Figured I'd post an update for anyone curious. I have come a long way with Fox since the last training wall I hit with her. I never did end up sending her to a trainer or feedlot. Rather I stepped back and looked at the whole picture to figure out where I was going wrong. Fox is one of few mares I'd owned, I'm used to the more resilient and forgiving geldings I've had over the years. They would just take what I ask and either do it or try different things until they figure out what I'm asking. They were bolder and more independent. They took punishment and followed. Fox though, needed a leader, but as most women there are plenty of strings attatched. She needs to trust, needs to be kept busy and focused, needs gradual requests and demands, needs to bond and connect and needed just a wee bit more time to figure things out and think on her own. While I haven't been able to ride in the field because of the hay growing, I did ride her around the place where she had never been and met new horses. While she can't be let to walk all over me and needs to be tuned in at times there were also times that scolding her for misbehaviours wasn't working either. When she would lose her mind and call to horses I would get frustrated and give her hell for it but she would just continue. So now I let her call a few times, I let her think about it, let her realize that she wasn't going to die without other horses and that they were still nearby and that most of them could care less if she called to them. Once she realized the world wasn't over she'd lose interest and I redirect her attention to something like a small circle or spin or just make her continue on without losing my cool. I know this is all something that should have been clear to me in the beginning but with my geldings if they pulled that all they needed was a smack on the neck and a stern NO or QUIT and they would just stop it. But anyways with the new found patience we have over come a fear of flags and a fear of me hopping off and her thinking I was doing so to give her an ass kicking. She stands quiet when I get off and on and can now even carry a flag! And the brain in that head of her is amazing with how smart she is, do something 3 times and she's an expert, just the other night it took 10 minutes to teach her to move her bum away from leg pressure, and I've got her spins almost up to reining standards, she backs up off leg pressure now and I rode her bareback for the first time a couple weeks ago (super weird compared to Prince who's about twice as wide). Next we will work on the sidepass. and lead changes.
I had to drop the reins to take this picture and hold the flag at the same time. She now even tries to grab the flag in her teeth if she can. Two months ago she'd be snorting and bolting at this.
She's actually starting to fill out now. Hopefully she's done growing. She's just over 15.2 now but at 5 now she should be done. Prince is doing good. Lost a fair bit of weight, needs to lose a bit more but looks really good, sometimes you can even see a bit of rib in his belly haha. But I don't ride him as much, he's old lazy and boring. Except when he thinks he's funny and bucks while I'm bareback lol
She is stunning. and mares do need to be taught to have patience and to understand that you are leader. since they in the wild would tell an entire herd what to do it is in their nature to not submit to eagerly to anything or anyone. My personal arabian mare was leader and boy did she give my trouble . again until i allowed her to make some choices on her own especially when trail riding, she would know that the deer were in the pasture and not spook them or us. or a mud bog that i could not see. yes we trust them and they need to trust us.
Thanks, like they say the problem often stems from the rider. Though there are horses out there that are just outright jerks. I always call fox the princess though, she just loves to be fussed over and brushed. A bomb could go off but if she's getting brushed she wouldn't move.
Congratulations on your breakthrough with Fox! All I own are mares (and I wouldn't have it any other way ), so I get where you're coming from as far as teaching them and working with them. They can sometimes be a little more difficult, but once they trust and understand, they are amazing!
Those pictures are great, and Fox is beautiful! I have a question for you about your flag. In the second picture, how do you have the flag fastened to your saddle so it will stay upright without you in the saddle to hold it? If it will ever stop raining here I plan to teach Sis to carry me with the flag, so I'm really interested in learning how you did that. Thanks!
I can't say I would stick to mares myself haha. I miss my easy going geldings. But she is such a worker too, I've started doing some rides where I don't allow her to break from a walk just to make her realize we don't always need to get into fast hard work mode. Which is really helping her relax more. She loves to get into a good trot of lope and just go go go til she drops.
I actually just have it rested on my toe but I've seen people just use a home made leather pocket and a strap and that seems to work really well. And in the second pic it's just leaned against her.
I can't say I would stick to mares myself haha. I miss my easy going geldings. But she is such a worker too, I've started doing some rides where I don't allow her to break from a walk just to make her realize we don't always need to get into fast hard work mode. Which is really helping her relax more. She loves to get into a good trot of lope and just go go go til she drops.
I actually just have it rested on my toe but I've seen people just use a home made leather pocket and a strap and that seems to work really well. And in the second pic it's just leaned against her.
I bought a leather flag pouch that fastens by a leather strap to my saddle, but I haven't been able to test it out yet. (Stupid rain and thunderstorms here almost every single day this month! ) I didn't see/realize that your flag pole was tall enough to stand on the ground and lean against your horse and still keep the flag that far above the horse. My flag pole isn't that tall. Thanks, though.
Thanks for sharing this. Another post on HA that makes me feel good - and proof that if you step back and think about what you are asking your horse to do you will find there are always other ways to ask and get results. The pics are great!
She's like a different horse from a few months ago. She's even better for the farrier now. He was just out last night and she was able to be done without being held and acting like a wiener. She's a really cuddly girl and loves to have her face snuggled. She's also a bit silly so while Prince got his feet done she stood there with her tongue out a bit bobbing her head back and forth so her lips and tongue would slap the bar she was tied to.
I think part of the issue with her initially was that the previous owner let on that she was more broke than she was so more was expected of her. The previous owner was working at a training barn and was supposedly training horses and was talking about how fun it was to ride her in a field so it came across like she was well started. But all she knew was whoa and didn't even know how to turn properly. She's also been switched to the same bit I use and is much happier than she was with the o-ring snaffle.
She's doing amazing! Just got home from having the chiropractor adjust her. I was finding her resisting her bends and really leaning on the bit rather than lifting her shoulders and when I led her in a tight circle she would take baby steps instead of cross her front legs over. A quick adjustment and she's crossing over in the front again. The guy is a miracle worker. Fox learned to turn on the forehand in a 10 minute session one night last week, and the very next night we learned the sidepass within 5 minutes. She isn't super coordinated at it yet but she's so darn smart she just gets it. The next thing to work on is she gets anxious or something when in a working lope circle. She starts huffing and panting immediately and just gets into a zone and goes and goes but when I try to correct her form or collect her more she just resists and keeps focusing on the working circle and nothing else. She likes to tighten up the circle and make it harder too for some reason. So hopefully she starts to figure out if she relaxes and collects that the working circle actually gets easier. But finally having a good relationship with her has been awesome, she leaves her food to greet me with the halter. Before she'd head for the other end of the paddock. When she's tied she darn near falls asleep and isn't so jumpy and reactive to noises or movements.
This is another great thread! I love your explanation on the difference between geldings and mares. I guess I can see that for myself too but would have chocked/chalked (?) it up to individuality since I've only rode one gelding very much and that was Buster. Every other horse I owned for very long was a mare and green broke to boot! Which shows you how uneducated THIS mare is
Anyway I'd love to hear more about Fox's learning.
"The sooner you quit something that stinks, the sooner you find something that doesn't", Lillian, "The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt"
I'm glad that her silliness and spookiness seems to be a thing of the past. I think she and Heather finally bonded and Fox finally has put her trust in Heather. Any horse can be spooky if they don't feel like they can count on their rider and any spooky horse can settle down when they feel like they have someone that will take care of them. On the other hand there are some basically silly, spooky or disrespectful horses that will always be spooky no matter what.
Haven't been on the forum in a while. (I keep myself busy in the summer) Figured we're due for a Fox update. I'm at the point where Fox has become my little dream horse. She's a rockstar at everything I teach her and she is just so much fun! I've never met such a cuddly horse, she'd be a lap dog if she could. She'll stand there with her head on my shoulder or my arms wrapped around her head and loves to get kissses on the nose. Every time I ride her she improves and she's super eager to please. Tonight was our second time ever riding bareback. Tried it a couple months ago and she was go but she was very unsure of the idea and kept stopping and not wanting to move forward. Tonight she started off concerned, she was stepping lightly and seemed unsure of my balance. But she quickly relaxed and I even loped her around and she did great! Very different feel than Prince who gives you a whole lot more of a barrel to hang onto. Mom got a quick video of us jogging. She's smooth as glass to ride . We also a couple weeks ago had our first ride out by our self in the field in months and she did awesome. No flipping out and could care less about the other horses running at the fence or ones at the barn calling to her.
Aw, y'all look wonderful together and both so pretty! I am so glad Fox is turning into all you ever wanted. It's such an amazing feeling to be so connected to a horse like that.
Thanks guys. Took her in the field today to see how she'd react to the new cows in the neighbouring field. She had a good 20 second stare at them and carried on with no fuss or huff. I want to try penning with her this winter, we'll see if those foundation QH lines make her a good cow pusher lol
), so I get where you're coming from as far as teaching them and working with them. They can sometimes be a little more difficult, but once they trust and understand, they are amazing!
) I didn't see/realize that your flag pole was tall enough to stand on the ground and lean against your horse and still keep the flag that far above the horse. My flag pole isn't that tall. Thanks, though. 
