# Tense, Explosive horse



## falling (Apr 13, 2014)

I love my gelding very much. But if he's been out of work for a few days or a few weeks, and I hop back on without lots and lots of lunging, he becomes a very difficult ride. He's not an easy ride in the first place- forward and sensitive and not at all forgiving, but when he's been out of work he's downright scary. He just tenses up, holds his head up high, and just is on high alert mode. He won't relax until he's been in work for several days. It's frightening as he tends to be explosive- when he tenses and gets forward all at once, he becomes very fast and while not difficult to stop, becomes even more tense when I do so, and seems to start to consider running through my hands/bolting. Sometimes when he is tense he is hard to get moving forwards as he's too worried about everything to move, and when I ask for a more forward pace, he explodes into bucking.

I try to take deep breaths and put away his problems while he is being like this and relax every muscle in my body but it is difficult. Does anyone have some tips for riding horses like this? Ways to get him to relax?


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Well that stinks. Not fun at all.

Is he kept in a small area? When you ride, are you confined to an arena?

I ask because I ride lots of fresh horses, and lots of horses who need work/exercise. I find that if I can get them out with a lot of open country in front of them they are very "forward," but more interested in getting there than leaping, bucking, and general wiggling. And in about 20 minutes, we can get down to work.

And if he is confined to a small area on his days off, I would try to find another situation for him. Some do okay with that. Many don't.

If you are severely limited on space, can you hire an exercise rider? Or share lease?


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

During your warm up try doing circles, turns on the forehand/hindquarters, change directions, etc. Be unpredictable in what you ask so he has to listen to you. He'll be thinking what is this crazy lady gonna do next??!! Don't give him a reason to let his mind wander and wonder.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I'm also thinking engage his mind the second you're in the saddle and do something active with him every single stride. Sitting and relaxing on him does not seem to be translating down to him, so the only other way to go is ride every stride. 

A good exercise to engage the mind of a fire breathing dragon is, use either orange cones or ground poles to create pathways for him to ride through. A large circle works best but whatever flows best. Ride him through them at all gaits starting with walk. Especially on a circle, the poles or cones give the horse something to lock onto and seems to calm them down a bit so you can start to get their attention. When they are really up, it can take as long as 30 minutes for them to calm down, but just think rhythm, rhythm, rhythm. It works best at trot, but stay at whatever gait keeps you safe until you get his attention. Once you've got it, then go to work. Lots and lots of transitions, changes of direction, patterns. Do something different every 8 strides. Some horses feel much safer once there's someone up there calling all the shots. He might surprise you and really get some good work done. 

You might also want to try a magnesium supplement. It helps even out horsey mood swings.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

How much desensitizing ground work are you doing? A horse that doesn't have that done regularly can become very reactive.

I recommend listening to / reading Clinton Anderson's story on this. In his training, he talks about how he trained his horse when he was young to do all kinds of things under saddle and inadvertently made it very reactive.

He basically says you need to balance sensitizing things (like riding, like moving the horse's feet) with desensitizing things (sacking out.) That gives you a thinking horse versus a reactive horse.


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## NavigatorsMom (Jan 9, 2012)

Navigator behaves similarly, though not quite to your extent. How long are you able to ride at a time? If you can only come out and do a 20-30 minute ride, he'll probably still be pretty tense. The longer you can ride the sooner he should chill out and calm down. I've seen a difference in Nav's behavior riding just for 40 minutes - usually allows for more time to calm down and get to work, rather than just get started. 

The more you keep him thinking too, the less he'll be able to think about other things and get goofy. Lots of transitions could help with this. When I'm riding and my horse gets a case of "baby brain" where all he wants to do is run or look for things to spook at we do walk/halt transitions. A couple steps and then halt, over and over. If he seems to get it, go on to trot/halt/trot/walk/etc transitions. He should figure out that being goofy will get him into harder work, and just doing what he's supposed to will be easier. 

I'll second the magnesium supplement as well, that does seem to help.


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## IndianaJones (Aug 13, 2014)

It's interesting...when personal well being over-rides the "love" for our horses. it's a shot to the ego of any long time horse person to admit..."I am just not comfortable doing this"

Not saying thats your case...but if you're reaching out...you're in that place. I could say "be that confident leader". I'm sure someone else will say it, and theres a chance you may need some help discovering it. 

It's a horrible situation to start to lose your confidence too. I sold an x-racehorse recently for that very reason. Training wasn't his issue...his idea of work and mine differed to an extreme. I finally just said...we don't match.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

I have a similar problem. My horses are on dry lots during the winter. Their pens are about 45 feet x 45 feet. They basically just sit in one spot and eat. When it comes time to ride, they are ready to explode.

Neither of my horses self exercise even when turned out. 

I free lunge anytime the horses get extensive time off. They are allowed to buck, gallop, spin and get rid of all that "craziness". If I don't free lunge my mare will bolt on the lunge line and give me rope burn. 

Sometimes my mare will take 40 minutes to really settle down when riding. 

I've started separating them into different pastures each day for an hour. They pace, run the fenceline, buck and call for each other, even though they can see each other. Once they stop acting like fools, they will calmly start grazing. Then I call them in.

I wish I could set up a paddock paradise, as both my horses could really benefit from more movement. But my property is on a hill. If the grass goes, erosion becomes a real problem. 

I use a combination of lunging and free lunging to keep everyone sane. I no longer feel like riding through bucking, and other craziness. If my horse acts crazy, I get off and put it to work on the lunge. 

A consistent work schedule really helps. I lunge over ground poles and jumps too. Something other than mindless circles!


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## WildAtHeart (Jul 17, 2013)

My mare used to get like this. It's like they have too much energy inside and can't control it. First, is he getting good turnout? A few acres and some buddies should do it. Second, is he fed grain? To many sugars could make him like this.

You mention that you try to relax when he is tense...THANK YOU! so many riders do not understand what a big effect their state of mind has on the horse. You are doing the right thing. Another thing to add on top of being calm is to expect your horse to listen to you. Sounds kinda weird, I know. But if you are anticipating your horse doing what you are asking, he will listen more often. 

Lastly, some horses need to be pushed through their "moments" and other need to retreat and then approach again. Yours sounds like the approach and retreat type. So if you find yourself getting frustrated or you see his focus fly out the window, ask for a whoa, when you get a nice whoa hop off. Just dismount and do simple groundwork. Something he knows to get his focus back. With my girl, getting her to lead attentively does the trick. Once you see their attention on you and their mind calm, take a moment to reward with a scratch or simply a moments rest. Then keeping your easy going, confident, "i-got-all-the-time-in-the-world" attitude climb back on and try again.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

falling said:


> I love my gelding very much. But if he's been out of work for a few days or a few weeks, and I hop back on without lots and lots of lunging, he becomes a very difficult ride. He's not an easy ride in the first place- forward and sensitive and not at all forgiving, but when he's been out of work he's downright scary. He just tenses up, holds his head up high, and just is on high alert mode. He won't relax until he's been in work for several days. It's frightening as he tends to be explosive- when he tenses and gets forward all at once, he becomes very fast and while not difficult to stop, becomes even more tense when I do so, and seems to start to consider running through my hands/bolting. Sometimes when he is tense he is hard to get moving forwards as he's too worried about everything to move, and when I ask for a more forward pace, he explodes into bucking.
> 
> I try to take deep breaths and put away his problems while he is being like this and relax every muscle in my body but it is difficult. Does anyone have some tips for riding horses like this? Ways to get him to relax?


This reminds me of a horse Johnny Siringo rented while on a case that he related in his book "A Cowboy Detective". When he started riding each morning, he had to ride the bucks out of the horse before the horse settled down to work. Has this horse you're discussing ever really been trained or has it just been ridden? There is a big difference. Many horses can be ridden. Horses that have been properly trained can be ridden much more easily. 

First, I would get this horse examined by a veterinarian to make certain there are not pain issues. I would also consider the horse's diet to make sure it is not getting too much high energy food. Then, I would approach developing this horse as if it had never been trained, beginning from the ground up. I would make certain the horse was rock solid every step of the way before I began working on the next step. Rushing the work would quickly renew the situation you are currently experiencing.


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## beverleyy (Oct 26, 2011)

I'll assume the horse has been seen by a vet? Has he seen a chiro recently? Assuming all tack fits?
What's his diet/turnout like? Has he always been this way?

Provided everything checks out then I'll go ahead and say this..

I have a mare like this. She's also quite unpredictable in general and can be like this even in consistent work.

Keep the horse's mind and body moving forward. The horse needs to be doing something. If you don't already, make sure your warmup isn't just walking aimlessly around the arena. Have ground poles or barrels set up, do a "mock" course at a walk for warm up - lots of circles/direction chage/serpentines. Practice bending around cones or barrels. Change it up often.

Once you are working, same thing. Keep his mind moving. Lots of transitions too.

If you have the option to ride outside the arena on a hack, and the horse is safe for it, do so.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

beverleyy said:


> I'll assume the horse has been seen by a vet? Has he seen a chiro recently? Assuming all tack fits?


Wondering the same things myself. 

OP, while it may just be behavioral, it would be worth your while to 100% make sure your horse is not in any pain. A lameness eval by a good vet, a chiro, and a dentist, are all baseline things you should regularly check on your horse. A horse in pain can absolutely have bolting problems, or act nervous and "crazy". 

And sometimes, the horse just needs lots of miles and wet saddle blankets. But it's never going to hurt to rule out pain first. 

Your horse sounds a lot like Red when I first got him. After a year, I was ready to sell him, it was that bad. He was just this crazy firecracker that would never settle down, and would BOLT when spooked; even right onto the highway with traffic. Super scary, and so irritating. 

Then I finally figured him out. Or maybe it was because I just had finally gotten that many miles on him. Either way, we get a long great now and it's been a couple years since he has even bolted. 

However, he ALWAYS does better when he is ridden every single day, about 4 to 6 miles. He's much more calm and level headed. Sure, I'll ride in the winter but I don't ride bareback so I can correct his antics. I give him a little more "slack" in the winter when I can't ride every day because I know he is going to be a hot head, but I now know him like the back of my hand and I recognize his subtle signs and I know how to deal with him. And to some extent, it's about knowing when you pick your battles. There are days when I know I will be lucky to get him to stand still for 5 seconds while riding. I praise him and ask him to move BEFORE he makes the decision to move. And there are other days when I expect him to stand calm for an entire minute. It's about knowing your horse and knowing what level to expect from them, that they can successfully achieve. 

So for ways to get the horse to relax is ride, ride, ride, and ride some more. If you can't commit to riding him every single day, find someone to co-lease from you. Also make sure he is turned out in a large pasture with room to run around, and not cooped up in the stall or small paddock. If he's got plenty of energy, he should really need any extra grain and make sure he's eating "low energy" types of hay and grass. (Alfalfa is a high energy food, for example.)

It may also sound like you would benefit from getting a trainer. I did get a trainer for me and Red when I was having trouble, and it did help quite a bit on givnig me some techniques to handle him when certain things were going on. So look into that as well.


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## falling (Apr 13, 2014)

Kia Ora everyone, and thank you all for taking the time to reply.

Beau- my horse definitely sounds a lot like yours (; When I first got him he would bolt every time he spooked (and bolted sometimes without the spooking) but mostly he just looks and gets jittery. How did you work your red out, if you don't mind me asking? I think with Hercules it will be the same case- I think I just need to keep on riding, preferably trekking, and just keep exposing him and riding on. We'll get there eventually. I think I will end up sending him away for a few weeks for schooling when I have the spare cash, just to keep him touched up. 

He is on four acres by himself but self exercises- goes for big gallops by himself. The only feed he is ever on is grass in summer, and in winter, hay and beet pulp.

boots- I don't have an arena and do a lot of road riding and general trekking. I have a small flat paddock for flat work but if he starts getting tense I will take him for a walk up a hill etc. (most of the 4 acres he is on is hill) to try and get him to stretch out. 

gigem88- good idea and thanks for the suggestion. I tried this the other day and it works very well if he starts to get tensed up during flatwork and starts fighting the bit etc. So thank you for this!

MyBoyPuck- thank you too for the suggestion of keeping his mind occupied! I really like the idea of using cones- I tried this the other day and weaved him between barrels and obstacles. When he use to bolt I decided it was likely a boredom thing and once I started occupying him a little bit he stopped doing it- I just need to be reminded of things like this!

ecasey- whenever I think about it, I do desensitizing ground work. He's so bizarre- just the other day I had him towing a tarpoline a few metres behind him on the lunge line and had a bucket later that thumped against the ground. It's always the weirdest things that spook him- gunshots, fine, children screaming, fine, but a branch in somewhere there wasn't a branch? Just terrifying, apparently. I will surely look into Clinton Anderson, thank you very much 

NavigatorsMom- When he's being stupid, I go out and ride for a good solid hour of walking and trotting, and tend to skip the canter because that's usually what he explodes at. He's actually on "full balanced minerals" but I will definitely look at upping his magnesium. 

IndianaJones: I definitely understand where you're coming from but I'm not giving up on him yet (; When he's fun he's very very fun- weaves between barrels at the shift of a leg, canters on a lose rein. When he's great he's great and we get along fine, and he's come so far that I've decided I owe it to him to keep trying. I am getting a second mount for more competitive things though because I feel like that sort of thing stresses him out and he just prefers to trek along and go for a hoon.

4horses- I definitely get where you are coming from! My guy has heaps of space but he's got a very thoroughbredy temperament (even though he's part draft and therefore too big, in my opinion, to act like such an idiot) that he just has a lot of energy. He use to be frightening to lunge because he would buck and bolt on the leadline (I can't freelunge as I don't have a roundpen and he jumps electric tape haha) but with some ground work he now walks, trots and canters pretty calmly, just takes a good many many laps to slow down when he's cantering and trotting. I like jumping him over weird things on the lunge line too, for desensitizing. 

WildAtHeart: Thank you sooo much for that last paragraph! I've just realized by reading this that he is definitely the approach and retreat type. If I keep pushing he just gets more and more agitated until he's just a bucking, bolting, heaving mess. I have instinctively started to walk him towards something, give him some space to breath, walk, then stop, just recently, but thank you so much for putting this into words!

TXhorseman: He's had extensive schooling at one stage (1.20m showjumper), but then he was sold to a beginner who he quickly realised he could boss around. She also rode him in a poor fitting saddle- thus how he started his bucking. He's a big guy and although not a mean fulla, he definitely will get away with as much as he can. Since being sold to beginner, he hasn't had much formal schooling, no. He is definitely not an untrained horse and has definite basics down, i.e. rounding up, leg yield, etc. etc. I have considered re-training him before but I find it very difficult to pretend he knows nothing when he obviously does- and just forgets it when he is nervous. 

beverleyy: thank you beverly. yes, he is regularly seen by a chiro, was recently seen by a vet, and also has regular saddle fitting and "sport massage" therapy. I have found hacking, as I said earlier, is really good for him /once he is settled down/
I took him for a hack yesterday. He was pretty okay- was very worried by the down telephone poles but walked past them eventually. I then rode at a friends hosue, just lots of walking, slow trotting, stretching down and changing direction. I then rode back and he began to get very jig joggy as I rode with them. Eventually I just let go of the bridle reins and picked up the halter ones as the more "on his mouth" i am when he is nervous, the more anxious he gets. He had an issue with a puppy because a horse in front of him did, but I just breathed and had him walk a few steps at a time. I hopped off when they got off because he started to get anxious at my refusal to let him follow. All in all, it was a pretty okay ride for him having a week-ish off. 

Thank you all and feel free to keep suggesting things (sorry for the mammoth post)


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## saddlebred99 (Feb 19, 2015)

All I ride are, I wouldn't say tense, but explosive horses. That's saddlebreds for ya  I would suggest not letting him focus on anything out in the distance. Keep his attention on you at all times by fidgeting with your reigns, keeping your leg ques strong and often, and talking to him. Keep him trotting and cantering in all kinds of patterns. Figure eights, zig zags, big circles at the ends of the arena. Change them up often. As my riding instructor says, "when you have a hyper horse, put that energy to good use!" Remember to relax and breathe. A tense rider creates an even tenser and scared horse. I hope I helped some


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Rule out anything physical.

Dietary-I would put him on magnesium. It could be some imbalance somewhere.

It could also just need training. He needs to learn to focus. You need to learn how to ride a hot horse. (The key is breathe!) I think you may be setting him off a little since you are tense.

Some horse just need to be ridden regularly.

I would talk to the vet about it and would definitely recommend trying the Mg (it will take a little while to take effect)


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## WildAtHeart (Jul 17, 2013)

I just read that horses who have a Magnesium (Mg) deficiency can become jumpy, anxious and unpredictable. Might be something to look into.


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## Jurich B (Feb 19, 2015)

My thought also was about possible pain. Cut back or eliminate grain, especially corn, and change his routine. Saddle and bit fit properly? Young or older, barn or ring sour? Try changing his routine, going back to ground work, try a new discipline. Sometimes ground driving can work out the bugs. Slow his brain down.


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

WildAtHeart said:


> You mention that you try to relax when he is tense...THANK YOU! so many riders do not understand what a big effect their state of mind has on the horse. You are doing the right thing. Another thing to add on top of being calm is to expect your horse to listen to you. Sounds kinda weird, I know. But if you are anticipating your horse doing what you are asking, he will listen more often.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


This to me is one of the most important aspects of horsemanship and I couldn't agree more. Horses will respond to a calm positive attitude as well as a negative, fearful or angry one. If you are expecting something to happen good or bad chances are that it will


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

falling said:


> Beau- my horse definitely sounds a lot like yours (; When I first got him he would bolt every time he spooked (and bolted sometimes without the spooking) but mostly he just looks and gets jittery. How did you work your red out, if you don't mind me asking? I think with Hercules it will be the same case- I think I just need to keep on riding, preferably trekking, and just keep exposing him and riding on. We'll get there eventually. I think I will end up sending him away for a few weeks for schooling when I have the spare cash, just to keep him touched up.


Miles. And more miles. And then some more miles. 

I ride him virtually every single day and the minimum we ride is 4 miles, usually trotting/loping the entire way except for the warm up and cool down. One loop that I sometimes take is 8 miles and he's loped pretty much all of it. He's got the energy. He needs the workout. I think it helps keep his mind quieter if he's been able to burn off a bunch of energy. Not to mention, he learns that today may be the day we go 8 miles and he needs to "save" his energy and not burn it up in the first mile!!

Red is such a different horse now than when I bought him. He still has his days every now and then, but overall I can do just about anything on him; I even carried a flag on him in a huge 4th of July parade two years ago and he was fine. This year, I entered in the rodeo slack on the 5th at 11 PM (no joke) and had to wait for the huge fireworks display to get over. He didn't even flinch. Actually even stood there watching them!  He's come such a long way. I am so proud of him. 

It did greatly help me to take him to trainer, so when you can save the money up, see if you can find a reining trainer near you to take a few lessons. 

And I suppose part of it was TIME and EXPOSURE. The more and more things I exposed him to, the calmer and calmer he has become. Not right away, of course, but with time. I haul him all over the place and we are always doing new things. 

I was ready to throw in the towel but I'm really glad I didn't. He's turned out to be a very good horse. Won me several high-point and all around awards last year, and he's still getting better!!


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Re possible hard-to-detect sources of pain: 

Sore feet from undiagnosed low-grade laminitis - worse with riding due to extra weight - especially when riding after a break.

Sore feet from incorrect trimming or shoeing.

Tack problems, like a loose pin that somehow got in the saddle stuffing (hard to detect). Ill fitting saddle. Sore back.

Problems with the spinal projections; other problems with the spine and surrounding muscles.

Rider too heavy / pressure points / etc.

Bit: Can cause a lot of discomfort, especially in forward horses when arguments / unfortunate tug-of-wars develop with average riders. Gentle, gentle bits are best for nervous, forward horses. Sometimes that means an eggbutt snaffle (if the rider has soft hands), sometimes a straight unbroken Happy Mouth made of soft plastic, sometimes a mild curb like the Spanish Snaffle, etc - depends on the horse/rider combination (and some horses despise jointed snaffles full stop - they can be pretty harsh if not used very softly or if horses have narrow extra-sensitive mouths). Sometimes experimenting with bitless helps. Anticipated potential pain can drive a horse bananas - whether to do with bits or anything else.

Just to name a few possibilites...


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## Lola2000 (Feb 26, 2015)

I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!!
I love my loan Lola and she is 5 years old in june. Her mum was a thoroughbred and a hot headed horse causing lola to have a bit of that in her to. But she first had a problem with bucking constantly but went through a really good stage where she would do a whole lesson without an explosive episode. Suddenly she has started to throw in massive rears at random moments and also suddenly leaps in the air for no reason when just walking or trotting.
I know she is still young but i know other 4 year old horses that are so well behaved. I have fallen off so many times and im slowly loosing my confidence
I now feel like i dont have the guts to get on her againbut because people have seen her explosive episodes no one will ride her except for me. Even her owner who is a really brave and good rider has only ever sat on her once
I REALLY DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO I JUST NEED SOMEONES ADVICE
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Lola2000 said:


> I NEED SOME ADVICE!!!!
> I love my loan Lola and she is 5 years old in june. Her mum was a thoroughbred and a hot headed horse causing lola to have a bit of that in her to. But she first had a problem with bucking constantly but went through a really good stage where she would do a whole lesson without an explosive episode. Suddenly she has started to throw in massive rears at random moments and also suddenly leaps in the air for no reason when just walking or trotting.
> I know she is still young but i know other 4 year old horses that are so well behaved. I have fallen off so many times and im slowly loosing my confidence
> I now feel like i dont have the guts to get on her againbut because people have seen her explosive episodes no one will ride her except for me. Even her owner who is a really brave and good rider has only ever sat on her once
> ...


Lola do start your own thread. It's against forum ethics to hijack someone else's and I think with all the stuff you have going on with this mare you really deserve your own.

I would recommend working with a trainer and honestly as a lease would recommend looking at a different horse.

Do start your own thread. It will be interesting- I will look for it.


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

Falling, I think my April is like your horse. She does not do well with time off, and really needs to work 2-3 days per week. She is very forward and sensitive. She will crow hop and buck with me, but mildly. I know her antics and so I can usually pull her into a circle or one rein stop when she does, as her consequence. 

It can be tough with a horse like this. They are so good when they are ridden regularly, and so naughty when they are not! 

I find it helpful to work her in hand when I can't ride. I don't mean round penning, or lunging, although that can be helpful. I take care of her, so I put her halter on when I feed her. I make her back, yield her hinds, etc. A little bit of that every day helps keep her in touch with me. That doesn't mean she won't be full of energy when we ride, but she is more compliant and not dangerous.

I also found she responds better to a bosal. I tried lots of different bits, but she is softer and more responsive to the bosal, so I go with it.


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