2009)

I have had two horses that did exact same thing! It drove me crazy!!! I started reading and watching the horse shows. Clinton Anderson was the clinician that fits my personality the best so I did a lot of his stuff, and others mixed in. I can tell you that it is true that wet saddle blankets make great horses. What ever you do try to commit to doing it every day for a long period of time. 

First thing to teach your horse in a safe environment... not the trail! is the one rein stop. Ride around in the arena and the second your horse makes you feel uncomfortable pull ONE rein and flex his nose to your leg until he stops all 4 feet for 3 seconds. then release. Alternate sides but practice this so your horse knows your expectations. don't let him move until you ask. 

Start over! I mean start over! I started over in late fall so that I was doing ground work exercises in the winter. we worked on everything from the ground. I worked on flexion from side to side, lunging, change of directions, voice commands, leading, backing, standing, desenitizing. Every day we worked on gaining respect from the ground. He was not allowed to anything with out my permission. Then when I got on him in the spring I immediately noticed a difference! But I didn't stop, I started with flexion from side to side until I could just pick up a rein and think flex and he did it, if he did anything wrong I did a one rein stop and stood and flexed until I had his full attention. I stopped using two reins until we had walk trot canter down to a T. Now my horse is not the best trained in the world and I could do so much more, but I know he is safe now. 

good luck! Be safe! It is no fun being scared on the trails. 

Now that you have a ton of advice from lots of people, try the things that make sense to you for your horse just make sure you try each method for a few days before you scrap it. It wasn't an overnight cure but with in a few days you should see a difference.


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## buddy09 (Nov 15, 2009)

thanks everyone


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

buddy09 said:


> kiwigirl my horse couldn't back if his life depended on it, he really hates to go any direction other then forward.
> and Painthorsemares i can't even have my horse on a free rein at a walk because he will try to take off, he's getting better but not getting it yet,


Maybe you should work on getting your horse broke before you worry about running barrels.


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## SmoothTrails (Oct 1, 2009)

kevinshorses said:


> Maybe you should work on getting your horse broke before you worry about running barrels.


I agree on this one in a way. Before you allow him to run barrels he should be able to be calm. You may even try lunging him until he's good and quiet before you begin a ride. Work on things like backing, one-rein stops, figure 8s, and any other things that you can think of to calm him. 

He needs to be relaxed before he is allowed to run if he is as hot as you have described him. Cut back on his grain, and if you can try moving him to a different pasture with other horses. (I like to put them with calmer horses that are also dominant during this type of thing) Calm, dominant horses can help him in the pasture, and you can work with him on riding and the ground. 

The biggest thing here would be to cut out the running and barrels while you ride until you have fixed this, and to be sure that his feed isn't a problem. Make him run on a lunge line/in a round pen, but have him calm with you on his back for a while.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Didn't notice you were from Billings. I'm from Bozeman myself. 
You have gotten a lot of sound advice here. You need to back off your horse and let him re-coup. That means no speed, tension, racing, etc. Once he becomes sane and knows how to walk, you can move on slowly to trotting, etc. 

Your horse needs to have solid basics before he can be asked to perform.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

I didn't read all of the posts, so sorry if I'm repeating what somebody already said.

This is what I did with my Paso Fino...

I'd give him a lot of slack in the reins and wait for him to start jigging. Then I'd pull his nose to his chest until he walks for a few strides. Then I would give him lots of slack. I kept repeating this until he caught on. Now he walks perfectly on a loose rein.

Just make sure you give him a LOT of slack and pull his nose in TIGHT so he'll be able to tell the difference between the two.


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