Bargy horse

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Please come over to the UK and try and stop Spring with just a headcollar, it would provide me with much entertainment
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Training does not happen overnight - it takes time. My horses were well mannered as they had no other choices, I do not believe in making excuses for misbehaviour. I would not spout of things that I do not believe in, or have had success with - I have come in contact with a lot of horses yes some are more difficult than others, but all have the ability to learn if you have the will and ability to teach them.
 
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Training does not happen overnight - it takes time. My horses were well mannered as they had no other choices, I do not believe in making excuses for misbehaviour. I would not spout of things that I do not believe in, or have had success with - I have come in contact with a lot of horses yes some are more difficult than others, but all have the ability to learn if you have the will and ability to teach them.

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Which is what I am doing
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I too have been in contact with a lot of horses but none like my current horse who has in the past been allowed to get away with bad manners. I have spent since February schooling her everyday to be well mannered and she has improved immensely. I am not making excuses for her and do not tolerate bad manners and never have, and with time and effective training then I believe she will come good, but I couldn't have done it without the pressure halter. You have oviously never had to re-school a particularly opinionated or difficult horse and again I would be very interested to see how you would stop a 650kg horse from gallop in a regular headcollar, feel free to enlighten me.
 
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all have the ability to learn

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Only if you have their attention......



I honestly do believe that you are "spouting" here GTs. How many horses have YOU actually trained - I mean from scratch? Seriously, if you are so competent then you really shouldn't be wasting your time plodding around a park offering carriage rides to people in love - I'm sure there must be a small Pacific Island country looking for a Chef d'Equipe.
 
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all have the ability to learn

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Only if you have their attention......



I honestly do believe that you are "spouting" here GTs. How many horses have YOU actually trained - I mean from scratch? Seriously, if you are so competent then you really shouldn't be wasting your time plodding around a park offering carriage rides to people in love - I'm sure there must be a small Pacific Island country looking for a Chef d'Equipe.

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PMSL!!
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My horses were well mannered as they had no other choices

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But to be fair GT's your horses were polo ponies - and probably had manners beaten in to them from the word go!
 
All I am saying is as far as I am concerned it is a quick fix gandget and I am not a fan. I am not going to go back and fourth with the in this situation, or in that situation - I have yet to come accross a horse who does not respond if you spend time each day working on the problem, and a lot of the people who hail these things as godsents are the ones who never spent time working through the problems -

Nothing is more important than training horses from the ground!!!

Tia - When I was in High School I worked a number of quarter horse colts and phillies as well as a number of horses off the track. Saying I have not worked many horses is incorrect. Your attack on my carriage driving is rather weak, it is not like I am here in Boston to excel my experience with horses and this was the best job I was able to land - I am here for University and considering there is 1 horse job that is commutable by the subway I think I am doing rather well.

A - Considering the only made polo pony I have bought was Clarita it is a broad assumption that all my horses came that way. But I must say if most of you have experience how well behaved polo ponies are, you would definitely want one - they are awesome.
 
My boy can be naughty to lead to the field, but I find he does not actually want to pull away, just go faster than I want to or leaps and farts about.

Tried halters and the like all to no avail, as he just farted about without pulling!

Got a Chiffney and although not PC, found a good jab in the back teeth works a treat! He now walks calmly beside me, and we only have the odd day when he's naughty now.

Tried other methods first i.e. stopping every stride, walking to and from the field repeatedly, string halters and the like and found no long term solution.

I also now give him a small haynet before he goes out, so he is not hungry and make sure his field buddy is not neighing for him (which was what started the problems in the first place).
 
GTs - They aren't a quick fix gadget. After using a thin string halter (which tightens if he pulls), my horse is now a million times better. Arriving as a very powerful 3yo, he took full advantage of me - frequently deciding to gallop off up the field whilst I was leading him! When he decided to go, NOTHING could stop him. I tried everything including clicker training him to stand / move away from me / come towards me etc. but he'd forget this out in the field. As soon as I put this halter he quickly learnt not to pull away from me and respect me. Nowadays I am able to lead him in from the field no problem. Occassionally I still use it (or a coupling) if he's feeling frisky but generally he's SO much better and its all down to this halter.

So to say to this girl to "stop him every 3 strides", trust me thats impossible with some bargy horses! Id even got my dad to try and stop him once when he decided to charge off, to no avail - even he had to let go (or be dragged!).

BTW, not sure where you went to high school, but "phillies" is actually spelt "fillies"......
 
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BTW, not sure where you went to high school, but "phillies" is actually spelt "fillies"......

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Well some of us are just dumb....
 
It wasn't an attack on you (how can you think I was serious....jeez! You of all people know me better than that
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) - it was a joke; in response to your post which made me giggle.

If a halter/headcollar is a quick fix gadget then I have to admit I am very curious as to how you feel she can get her horse's attention to even begin to start to teach it?

Can I ask you a question: What is the difference between a halter and a headcollar?
 
I'm with Lucy and Spring on this one.

GTS: If you want to try leading daisy in a normal headcollar you are more than welcome.

Nasty comments that make you feel like you should be able to lead your horse in a normal headcollar as long as you are 'firm' or 'the boss' made me feel thoroughly miserable and are what ended me up in hospital because I was sure that I should be able to do it. I was very lucky but it could have been much worse. Daisy only bruised rather than rupturing any organs, if she had been a little higher I would have had broken ribs and I suspect a punctured lung. For the record I spent four days in hospital with a blood pressure hovering about the fifty mark where normally it is about 120. I have been kicked before but this was something else

New styles of headcollars that provide more control are not necessarily gadgets, they provide a sensible safety precaution for an animal much stronger than we are.

At the end of you day unless you ride your horse bareback, taking a chunk of mane in your hand to control direction we all use gadgets. You would not criticise somebody for riding wearing a hat on the grounds that if they were a good rider so don't belittle people who need a stronger headcollar on their horse.
 
I use a rope headcollar, and it does give me a degree of control I would not have with a conventional headcollar, mine is not the type that tightens up. I have also used a Lidstone coupling (designed by a very good friend of mine who lives in Lidstone) and they are also effective.
In the end I avoided the problem of leading in a hungry 1/2 ton kite by feeding her a little in the field before bringing her in..you could argue that has merely avoided the training she needs. You could be right, but if it means no fighting then it works for me.
 
To me a halter is just the american work for headcollar - I am sure Daisy is perfectly capable of being lead in a regular halter/headcollar (whatever you want to call it), and if you do not have their attention on the ground, you need to start right back at square one.

It would be interesting for Sportsnight to chime in on what she saw at KY - in racing I have only seen regular headcollars/halters and I am sure there were some 2 or 3 year olds who were tough.
 
We used the rope halter on one of the liveries at the yard more so for when he was tied up that bringing in from field. And he settled so much better as there was less of it. Didnt feel as trapped.

Have dealt with a bargy 16.2 shire x before and we either used to wrap lead rope around nose or on his bad days - use a headpiece and a snaffle so we had that little bit extra of control (having to cross the yard carpark to get to yard).

it does take time though, try doing lots of in hand work with him in the school or a fenced off area so that he responds to your voice etc
 
I have her attention, we are currently clicker training her to retrieve, she gives her foot to be picked out on a vocal command, she moves away from me when I ask with body language, she knows to wait back a few steps while I put her feed in. I own several regular headcollars as well as her dually and yes she is capable of being led in one.

As lucy said you need to be able to physically hang on while you build that bond. All the common sense and good horsemanship doesn't help you if you can't get your horse to stop in the first place.
 
Anyway if you end up getting good results from using a controller type headcollar, what on earth is the harm?! Some horses are just like that! My bargy horse happens to have SO much personality, thats what I love about him. Sure, I dont want him to charge around but he wouldn't be the same horse if he had perfect manners! He has good enough manners for us to get by nowadays happily which is all that matters and we have built up a great bond along the way.

I dont think it matters how you get there in the end (as long as it doesnt harm the horse like some dodgy "gadgets").
 
I must be very lucky to have a Pure Bred Arab mare, who from the day she was born is led about the farm with a lead rope around her neck AND is 100% controllable no matter whats going on around her, she is now nearly 18yrs old so i don't expect her to get more difficult. Also, all her foals have been just as easy.
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I can only see from a VERY quick skim of this thread that only one other person has asked you (sort of) what I am about to ask you...

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My horse has started trying to rush in from the field

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Do you know why he has started to do this? Before you go out and start buying fancy headcollars, is there a reason why his behaviour has changed? And is it possiblt to recify this reason? has a new horse been put out with him? Is there something scary in the field that didn't use to be there? Have you changed the time you get him in? Did this start when the clocks changed? has someone else been doing him for you during the day? Have you had his teeth/feet/back checked? I'm assuming he is a gelding? Is he young? Was he castrated properly?

I have NOTHING against the Dually halter, or ComeAlong, or whatever, they are much better than being dragged 100 yards and having your arm broken... but why has your horse started doing this? Finding the cause of the problem is better than finding a way to control a symptom of it...

Please reply, as I am always interested to learn more about horses. I would not give advice if I wasn't prepared to gain more insight and have feedback!

Hope you sort everything out, and Merry Christmas to you!!!
 
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