Q: We were given a thoroughbred former racehorse who is quiet and gentle on the ground, to lead and work on a lunge. But he is a horror to ride – gets extremely wound up and scuttles around sideways, throws his head around, gets into… Read More »My Ex Racehorse Won’t Settle Down
Q: “I have a former racehorse who is very unhappy about having his ears touched around the base especially, which makes it quite hard to bridle him. For example, to arrange his forelock and mane around his headpiece, and also to get rid of sweat… Read More »I Can’t Touch My Horse’s Ears
Q: Hello there. I am fairly new to horses, and I’d like to know your trainers’ opinions about the practice I’ve seen of people ‘desensitising’ horses by doing what looks to me like chasing them around a big yard with a plastic bag on a stick.… Read More »What’s This Densensitising All About?
Q: My 5 year old pony, Charlie, is starting to pluck the top wire on fences. It is becoming more and more of a habit. He use to just do it when he was waiting for his feed, but now he is doing it to… Read More »Charley Chews The Fence
Here’s a question from a reader: I am needing some help with separation anxiety in my horses. I have a five-year-old mare who I bred, and she has lived her whole life with two geldings, very happily. She’s always been independent and confident when I… Read More »My Horse Has ‘Separation Anxiety’
Q: The horse I lease has a serious aversion to horses coming toward him when riding in the arena. He’s an off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) and, his current owner doesn’t know what sort of incident he might have had in his past that made him this way.… Read More »My Horse Doesn’t Like Other Horses Coming Towards Him
Q: I recently bought an 11-year-old TB gelding with a potentially dangerous habit. This horse is a bit high energy, but he generally behaves well both on the ground and under saddle. The problem comes when I turn him out after riding him. As we… Read More »My Horse Rushes at The Gate
Hi Neil. My mare has a cow phobia, and apparently has for all of her 15 years. Now, the issue is that she has to live right next door to them. The arena backs right onto a cow paddock on one long side and the farmer has a… Read More »My Horse Has a Cow Phobia
Q: My 16-year-old thoroughbred has recently started to drop and roll every time I ride him in the arena. He is sound and as far as I can tell, in good health. What on earth could be causing this and what can I do about… Read More »My Horse Stops and Rolls Whenever I Ride in the Arena
Q: Do your trainers have any tips for stopping a horse from pawing and kicking out while he is travelling in the float? My 10-year-old crossbred gelding does this if he is travelling on his own, or with a friend. He is wrecking the inside… Read More »My Horse Paws and Kicks in The Trailer