Hi all,  I have been out of the horse world for 15 years and now I am getting back into it via a horse rescue.  I have always been good with horses and nothing spooks me   I have always been the leader in my heard!  Now there is a horse there that is very fearful and spooks at everything.  I have been working with him for a month now and he trusts me fully.  I am now trying to train him and we have started ground work.  We took a couple of classes together and were doing really well, lunging and everything!  Now all of a sudden the past two weeks when I get him in the ring he will only walk behind me (very close too!).  Today after a while he finally started walking next to me but that was after an hour of work. There is no way to lunge him since he needs to be as close as possible to me.  How do I break this habit?  I'm not sure if he is fearful and that is why he wants to be so close or if I'm not being clear in what I am asking of him.  I'm sure there is info in this forum that relates, but I haven't found what I am looking for yet, so I am sorry if this is a duplicate.  Thank you!

Katrina

Hi and welcome!  I am sure there are some here that can help you a lot better than I can, I'm not always the best at being able to relay what I'm thinking through my fingers, but; sounds to me like it's a little of both.  Sounds like he has a confidence issue, he has recognized you as his leader, but needs to build his confidence.  I know some horses once they start learning something will often times regress, then it seems like they have to almost start over, but then they get it really well. 

You may also be inadvertently sending mixed signals, and not being able to see what you're doing, it's hard to tell.

I definitely think you are onto something with the building confidence thing.  I may need to focus on that more.  He has definitely regressed, so its hard to decide what to do first.  He is petrified of men to the point that the gentleman who works the rescue during the week can't catch him, even in his stall!  He now has to wear a halter all the time so people can catch him!  I guess I will have to work on his confidence with men and groundwork slowly.

I think I will start over with some info I found on a NH site and we will not rush anything :0)

Thank you for your reply!

Katrina

It doesn't sound to me like you're going to have any trouble at all - you're on the right track!  Horses with confidence issues just take more time, they're harder to convince people aren't going to kill them, but he'll come around in his own time.  Just be prepared that may seem like forever!!  Patience is the key. . .

When I first started to work with and lunging my little girl Brownie, I ran into the same problem after we figured out how to lunge....she got closer and closer as time went on, wanting to be right beside me in her regression.  Before I go on, please expect to take 2 steps forward and at least 1 step back; it can be frustrating and puzzling and make you wonder if you should go on but.........don't give up!  Anyhow, what I found helpful is going back to the lead in the beginning of our time and keep my elbow out that is next to her...each time she starts coming in, my elbow pushes her back out naturally when she presses against it.....you can then progress to an extended arm...than to the length of lunge whip.  Then when you finish with the leadline, make sure they are fully aware you are now changing that to a lungeline and therefore a new task. Let the horse know the difference between lead and lunge and keep 'em moving on that lunge....the more and faster they move on the lunge, the more room they need to have for themselves and should naturally move away from you.  Make sure they understand.......repeat/repeat/repeat...be consistent/consistent/consistent.  It took me/us a while and alot of patience as well but we did manage to get past that nonsense.  Hope this makes sense and helps.

If I were you, I would first work on getting the horse out of my space.  You don't need a 1000 pound animal crowding you, especially if they're spooky.  They could possibly spook and run over the top of you, no matter how much they trust or respect you.  It's just like a horse that totally repsects the electric fence until one day he spooks, bolts, and runs right through it.  He'll be using the reactive side of his brain and won't think to see what's in his way.

I'll use four main methods to get a horse out of my space.

One: Flop your elbows up in the air.  You should be able to do this without hitting your horse, and if you do hit him, oh well--it was his fault.  A herd leader will similarly shove with his shoulder if another horse gets into his space.

Two: Move that front end.  Pushy horses benefit a lot from moving their front end.  They learn that you can push them around, but they can't push you around.  Using a stick (lunging stick, training stick, dressage whip, or just a stick from your backyard) tap the air right behind your horse's ear four times.  Lean over a little to show your horse you want him to do something.  Use your free hand (with the rope) to block forward movement by holding it up between his eye and nose, palm facing him.  If he doesn't respond, tap him gently four times right behind the ear.  Make sure to keep a constant rhythm.  Gradually increase the amount of pressure you use, whacking him if necessary, until he takes one step by crossing his inside foreleg (the one nearest you) overtop of his outside foreleg.  Take all the pressure off, including straightening up, so he gets a reward.  Then continue.  You want to work to where you can push his forehand all the way around, on either side.  Ask for one more step at a time and work up to this.  Then, anytime your horse gets pushy, move his front end around in a full circle to show him who's boss--just like a herd leader would do.

Three: Get his feet moving.  If a horse begins to push on you, you can move his front end, lunge him, or back him up.  You said that you have a hard time lunging him now; I would push him away with my stick, then point and begin to ask him to move by smacking the ground really hard and clucking, blocking any movement towards you with your hand.  If he doesn't move, smack his rump.  When he moves, release all the cues, but if he stops, pick them back up again.  He'll learn that, number one, he can't push on you, and number two, if he moves his feet when you ask him, he gets relief.  It takes practice to learn how to lunge properly, and to get the muscle memory to put your hand up to keep the horse from coming towards you.  I recommend practicing on a well-trained horse if at all possible.

Four: Back him up.  You need to teach your horse how to back up first.  Horses don't back up naturally.  You don't see them backing up on their own in a field, head flexed, carrying their weight just right over their hind end.  Teach your horse to back up by wiggling the rope, then swing your arms back and forth (with a stick in one hand), and walk toward the horse.  Get your horse to where you can wiggle the rope and he'll back away from you.  Whenever he crowds you, you can wiggle the rope and get him away from you, so he learns not to crowd you.

Never reinforce a horse crowding by giving them attention.  Make them move their feet instead, so they learn that crowding means moving, and standing obediently means attention.  With a little effort, you should be able to get your horse back to normal.  If not, seek professional help.