Solving Your Horse’s Bad Behavior
This horse came to us with an issue bucking and misbehaving. After several weeks training you can see he is overcoming his fears with his rider and walking calmly over a tarp. He became proficient with all the obstacles on the course and gained confidence in his rider who has this to say;
“My five year old Dutch Warmblood developed a serious bucking problem, using
it to avoid working at all cost. He even began bucking while walking on a
lead line, especially if he were tacked up for work. I’m not young enough
to bounce off the hard ground anymore, and it was stressful to handle him,
forget about riding him. A friend told me about Rex, and I decided to
bring my horse to one of his local clinics. Sure enough, on the lead line,
walking around the arena, he began to buck. It was embarrassing, but at
least he wasn’t hiding the problem I wanted to fix. When Rex told me that
in his book, my horse was a “convicted felon,” and that no horse should
ever buck for any reason, I felt relief. I had secretly wondered if I was
just chicken to ride my bucking bronco, but now I knew I was right to get
help. Rex’s partner Cari suggested I bring him up for 30 days of training,
and that they would send him back to me super safe to ride. I have to
admit I was skeptical, but I was also desperate to move past this and start
seriously training this horse. Plus, Cari is a dressage rider, and I knew
she’d understand my goals. After one week, there was a noticeable change
in his behavior. After two weeks, Cari was working him in a dressage
saddle, and I began riding him as often as I could. Trail rides and
obstacle courses gave me an opportunity to push his buttons, while using
the set of tools that Rex and Cari taught me gave me-and my
horse–confidence. He came home three weeks ago, and so far, he’s been
perfect. This is the horse I thought I’d bought last June! He’s calm, a
pleasure to handle, and a joy to ride. He’ll even get “down on one” and
bow for me! I’ve entered him in his first schooling show, something I
wouldn’t have even dreamed of earlier this spring. Rex and Cari did
exactly what they said they would, and I highly recommend them.”
Linda Marciante