Tips of groundwork and bond building

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Gwen

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I have an 17 years young Welsh sec D mate who I have had for a year now. She was broken late and then used as n instructors horse at a riding school meaning she always has to be up front when riding out! She is really forward and I still don't feel that we are building a bond or she is listening to me.
I am not interested in competing, just hacking out but it's become so un enjoyable. We live in a rural place with lots of single track roads and getting her to wait for cars to pass is a nightmare. She jumps and jogs on the spot and charges out the second they've passed, regardless if there's another one coming. Plus she fights me to go home at every available turning place. She is a little better when there's another horse to go out with but this is only possible once a week so has got to the point that that is all she is getting ridden and my confidence is shot.

So I'm wanting to take is back to basic with groundwork and lungeing to help build a bond and get her to listen to me.
Does anyone have any tips? Useful books they've read, I really like reading and find it goes in better.

Some may say maybe she's too much for me but I love this horse, she's had a tough life and I feel if we can just get through this we will be a force to be reckoned with.

King words only please, I'm doing the best I can.
 
Kelly Marks has written 3 books which I found very useful - Perfect Manners, Perfect Partners and Perfect Confidence. I've used bits from each of them on each of my horses and found that they really helped me to be in the right frame of mind to deal with things.

the one thing which really helped me when I was having MAJOR confidence issues (no need, my little cob is the sweetest thing ever, but who knows why confidence disappears...) was a quote I saw on Facebook. "Your horse is only as brave as you are."

This really helped me to find my big girl pants, as it really brought home how much he relied on me. A year later and we rarely have problems, but if we do I am able to be calm and quiet and let him remember that it's all ok.

Bit of a waffle, sorry, but hope it helps :)
 
The intelligent horsemanship stuff is very helpful. Kelly Marks has written a couple of good books, "Perfect Manners" and there is a follow up book 2 that explains a lot about ground work, long reining etc might be worth a read. Whereabouts are you based? It is so hard to find a decent groundwork instructor but IH do have recommended associates around the country, might be worth seeing if there is one in your area to give you a couple of lessons to get you started. You are quite right you need to sort the bond out on the ground first for her to be able to listen to you better when ridden.

Good luck, I had a 23yr old on loan as my 1st horse, he was similar, had only be ridden at flat out speed for 20yrs. We managed to reschool him and he remembered all of the work he learned as a youngster and turned in to the most wonderful horse. He was just worried about life, so forwards fast worked well for him, but he was incredibly sensitive so turned out to be a lovely, light ride in the end. I was still riding him at 29, he was fab, so it is do-able if you persist!
 
Thank you, I'd looked at the Kelly Marks books so I will go ahead and buy now that I've had recommendations.
I live in the highlands on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula so getting anyone out up here is tough and you normally have to travel quite far to attend clinics.

My girl too has never bucked or reared but I had a cob on loan before her that reared every time I got on him and now my poor current gets me treating her as if it was her. Love that quote. She isn't a spooky horse until I start thinking "she's going to react to that in a minute" and low and behold, she does. But only because I told her too!!
Ah I'm not giving up.

We just had a really successful time lungeing and I managed to get her to slow down and halt just using my voice, she's very clever! Just need to get me up to speed!
 
I had a it confidence wobble after my horse had some health problems and a lot of time off work last year. We both lost our confidence in each other really. I had lessons with a "think like a pony" instructor who taught me the basics of groundwork and gave me the skills to control his behaviour from the ground using just body language and repetition. I can honestly say it's helped us so much and really got us back on track. I usually just do a few minutes ground work each time I ride and it boosts my confidence before u get on and ride. If you have a think like a pony or intelligent horsemanship trainer near you its defo worth a ground work lesson I would say.
 
I've used Richard Maxwell and found him to be very practical and effective. Also heard good things about Jason Webb. I have a subscription to the 'Horse Hero' website. http://www.horsehero.co.uk/index which has hundreds of videos on all aspects of training including groundwork and behavioural stuff. I find it to be a very useful resource so maybe check that out too.
 
The sort of stuff you describe is pretty standard in a poorly trained section D .
Is there someone near by to come to you to help you you really need help on the ground .
I think the thing with D's is they where bred to work and a degree of fizziness and a nature feisty is easy to handle when you are to spend your life pulling a trap up hill and dale because the work will contain the issue .
I would continue with the lunging because getting really voice trained will be a great help .you can 'walk lunge 'a horse all about a large field with the horse away from you making it stop and start from the voice and your body position do a straight line for a while then bring the horse on to a circle then walk straight again training your self to to use the whip voice and body position to place the horse where you want her This is easier for you than long reining which is hard to learn without help on a poorly training horse .
When riding a simple start point might be to train your self to stop her and make her stand when she being rude it does not need to be a dressage type halt just stop loose the rein slightly pat and back to what you are doing .
On the spooking if she spooks turn her head away from the thing she is spooking at and push her with the leg on the side you have turned the head .
You can't love a horse into behaving it's not how they think , what horses like is consistent leadership many sport horses have amazing 'bonds ' ( I don't like the word ) with riders who would never say they 'love ' a horse because the horse trusts the rider to behave in a consistent and fair way and the know what is expected of it.
On books .
The horse hero website is great fun and has lots of interesting stuff on it .
I think the Kelly marks books will help you .
But if you what to buy a book that explains training as a process it's also good on lunging get The basic training of the young horse but Ingrid Klimke and Reiner Klimke .
Now this a book explaining the whole production of competition horse its not hints to help book like Kelly marks but it will help you understand the whole process horses go through in an ideal situation .
It will help with insight into why life can be hard for horses who don't get brought up in an ideal way because it shows the system and personal discipline that trainers have at the highest level .

Finally but your horse on a good magnesium based calmer and see if it helps .
 
Many thanks Goldenstar.
You are completely right . And when I say I love her, I mean I don't want her to get pushed from pillar to post again. I want her to settle and have a forever home. But that doesn't mean I'm going to take any nonsense. She is being rude and absolutely treats me like she is top horse and in charge which needs to stop.
I haven't got anyone that cn help sadly. There was a lady but she's recently moved away.
Half the issue is when riding her I'm just not as strong as I need to be. When she is being rude and I make her stop (and wait, which she hates) then she starts acting up, prancing about and snorting. She was always allowed to behave like that in her previous home and was just ridden flat out all the time. I struggle to hold her when she catches sight of beach as she was always flat out galloped on beach.
When I was feeling stronger (before falling off and breaking my ribs) we got on much better as I didn't take any nonsense but I have just become so scared of what she might do, which has never really been anything bad.

With regards to a calmer. Would a calmer be better than feeding just straight mag ox? I used o feed her mag ox but never saw a difference.
 
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