Bad manners and back-scratching

Now my horse (we'll call him "Mr Horse" for anonymity purposes) is excellent to ride. He is calm, patient, mostly forgiving and with a great education. The only thing that lets him down are his ground manners. After a month of being pushed around, fidgeting, biting, not standing still I decided to seek help from a Natural Horsemanship clinic in the local area who specialised in "ground manners".

The day didn't start so well - "Mr Horse" was really not happy. After being labelled the "naughty horse" from the very beginning (I didn't realise that other attendees in this "group session" would have had prior training....and impeccable manners) he was off to a bad start. Not helped further then by kicking over his water bucket three times; winding up the owners horses (so they fled to the back paddock); eating the fence post and then trying to pull a cord out of electrical socket. 

Things started to look up as we eased into things. I managed to get him to stand still and yield in both directions (after copious bribes of back scratching as a reward). Mr Horse was looking up! Maybe he could be the star pupil, this was good! 

Sadly the day ended abruptly when he didn't take to kindly to the "horse whisperer's" methods of submission. Lets just say it involved rearing, bucking, striking and bolting. There went my prize dressage horse bolting across the fields with a 15m rope dangling between his legs which he could have tripped on at any second. I couldn't watch. Just at that moment the other half arrives to find me, head in hands, eyes closed. Meanwhile, ponies and owners stood a gasp whispering about my crazy horse and holding for dear life on to their ponies in case mine came back and violently attacked them.

It was time to go home. Mr Horse sloped back over to me and we packed up and took him home to his paddock - albeit a lot sweatier and tired that he had started out. He is now a lot happier in his paddock and hasn't bitten me or pushed me since. He's no golden child but he's my horse and I can cope with his brain spasms for the great time he gives me when being ridden. I'm never going to get him to stand completely still, or drop to his knees and roll over on command, but we have a better understanding after that day. And the most important lesson I learnt? A good back scratch will get you everywhere with Mr Horse. Deep down, he's a simple sole of small pleasures. And I love him for that.

For some natural horsemanship tips from the probably the most well-known guru see Pat Parelli's problem page.