Louiserey
says
We have had a horse like this. He had a very sore back beacuse he was ridden by an unbalanced rider in a broken saddle, and taken hunting when not fit enough. The horse then makes the association that when you get on it's going to hurt, so even when the back pain is sorted out, you may need to reschool the thought, so that the horse re-learns that mounting does not mean pain. We did this very slowly over a period of weeks, with lunging to build up the muscles and lots of touching all over his saddle area - going back to basics really - with rewards (yes we gave treats) when he stood still. The horse now stands like a rock to be mounted, and also will 'stand' anywhere because the word means stay still and no longer has any bad associations - only good ones.
In short, before you think she's being naughty, make sure she is not in pain, then make the process as pleasant as possible so she has no cause to play up.
20 March 2012 10:39
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