Is naughty catchy?

[Minouri]

All winter I've been riding Scooter bareback with a halter....mostly because it has been so cold. He doesn't usually have a reaction to other horses in the ring with us. I've been in there when people have gotten bucked off and he doesn't seem affected.

However today a woman was working her TWH in the round pen which is pretty much in the middle of the ring. She's really new to using the round pen and there was a lot of activity in there......some bucking.....some yelling...lots of whip cracking......

I couldn't tell if it was the crack of her whip or the level of excitement of the horse in the round pen.....but Scooter started tossing little bucks and snorting a lot. I would settle him down and he'd start up again. The bucks weren't designed to get me off. Most of the time his feet were doing double time under him the way he does right after a scare on the trail.

He IS being round pen trained right now. I should ask if she uses a whip. I've seen her use just a lead rope. I wasn't sure if he was confused and thinking that the whip sound was for him.....or if he was feeding off the energy of the other horse.

It wasn't a bad ride, but he hasn't bucked with me on him for years. I almost hate to call it bucking since it was more of a bunched up.....cow kick releases. The snorting and stomping I have seen before.....but never to this degree.

Instead of playing with him.....I fell back on doing our old dressage routines and that seemed to give him something to think about and calmed him down.

I was wondering what you thought was going on in his head. I've lunged him with a whip since I got him.....and he usually has no fear of whips.

[PASOFAN]

If you heard cracks some lead ropes have two leather pieces at the end that crack, I bet seh was usin one of those..

My boys get excited too when I crack that whip... So very normal... But it is a curtousy not to crack a whip when others are riding in a round pen. Atleased that is the courtisy I go by..

8-)

[Minouri]

I believe time and more experience have answered my question.

Yesterday I rode in the ring with a couple of horses. Scooter was fine. We had been riding for about 30 minutes when the young TWH came in the ring.

The young TWH and the beginner rider are a bad combo in my mind. He fights her constantly and she can't seem to stay on him some days. I give her credit, she gets right back on.

I think Scooter gets nervous around a horse that is that jumpy. Her horse likes to head for corners and start bucking. I was surprised that when he did that I could feel Scooter's whole body tense.

Scooter didn't toss a cowbuck or snort and stomp today, but he definatley had a reaction to that horse being in the ring with us. His feet were going like mad under him.

Add the cracking of a whip to whatever reaction he has to that horse and that's probably what I felt the other day.


We're used to riding with TBs and Warm bloods. I thought he didn't care about how highstrung a fellow horse was. However, this particular horse's nerosis seems to push him buttons.

[GeorgeGuns]

I think your "bad match" assessment is pretty darned good. The TW's owner - probably is reacting to him out of anger and frustration rather than really taking a confident and calm leadership role. He's nervy, she feels threatened, and what she does in reaction is just setting him off further - she is trying to deal with it by getting stronger, when what she really needs to do is be more quiet, to back off. Horses sympathize with eachother - I don't think your horse is feeling scared so much as he is feeling confused and feeling "for" another horse.
This is definately someone I would give the link to the Parelli site, she needs it bad. Its set up for folks just like her. You could open conversation with something like "gee, I notice that you seem really frustrated with how things are going with your horse... I hope you don't mind but I shared my concern with some friends because I don't want to see you or your horse get hurt, and you sure look like you want to enjoy him... one of them suggested www.parell.com, says its really helped her deal with frustrations and have a lot of different new ways to work with her horses so she can enjoy them..." Of course she may tell you to butt out, but its worth a try, this sounds like a big wreck waiting to happen.

[Minouri]

Coreen,

She told me this past wekend that she went out and bought an entire collection of Clinton Anderson. I hope he suggests staying calm. I've seen him at clinics and liked him, but I don't know what his series is like.

I think you're right that the woman is a wreck waiting to happen. It's a shame, too, because she seems like a very nice lady. This is one thing I won't miss about boarding. People who cannot control their horses to the extent that they become a danger to the other riders. I can't take my kids anywhere near the ring while she's around since you never know which direction or at which speed (or with which feet flying) her horse is going to go.

When I begin to feel real sympathy for her I remind myself that she keeps saying how next month she is going to buy a baby and train it from scratch. She thinks a baby is going to be easier than the 5 year old she bought.

I did suggest to her that she buy one older horse so she would have one project horse and one horse she could relax. She told me that I didn't understand her DREAM of owning a baby.

I would suggest Parelli training to her.....but I haven't found her to be very receptive to common sense.

I'll be bringing my boys home tomorrow....so it's not a problem I'll have to deal with again anyway but I do agree that deeper horse communication skills would benefit her.