# My horse doesn't want to trail ride alone



## SaraM (Feb 14, 2014)

I think if you're able to do it safely, and have a cell phone etc. it sounds like you need to do it a lot more. Just because you're trail riding doesn't mean your horse doesn't have to listen or work hard; take them by themselves often and if they aren't listening to you, make them work harder.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Wet saddle blankets as well as being the leader in all aspects of handling the horse. Which means he gets by with nothing on the ground either, as that will come out under saddle.

As for understanding it isn't so bad? Horses do not think like that, so you need to disregard that mindset. Horses have a good idea of what they want to do, and many times it does not gee haw with wishes of rider.

A confident rider and handler, goes a long way to getting horse moving.

And what exactly is your horse doing? Balking, spinning, rearing, backing?


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## BreakableRider (Aug 14, 2013)

Approach it as any other training session. When teaching a horse to side pass, people don't go out with the idea of being able to open a bunch of gates the first day. First you must get that one step good. It's the same with getting a horse used to trail riding. You need to teach your horse to be a trail horse before trail riding. 

Show your horse that going down the trail is the better option. Ask him to walk off the direction you want down the trail. If he chooses to stop or turn around that's fine, let him make that choice. Then make that choice hard, trot some circles for a few moments then point him back to the trail and slow him to a walk. 

Anytime he is pointing toward the trail, make it easy for him. Rub him in the wither and don't put much pressure on him. If he gets worried about something don't push him through it. Flex his head and get him to relax. Once she's relaxed ask him to walk on. 

Don't worry about going far, since it's not about that at this point. You want to regularly back track and work harder at your starting point then letting him walk down the trail. By doing it this way you're creating a horse that is never going develop the habit of rushing home or turning back for home. 

Another reason is if he does break to a trot when you turn back home. The closer a horse is to what they're going toward the less inclined they'll be to try and get there very quickly. In this case, slow him to a walk, then trot when he gets where he wants to be. If he pulls against you, trot circles right there then point him back to the trail and stand.

As he gets better at a short distance, then you can increase it to where you're actually able to go trail ride.


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## weema (May 4, 2014)

The background to why he won't go alone is because the woods and field we ride in are also near a fish pond where people go fishing and some people there hate having the horses go by.
He is not actually my horse, I am working with a woman and riding her horses. Before I started working with this horse, another rider, who worked there took him out by the pond to get to the woods. They encountered some people who where fishing there and they backed him and the rider into a corner waving their rods in their hands at them because they didn't want them riding on that path. They think that the horses disrupt the fish in the pond, which doesn't even make sense. 
What I mean by for him to "understand that it isn't bad" is actually that he won't always get scared by the people fishing there. He doesn't want to go near the pond by himself anymore because he associates that place with where he got "attacked" (for a lack of a better term)

Sorry that my threads are confusing. I am trying to get the hang of asking questions and how much detail I need to add and how to word things. I know that horses think differently than humans, but they do still feel things and definitely remember traumatizing experiences.

Every time you try to bring him closer to the pond, he stops moving and no matter what you do he will not move forward. I have tried circling him, bringing him to different areas first, walking closer and closer everyday to the pond, but it is a slow work in progress. I was hoping someone might be able to come up with a better idea.


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## BreakableRider (Aug 14, 2013)

He doesn't think he was attacked. He remembers something unpleasant happened there but horses don't dwell on things the way people do. Horses live I'm the moment. That's why horses can often overcome fears they have had their entire life within a couple training sessions whereas people often need intensive therapy. 

I think you'll have much more success with this horse if you don't think about what happened there in the first place. 

Go back and retread my post as well. It's not about circling and trying to get him to go anywhere. It's about teaching him to choose to WANT to go where you want.


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## Horse Poor (Aug 20, 2008)

IMHO, if he does fine with other riders/horses, then it's not the place that is the problem, but rather who he trusts while there. IOW, he trusts other horses and himself over you. He's not confident and you can't give him what you don't know. BTW, he's not alone - he's with you.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

I was in a similar situation. My horse Harley while riding down a road got bit pretty badly in the leg by a dog. After that he was terrified to go near that road. He wouldn't go near it alone, with other horses, or even being led. 

We'd try and turn onto that road and he'd be spinning around and running for home. Normally without me in toe. 

I spent about a good month of every day riding him to the road. We would trot and canter right pass the turn for that road until he was a bit tired, then I'd stop and turn him to face the road. He'd get to rest for a few minutes then we'd trot again. For the first day or two he got to rest only when he'd stop and look at the scary road. He quickly became okay with having to look at the road and stand in front of it

Then I started to ask him to take a step closer to the road before his got his break. First few times he'd refuse and we'd be back to trotting. Finally he took that step and go to rest. Pretty soon he was happy to take that step towards the road to get his break

Then I wanted two steps before he got his break. Then three. And so on. 

Now he is more then happy to walk down the road. Though he will still tense a tiny bit when we walk right past the spot he got bit. But he won't refuse. 

Harley had another incident where a tree branch fell and landed about five feet in front of him. He'd flat out refuse to move past that spot after that. 

There wasn't enough room to do my usual trot until tired game. A friend who does a lot of training hopped up on him for me. She said as long as he moved his feet he'd forget about his little fear. She'd start him about 20 ft from the spot and make him back up until he passed it. For some reason he'd do it in reverse. She spent a while making him back up over it and then go forward over the spot. Now he is great about it.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

it is not a sin to get off and lead your horse over to the pond. I bet he will feel better about that. sometimes, if they have even just one good experience, that whole "mental roadblock" can disappear. 

then, you can spend some time just hanging out at the pond. turn, walk away and then pretend you forgot something and need to go back. walk back (riding or leading), then leave. don't make a big deal about it. 

next time, see if you can't ride him up to it, then leave, then go back.

especially if he is good about riding alone in all other areas and aspects.


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