Okay so i recently bought a new horse and when i got him i was told that they didn't lunge him that much but sometimes they did. Well when i first lunge him he was horrible! He tried kicking at me a bunch of times and refused to trot, but i lunged him a couple more times after the first one and he improved a ton! but he completely refuses to lope! no matter how many times i get "tough" on him he doesn't do it! and he gets really frustrated and tries to turn around and tries to kick at me but every time he dose that i give him a good pop with the whip on the leg he did it with.
* What do you suggest i should do? I usually don't have to lunge cause under saddle hes good but i want to do it when im not able to ride that day.
* And Another question ... When i lunge he flips his head (more like rolls his head idk how to explain its like when a guy is gonna beat some one and he cracks his neck) and stares right at me but he dosnt get close to me and he also did that in the pasture when i tried getting him and he was running away from me. But hes not hurting cause his not lame or anything and i've checked i have no idea why he dose this.
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** So why do you think he dose it can it be disrespect??
Keep correcting him for all these signs of disrespect and he will lose them. You don't have to throw a fit or anything. Just get in, correct him once, and get out. Be sure you can "let go" of your "arghhh!!!" attitude in an instant when he reacts the proper way. He needs to learn from your example of how to drop his attitude down and just get the job done. Once he knows that his head flipping, leg kicking, sideways kind of going is not working out for him, he will change his ways.
A lot of horses do this as they are getting put back to work. Try to recognize it's not ideal, is a normal reaction, does not mean he's a bad horse, but don't ever lose your temper over it. He needs consistency and a firm hand, not violence from you.
id recommend any book by monty roberts. he has had much experience and in his book "the man who listens to horses" he basically tells exactly what to do when a horse is lunging and acting up
I would still get a vet check. Not cantering on the lunge is almost always a pain issue.
my standardbred does that too! you did a pretty good job explaining it actually. it can be caused by pain (like if your neck or any joints are sore, you start clicking them) which then developes into a habit that your horse will do whenever he is excited/scared/new situation etc
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its not disrespect, the head tossing anyway.
i think your lunging problem is caused by a misunderstanding between you both, as in, he doesnt actually knwo what your asking of him.
liek the above answerer said, look up monty roberts. after watchign some of his you tube videos i was able to free lunge my horses int he paddock by being able to control their movements with body language. if your horse sees you as the leader, and becomes relaxed/feels safe in your company. i have foudn that the head tossing stops.
also when he kicks at you. rather than just popping him with the whip. make him move away from you, out of your space. he is asserting himself as leader by him controlign your body movements, when it should be the other way around. by showing the horse you can control his movements, he will submit to you. it is the same thing when you are trying to catch him in the paddock, monty roberts "join up" is the absolute best thing!
so dont focus so much on getting him to canter/lope, but work on becomign a trusted leader, once you have learned how to effectiely communicate with him, things should go a whole lot smoother, its certainly helped me:)
i wont disagree with any of the answers above cuz i have no right to be answering a horse question on here with my experience as only being a rider.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com BUT
i did train a horse that did this same thing.
he would run in at me and bite and kick etc.
it could be he is in pain as some above said. but my horse it was generally just lack of knowledge and discipline.
try to continue to work with him and BE CAREFUL.
always pay attention when your lunging a horse like this. it can end badly-_-xD
anyway. also the 2nd question ... he might just be playing. maybe he just likes being "annoying"
lots of horses where i ride do it. try taking food up with you and eventually hell start running TOWARD you.
hope this helps
:)
Theres a few different things:
he could be uncomfortable working in tight circles; the only horses ive worked with that completely refused to canter were pretty out of shape. id start working him in circles more while riding if you dont already, especially at the canter.
for the head flipping, get a martingale and lunge him fully dressed, theres a chance he'll lose the habit.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
also, he is obviously pretty headstrong and does not respect you at all on the ground. this is difficult to fix, if you dont feel safe/comfortable enough, call in a trainer.
