[Equineluver]

I am starting back at number with "my" gelding Cody . He has respect issues, gets in your space when being led, when he is being ridden he will just stop and you have to kcik and cluck and smack with the reins forever to get him to go, he won't take the bit and his mouth ain't sore just had teeth done, cannot get into a lope and have to kick lke crazy to get in to a trot, he will also buck, and hes not sore, etc. I think when he was trained he wasn't trained well, but this is not my gelding but I consider he mine cause I take care of him completely. So we are starting tomorrow its supposed to be in the 50's so i figure it will be a good day. it's time for me establish who is leader. I am ordering a lounge line and we are starting on ground work when its get here. He is the hard-headest, most stubborn gelding i have ever met and he is going to be worked. Any and all advoce would be greatly be appreciated.

[Equineluver]

Any and all advice would be great and greatly appreciated!!

[buck1173]

take the time needed to do things right, don't put an agenda on yourself.

don't get mad, if you do walk away, because then your actions will be in anger and lack meaning to him.

and finally, when you start feeling frustrated with him, realize, he was frustrated with you first.

sorry to be so zen, but you said any and all

[Equineluver]

Originally Posted by buck1173

take the time needed to do things right, don't put an agenda on yourself.

don't get mad, if you do walk away, because then your actions will be in anger and lack meaning to him.

and finally, when you start feeling frustrated with him, realize, he was frustrated with you first.

sorry to be so zen, but you said any and all

great advice and i wont walk away when i get fustrated because i know it wont help at all. thanks a ton

[rascalboy]

Lol, my mare's son was one of the "tough-guy" geldings. He'd go to your space, turn around to threaten you, kick out at you if you attempt to get him to work/respond, rear up and fall over every time you went to mount, and wouldn't give up for anything.
One year later, (I didn't work with him; his owner did...) I can control him with two fingers, he will stand for mounting, can go-go-go, and is a nice, strong, athletic horse.

Here's my advice for you: you're horse gets two chances to move/do what you ask, when you ask him. If he doesn't respond to his two chances, you make him. 1st time: gently ask. 2nd time: use heels, and maybe the crop. 3rd time: You beat him into it. (Lol, not literally...)

Some horses, like a TB I shareboarder, respected the whip. She didn't respect you much, but she responded to her two chances. If she didn't, all I had to do was give her a kick, or a smack with the crop.

Others, like my mare, or that gelding, have no respect for the whip. (I'm not saying you're supposed to run around beating horses with the whip, but I am saying this is an example of a tool that can be used to have the horse get the idea that he has two chances.)
You can give them a good whack as hard as you can with the whip (I don't leave marks, so maybe that means I'm whimpy...), and they'll take their sweet time responding. For us, circling is normally what works, because it's something I can make her do. Whips are just used for direction cues, and reminders, because she doesn't respond much to them.
The mare will get irritated, and stop in her tracks. I can either sit there and kick her for five minutes, or I can spin in circles a few times to get her to go forward. Lol, needless to say, I use the circles...

So, now that I'm done talking about how I beat my horses... Give him his two chances, and then make him do it.

[ma23peas]

Just sharing some insight from a book I'm loving right now, "Horses Never Lie"...he described a horse just like what yours is doing...essentially he said listen INTENTLY for any small acceptance, release and praise...his horse was just sitting there ( he was actually training a horse for a lady)...he couldn't figure it out and he kept going up in sound...but when he went back to the horse after thinking a bit he realized that the horse had showed the slightest bit of movement at the kiss..he never realized it until he really struggled to find some acknowledgment...now this is a book...but it's by a man who has decades of experience and I've tried some of the recommendations with my horse and it's really worked well..that's all I can offer...or all I can offer what someone else states! If at the least you find the book at the library I think you'd be nodding your head a lot!
Tara

[Equineluver]

great advice thanks for it and keep it coming we are starting with leading this afternoon.

[Equineluver]

i would really like some more input

[Equineluver]

well i rode yesterday, and he was an angel i had been doing work on the ground establishing who was boss. i rode him the hackamore and barely had to move my hand to get him to turn or stop. I did alot of stopping and going because he has issues with stopping and not going again, well yesterday i clucked once and barely tapped his sides with my legs and he went. I was so proud. we only walked yesterday, no trotting, becuase i want to get "whoa" nad move on, right before we go to trotting and loping. i also have been working with him on just holding his feet up for a few minutes. Well he held them up like an angel and let me pick them. We are working on standing tied and he is doing good. i tied him to a tree and i walked away from him but stayed where he was able to see me. the first time he started pawing and got real "antsie", the next time he just looked at me and stood like an angel. I am so proud of him. So what do ya'll think???????

[buck1173]

sounds fabulous! keep up that good feeling between the two of you!