Bad habit of backing up?

[mlle_beau]

There's one horse I am interested in leasing at the place where I take lessons and I really like him but he has one bad habit that I don't know how to deal with. Sometimes (almost always at a walk, occasionally at a trot) he will suddenly stop and start to back up. I've been told that I'm not doing anything that would cue him to back up, so I'm wondering if it would be best to correct the problem by driving him forward or by continuing to make him back up so he thinks it was my idea and he still has to work when he backs up. Which would you guys suggest? He is only 4 years old so hopefully it is just a bad habit that he'll grow out of but in the meantime...

[fire1]

Both items you described sound good. Making them back up and turning it into your idea is a good idea. Then driving them forward with your legs and accasionally a crop will enfource this cue, if used properly! I"m sure that he will come out of it. It is allot more work to be bad than it is to be good!

[mtnmollie]

Backing can be a lot of work. Genes horse would back up instead of cross creeks. Gene would get him to go forward. Gene would win the war, and one day the wars would cease.

Here's some backing exercises; its a reining horse exercise. Les Vogt may back a circle maybe 20 times a ride. They have to be conditioned for that much back. Back a serpintine, back a diagonal- back crooked - then straight. If you back crooked then you know how to fix your horse when you want to back straight. My horse's dont like these back drills. I think its a lot of work.

[HeartofSteel]

My 3 yr old will used to get a little "sticky" if he saw something a little scary but only at the walk and then he would just pause and maybe back a few steps when asked to move forward. My trainer said that is a very bad thing to start because then they will realize that they can get out of working, which sounds kinda like that horse situation. I just carry a dressage whip with me and if he does get a little sticky and doesn't listen to my leg I just give him a light tap behind my leg. He only did it a few times and hasn't done it since so I hardly use my whip anymore but its still there in case he does try it again.

[luv2show]

I personally would not let him do this. I know Tanner used to do that and he'd threaten to rear and eventually kept doing it, and that's how it started. Everytime he refuses to go forward, do something to make him work hard. I usually flexed Tanner and made him turn in a tight circle. He learned pretty quickly that continuing forward is a lot less work than backing up or going in a tight circle. Sounds like you're on the right track.

[alittleoffkey]

I make them back a lot. Backing is hard work. Every once in awhile there's an odd horse who loves to back and I make them move forward in a very tight circle.

[mlle_beau]

Okay, thanks for all the advice! I'm riding him today, we'll see if he does it. If so then I have some ideas now.:)

[cloedoll]

I personally would not let him do this. I know Tanner used to do that and he'd threaten to rear and eventually kept doing it, and that's how it started. Everytime he refuses to go forward, do sometime to make him work hard. I usually flexed Tanner and made him turn in a tight circle. He learned pretty quickly that continuing forward is a lot less work than backing up or going in a tight circle. Sounds like you're on the right track.

Ditto, my sister thought it was awesome to make Keidas back up forever when she owned him and it became a terrible habit that I had to break because he began rearing (nothing huge, but obviously rearing can turn ugly very quickly). I did exactly what Ashley just described and he doesn't have the issue anymore. (:

[Palogal]

I would not make a huge deal out of it. When he does it, he's just avoiding work. Let him do it and then move on as if it never happened and go right back to work. He'll outgrow it and figure out it's easier to move forward.

[HeartofSteel]

Backing often is also hard on a young horses growing hocks

[Palogal]

Backing often is also hard on a young horses growing hocks

Exactly. That's why I would not make a big deal of it, just move on and put him back to work.

[mlle_beau]

Well I rode him today and he didn't back up but he did test me in other ways, lol! He would randomly stop and absolutely refuse to move. At first I could kick and he'd move on but it got to the point where I had to smack him with my crop. About the third time this happened he bucked when I used the crop but after that he didn't do it again. I also rode through (what seemed like) a big spook today, so I was happy about that!

[outriding01]

Good job on making him work through his issues. Sounds like you won. Pics by any chance?

[cloedoll]

That's great! Keep at it! ;)

[HeartofSteel]

Sounds like you do good!! Keep it up!! And pictures??

[mlle_beau]

Sorry no pictures! :( :( :( I got all the way out there before I realized that I didn't bring my camera. I'm going again on Sunday, I don't know if I'm riding him but I'll try to get some pictures then.

[mtnmollie]

Glad you had a good ride. :cowboy:

[cheval]

We were working on this last night. Solon wanted to keep backing up and my trainer said to let him keep going. Don't make a big deal of it. Just let him go until he stops, then ask him nicely to mover forward. With some horses it's them being testy and wanting a reaction out of you. It didn't take long before Solon deciding backing up that much wasn't any fun and we had forward movement.

He starting going sideways then, but that's another topic. :rant: