need tips on correcting horse that is barnsour

My QH has been showing signs of being "barnsour". We work with him everyday. He used to be a roping/barrel horse. He has 2 speeds. Stop and haul bootie. He has been with 2 other horses here recently. Can someone please give me tips on what to do to break him of this? He used to be such a sweet ride. Thanks

 

I think maybe you have the wrong term, or possibly i'm misunderstanding...

Well...for barnsour (i.e. not wanting to leave the barn) I would suggest rding him out with a bunch of his buddies that he feels comfortable with. Maybe ride him into a far out pasture, get off and let him graze for awhile, show him that good things happen away from the barn as well as in it. Also when you're bringing him home from a ride out, make sure that his "haul bootie" gear is not what he's using, if anything work him a ton in the arena then take him out for a leiserly stroll into the fields. What I do with my horse is that if he wants to run back to the barn I'll let him take 3 strides then I'll turn him around and he will do full out sprints away from the barn, turn around and do figure 8's on the way back. Then I'll give him another chance, if he takes off again, repeat. Enough of this will break them quickley. A couple of sweat soaked rides will make him pretty sour of being barn sour.

 

Sorry, I started my question and explained it with another problem. When I take him out of the pasture away from the other horses, he is fine until i put the saddle on him or someone gets on the saddle, then its hee haw time, he will do his best to get back to the pasture, if it is pulling away from you and running back. Once he is around his "buddies" then life is fine again. When I ride him in the pasture, i can "fight ride" him away , but coming back he is 0-60. ha ha. He has acted up a few times before when the other horses were not here. Is it possible I need to try another kind of bit, curb chain (he definitely will NOT stop without one of them), OR we are using a bigger saddle. Is it bothering his withers? This is a suggestion I got from a horsie friend that has raised and rode them. Thanks

 

It sounds like your horse is testing you to see how much he can get away with. He probably senses that you're inexperienced and don't have all the answers. If he's fine when he's riding with his buddies, it's not the saddle, bit, or curb chain. He's yanking your chain just because he can.

One thing I've found that helps in these situations is to keep them guessing. If every time you take him out you ride him, start having a few sessions where you get him out, tack him up, do some ground work, and take him back to the barn. No riding this time.

Then, when you do get on, do some 'fine tuning' work rather than ride out. Have him flexing his neck to each side while standing. Work on having him respond to leg cues...turning his butt away from your leg when he's just standing in one spot. Do some backing up. Ask him to move off, preferably at a walk, then ask him to stop and back. After you've done all that, take him for a ride.

I know you're a novice. Guess what, your horse knows it too. You just have to keep working at it until he understands that even though this is new to you, you're still the one driving. Every time he acts up, you have to stop him and do a few exercises that will demonstrate that he's not the one calling the shots. Auto pilot is not an option.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood. Ditto to everything that Shine said.

 

If a horse is running to get back to the barn, something that works really well is to let him keep running, but AWAY from the barn. Stop him and circle him for a while, then trot off in another direction - any direction but toward the barn. Don't let him go toward the barn UNLESS he's walking. It might take you literally HOURS the first time you do this. Each time you start toward the barn again, he'll take off on you again. Simply turn him and go another way. He'll be very persistent, since he's been getting away with it, but sooner or later he'll realize he's getting no closer to the barn, and why expend all that energy when he's getting nowhere? It may take several rides, and the first few will be pretty much a rodeo as he tries to figure out ways to get back to the barn (some horses can be pretty inventive, too) but stick with it. If the barn is to the north, ride back and forth from west to east, for instance, or do small and large circles, figure eights, like someone suggested - anything to get his feet moving, but AWAY from the barn. The day he WALKS back to the barn on a loose rein will be the day you can celebrate!