Riding colts.

[Big Muddy rancher]

the daughter is riding 3 two year old geldings. One is moving out and getting a handle. The other is a bigger colt that likes to challenge her and when warmed up in the round pen will crank it up and buck a little but then she can ride him and he behaves quite well. The third colts is maybe the best to handle stands good to be saddled and lopes around the round pen to be warmed up. He will move around the pen while I am in the middle at a walk , trot and lope but if I am not their he is content to stand and not move. She doesn't want to use spurs on this colt but no amount of Clucking squeezing with legs or swats with the reins really get him to move out.
Any Ideas for her? She is getting a little frustrated. I think once we can get taking the calves out of the pens he will work better with a job to do.

[Nicky]

I try to keep them turning until they want to walk out on their own... you know how if you turn them they take a few steps... Good luck

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Friend of daughters is spending the night....she has something to say about gettin this horse to move.

Ok i ride a lot of horses like that and here is what I do. Sometimes I do that circle thing, but some horses i have found that does not work on. You can get maybe a small whip and try that. Yet, you have some really stubborn horses that you do have to resort to the spurs. At my house every horse we ride we use spurs on. You have more controll on them, and also they respond to your leg movements better. When your a small girl like me a big horse can't always feel your legs even though you are kicking hard. Spurs will give you just enough force so that he will feel her cues. I saw you said you have to always be there. What I think is that she needs to learn she has to make the horse know she is the boss not him. Also, tell her that no matter how hard she kicks she is not going to hurt him. She has to learn that sometimes you have to get agressive with him, so that he knows she means bussiness and is not just playing around. You also said that she has used the reins so I am guessing she uses split reins. If I was her i would go to some roping reins they work alot better. If none of that works you might have to go back and work alot on his ground manners(gournd foundation). I think that is all I can think of now. Good luck hope he starts working better.

[Faster horses]

It is a big NO NO to use roping reins on a snaffle bit, and I would bet BMR's daughter is using a snaffle bit on this horse.

I will repeat: ABSOLUTELY do not use roping reins on a snaffle bit. You cannot operate the bit correctly because the reins are too short AND if he should jerk his head you could lose the reins. Seen it happen, and it ain't good.

BMR, have your daughter reach back and kinda to the side with her hand and kind of 'drive the colt' with her hand. Use her hand in an up and down motion to get some energy going in the horse. She doesn't need to touch the horse with her hand, but the movement causes some energy to get flowing. This horse is not responding to energy from her at all right now. Be sure that when the horse is ready to move, that she lets him go in a fluid motion. Don't pick up on him when he starts, or he will think he shouldn't move.

Sometimes, if you can't ride 'em, you can drive 'em. Pat Parelli says, "you can't lead a horse to water and make him drink, but you can DRIVE him and make him thirsty."

Hope this helps.

[Soapweed]

My suggestion would be, if all else fails, to have another rider snub the bronc to another saddle horse and lead it. Then the rider of the bronc could "generate some energy" and persuade the horse to move, and the rider on the horse doing the towing could enforce the commands and make the bronc move. If the bronc breaker is by themselves, just lead the saddled bronc from another horse, getting it accustomed to "move ahead" audio cues like "clk clks" and other forms of commands.

[Faster horses]

Good point, Soapweed. I thought of that after I went to bed...

Snooze, you lose!!!

[Big Muddy rancher]

Thanks for all the advice. We have ponyed him out as well in the round pen and areana. little Muddy is trying to get him to move out stop and turn nicely but she went back to driving him tonight and will continue to drive him for warm up.. He moves out nicely when I stand in the middle of the pen as if I am lunging him as Little Muddy has worked him that way. he just seems lost when she is up on his back. Thanks again.

[Faster horses]

In other words, we didn't help ya much, did we?

[Big Muddy rancher]

[Faster horses]

Is that for the Progressive Horse Nutrition meeting?

I am planning on going...but it is at 7:30 at night...long drive home!

[Big Muddy rancher]

7.30 at night. Roger didn't tell me that

[PPRM]

BMR,

Glad to hear it seems to be working out.....Some horses are natural born followers and freexe up if they don't have direction....HMMMMM many more people are that way...

The reluctance to spurs i don't understand...I use, but wouldn't abuse them. The thing I don't like about clucking and verbal go cues is someone else can prompt my horse to go while I am on it.

Anyway, one of the best horseman I ever knew had a saying....I do as little as it takes but I do what it takes.......Generally, once the horse figures it out, it takes less each time,


Hope the daughter continues to enjoy this and maintains an interest inasking...I find it interesting to hear different ideas,


Pat