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Hi everyone…I’m seeking some help or advice. I am a natural horsemanship trainer, and I’ve started lots of young horses under saddle. However, my personal horse Fallon, has me a bit stumped. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of help, and so it’s primarily just me at the barn. About Fallon: she is a 3-year-old Mustang who I gentled at 9 months old. I got her for a TIP challenge in 2023. She was born in holding with a herd origin of Salt Wells Creek, Wyoming. She has had extensive groundwork training and showmanship. (Walk, trot, canter on a lunge line, yields hindquarters and shoulders, pivots, sidepasses) she also knows how to long line with and without tack. Around 2.5 I started putting tack on her starting with a barepack pad and a small children’s barrel saddle. Within that time frame she also had a few sits bareback for a few minutes. I also made a person out of pool noodles to mimic a rider and she wasn’t phased at all. The issue: she’s had a handful of first rides however, they have always been when someone’s with me. We’ve only been able to walk and she follows my helper around but responds to leg to go forward and seat to stop. When I try to ride her by myself for the life of me I can’t get her to go forward at all. I’ve tried staying in the round pen, I’ve tried going in the arena, I’ve tried having my helper on the lunge line to mimic groundwork, she’ll stand beautifully at the mounting block but then just not go anywhere. I can be sitting on her just using all my leg and nothing. I’ve tried a dressage whip and nothing. I’m afraid if I use spurs she’s going to freak out or just not respond. She will bend and flex and move her hindquarters and sidepass all while I’m on her but not go forward. I can’t afford to send her out for training and I really want to do it myself. I’m wondering if anyone has started a horse like this and what helped especially any mustangs? Additional info: my saddle and tack fits her, I’m riding her in a rope halter, and medically nothing stands out that she would be having any issues and I do regular bodywork with her. She is barefoot. My vet cleared her to begin under saddle work |
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Hi, without knowing anything else about you or your horse, two possible solutions come to mind. Firstly, she might not truely understand the forward cue under saddle. To fix this, go back to ground work. Teach her a vocal cue for forward. It can be anything you like, but be sure to only use it for going forward. Reinforce this command so that she will move forward just on your voice. She'll need to be able to go from halt to walk, from walk to trot and from trot to canter. If she has mastered this, you can start the work in the saddle. When you have mounted her and want to walk, you'll apply your leg cue. Give her one or two seconds to respond, then give your vocal cue. Keep giving your leg cue untill she moves forward. When she moves forward, remove all cues. Keep repeating this and when she begins to understand, shorten the lenght of time between your leg cue and your vocal cue, untill she moves just on your leg. This isn't done in one session. Give her the space and the time to understand what you're asking her. For the second possible solution, she might not have any motivation to move forward. The fix for this requires that you have someone else to help you, at least in the later stage under saddle. To begin, teach her to touch a target. Start with a small distance and gradually make it larger. Reward her whenever she answers your question correctly. If she can touch the target from a larger distance, you can start in the saddle. Just as with the first solution, apply your leg cue and give her one or two seconds to react. The get your helper to hold up the target about two or three steps from her. When she moves, remove your leg cue and when she touches the target reward her. Keep repeating this and gradually make the distance larger. Eventually work towards being able to ride in the round pen and having your helper hold up the target from outside the roundpen. Then you can gradually decrease the amount of time your helper has to hold up the target. This also isn't done in one session. Give her plenty of time and breaks. With that being said, I do not know you nor your horse. I encourage hiring a professional who can help you and make sure there aren't other things that are being overlooked. |
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That's actually a very interesting idea I didn't think of a target thank you! To answer your first question she is very proficient in groundwork she's done it since I got her. She will go from a stop to walk, walk to trot, trot to canter, and canter to walk all easily all I have to do is point and kiss or click depending on what I'm asking. I try to use the same cues under saddle and I can get 1-3 steps and then she'll just stops. I'll bump on her with my legs, I've tried using a dressage whip and the lead rope and she will just stand their and tolerate it when I add it to "get after" her to try and get her to go forward. She's not necessarily being bad per say but I just want to find ways to help her understand more because I truly feel like I've done what I can to try and set her up for success. She's stirrup driven regularly and we do some groundwork before I get on. Even when my helpers with me and is in the middle of the round pen trying to get us to go forward she'll go out and do 1 maybe 2 walk circles but anything more she'll turn in and stop and not move. |
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I have a mustang gelding from Snowstorm Mountains, NV HMA I just started under saddle about 30 days ago.
You can't worry about going forward until they know how to move their feet and give their nose. I always start horses just going in circles, flexing, bending and getting used to your feet on them. When they become more comfortable they will want to travel straight on their own. No professional colt starter gets on a colt and just tries to drive it forward because that is just simply not an effective method. It's circles and flexing each way until they want to move out by themselves. Usually when they start to trot they will start to move out more and more. That was about ride 4 of seriously practicing what I mentioned for my gelding.
She simply has absolutely no idea what you're asking and just trying to get her to go forward without taking the steps I mentioned is going to confuse and frustrate her. Plus, after doing what I said she will be soft and flexible when traveling straight which makes things easier in the long run. |
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She does know how to bend and flex both on the ground and under saddle. She will give her nose and we can step around in a circle and she she stops. We have done this about 7 times now she will bend and circle and then take one or two steps forward out of it and then stop. She is super soft and gives very easily. |
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Cool - A Front is Moving In
