AboutCaitlin Day Huntress Expertise I developed Huntress Horsemanship and its principals for both horse and owner after years of working with difficult and "troubled" horses. I guarantee results with my training method. Please visit my website www.HuntressHorsemanship.com
Please visit www.blackhawkhorses.com, the ranch I work at had its arena collapse in the snow on Christmas eve. We are coming together to try to help Black Hawk Natural Horsemanship Center stay open.
Thank You
Experience My study of Dance, Movement, Dressage, Natural Horsemanship, and Communication have helped me to develop my program.
Question hi, about a year ago we bought a shire x cob, who had been used for pulling caravans for holiday makers and who could supposedly be ridden by a beginner, however when anyone gets on his back he will not move and if you ask him to move forward he bucks and if that doesn't get you off he will bolt off. on the ground he is lovely but we had a natural horsemanship lady come and work with him each week but we can't get past the putting someone on his saddle!!! if you try to just lean over his back he steps backwards to dislodge you. please help!!!
Answer Hello Cindy,
I wish I could train horses over e-mail, sadly I cannot, and if I lived close to you I would do it myself. That being said lets think of what your horse may be feeling. Everything is great until someone gets on, somewhere there is a missing piece. Watch him closely as you get him ready to ride, does he change at all when he is saddled? If he does not move a muscle or change the look in his eye when you saddle him then how is he when you play with the stirrups an make noise, any change? If he is fine with all that then how is he with seeing something on top of him, use a lounge whip and tie a plastic bag to the end, can you shake it where the rider would be while he is walking around in the circle with no change? Once you have that how is he with weight on his back? Since you have a trainer you trust I would let her work with him and start riding him for you, but the real lesson is to start paying close attention to how he really is feeling about all this and break everything down into small pieces. Our job is to help him understands it is the same you whether you are on him or next to him, and since he sounds like a dear boy and he likes you this shouldn't take too long.
Best Wishes,
Caitlin Day Huntress
