Q:Would you, given large enough paddocks with safe fencing, run a group of eight horses as a single herd, or split into two or three (or more) smaller groups? If you split them, would you split by age/gender or have a mixture? Tara, via… Read More »Let Horses Be Horses
Question from a reader: “I’m about to lease a horse, who the owners say is ‘cold-backed’. Apparently he dips or humps his back when first under saddle, sometimes bucks, and is better when you lunge him for a bit before mounting. Is this a physical… Read More »My Horse has a ‘Cold Back’. What Can I Do?
Question: My young mare has suddenly started being nasty to other horses (I’ve had her since a foal and she’s always been sweet natured). She is now 5. I know I can’t do anything about how she treats her paddock mates. But lately she’s started… Read More »My Young Mare Has Suddenly Started Being Nasty to Other Horses. How Do I Stop This?
Question: 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 Horses Rushes When I Lead Him to His Paddock. How Can I Stop This?
From Sharon What do you think about using food treats as rewards while training horses. Is it effective, or does it just turn them into pushy, demanding horses? Does it encourage them to start nipping for treats, which is what we were told at pony… Read More »Is it Okay to Use Treats as a Reward
Q: I’d like some advice about introducing a new horse to a herd. My two elderly geldings (21 and 24) have been together for most of their lives. I have been riding the younger one, but his jumping days are over and though I will… Read More »How Can I Introduce a New Horse To My Old Horses?
Question from a reader: “I’ve owned my 6-year-old warmblood-cross gelding for three years, and he has recently started to get really nappy when I ride him (although not always). He will stop out of the blue, sometimes rears or bucks a little, and refuses to go… Read More »My Horse Rears or Bucks and Refuses to go Forward. What Can I Do?
Q: I have a question in relation to an issue that we have with my daughters pony and our pigs. When we first got the pony she spent the best part of the time cavorting about the paddock when she saw the pigs. When… Read More »My Pony is Frightened of the Pigs in Her Paddock
Q: Hi I have a question about mares…we’ve recently acquired a 12 year old TB mare (our first young mare). She is generally respectful and nice to handle. But she has major social issues with other horses – she simply cannot be in the same… Read More »My Mare Attacks Other Horses In Her Paddock