Zen Horse

Remember, never let your horse rush to the barn.

A very important part of being safe when you’re riding your horse is knowing when and when not to let your horse run. If you’re on a respectful, well-trained horse that listens to you, then cantering in the pasture or along the trails is fine. However, there is one rule about running or cantering that I follow no matter what, and that is to NEVER let your horse run back to the barn. In fact, I try to never even let my horse trot to the barn. The reason I follow this rule is because letting your horse hurry back to the barn is a recipe for disaster. Horses are smart and they know that when they are being ridden back to the barn that the work is over. I’m sure you’ve noticed that no matter how tired your horse is, he always walks a little quicker when you’re heading home.

This is where the problem starts. You’re heading back to the barn and your horse gets a little pushy. If you let him have his way pretty soon you’ll be riding a runaway. Or maybe you can control the horse, but if one of your kids or a less experienced rider gets on him and he’s used to hurrying back to the barn, they may not have the skill to stop the horse and he could run through an open gate or through the barn door and cause some very serious injuries.

To keep my horses from anticipating going back to the barn, I always make it a point to work them when I’m heading back to unsaddle. I’ll do a lot of transitions like yielding the hindquarters, yielding the forequarters, bending, yield to a stop and serpentines. If my horse knows that he’ll get worked every time we head home, he won’t be in such a hurry and will be more focused on me. A horse that is focused on his rider is safer and more respectful than one that is in a hurry. If you have a really barn sour horse, work him really hard at the barn and only let him rest while he’s away from the barn. Keep doing this until he stops trying to hurry home.

Remember, never let your horse rush to the barn. It forms a bad habit that could potentially end up hurting either yourself or someone else. Instead, make your horse pay attention to you and you’ll have a safer, more respectful horse.

Clinton Anderson's Tip of the Week.