Help! Barging through gates!

[teganjenk]

I've recently started to share a mare and she is very lively and the owners have told me she can be wary around gates and they assume she has previously been hit by one. Some of the hacking routes are gate free but for some there are loads!

I took her on a route with quite a few last week and she was wary as expected however after a few attempts I got her straight through with no problems. However, today every gate apart from 2 I was barged through, first time my boots took the hit, a couple of gates on it was my jodhpurs and my knee which is rather bruised and swollen!

The only thing I can think of is getting of and walking her through and getting her to stand in between and show her that nothing is to be afraid of. Any other suggestions? I feel I need to solve it so she trusts me and I know that I can go through a gate without scuffing my boots or ripping my jods!

Thanks in advance!

 

[texel]

What you have to do is practice, practice practice the gate technique at home otherwise you will be reinforcing the barging behaviour which is not what you want.

1. First you work from the ground, getting your horse used to the gate and learning to stand quietly and calmly in a narrow gateway.
and teach your horse to walk through the gap slowly - horses are naturally nervous of narrow spaces.
2. Then you teach your horse to move sideways along a pole on the ground
3. when your horse is comfortable with this you move to doing when ridden.

You need to be able to view some videos of the gate process there are some good nes around.

Until you and your horse have learnt the gate technique you will have to resort to dismounting when out on a hack.

It took me a few months and I wasn't rushing the process - but it is woth it

 

[teganjenk]

What you have to do is practice, practice practice the gate technique at home otherwise you will be reinforcing the barging behaviour which is not what you want.

1. First you work from the ground, getting your horse used to the gate and learning to stand quietly and calmly in a narrow gateway.
and teach your horse to walk through the gap slowly - horses are naturally nervous of narrow spaces.
2. Then you teach your horse to move sideways along a pole on the ground
3. when your horse is comfortable with this you move to doing when ridden.

You need to be able to view some videos of the gate process there are some good nes around.

Until you and your horse have learnt the gate technique you will have to resort to dismounting when out on a hack.

It took me a few months and I wasn't rushing the process - but it is woth it

Okay great, I'll have a look! Thankyou!