When my horse is done riding she is done riding

[glazedmisc]

I have a 16 year old mare. Saddles fine and rides fine but when she decides she is done riding she will bring you back to where she gets saddled. She will fight left and right if you want her to go elsewhere. What is the best way to break her from that? Just not letting her win and coming back when you are ready and not her?

thanks
Earle

 

[()relics]

Kind of like the "run back to the barn" syndrome...try riding her for awhile then before she is ready to quit, dismount, loosen her cinch, and lead her back to the barn or where ever you tack her. Do this enough and she will "learn" that she doesn't necessarily have to be "at the barn" to get the saddle off. Eventually with enough "training" she will not know exactly Where she needs to be To get unsaddled, especially if you dismount and loosen her at different spots around the trail. Now you have Re trained her. Once she is retrained you should be able to tack and untack in the same place...occasionally throw her a curve by loosening her somewhere else...Just to keep her honest

 

[LauraM]

I have a 16 year old mare. Saddles fine and rides fine but when she decides she is done riding she will bring you back to where she gets saddled. She will fight left and right if you want her to go elsewhere. What is the best way to break her from that? Just not letting her win and coming back when you are ready and not her?

thanks
Earle

You have to decide first whether or not you feel that the battle to NOT go back is something you can deal with. If you can keep her away from where she wants to go, then try to do so, and if you manage it, then get off there and walk her back. If you cannot, or don't feel that fighting with her is helping any, then when you get back to the unsaddling place, tie her up with her tack on for 20-30 minutes (with water or in the shade, if it's hot, but no food) and then come back and ride her out again for a bit. Each time SHE chooses to come back and makes a big fight out of it, then she gets tied up there for a while and then has to go back out, never having gotten her saddle off. If the tie area is safe enough, I'd even leave her bridle on and slip a halter over top of it to tie her with. Do this every time she argues about it.

If she does not argue and you make the decision to come back, then she gets untacked right away and is put out in the pasture (or where ever).......though I would still actually dismount someplace different, even if it's just around the corner or the other end of the barn, etc.

In other words, make the unsaddling place not a place she really wants to argue about getting back to.

Here is an article on a similar problem that might also have some more tips for you:

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