MONTHLY In this issue... ELIMINATE BALKY BEHAVIOR BUY OR RESCUE? GAITED-HORSE MYTHS Brought to you by PHOTO BY JENNIFER PAULSON BY PHOTO HorseandRider.com GET THE MAX EZE-dose™ Syringe Apple Flavor Gets Tapeworms Too Visit EquimaxHorse.com for more information. EQUIMAX® (ivermectin/praziquantel) Paste: FOR ORAL USE IN HORSES 4 WEEKS OF AGE AND OLDER. Not to be used in other animal species as severe adverse reactions, including fatalities in dogs, may result. Do not use in horses intended for human consumption. Swelling and itching reactions after treatment with ivermectin paste have occurred in horses carrying heavy infections of neck threadworm (Onchocerca sp. microfilariae), most likely due to microfilariae dying in large numbers. Not for use in humans. Ivermectin and ivermectin residues may adversely affect aquatic organisms, therefore dispose of product appropriately to avoid environmental contamination. For complete prescribing information, contact Bimeda at 1-888-524-6332, or EquimaxHorse.com. © 2020 Bimeda, Inc. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BY JONATHAN FIELD, WITH JENNIFER VON GELDERN PHOTOS BY ANGIE FIELD Willing forward movement is the foundation of all riding. Here’s what to do when your horse balks. Balky horses have reasons for their behavior. Here’s how to recognize root causes and overcome the different varieties of balkiness. WHY WON’T HE MOVE? 3 | MARCH HORSE&RIDER MONTHLY you’re like most horse people, you’ve encountered a balky horse or two. When it happens, though, do you know RULE OUT HEALTH PROBLEMS IF what’s causing the behavior and how to handle it? There are Balkiness in horses is commonly caused by pain. If your horse actually various causes of balkiness, each requiring a differ- balks, explore this angle first by testing him for soundness and having a thorough examination by a veterinarian. A few of the many potential ent approach. physical causes include: Using insight I’ve gleaned from working with countless • Sore back, ill-fitting saddle • Sore joints horses at clinics, I’ll explain the different forms of balkiness • Stomach ulcer • Neurologic issues I’ve identified, explore what causes the behavior, and show • Dental issues Once a veterinarian has ruled out pain, then proceed with handling the you how to overcome it. Physical pain can cause a reluctance balkiness as a behavior issue. to move, but once a veterinarian has ruled that out, there are three key types of balkiness—herd-bound, lack of confi- dence, and rider-induced. I’ll discuss each in turn. Herd-Bound Behavior: Your horse resists leaving the barn or a herdmate. He hates moving away from things he enjoys or finds comfort in. At some point during a ride, he may plant his feet and refuse to be ridden any farther from the place or horse he’s drawn to. Even if he doesn’t completely plant his feet, he may walk slower going away from home than he does returning home, even zigzagging to try to linger there. It may even be difficult to control his speed on the way home, a danger connected to this type of balkiness. Cause: His mind and attention remain at home even though he’s being ridden physically away from home. He’s so preoccu- pied with staying home or returning there that any ride you do get from him will be difficult and potentially dangerous. Solution: Gain his respect and focus his attention on you, and therefore away from his stall, pen, or equine companion. Be- fore even attempting to leave home with a herd-bound balky horse, do groundwork or mounted exercises, such as circles and footwork movements. These will get his attention on you and away from his source of preoccupation. Once he’s tuned in, keep a focused, purposeful demeanor and immediately ask him to leave his comfort zone. Too much of a pause will allow his mind to wander back to his stall, feed, or stablemate. If he still resists, repeat some of the exercises and immediately ask again for him to leave the area. Be deliber- ate, firm, and patient, as this may take several repetitions. Success will be measured in how readily your horse moves away from his home zone, how long he keeps his focus on you once away, and whether he can maintain his focus and an even pace on his way back. It’s natural for horses to want to return home at a slightly brisker pace than they maintained when leaving, but your horse shouldn’t ignore your cues. In the end, if you’ve adequately focused his attention, he’ll be “with you” re- gardless of where you are. Save some riding time for when you return to the barn or your unsaddling area, so he’s not expecting to be immedi- ately untacked, groomed, and allowed to relax. This can be done in an arena, around the property, or even in front of the TOP: Put a barn-bound horse to work in ways that require him to focus on your requests, barn, as long as he knows arriving home doesn’t mean instant then immediately mount up and ask him to move away from home. BELOW: After a ride, release from everything you did that day. → work him at the barn before putting him up, so “home” doesn’t only mean “rest.” 4 | MARCH HORSE&RIDER MONTHLY Lacking Confidence challenge. This causes a horse to resist even LEFT: A timid horse needs a moment to assess Behavior: Your horse resists moving toward more, and if really pressured, he may begin what's frightening him —in this case, railroad tracks. MIDDLE: Ask a fearful horse for just one a scary spot in an arena (such as a flag or to rear and run backward. step at a time over a scary obstacle, like this banner) or on the trail (such as a bridge or a Instead, be persistent and carefully time bridge. RIGHT: Ride a dull horse from one corner railroad crossing). He’s balking because he your releases of pressure with each step of the arena to the other. lacks confidence. He plants his feet or tries forward. Once successfully past the trouble to move away from what he fears. spot, go back and forth by it several times kicking out or bucking. Cause: As prey animals, horses natu- to establish success and build trust for the Solution: Teaching a balky horse to move rally fear many things. Staying away from next attempt to pass something spooky. freely through transitions forward is best anything suspicious—whether it’s a sight, done with a light squeeze of the legs and a sound, or scent—is how they stay alive Rider Error light, rhythmic tapping with a riding crop. in nature. Unfortunately, this innate fear Behavior: Your horse is dull, lazy, and hard to This tapping should slightly build in pres- can become an overall lack of confidence get moving in the arena—and for seemingly sure until the horse gets going a bit faster. under saddle that ruins rides. Overcoming it no reason. In this case, pilot error could be Make sure to persist until forward happens. requires getting the horse to trust that your to blame. Many horses don’t go forward free- Exactly at that moment, stop the squeeze judgment will keep him safe. ly because of the way they’re ridden. If you and the tapping. If your horse slows down Solution: Whether you’re in the arena or on give conflicting cues, time cues improperly, again, then simply repeat. the trail, your approach is the same. First, find or attempt to micromanage your horse with- It’s best to travel on long, straight lines how near the scary thing your horse will ap- out giving him relief from pressure, he may across an arena or large, open area. When proach willingly and confidently. Then stop simply resist moving at all. you get across the arena or to the open area’s him and wait a few moments, allowing him Cause: Your overuse of aids is confusing edge, stop and rest a moment, then ride to take a look. Then ask with a light squeeze your horse and denying him any relief or straight back across. Continue like this until or bump of your legs until he takes a step comfort. Some riders simultaneously pull the horse is moving out freely and looking forward, or even just “thinks” forward. When on the reins and pester their horse with forward in the direction of travel. he does, release the pressure for a moment. continuous squeezing or kicking. Then, The brief rest at each end point can really Then ask again. Each step forward will build in frustration, many attempt what I call get a horse looking forward and moving to more steps. “the one-whack solution.” This is accom- out. I’ve helped hundreds of horse-and-rider The key here is patience and timing to plished with a forceful kick of the legs combinations overcome this type of balki- build his trust in you so he feels confident and/or spank with the reins or crop to get ness in a short time using this method. But going where you want. Too often, riders add the horse to move out. Unfortunately, this do remember—this strategy works only if high pressure with a flurry of kicks when just makes a horse suck back and resist you make sure not to pull on the reins at the the horse is thinking “backward” from the even more—sometimes to the point of same time as using leg aids.