# Clyde won't move under saddle!



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

could you get a friend to either have a lead line on him while you are mounted and lead him forward with your cues to go. Or , pony him from another horse. But if you pony, do it a couple of times unmounted before getting on him.

Wierd, huh. Wonder why he won't move. Same problem for anyone who rides him? Could it be he just knows you don't have the authority to move him? (sorry, if that sounds like I am dissing you)


----------



## KeroKero (Jul 5, 2011)

Everytime I've had a problem, it's been that he knows he can get away with it with me ahahaha he knows I'm new!!

I did have a friend 'lead' him, and I did the cues to move, stop, turn. We did this for about 5 minutes, I guess he could probably use a good hour or so of that though? I wonder if we did this exercise several times, over longer periods of time, if it would help...


----------



## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

Well what we do when we have a horse that won't move is a ground person. Have your friend or anyone have a lunge whip in the center of your arena. If the horse stops just have the person flick,snap, or tap with the whip whatever you perfer. Keep the ground person intil your horse is fully responsive to your aids. Also when you are able to get the horse to move praise him. Make riding a fun experience! Hope this helps you!


----------



## atomic (Aug 15, 2011)

If everything else has failed, I would try to have someone on the ground lunge him while under saddle. Have you ever done any ground driving with him? Maybe he just doesn't understand your cues, and thinks that the only time he's required to move is when he is being lead. If you go the lunge route, make sure that you cue him as you normally would while the person lunging also cues from the ground, that way he will begin to associate the two.


----------



## ShutUpJoe (Nov 10, 2009)

If for some reason he won't move once you've used a ground person, had someone lounge him with you on him on the ground this is what you do. Put him in the middle of a non-grassy area, somewhere he can't put his head down and graze. Subtly give him a cue, kissing or light kicking. If you are going to kick don't do it hard because if you do you'll get tired or he could decide it gets on his nerves and do more than move forward. Don't have anyone else around. Apply the cue or cues until he moves forward. It might take awhile. Sounds like he is freezing, which is common. Once he moves though, reward him immensely. Stop your kicking, kissing, relax in the saddle and give him a couple good boys. If he stops before you ask him to immediately start the cue up again. I mean the second you feel him falter under the saddle. Remember it might take awhile.


----------



## KeroKero (Jul 5, 2011)

I just wanted to find this thread and thank everyone for the advice quickly - Today we made huge progress with Clyde's training!

From getting him to be much calmer while I was tighening the cinch, to teaching him to go left, right, back and even the elusive forward~!! I couldn't be more pleased with what was accomplished in about 1-1 1/2 hours of work. 

By the end I was giving very soft cues with the reins/bit using direct reining, and he was turning beautifully for me. Tried backing up for the first time (while riding) and after a couple moments of confusion he did great, and did wonderfully every time after that. As for forward - a friend on the ground to swing a rope in circles was just the help I needed to get him moving - I gave the cue to walk, spoke "walk", and when he didn't, the rope was twirled. As soon as he walked, she stopped with the rope and I stopped my little kick/leg pressure - again, after a while of this, he was walking with just the leg cues and spoken command. 


Thanks again everyone!! I am just so thrilled, this is the first time I've really ridden him successfully, and he being my first horse, it was extra special.


----------

