I recently read somewhere on social media – and I wish I could remember where – that the best way to fix a bad habit in a horse is to not let it develop on the first place.
That’s so simple, yet at the same time so profound. I’ve seen so many horses revert back to undesirable behavior that’s worked for them in the past, or take so much longer to unlearn dangerous things and become solid in good ones.
Barn and buddy sourness are pretty high up on the list of common, pesky and problematic things people deal with in their horses, Mustangs and domestics alike. Having a buddy or barn sour horse can sure take the joy out of riding, make it unsafe or plain impossible.
Anymore I like starting my own horses, from scratch. Gentling Mustangs for a living, that’s pretty easy to do. That way for the most part whether they’re barn or buddy sour or not is in my hands.
Some people are sticky and don’t mind a ‘good’ fight with a horse that’s dancing and rearing and hopping and spinning or running backwards. I’m not one of those people.
Ground driving is probably the number one tool I use to develop a horse that confidently goes wherever you point them, no buddy needed, and goes back home at the same pace.
Here’s Devil’s Garden Mustang mare Petrie who’s good enough now that I can put the driving bridle and lines on, no surcingle, saddle or harness, and off we go. I wouldn’t recommend that, at all, if you’re just starting out.
We’re drunk walking a bit here because I had the phone in one hand and lines and whip – yes, I always carry a whip because it’s a needed communication device when (ground) driving – in the other while dodging holes and brush.
Ground driving, like many other things, is simple but not necessarily easy if you haven’t done it before, and needs to be taught step by step for it to work as desired.
At Wild Horse Outreach & Advocacy we’re happy to teach you/your horse this skill if you’d like. More on how to work with us on our website.
Would anyone be interested in some video based instructions on ground driving that would be available online? Anything else? Let us know in the comments or via PM/email.
Music: Colter Wall : Prairie Evening/Sagebrush Walz
