
If your horse starts to speed back home, you will want to turn them away and go in a different direction. If your horse is the type to race back to the barn, then there is a different tactic you should consider. Walk your horse around the yard or barn a few times before putting him away, just so he is aware that you dictate the agenda. Slowly work the horse away from the barn and back multiple times to teach them the cues you plan to use in the future.

When you do go out, you want to take your horse on short rides to start, so that they begin to enjoy their time outside the barn and look forward to going out in the future.

This also helps if your horse suffers from separation anxiety from its herd. The first tip when you are trying to fix a barn sour horse is to start by going out with the companionship of another horse – especially a horse that is not barn sour and behaves well out on the trails.Ī fellow horse companion does not only act as a good influence and a distraction but also can help your horse feel secure by being in a group. However, just because you have determined the problem, doesn’t mean you don’t have a long way to go to fix it.įixing a barn sour horse is crucial because a horse that is barn sour can exhibit dangerous behaviors such as bucking or rearing when you try to take him out of the barn or racing back to the barn too quickly when it is time to head back. Knowing why your horse will not leave their barn, is the first step to trying to fix it. This might make them reluctant to leave the barn in the future. This can teach your horse that they should be excited to be heading back instead of being out on the trails. If you are always taking your horse back into the barn at higher speeds instead of a slow walk, your horse will get excited to rush back and rest. If you take them back to the barn in the wrong way, this can also make it so that your horse would rather be in the barn instead of out on the trail. It’s not just overworking your horse that can make them uncomfortable being outside of the barn. If a horse is constantly overworked, they will begin to realize that being ridden will always be too much work, and they would rather be in their barn where they are comfortable. Over exerting your horse can make them feel uncomfortable to leave the barn because they know when they do, they might be overworked. One reason that your horse might not want to leave the barn is that they feel comfortable there, and they do not feel comfortable when they leave. Proper training will not only help your horse to better learn and follow your cues, but it is also a way for you to create a stronger relationship with your horse so that he also looks to you as a leader who can offer safety and protection. Teaching your horse to respect your cues is one way to begin to train them to move away from the herd when you need them to. Horses are intimidating when they move in numbers and can be a deterrent to predators as well as naturally having a look-out.įor this reason, when you try to separate your horse from the others, even just to run out on the trail, you could be dealing with a horse that feels like he is leaving a safe environment.Įven after hundreds of years of domestication, horses still have a herd instinct. In the wild, horses protected themselves from running away from predators or by using their numbers to their advantage. This means that they are generally more comfortable in the safety of their herd than they are out on their own. Herd Mentality:īefore horses were domesticated, they were herd animals that relied on others for safety. Your horse’s uncomfortable feelings can be caused by a few different potential reasons.
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Knowing what causes your horse to be uncomfortable can help you to figure out how to fix it for them. This is all due to what makes them comfortable and uncomfortable. They can also refuse to go out on their own without their fellow horses. If you have a barn sour horse, it can be very difficult to get your horse into or out of their comfort zone.īarn sour horses can refuse to either enter or leave their barns.

Horses become barn sour when they are more comfortable in the barn than they are out on the trail. Horses can also become difficult if they are being removed from other horses. Some horses don’t want to enter the barn, and some horses don’t want to leave it. Horses are very strong-willed and stubborn creatures, and if they don’t want to do something, it can be hard for you to convince them.
