The Problem Horse: Part 1

I have noticed that the number of sour horses at barrel races seems to be increasing.  In addition, when viewing for sale ads several of them state that the horse has gate issues.  The sad part is that many of these ads have awesome videos of the horse running before the issue started.



Lets start by defining what a sour horse is exactly.  The following is an explanation provided by Clinton Anderson, the article can be found at the following link.

http://www.ridemagazine.com/horse/article/clinton-anderson-sweeten-your-arena-sour-horse

"As soon as an arena sour horse is walked up the alleyway, he rears, spins around, and backs up — anything he can do to not go in the arena. When a horse is misbehaving, he uses the reactive side of his brain, not the thinking side. A horse will use the reactive side of his brain when he’s energetic and wants to go somewhere."



In addition to the traditional gate sour horse, there are other cases when the horse may enter the ring but perform poorly.  Horses that refuse to turn barrels and blow their turns tend to frustrate the rider.  Inexperienced riders tend to put more pressure on these horses when they do not do what they want them to.  However, the total opposite is what is needed.  Horses need to be calm and collected in order to perform.



WHY???

Now that we know what exactly a sour horse is lets talk about what makes these horses act the way they do.  There is no one answer to why these horses start to misbehave.  Let's talk about some of the things that cause horses to become sour.  The first is over-running a horse.  What is over-running, it is simply repeating the barrel pattern over and over.  Obviously a young horse requires barrel training which can involve repetition.  The problem is not done at slow speeds, it is done when the horse is ran over and over.

Review the following excerpt from an article in barrel horse news from Charmayne James.



“It’s not basketball”

Sometimes if a person is new to the sport of barrel racing, or having trouble with something during a run, they practice running barrels too much at home. Barrel racing is not basketball or football though, so expecting a horse to make all those perfect runs at home is counterproductive and too many runs can make a horse extremely nervous and hyper.

Here is another excerpt from Ride magazine by Clinton Anderson



Think about arena sourness from a horse’s perspective. Outside the arena, he gets to relax and hang out with his buddies. Inside the arena, he gets whipped and spurred to run fast. As soon as he leaves the arena he’s allowed to rest and be with his friends again. It’s no wonder these horses develop problems. I wouldn’t want to go in the arena either if every time I did I was whipped and spurred.

Obviously, horses sour or start refusing for other reasons.  I believe that horses try to tell us what is wrong, we just don't listen to them.  Horses are naturally trusting and want to make us happy.  I love the statement, "Horses trained by fear, will always fear something more than their trainer".



Now What?

I want to share some of my troubleshooting procedure for these horses.  There are several things that riders should do at the first sign of trouble.  Ring sour horses do not happen over night.  It starts with poor and incomplete turns, followed by hesitation at the gate.  Any change in normal behavior is a red flag and should not be ignored.

Red Flags

• Refusing to be caught when they used to walk up to you.
• Refusing to eat or drink
• Striking or dancing while being saddled
• Difficult to mount
• Refusal to do anything they would normally do
• Flighty
• Dancing and Prancing-(when its new)
• Refusal to pick up leads
• Not driving from their hind quarters
• Hallowing of the back
• Poor Turns
• Hesitation in the alleyway
• Dropping of the shoulder
• Abnormal behavior
• This is only a small list 

Troubleshooting Procedure

As I stated previously, I believe that horses try to tell us that something is wrong.  Horses may not be able to speak our language, but we can learn to read theirs.  Big problems start by ignoring little problems.  Don't ignore the little problems, seek to understand them.

1.  Dentistry

• Weight loss.
• Bolts his food or eats it unusually slow.
• Dribbles his feed or drops feed half-chewed from his mouth.
• Drools or salivates excessively.
• Chooses to eat hay before grain.
• Tilts or shakes his head while chewing his feed.
• Tongue, lips or gums develop sores.
• Manure contains un-digested grain kernels or pieces of hay.
• Resistant to drink cold water.
• Bad odor from his mouth or nostrils.
• Pulls his head to one side or rears while riding.
• Carries his tongue abnormally.
• Shakes head

2.  Chiropractic

• Reduced performance
• Abnormal posture
• Snapping and pinning back its ears when being saddled
• Insubordination when being ridden
• Attempting to free itself by throwing its head back or up or by hollowing the back
• Swishing its tail and pinning back its ears
• Disobedience when jumping
• Difficulties with collected or lateral gaits
• Changes in behavior
• Frightened or painful facial expression
• Sensitivity to touch

3.  Poor Saddle Fit

• Dry Patches after riding                           • Cold backed

• Bucking  or rearing                                     • Bolting

• Reluctance to go down or up hill           • Training Issues

• Saddle rocking                                            • Sore back

• High head carriage                               • Head tossing                             

• Short choppy stride                                    • Swelling                                  

• Tail swishing                                              • Ears back when saddling     

• Dislikes saddle being put on                       • Reluctance to move 

• Difficult lead changes                               • Unbalanced

• Sensitivity                                               • Behavioral issues

• Scuff or rub marks                                      • Saddle slipping                            

• Slow to Relax                                             • White hairs                              

• Saddle touching at withers                       • Girthy   

• Behavioral problems when having feet done

• Rider having problems staying in position

• Saddle sitting down hill in front,  up hill in front or off to one side 

4.  Ulcer or other digestive issues

• Change in attitude
• Poor appetite
• Colic - shows the symptoms
• Decreased performance
• Decline in body condition  
• Dull

5.  Problem with there feet

• Failure to pick up leads
• Refusing to turn in a direction
• Tender-footed
• Short Strides
• Clumsy
• Turning on the forehand
• Choppy

6. Wrong Bit

• Won't let you put the bit in their mouth
• Shakes head
• Chews at bit, excessively
• Sores on the mouth
• Poor turns
• Problems stopping
• Refusal to move forward

From the Author:

Horses do not develop problems from running around a field with their buddies.  Horses develop problems from riding and training them.  Thus, we are the source of their problems.  Since we cause the problems, its our job to solve the problems.  This is only a handful of issues that may be facing problem horses.  Listen to your horse!!

I plan to address each of these items in greater detail in future posts.  If you have a problem horse and they fit these symptoms, get in touch with a professional immediately.  Talk with industry professionals and your veterinarian to help solve your problems.

As always I hope you enjoyed the post and learned something!!!