Training Tip: Handling a Proud-Cut Gelding

Question: What do I do with a green horse that is proud cut and gets agitated and feisty with people? My gelding was cut last year and sent to a trainer for three months. He never acted out at the trainer’s, but when I got him home he acted out towards my brothers—turning his hind end towards them and jumping towards them. He didn’t do that to me. I have been in school for the past year, and they turn him out. – juliayellowwings

Clinton’s Answer: The term “proud cut” is often used to mean that during castration a testicle was not completely removed and is still producing testosterone that causes stallion-like behavior. Consulting with a veterinarian can help identify your horse’s issue and any possible fixes.

With that being said, I would treat your gelding as I would any other horse—I would earn his respect by moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right and always rewarding the slightest try. I’d do that with the exercises in the Fundamentals Kit, starting with the Roundpenning Exercises.

One of the most important things to understand about horses is that respect is not transferable. You and your trainer are likely not having any trouble with your gelding because you’re good leaders for him—he respects you and trusts you. On the other hand, if your brothers aren’t experienced horsemen and don’t know how to interact and communicate with your gelding, it’s likely that he doesn’t respect them.

Just because you have earned a horse’s respect does not mean you can hand him over to someone and he will respect them the same way. Each person is responsible for gaining each horse’s respect. If I sold you one of my well-trained horses, and you took him home and didn’t gain his respect by asserting yourself as the leader and moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right, he would go from being a safe, obedient horse to being a disrespectful thug that pushed you around. In order for the horse to continue to use the thinking side of his brain and remain respectful, you have to constantly remind him how to use it by moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right and always rewarding the slightest try. Horses are nothing more than maintenance with legs.

That frustrates a lot of people because they spend a lot of money on a well-trained horse and within six months, the horse acts like he doesn’t know a thing. Horses don’t care how much money they cost, how much money you make or what part of town you live in. Their only concern is that you know the rules to horsemanship. And the number-one rule is: Whoever moves first, loses. The number-one horse in the herd can move all of the other horses’ feet.

That’s what your gelding is trying to do with your brothers. When he turns his hindquarters toward them and jumps at them, he’s making them move their feet. He’s asserting his place as the leader. With some horses, the more they get away with that type of behavior, the worse it’ll get.

The bottom line is if you don’t make your horse move his feet forwards, backwards, left and right and you don’t maintain that respect between the two of you, his behavior will get worse. However, if you maintain that respect and improve upon it, your horse’s behavior will get better. Horses don’t ever stay the same. Every day they either get a little bit better or a little bit worse.

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