If your horse will leave with a group, but not just one other horse then he is just at the begining stages of barn sour.
Working him back at the barn is part of the fix but it isn't all of it.
The problem isn't that he just wants to go back to the barn. That's just the symptom of the problem.
The problem is fear of being out on the trail with no one to trust. When he leaves with a group he has the herd to trust. Or possibly one certain horse in that herd.
The answer is to make him "buddy sour" more than barn sour. You need to make him "buddy sour to you". He's got to want to stay with you more than go to the barn. His safety is in you and not in the horses at the barn. And as odd as it seems, you can't do this by being his buddy. You've got to become his leader. Someone he can trust his life to.
That involves groundowrk. Sending, yeilding, facing, inside turns, coming to, and backing. Leading on a loose leadline. Neck flextion, and hip disengagement from the ground and from the saddle. Neck flextion and hip disengagement are the makings for a proper "one rein circle", and a proper "one rein safety stop".
After the groundwork becomes a dance in the roundpen, both on and off the lead line. And once the one rein safety stop is a natural reaction for the both of you, then it is time to venture back out on the trail.
Go out with the least number of horses that he will leave with. Go out a short distance (1/4 mile) and come back and do some hard figure 8s at the barn. Drop one horse and go out again with no rest at the barn, stop at the 1/4 mile and rest. Come back in and do it all again.
At any point he wants to turn back, allow him the mistake of making the turn. Flow with him and don't try to stop him, as he turns flex his neck in that direction and disengage his hip so that he flows on around into a "one rein circle". Circle him one more time than what he is easily willing to do and then try to walk him out of the circle in your original direction.
If he goes out of the circle willingly, go just a few paces and then turn back to the barn on your cue. If he does not go out of the circle willingly for a few paces, allow him to make the mistake of turning back again, flowing with him and guiding him back into another "one rein circle". Leave the circle again in your original direction.
At the point you ahve dropped all the other horses and are to go out alone, just lead him out if you think you can't handle him from the saddle. When he acts up just send him off around you on the lead line doing basicly the same thing you did from the saddle.
Often when your basic groundwork starts to look like a dance you may find that he has lost any barn sourness anyway the next time you take him out. You may not have to do any of this.
Good luck.
Steve
http://fixabrokehorse.com
"jamiez" <my2zipps@...> wrote:
>
> My main man Gus is getting a bad case of barn sour!
>
> He is very unwilling to leave his happy home and friends unless we are in a large group, if we are he is such a gentleman and we have wonderful rides together but if I go out with only one of horse (we don't ride alone on trails) he trys to spin around and head back to the barn and for the first time he took of on me...after a hard ride and I don't mean because it was long...i let him go into a nice trot and a canter he saw the barn and took off..I held on tired my one rein stop..no luck and finally he slowed down to a stop.
>
> He has never done this before and I want to stop it before he thinks he can do it again..where do I start from the ground up to get the better hand on this one?
>
> This is my first horse so even though I know how to ride I am still learning about all the other things that go along with having a horse.
>
> I love my little man but latley riding is not as much fun cause he is such a brat!
>
------------------------------------
Community email addresses:
Post message: haflingerfriends@yahoogroups.com
Subscribe: haflingerfriends-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: haflingerfriends-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
List owner: haflingerfriends-owner@yahoogroups.com
Shortcut URL to this page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/haflingerfriendsYahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/haflingerfriends/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/haflingerfriends/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
haflingerfriends-digest@yahoogroups.com
haflingerfriends-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
haflingerfriends-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
