# Horse is better when we trailer out?



## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

evilamc said:


> Anyone else have a horse that acts a fool if you try to ride trails out from your barn but when you trailer somewhere (alone or with company) hes a perfect gentleman? Hes not barn sour or buddy sour either. I can ride him anywhere else away from the barn except ONE trail.
> 
> For some reason my TWH just acts like a complete fool on the ONE trail by our barn. Constantly tries to stop (then he gets smacked with the reins) or tries to take off cantering (then gets to do a one rein stop). He eventually cuts it out, but anytime we try going on that trail again or even go NEAR where it starts he starts acting up again. I can ride him around the neighborhood fine...but if I go to where that trail head is and try to turn on it...whole new horse.
> 
> Makes it so unenjoyable! He doesn't get away with it, since I always one rein stop when he tries to take off and when he tries to put on the breaks I kick/smack him on lol. Not sure what else to do? I'm about to just give up on trying to go on this trail, its not a great trail, and I guess this is his way of telling me he hates it too?


How long has he acted this way with that particular trail?


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Hmm pretty much whole time I've had him. I haven't taken him on it much...I was letting barn manager ride him some and she rode him on it more. I've asked her a few times and she SAYS she didn't canter him on it...wondering if it's something she did with him though. I stopped letting her ride him.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

evilamc said:


> Hmm pretty much whole time I've had him. I haven't taken him on it much...I was letting barn manager ride him some and she rode him on it more. I've asked her a few times and she SAYS she didn't canter him on it...wondering if it's something she did with him though. I stopped letting her ride him.


Okay. I was meaning how long as in how many days, weeks, months, etc. If it is just a very recent problem, then maybe something changed on the trail. Maybe there is a bear or boar hanging around . . . or maybe something dead that he can smell.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Oh no, he's been like this for at least last 5 months about that trail. That's what I was thinking at first too but it's been going on quite awhile.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

Your horse is trying to tell you something if this is the only trail that he acts up on. Try walking the trail by yourself to see if something at his eye level is bothering him. Lead him on the trail to see if he still acts up.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Yeah, I've been trying to play close attention to figure out what it is. For most of the trail we travel under power lines? I wonder if thats bothering him? He always acts up around this one house that has two dogs that love to bark at him too...He doesn't actually spook at the dogs though when they're barking he'll calmly walk by. Hes not scared of dogs at all, big reason I bought him is because when I test rode him, neighbors two pits charged him and he kept walking along like nothing happened!

I kind of hate the trail myself, sometimes I wonder if hes feeding off me. Its just not a great trail but we had lost a boot so I was trying to retrace our steps to find it. Its a bit overgrown, lots of ups and downs...just not my ideal trail lol. Maybe hes been too spoiled by our nicer trails too! We pass lots of deer and sometimes turkeys but besides a little look or MAYBE a tiny jump he didn't pay it much attention.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I think you have answered your own question. I once saw a program about a horse that could feel electricity in his feet - he was just very sensitive to it. From what you are saying I think your horse has sensitive hearing and is bothered by the power lines and the dogs barking. I have always listened to my trail horses, your horse is saying it's a bad place. Just don't go there.


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

thanks! I guess I needed to hear it from someone else too to know I wasn't going crazy. Love the little man and he'll take me pretty much anywhere!! But this one trail he hates. Guess since we tried our search and rescue for our lost boot and failed I just won't bother going on it again.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

i'd wonder if it's just a bit of barn sour behavior.

my twh mare is a pain to ride at home. in the pasture or the lawn she is ok, but to go up into the neighbor's fields or down the road she gets goofy and hard headed.

take her out on the trails and she is a generally confident and predictable horse


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

We had a horse that was like that on any rides you took him on that involved going from the barn on his own 4 feet - he knew the way home so it was 'barn sour'. he was OK if you trailered him anywhere
There was one road in particular where I used to work that all horses disliked and I found out later on that the bodies of some murdered girls had been found in a ditch along there


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Hmm I really don't know if it's barn sour. I can take him anywhere away from the house no prob, it's just when I get to that one spot that he starts acting out? Coming and going...I feel like there's either something he smells or just something he really hates along that one trail. He'll be perfectly fine walking around the neighborhood, but then if I turn him to go down the trail he "hates" the second we pass the last house (So he knows for sure we're going to that trail and not just doing a loop passed it) and are really on it he starts getting ****y. He never gets out of it either, but if it's really because there's something there he doesn't like then I do t want to force it on him.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

I don't know if i TRULY believe that they can read us like ESP but sometimes it seems my mare can. Plus I have no doubt they can feel/hear/sense the electricity it may be worse for him for some reason. 

Rhonda


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## AlabamaBelle (Feb 27, 2013)

I can relate to both of those issues! When I got Peanut he was on my uncle-in-law's farm for 2+ yrs (just have moved him last month). He became really bound to the owner's mare. When we all rode out together on the trails and mountains behind the farm, as long as the mare was with us, he was wonderful. If she stayed home, he would walk out SO SLOWLY (not like him at all- he's a racking horse with a naturally fast walk) and want to hurry back. But trailering out to ride somewhere else, he's pretty much perfect. 

Also, one of the trails going out by the farm has pasture fencing on one side and though there's plenty of room to not be right up against it, he always looked funny at the section of the fence that was electric. 

I guess I didn't really contribute anything useful to the conversation, just sharing that I've been in the same boat... riding out alone at home and leaving his buddy at the barn used to be such an issue, I'd hardly ride alone.

Good luck, I hope you figure out what the problem is


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## ksorensen (Jun 15, 2015)

My gelding is the same way. If i try to ride him down the road he hates it. If i trailer him than he is fine and loves to go!


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## evilamc (Sep 22, 2011)

Haha well hes a little odd...I can ride him down the road fine and anywhere away from the barn...until I try and turn him down this one particular trail head thats a mile away from barn. Hes fine and dandy the whole way to it, second I turn him down it though hes a different horse  If he acted weird EVERYWHERE I rode him away from barn I feel like it would be way easier to figure out. I dunno, I've just given up on that one trail, I just take him on the other shorter one that I can get to from barn or we just stroll around the neighborhood and hes a happy camper


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