Training Tip: Ask Clinton: Sticky Feet on the Trail

Q: If I go out alone on the trail, my horse will just stop. If I press him forward, he backs up and acts like he is about to rear. I pull his head around to stop him from rearing, but he gets really excited, and I am afraid to spank him as he might explode. What should I do? – Natalia K.

A: The key to fixing your horse’s problem is to first understand that it’s just a symptom of a cause. In your situation, your horse is rearing (or threatening to) because he has sticky feet. When he doesn’t want to do something, his way of getting out of it is to run backwards or to rear up. At this point, it sounds like he’s figured out that if he scares you, he gets out of work.

When a horse rears because he has sticky feet and doesn’t want to go forward, it’s a lack of control on the rider’s part. You first need to get control of the horse on the ground and then practice basic impulsion exercises to teach the horse to respond to your cues and to be responsible for maintaining the gait you set him in. When you gently squeeze his sides with the calves of your legs, he should immediately move forward. Rather than trying to fix his sticky feet out on the trail where you’re afraid for your safety, first get control of the horse at home in a safe environment where if you need to spank him with the end of your mecate or a dressage whip to get forward movement, you can. Keep something in mind, any holes you have in your training at home only get worse when you take your horse out on the trail.

After working with hundreds of horses over the years, I’ve found that a week or two of consistent groundwork usually cures rearing before you get back in the saddle. Why? Because the horse’s respect is earned on the ground by moving his feet, he’s using the thinking side of his brain and he is no longer fearful.