Ok guys. question and answer time. what to do with a cinchy horse???? I would love for you to share some of you thoughts on ways to help a horse that does not like to be saddled or have his cinch tightened.
.....so stay tuned. Christa Lynn
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Glad you're back! First, of course, I'd rule out physical issues that could make saddling/cinching uncomfortable, or where the horse was worried about the work to come - ulcers, saddle fit, dental, soundness/chiropractic. Once those issues were eliminated, one by one, I would move on to breaking the saddling/cinching process down into very small steps and rewarding the horse - either with praise/break (walk around) or, if doing clicker, food treats - for each small step in the process, basically training the horse that saddling/cinching can be pleasant. Also, some horses have strong preferences for one type of cinch/girth, so trying different types may help. Many people, I find, are too abrupt with cinching, and may even catch or pinch skin folds, and I don't blame horses in those circumstances for being annoyed.
ReplyDeleteKate, I agree with all of the rule outs. I have had more than several cinchy horses over the years. What about a horse just like a person is scared of hights or water and closed in places. Cant a horse have these same issues. I think they have a phobias just like people do. I have never cured a cinchy horse. You just seem to work and live with it. Some days it is worse than others. Havent you ever noticed... They are worse in cold weather and if you havent ridden for awhile. If you ride regular they seem to get better and warm weather helps. Cinches with alot of elastic help so they can expand and the cinch gives with them. Of course cinching them slowy and walking them forward helps alot. Havent you ever noticed how a cinchy horse wants to move around or altleast move forward as you are cinching them. If you have ever tried to back up a cinchy horse right after cinching him up, they usually lay down, fall down, fly backwards, flip, pull back in ties or just dont back. They will jump forward. They find their comfort in moving forward. Some horses are of course worse than others. If you have a person afraid of water, or flying. They will nearly always be afraid, but you work with the fear. They are who they are. I dont think cinchy is a behavioral issue. I think that is who your horse is.
Deletehi kate, thanks for your comments I couldnt of said it better myself.
ReplyDeletei am going to be sharing some additional thoughts but i love hearing what you guys have experienced. stay tuned.
Well Kate's answer definitely covers all of the bases!! Right on! One odd thing we found with one of our horses when she was being broke, after trouble shooting for a bit on some issues of her acting "uncomfortable" we found that she was having a reaction to the neoprene cinch! Switched it and the problems...Gone!
ReplyDeleteI always wonder how many of those "cinchy" horses I keep reading about have ulcers. No one wants to tighten up their pants when they have a painful stomach..
ReplyDeleteOk, so... what about all the horses that are scoped and actualy do have ulcers. I have had several and none of them are cinchy... Humm... ? They just dont eat well.
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