Barn Sour...To Ride Or Not To Ride!

I mentioned that our horses are well trained in my last hub. I also mentioned how much money it was to start training on a young horse. I didn't, however, mention how long it takes (ergo more money) to train a horse and how many “opinions” there are about what is the right way to train OR ride OR feed OR bathe OR worm OR trim hooves. The list of possible opinions and choices made about any particular horse goes on forever and rarely will you find two serious riders/horse owners who agree on everything.

So, you're at a stable and a complete stranger walks you over to an unknown horse and says, “up you go!” How do you determine if you are making the right decision to trust this particular person and horse?

Anytime I consider doing something a bit scary, my first thought is how contrary it is to the establishment that takes my money and wants to sell more of this activity to allow anything that will hurt me. Such as the time I decided to take my ten year old son double bungee jumping at Marine World. Once strapped side by side into harnesses and raised to the top of a towering crane, I then let my trusting child pull the cord to our ensuing free fall. Suddenly I thought, "what the heck I was doing?" What a terrible mother I was to risk his life. To maintain my sanity I kept repeating in my head... “this is Marine World, it has to be safe, this is Marine World, it has to be safe!”

We lived. The thrill of the fall and swinging so high above the crowd was an experience that still gives my son and me something to talk about. So, I guess I was right; Marine World did provide a safe activity and we did have fun even though it didn’t diminish the actual risk I took and allowed my son to take.

Do you get on that horse? Since there are so many things to learn about riding a horse, I will start with one thing that may help you decide to take the risk or not which is why a horse gets barn sour. A horse being barn sour can affect your ride safety and experience. I can't tell you how many horror stories guests have told me about that time they went horseback riding and the horse ran away with them. A horse running wildly home is “barn sour.” It means that the minute you turn back towards where you started, your horse picks up speed and pushes you to move faster than he/she was on the way out (normally back to the barn)…cont.

Not a problem if the horse is properly schooled, the rider understands the proper adjustments and the guide informs you how to handle the situation. Big problem if these things are ignored.I have personally witnessed a horse run back to the barn causing the rider to fall and medi-flight to arrive. It wasn't my horse, nor my stable but I do know what happened.

The horse was not stung by a bee, startled enough to flee, nor did it's rider kick it too hard. This poor horse was tired and sore from it's owners allowing guest to pull and pull on it's mouth without release and being asked to walk up and down the same trail over and over again. Poor old guy was numb in the mouth, exhausted and when it discover it's rider had no clue how to properly direct him, he saw the barn and bolted.

The stable had warning signs but rather than take the time to train and encourage proper behavior, this stable just stuck a bigger bit with a longer shank in it's mouth until the one day the poor animal simply couldn't take it anymore. At no time had the horse been taught to give to the bit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reining) nor did it's owner's stop guests from repeatedly pulling and pulling on it's mouth. Eventually, any horse may simply ignore the bit until pulling back is useless. Such has been the way of typical mass market stables and why those that practice true horsemanship hate them.

Now that I've really scared you, here is a few things to watch for as you make your decision to ride or not to ride. For starters, your guide should have explained how to apply pressure to the reins so your horse slows to the speed you are comfortable with. Your guide should also have shown you how to release the pressure on the reins once your horse has done what you asked.

There is no reason to keep pressure on your horse's mouth and one of the first clues that your mount is not ride ready is when you must constantly apply pressure and the horse dances around especially if you are just heading out. In the reverse, many bored and tired stable horses simply don't want to go forward at more than a snail’s pace but even a horse like this doesn't deserve to have it's mouth constantly pulled.

Once you apply pressure with the reins, your horse should respond. Period. If you have to keep pulling harder and harder with little result, you are not in a safe position. This is not something an inexperienced rider should be dealing with. Before we head to the trail, we always check the riders ability and comfort level about moving the horse forward, stopping, and turning. Each and every horse requires something a little bit different and each and every rider has a different comfort zone.

Go ahead and mount the horse your guide put you on. Make sure your guide is giving you clear directions about how to move and control your horse. Make sure that you are given a chance to practice. Also, make sure your guide is attentive and never, ever makes you feel uncomfortable about asking questions. We love questions. Monitoring inexperienced riders on horses is stressful but one of the best thing about our job is seeing you smile and having fun. When we have the added benefit of endlessly talking about the horses we love, bonus!

That is the atmosphere you want as you start your risky adventure. Horses are animals and unpredictable so the best we can do is make sure that basic safety is followed, the horse is trained and healthy and that the ride we take you on does not in any way harm your horse's physical or mental health.

Take a look at the picture of Maebe (registered AQHA, Maebe the Finest) where she and my daughter show off her talents. Maebe is a finished reining horse, http://nrha.com/. She can spin, slide and looks gorgeous clean and fully muscled up. Then take a look at Maebe on the trail. She is a wonderful trail horse and because she has no problem at all tucking her legs up under her rear, she actually walked me down a steep and slippery hill that I had no business putting her or myself on.

Yup, it was so slippery and steep that I had to get off Maebe, hold onto her mane (because my boots were sliding) and let her do the work. She carefully put her hind end down (just like in this slide picture) then used her front legs to move us forward safely. We could have been hurt but her training had built confidence that kept us both safe. Maebe has taken guests for rides and just like Teddy, http://hubpages.com/hub/Go-Horseback-Riding-on-the-Beach, she is fun and safe.

So have fun and remember the things you can control and question about your riding experience. A horse getting sour whether it's the barn, a gate, or it's buddies does happen yet it's only one tiny aspect of horsemanship. There is much more to learn (and enjoy) so I will post more information on future hubs.