# Dealing With & Preventing The Spoiled Horse



## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

*Spoiled Rotten*

Most people have experienced a child throwing a temper tantrum at one time or another. Often we see these little tyrannical episodes when the child is out shopping with their parents. The child wants something that the parent refuses to supply and the child reacts with an emotional explosion. Children are not born with patience and understanding, those are learned virtues. When a child erupts into a fit over not getting his way, we as the bystander, often think to ourselves "well if that was my child I would fix that problem A.S.A.P". We are often mind boggled by the fact that the child's parents do little to regain their control and are mortified when we see them give in to what the child wants just to pacify him.

I feel the same way when I see a horse throwing a temper tantrum. A horse can become spoiled rotten by it's owners very easily. The saddest part of the situation is the owner does it in the name of love with good intentions at heart.


By "spoiling" your horse you are only setting him up for bad behavior development. I talked earlier in the book about how humans try to make a horse think and feel like a human. We assume that they abide by the same rules of affection. We think we must be loving on them constantly and feeding them treats to prove to them how much we care.


I have even heard people making up excuses for their horses bad behavior like a mother would for her child, "Oh he is having a bad day, he isn't normally like this". Horses don't have bad days. That is one of the great things about horses, how dependable they are regardless of outside influences. A horse may move a little slower in the heat, but if you make him go faster he will. I horse will just as easily trod through the snow in minus zero conditions, than run through a meadow in spring. They are very steadfast and dependable by nature.


When you see an outburst from a horse, it isn't because he is having a bad day, it's because he has become spoiled in some way, shape or form.There is one exception to this rule, a horse that is suffering some sort of pain. I have made the mistake of saddling my horse and forgetting to make sure her mane wasn't under the pad. She became very agitated during the ride. Twitching her tail, not paying attention, acting as if she was irritated and cranky. I stopped and checked everything out but found no reason for her discomfort. I kept feeling her twitch her muscles in her withers as if she was getting rid of flies, so I thought maybe a horsefly was biting at her. When I looked down I saw her mane was pulled tightly back under the saddle pad and with every step it yanked at it more. She was reacting to pain. As soon as I fixed the problem, she went right back to her normal dependable self.


If a horse who normally is well behaved starts to take a fit, check for physical discomfort first. Maybe the cinch is pinching him, there is a burr in the saddle pad, or a horsefly is biting him.


If a horse has a habit of throwing fits then there is a chance he has been spoiled and needs to be corrected and placed back into a state of submissive follower. A horse that is in a submissive state of mind will not throw a fit. He can't, it is impossible. Only a horse who feels he is in control and boss will throw a fit or try to dominate a human being with bad behavior. A spoiled horse is a pushy horse. He will try to push his owner around, just like the bossy child. He try's to make his owner do what he wants by throwing little fits.


Spoiling a horse is the leading cause of behavior issues. Signs a horse is spoiled...


*Pushy Attitude*

In a pushy horses mind it is fine to crowd its owner, pull him around, drag him even if he wants too. He can be in the owners space, even knock him down if he doesn't move out of the way. It is OK to bite his owner when the owner doesn't follow his lead or takes to long in complying with his wishes. He expects a treat regardless of what he does, he wants one just for showing up. If you don't give it to him, he will stick his nose in your pocket and take it. In his mind he is the boss.


*Aggressive Attitude 
*

The pushy horse will mature into the aggressive horse, it is only a matter of time. Soon he is biting, charging, and kicking anyone who stands in the way of what he wants. If he doesn't want to be handled he throws a fit, he is completely out of control. Usually there is a submissive person running around telling him to be a good boy and mommy will get him some apples.


Human beings just can't understand that a horse does not reap one good reward from over indulgence. It is all bad. It is the worst thing you can do to a horse. You must try to find balance.


Sometimes we do it ourselves, sometimes it was done before the horse becomes ours. It doesn't matter who did it, it has to end right now. If you have been spoiling your horse, just stop it and learn a new way to reward him that will result in positive effects you will both enjoy.


*Rule # 1: Never let the horse come into your space unless he does so with a submissive attitude.*

*Rule #2: Never accept any attempt to dominate you in any way. *
Even the slightest infraction of this rule needs to be corrected immediately.


*Rule # 3: Never use food as his sole reward for good behavior*
Mix it up with body pats, and ada boys.


*Rule #4: Never give the reward before he deserves it.*
That constitutes bribery. Bribery doesn't work for you, it works for the horse. A horse learns quickly that by not doing what you want him too he gets a treat. Think about that for a minute. If the horse doesn't want to follow you on the lead rope and you give him a reward hoping he will move, he takes it as he refuses to do it and gets a reward. He will not get the reward and then say _"wow she is so nice I should do what she wants."_


*Rule#5: Be aware of how you physically interact with him.*
Body language is the only language a horse speaks. Be confident and show control in your physical demeanor. If you are shaky, nervous, or show submission he will hear what you are saying loud and clear. He will instantly seize the opportunity to be leader of the two man herd. He won't feel bad about it in the slightest either. He is just doing what horses do.
I spend a lot of time with my horses every day. I am around them for the better part of any given day. I do so because I want to maintain my status as leader and I love them. I am constantly practicing these five rules and they have paid off for me personally and the are paying off for my horses too.


Human affection is natural for us as humans. Love for a human is shown through affectionate acts. We express our love between humans by giving gifts to one another. So it is only natural we want to do the same with the animals that we love. But truly it isn't received the same way humans would accept our affection. It only confuses them and makes them feel as if they are in control. They don't understand we do it because we love them, they take our "love" and understand it as "submission" and it can destroy your relationship with your horse, and the horses ability to be well mannered and obedient.


*The Importance of Body Language 
*

Imagine that you were to spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 5 years living in a herd. Imagine that you could not speak but had to totally rely on your body to convey what you wanted. You had to learn what others wanted from you in order to avoid being kicked or bitten. Imagine that for a minute. Think about how you would adapt and be able to interpret the slightest movement of the horses around you. This is exactly how your horse has been trained first, by horses in the herd.


I can see when a person is fearful or even nervous when handling their horse. Fear is written literally all over their face. It is in the way they stand nervously out and to the side. It is in the way they hold their arms in a defensive manner. If I can see it, trust me the horses can see it too. They have spent their entire life learning the skill of conversing in body language. When a horse is nervous in the presence of another horse it signals submission. A submissive horse or person cannot lead.


*You MUST lead or you will have to follow. If you follow you will be pushed around, bitten, kicked, and treated far less respectful than if you were the leader.*​

"This article is an excerpt from the book H.E.R.D Human Equine Relationship Development written by author Tamara Svencer"


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

Can't be repeated ENOUGH.


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

I get so upset when people freak out about a horse that is treating them poorly when they TRAINED it to act like it is.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I really wonder when the change began to happen. For years, horses were horses. We were horse crazy yet respected them and treated them well. They were also physically disciplined for biting or kicking. When did women start needing to have horses love them. What is so empty in their lives that they will unknowingly allow a horse to become a candidate for a slaughter house by making all kinds of excuses for it's behaviour. When someone gets seriously hurt, we all know where that horse is going.


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

If you truly love horses...you will remember that it is a horse and not a human being. I have seen horses just RUINED, turned into monsters by humans who "loved" them in the wrong way. And you are so right Saddlebag it has changed and the end result is an animal no one wants to even bother dealing with.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I have worked with these horses. My first question to the owner is what are their expectations. I cringe when I hear "I want the horse to love me". This is usually followed by "whatever you have to do, don't hurt her". That's when I say goodbye. I don't go there with the intention of hurting the horse but it could happen and I don't need an hysterical fool yelling her head off.


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

Its kinda sad because right now we need horse enthusiasts to keep our hobby alive. Too many people get into horses not understanding what they are getting into. They really have no clue except they think horses are pretty and think it would be cool to own one. And it is cool to have a horse BUT you got to know how to use it to make it fun  Last year I sent out an ad here in my community to work with bad horses...I wanted the worst of the worst. I got a lot of response to it because I offered them my services free of charge in exchange for using my experiences in the next book. I got called out to all kinds of places and was so amazed at how these "bad" horses weren't bad at all...they were just being handled wrong. It actually took a lot of work to come up with some truely "bad" horses. Ones that were disrespectful & slightly dangerous...most of them were just horses being horses when I showed up. It was nice to show the people in person what they were doing wrong so it wasn't a total waste of gas money  99.9% of the time the horse is just doing what is natural for it to do at the time...and a lot of it has been taught & reinforced by some "good intentioned" person. Horses don't spare the rod when dealing with each other. They can be downright mean & nasty I find it funny when someone cringes at the thought of using a little force on a horse...and I am not talking about being abusive at all...I am talking about correcting them and motivating them with the amount it takes to teach them whatever objective you are working on. I guess the saying "the road to hell is paved by good intentions" illustrates what happens with owners/handlers that don't treat a horse like a horse.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

While enjoying some conversation about horses, a gal spoke up and said she'd bo't a real nice, trained horse about 6 mo. previous. "And what are you doing with her", says I. She responded that she took it for daily walks, for the past six months, just leading her. "Why". Her response was. "I want her to like me". I then asked her how she would know when the horse would come to like her. She'd never thought of that. The next day she called that she'd taken her on a lovely trail ride and thanked me for opening her eyes.


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

Thats an awesome lil story that bout sums it up ...gave me a little chuckle.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

"Usually there is a submissive person running around telling him to be a good boy and mommy will get him some apples." haha! So true.

I was raised to never give a horse a treat out of your hand...if ya wanted to give him/her something for a job well done or just because, put it in their trough. Then, I discovered clicker training. It requires that the human identifies and communicates, to the split second, to the horse what behavior the human "liked"..and then the human "pays up" w a treat from their hand. Throwing treats at horses for no defineable reason is the exact same as throwing money at people for the same. I am not sure how I would act if someone threw money at me no matter how I behaved, it is probably best for my self esteem to never find out!
I don't use clicker under saddle. And, I don't spare the rod - but I do tend to over analyze unwanted behavior, giving the horse the benefit of the doubt - the first time...sometimes even the second.  
Its a threshold thing....to what degree are you willing to discipline? If it is "not at all", I agree....don't own a horse for the horse's sake and your own safety's. If its "overboard", its simply morally and ethically wrong to be allowed to own a horse, of course. I like to believe most people are somewhere in between.


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## OctoberArabian (Feb 17, 2012)

I agree, times a million!
So what are some good excersizes the human owner can do to improve thier own attitude around thier horse if they _are_ shaky and afraid?


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

I have a spoiled diva of a mare....but I'll be damned if she does not respect my space and knows who is boss.
She is not pushy in the slightest, but spoiled she most certainly is


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

OctoberArabian it is a matter of spending lots of time with the animal and learning what to expect that in a way is reverse training of the human. By putting yourself in a "scary" situation that makes you nervous with the horse and coming through it alive you are "desensitizing" yourself and gaining confidence. Imagine YOU are the spooky little mare and you ve to get over a fear...you need exposed to the fear until it doesn't effect you anymore. I think all the times I have been bucked, reared on, ran off with, and everything in between has actually helped me to be a better more confident horseperson because I know it's not that bad really. It takes time time time and do exactly what you expect your horse to do. They get shaky and nervous alot when they are afraid right? You expose yourself just like you would your horse to a situation you are afraid of, again & again...eventually you come to understand, it's never as bad as it is in your head.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

sierrams1123 said:


> I have a spoiled diva of a mare....but I'll be damned if she does not respect my space and knows who is boss.
> She is not pushy in the slightest, but spoiled she most certainly is


Mine are spoiled - rotten. However, they know the limits and they respect me. "Quit" in a very firm tone and they do quit. Body language is also a very important part of dealing with horses.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

herdbound said:


> OctoberArabian *it is a matter of spending lots of time with the animal* and learning what to expect that in a way is reverse training of the human.


I had to get over my fears after being hurt by a bad throw. THEN, I kept looking at badly trained horses and even got thrown by one I was trying. I wasn't afraid before this. MY advice is like above, T I M E spent with your horse.
Make a list of every basic obedience and jot down how YOUR horse behaves. This is where your start.
Then you work on the ground on every one of them until your are SO BORED and your horse is behaving SO WELL that you just have to move on to the next thing. I have a friend who adopted a Mustang and her foal. She spent one solid year spending time talking to the mare in her stall before she ever started working with her, and now has her broken and solidly trained. Yes, SOMETIMES it takes that long.
Read this thread:
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-training/how-we-train-fearless-trail-horse-99776/
If you still don't know how a horse SHOULD behave, PM me and I'll give you a detailed list. =D


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I find the word spoiled has a negative connotation, like a spoiled bratty child. My horses are respectful, I spend as much time with them as I can, tend to their needs, pay their bills. To me that is good horsemanship, not spoiling them.


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## herdbound (Aug 30, 2010)

Nope I equate "spoiling" with "ruining". Spoiling by buying them the best has no effect on the horse unless yours is smarter than mine and can read price tags


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## yourcolorfuladdiction (Feb 19, 2012)

Tehe my little pony tries every now and then. She'll inch closer to me trying to see how close she can get before I stop her. It's kind of cute that she thinks I don't notice and acts like "woah I wasn't doing anything, honest!" when I correct her for starting to crowd me.


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