AboutRick Gore (www.thinklikeahorse.org) Expertise Visit Rick Gore's Horse Site: www.thinklikeahorse.org --I am a student of the horse. I can answer questions about sacking out (Desensitizing vs. Sensitizing), dealing with spooky, abused or ex-race horses, rearing, bucking, horses that won’t tie or load into a trailer, working in a round pen/round corral, starting colts, dealing with aggressive or so called "mean" horses, herd behavior, biting, kicking, horses that won’t let you mess with their feet or head, horses that are hard to take a bit and hard to catch. I can also answer questions about using a bosal or hackamore, do's and don'ts, soft hands and direct reining verses neck reining. If you expect me to tell you feel good advice, you will be disappointed. 95% of all my answers will include the problem is you and not your horse. About 90% of most answers that I give out are on my web site, so if you read it you will probably answer your own question and may learn a few other things. I am like Gordon Ramsey (Hell's Kitchen) and Simon Cowell (Idol), you may not like what I say or how I say it, but it will be pretty true and accurate, in my opinion, judging from my experience.
Experience I am an experienced horseman with many years of riding and handling horses. I grew up in Texas around horses and horse people. I have started colts, ridden many horses with behavior issues and worked with problem horses. (I believe that most horse problems are normally people problems) I believe in and practices natural horsemanship. I continue to read and study books by great horsemen. I routinely attends clinics, talks with and discuss horse issues with other clinicians and trainers. I have never met a horse that could not be fixed. I believe it is never the horse's fault and with proper handling, all problems can be worked out.
Education/Credentials Rick has life long experience in being around and working with horses. Over the years he has watched good horsemen do the right thing and seen the wrong things done with bad results. Rick has a Bachelor of Science degree in Education.
Question QUESTION: I acquired an 8 year old Arabian Gelding that has been previously ridden only in arena and paddock or small field settings. He is very "Arabian" in that he is sensitive and reactive but also wonderfully responsive. He is sound, healthy, on daily turnout with 2 other horses and close to many others. He is stalled for 4 to 8 hours each day with pelleted feed and hay. He has had some professional training for the show ring but when I bought him, I was told he wasn't happy in the show ring. I am a trail rider. I have moderate experience riding trail and have done some long distance rides. I cannot get this horse desensitized to the trails. He spooks dangerously at anything that he cannot see. I can lead him and he's fine. Mounted he is dangerous. He rears, spins, bolts and hops. I have had broken bones as a result. He might be fine and confident one day with a quiet horse companion then the next day be frantically nervous. He will cross water one day and the next act like he's never seen the same creek. He is responsive, respectful and confident in an arena setting or in hand. I have gone so very very slow with his trail training but cannot get him accustomed to it. It has been nearly a year. He will, without warning, spook at a sound or site that is something he's seen or heard before without warning and he's very light on his front end. I once enjoyed his challenges, he's a dream to ride and I like animated horses but this feels like he becomes unhinged and there's no way to ground him and reassure him once he is anxious. Any tips beyond the "you need to desensitize him" or "give it time" would be appreciated. I am surrounded by experienced riders who have not been able to tell me how to handle him. I don't want to give up on him. IMAGE: Bay Arab
ANSWER: I always look to people for the problem and not the horse. You may be too nice and too easy and he knows it. This is a smart horse, you think he is not learning, I think is learning too well. He knows your weakness and is using them. Sacking out is different than just desensitizing him. Read my sacking out section on my horsemanship page. Show and teach this horse you can create fear and remove it, you can make him nervous and uncomfortable and can make him feel safe, this horse will get his confidence from you, but you must first have it. If he is so good on ground then find things that scare him and stop his fear and put him to work and make his attention go away from fear and back to you.
Time will teach you, a horse knows how to be a horse. My guess is that this horse does not run around the pasture scared all the time when you are not riding him or with him, that is a good sign that you are doing something to cause this or not doing enough to prevent it.
Read my site so you understand horses better and turn up the heat on this horse and show him you are a strong leader that will not allow him to be fearful.
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QUESTION: I've read a number of your articles on your site including the sacking out part. I watched the video. As I said before he does not react in a bad way to stimulus in hand and is calm when being led, tied and handled. It's only under saddle and on the trail that he becomes fearful. I ride other horses, some young and learning and I don't have a problem with them even when they are fearful or spooky. I agree that his is a confidence problem and that he'll get confidence from me but when he becomes unhinged, exactly HOW do I "stop his fear"? When he is experiencing snorting, shaking, head up, heart pounding fear reaction do you think he is "using my weaknesses"? I wish I knew more about all the skeletons in his closet. I think I know that time is my answer, I just hope he doesn't hurt me in the meantime. Thanks for your help, this is a really valuable service!
Answer You cannot stop his fear, part of the problem is you think you can, you try and you fail. All horses identify weaknesses in people and other horses. He is found many in you. He knows he can get you off, he knows you get scared when he gets scared, he knows you will not correct or discipline him for reacting the way he does to his fear, he knows you do not help him with his fear with strong direction and instead try and talk and calm him. YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HORSES. You think since you can ride other horses with no problems then this must be a horse problem. You want to worry about his skeletons and think that somehow you can fix or make it better by knowing what he has been through. I think you are wrong. YOU hope he does not hurt you, he does not care what you hope, he does not care if he hurts you and he does not care that love him and take care of him, he is a horse and that is all he knows how to be. YOU can't admit that you are the problem, you can't help this horse since you don't understand horses, you don't want to get hurt, but you don't know how to increase your chances of not getting hurt. You are looking at this from your emotions and not for logic.
This horse does not want to hurt you, he does not want to hurt himself, but he will do both to try and stay alive. You see his fear as a problem, he sees it as a way to stay alive, since you look at this from a you and human side and he looks at this as a horse and stay alive side, your chances of succeeding are less and your chances of getting you or the horse hurt is more.
Reading a few articles, watching a few videos, riding a few horses, do not teach you about horses. Horses are the best teacher of horses. You don't know it but this horse is making you better, he is making you more aware, he is making you have a better seat, he is building your confidence, he is forcing you to grow and try and learn different ways, but with horses the lessons are dangerous and unforgiving.
Stop thinking the horse has a problem and work on yourself, then your horse will get better. Stop thinking you got have this figured out, you don't, you don't understand horse fear, you don't understand how to remove fear, you don't understand how to teach a horse to respond differently to his fear. I know this since the horse is telling you this. The horse will tell you when you are right and when you are wrong. Problem is most people are too busy being right to listen, they are too busy helping, they are too busy trying to fix the horse.
I work with horses all the time where people tell me how special their horse is, how different their horse is, how what a troubled past their horse has had and each and every time the horse does fine when I work with it. So you would think the people would get that they are the problem and not the horse............Nope, they end up wanting to give me the horse or tell me what a gift I have, or how I have a special way with horses or their horse must be a Man's horse. None of what is true, I understand horses, I know horses, I listen to horse and I know that a horse is only the reflection of who is handling it and that I cause all things that happen when I handle a horse. If a horse does good, I cause it, if it does bad, gives me the wrong answer, get hurts or confused, I CAUSED IT. Most people never get this and that is why horse traders, trainers and others make lots of money off lots of people.
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