how do you deal with a hateful horse?

[Kenneth F]

The new haflinger mare I have absolutely ain’t gonna have no part of being made to do something. her ground manners ain’t great but she’s not mean, she’s real pushy, and seems to pay no attention when turning around while leading her she don’t mind trying to knock you out of the way. she does ok in harness for a little bit, then you tell she gets real aggravated slinging her head, blowing, and switching her tail, carrying on tries to run ever now and then. fights it the whole time eventualy she tried to hop and buck a little she was sweating a lot more than the other mare just from staying wound up

I don’t get home from work til 5:00 by the time I feed its dark so weekends is all I can spend with working her just wanting some input on how to handle her

By the way when I bought her she was dead broke traffic safe

Kenneth

[fogish]

I will try and compose my thoughts more and come back and edit this but off the top of my head I would get a halter on her even at night and work her with a lead, just back her up have her side step walk forward. Do this for 15 min. a night until she will move any direction you want with little to no pressure from you. I work with my horses even when feeding, I “move” them when I walk in to the paddock and I back them up or have them sidestep away from their feed before I give them access to it. I am always interacting with them in some way and getting them to follow my lead with the least amount of effort on my part.

When did she go from dead broke to behaving like this? Have you checked the fit of the harness, headstall and the bit? How long have you had her? I am not very experienced in training for driving, I have done it once and am working on 2 right now so I am not much help here. As a last ditch effort after you have tried absolutely everything else you could always try out the tractor method that was used on some mules, you would have to do a search for the thread that covers the method. Since she was dead broke before I doubt it is something that would have to be used though.

[Kenneth F]

I bought her at the abingdon, VA sale she was broke on his word but became a handful after a couple days here. She’s right pushy with the other horses also. I’ve got a very experienced work horseman helping me but I cant get down there often enough to suit me. he said she was full of grit, stamina, and heart but she was down right hateful said she has got away with a lot somewhere she is 10 yrs old.

[Jonathan Shively]

Start hauling manure daily with her by herself on a mudboat. Wet collars will do a lot of good. She might have been broke, but could be an old puller or just one out of a bunch they got tired of for the reasons you are finding.

[fogish]

Is there an update on the mare or have you tried anything new?

[Dickel]

@Kenneth F 37928 wrote:

I bought her at the abingdon, VA sale she was broke on his word but became a handful after a couple days here. She’s right pushy with the other horses also. I’ve got a very experienced work horseman helping me but I cant get down there often enough to suit me. he said she was full of grit, stamina, and heart but she was down right hateful said she has got away with a lot somewhere she is 10 yrs old.

If you would have had a chance of watching Clint Anderson Sunday afternoon on RFD TV, Clint and an assistant take the hate out of a horse. Lack of respect is what Clint calls it. I could not find that horse show but his approch is in the video below.

http://www.downunderhorsemanship.tv/episode.aspx

Click on the bottom free show.

[mitchmaine]

Hello Kenneth,
This is a strong assumption on my part, but if your horse hasn’t come at you with her teeth or feet, I might not call her mean or hateful. Again, an assumption, never having seen your horse in action, it seems like she is pitching her fit to keep from expending extra energy (working in harness), and getting rewarded by turning her loose to feed in the pasture or her stall. Sounds like its been going on for a while, but all strong assumptions taken from what I’m hearing. When you bought her did you see that she was dead broke, or did you just hear that? You might have the makings of a good horsethere in disguise.

[jen judkins]

@mitchmaine 38409 wrote:

Hello Kenneth,
This is a strong assumption on my part, but if your horse hasn’t come at you with her teeth or feet, I might not call her mean or hateful. Again, an assumption, never having seen your horse in action, it seems like she is pitching her fit to keep from expending extra energy (working in harness), and getting rewarded by turning her loose to feed in the pasture or her stall. Sounds like its been going on for a while, but all strong assumptions taken from what I’m hearing. When you bought her did you see that she was dead broke, or did you just hear that? You might have the makings of a good horsethere in disguise.

I always look for the ‘like’ button, when I read your posts, Earle…

[Iron Rose]

I had a Haflinger gelding a few years ago that acted the same way. He to was sold as dead broke, But the owner lied( not uncommon at a sale). Worked him everyday ( he spent 8 to 12 hours a day in harness)for a couple of months before he came around to my way of thinking. Sold him to a young guy , Made it clear that not to feed grain, and to work him steady and not let him get give him any BS. He did good till the winter, when the new owner turned him out for over six months. When hooked again he reverted back to his old self. This time he got away and busted up the wagon, the new owner got scared and turned him out. Miles and wet shoulders are what he needs.

Dan Rasmussen

SE Minn

[Rod44]

It is common for Haflingers to want to take up your space. Just get a stick or short whip and enforce your space requirement. I have one mare that gets herself worked up once in awhile and starts head bobbing and little jumps. Have use an “Equalizer” on her some and she doesn’t do it much around the farm anymore. But out with other horses, if she is not in the lead she will still do it some. I use the “Equalizer” in those situations.

[Billy Foster]

I can tell you that I always have the feeling either or of the 2 Haflinger geldings I have are never far from trying to get away with something. I handle them with kindness but they come up to a brick wall if they try to get away with something. Example: the 4 yo figured out very quickly that when I went out in the paddock to get him he could go into the run-in and keep turning his rear to me to get away from my putting a halter on him. The second time this happen he got slapped on the rear with the halter (hard enough to sting) and then pushed around the paddock by me for a couple laps. I had to repeat this exercise one other time. He now walks a few paces and stops when I come to him with a halter, I scratch him on the forehead first then put the halter on him. I am always prepared to run this drill again if he were to test me.
Here is a picture from the other day, I am in a new section of the wood lot and they were both throwing their heads and pawing the ground since they had not been to this landing before and did not feel comfortable. This is a case where I just set them up to not get themselves in trouble and let them be. They have to get used to this so I brought them down just to sit there while I split wood for a couple hours.
It seems to me that the first time I hook them after a little time off they are not as well behaved as when I left them but the second day is usually much better. In the summer when I would use them 4-5 times a week they would be an absolute pleasure to use. I think a lot of consistent use does them good.
Keep in mind I am a rookie but I use these 2 on our farm consistently so I have a lot of “learning type” experiences fresh in my mind.

[Rod44]

They are looking good. The two best things for patience are 1. sweat under the collar 2. being tied 2 to 3 hours a day. Mine are old enough now, about 13 and 16, and have been used enough that I can just hitch them every couple weeks or so and they go just like they were hitched yesterday. You better have ahold of the lines when you tell them to go however.

[Rod44]

Billy – here is a video of mine in the woods.

http://s384.beta.photobucket.com/user/Rodhorses/media/bestwoodhauling.mp4.html

http://s384.beta.photobucket.com/user/Rodhorses/media/Comingwithbiglog.mp4.html

[Billy Foster]

Yes..Rod you reminded me of something else I do as a ritual, tie them to the barn for long stretches of time. Whenever I use them I will take them out, tack them up and clip them to the barn and leave them there. Depending on the work day I could use them for a few hours and they will be tied to the barn for 4 or 5 hour. I eat lunch or do chores, whatever. One other thing I do is leave them harnessed, with the bit in their mouth, for a while after I am done working for the day. I don’t want them to get the idea that going back to the barn means they are done.
Your guys stand nice Rod. Right now in the cold and only working with them on the weekends I will not leave them standing alone for very long at all. In the summer when they are working steady I feel very comfortable with them not walking off.
Here is a picture of the steel trailer we were hauling rocks with this summer, they would stand while we loaded a good load, we were throwing the rocks in, quite a racket but they were good about it.

[Rod44]

Nice heavy duty rig.

My horses were with an Amish friend for a few years until I retired and moved to the farm permantly. Here is how he used to haul 2 or three logs ant a time with the horses.

[Author]

Posts