AboutRick Gore (www.freewebs.com/horseawareness) Expertise Visit Rick Gore's Horse Site: --- www.freewebs.com/horseawareness --Rick is a student of the horse. He 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 and hard to catch, using a bosal or hackamore, soft hands and direct reining verses neck reining. If you expect him to tell you feel good advice, you will be disappointed. 95% of all his 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. If have some good information that you would like me to add to my site, please email me so it can be passed on to others.
Experience Rick is an experienced horseman with many years of riding and handling horses. Rick grew up in Texas around horses and horse people. He has started colts, ridden many horses with behavior issues and worked with problem horses. (He believes that most horse problems are really people problems)
He believes in and practices natural horsemanship and continues to read and study books by great horsemen. He routinely attends clinics, talks with and discuss horse issues with other clinicians and trainers. He has never met a horse that could not be fixed. He has fixed horses that would not; trailer load, take a bit, go through water, lead without pulling, allow you to halter or catch. Rick believes it is never the horse's fault and with proper handling, all problems can be worked out.
Education/Credentials Rick has many years 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 well let me start ou t telling you that, i very much try to be horse savy. i do lots of ground work and natural horsemanship. I have owned my horse for 4 years i bought her as a weaning, i have owned several horses before her and still have several, i'm a certified English and western coach, and i know i don't know everything. My little mare has most resantly started flipping her head, and quite a bit, enough that she's close to hitting me in the face and she comes off the ground..I know that your frist thought is that i have hard hands, but i have been working very hard for a number of years not to, She will flip her head, when i ride with or without a saddle, and with or without a bit. she doesn't do it everyday but has week spurts. she has had her teeth checked and everything seemed to be fine, shes not sore any where and her saddle has been fitted. Now all this didn't start till i took a lesson with my instructor and we were doing transitions, she had me doing them every 7 strides trot to walk. Personally I think shes confused and doesn't know what to do, she doesn't know if Im goingt ot stop her right away or if she should keep going...Please Help you are my last hope or I may have to sell her...I will try anything, as long as it will not be mean or painful for her.
Answer You are right I did think heavy hands and teeth issues. You did not tell me how old you are or what you are using her for. Have you tried to have someone else ride her to see if she does this with them or just you? I would try and ride her in a halter and not ask anything but go and stop, once you get her moving, don't tell her any direction or ask anything from her, just sit and let her move.
Most horse problems are people problems, so I have to think it is you that is causing this. You have to really look at when this happens, what you are doing, what is going on around you and then find what is common when the happens, that will better enable you to fix this. If you neck reining, stop that and start using direct reins so the horse has clear signals and is not confused.
Too often people blame the horse way too fast when it is their fault for causing the problem.
Read my site to better help you to think like a horse, it will give you some ideas about why horses do what they do and what may cause them to what they do. Understanding herd behavior will also help.
Hope this helps, after you read my site, let me know if you have more questions.
