Problem Horses or Problem Handlers?

I have been riding and competing on horses for more years than I care to mention. I have been very fortunate to always have had really talented horses. I have never really had a horse that was difficult to handle, except for my first competitive horse, and that was due to fear as a result of incorrect handling before I owned her. With gentle handling I gained her trust and she became manageable and gentle.

The horse I own now is the first horse that has really challenged my ability to handle and communicate with horses. His name is Urban Warrior, which as you can see is the name I have chosen. I feel it is appropriate. All my horses have been my teachers - but he has set me on the path to true learning and understanding. I am only on the first step of the path, but it is an amazing journey of self discovery as much as the discovery of horses.

To ride he is a willing, bold confident horse. As long as he has no maize in his diet he is a very easy horse to ride - like a big school pony. On maize he just bucks me off!

To handle on the ground he was less easy. He is big - about 16.2 hh and a good solid hunter type of horse. He could be quite boisterous and pushy. He was also a bit grumpy in the stable - fine with me, but inclined to put his ears back and threaten other people. However this never became unmanageable - until he was out of work due to an injury.

We had competed in a show which was quite a lot of events, and the following week I was away for a number of days. When I came back he was lame at the walk! The way he was moving immediately suggested a shoulder injury to me. It took over four months to get a diagnosis of the problem.

Lacking a diagnosis I started doing research on the internet on various holistic healing techniques, including massage. I came across Jim Masterson and bought his DVD on the Masterson Method (which I highly recommend), and that's when my problems really started!

I started the initial massage technique which is very gentle pressure along the bladder meridian starting above the eye, moving over the poll and along the neck. After a few minutes of this Warrior started snorting and made himself really big - I don't know if you have ever experienced this with a horse, but when it happens they are really impressive and scary. He reared up, and then started threatening me with his teeth.

Needless to say I stopped what I was doing and decided to reassess the situation! At the time I wasn't aware of a number of things. The worst part was that I did not realise how ignorant I really was about horses. I had worked with horses all my life, had travelled all over to shows, and I thought that I knew reasonably well how to handle them and train them. Warrior proved me wrong!

His behaviour became progressively worse. I couldn't get near his neck or shoulder without him trying to bite. He was completely unmanageable on the lead rein, leaping around and barging and pushing. Living where I do in East London in South Africa, I am rather isolated when it comes to expert help on horses and training problems. The standard response from other riders in the area would be to punish the horse for his behaviour. I knew that this was the wrong response - but I didn't know what do do.

Back to the internet! After some searching I found Kelly Marks' book "Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners - How to Behave so Your Horse Behaves Too". A fantastic book - full of practical step by step training routines from start to finish for handling on the ground and progressing to training.