[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference noted::equitation

Title:Equine Notes Conference
Notice:Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151
Moderator:MTADMS::COBURNIO
Created:Tue Feb 11 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2080
Total number of notes:22383

1960.0. "Getting a horse to leave the stall" by HYDRA::WHITMORE () Tue Apr 11 1995 15:20

    Hi All,
    
    Last week I had an interesting situation arise and I wanted to ask how
    you would have dealt with it.
    
    The horse I ride for my lessons was in his stall, eating hay.  Normally
    I simply walk in, put his halter on, and lead him out without a fuss. 
    Last week he allowed me to put his halter on, stopped eating his hay,
    but would NOT budge out of that stall.  He wasn't being nasty, he just
    wouldn't move.  I pulled a little, realized the utter futility of that,
    tried to bribe him with some hay, that didn't work, so I got a carrot
    and bribed him out with that.  
    
    What other methods could I have used?
    
    Dana
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1960.1a few suggestions...MROA::ROBINSON_Syou have HOW MANY cats??Tue Apr 11 1995 17:1014
    
    	Don't repeat the carrot trick - you only reward him for being a 
    	brat. "gee, if I don't cooperate, she'll give me a carrot". 
    
    	If he doesn't want to walk to the door, turn him in a few circles
    	around his stall and on the, say, third trip head out the door. If
    	he's ignoring the lead rope, try putting a chain over his nose once
    	or twice, he'll get the idea and you can go back to a plain rope.
    
    	Whatever you do, don't let him think leaving his stall is a bad
    	thing. If this turns into a traumatic event, he will associate you
    	coming to get him with a bad experience. Always let him either
    	think it was his idea, or forget why he didn't want to do it [this
    	is why you do the circles]
1960.2back outLABC::PENNEquestrian LadyTue Apr 11 1995 19:178
    CJ did this once to me, Refused to leave the stall after I went back to
    get something and had him in tow.  He was all saddled and ready to
    ride.  I just turned him around a few times and finally ended up
    backing him out of the stall.  The look on his face was priceless when
    he realized he wasn't in the stall anymore.
    
    linda
    
1960.3Great ideas!HYDRA::WHITMORETue Apr 11 1995 21:2512
    re .1: Yep I thought that I was rewarding him for bad behavior.  I did
    try one circle in the stall with him, twice.  SHoulda just kept on
    going!  
    
    re .2: What a great idea - I never would have thought about backing him
    up.  
    
    Great - I'll try those tricks if he pulls this stunt again.  It was
    pretty funny, him s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g his neck to reach that carrot
    without moving his feet.  
    
    Dana
1960.4re: horse won't leave stallTUXEDO::MURTHAWed Apr 12 1995 15:176
>> but would NOT budge out of that stall.  He wasn't being nasty, he just

This should work if you have several horses in the barn.. If I let out one of my horses, the others want to go
too. If all else fails try taking out another horse, then go back and get yours.

Rob