So I thought I’d post this in here – I’m tending to view this as a training issue. Normally, I figure if I can understand what my horse is feeling/thinking and why he’s feeling/thinking that I can help fix whatever it is. Well this time, it’s not working.

I’ve been saddling my green bean for at least a year now, and it just hit me last night how truly frustrated I am now and how extremely out of patience I am. I could feel myself getting angry at him, and I hate that. (I’ve ALWAYS done my utmost to be completely patient with him in his learning.) So I’m here to ask for help/suggestions.

Everytime I go to saddle him, and I do mean EVERYTIME, he gets scared, starts shaking and generally wants to take off in any direction possible (sideways, backwards, forwards, on top of me etc.). (It’s generally the same with the saddle pad/blankets in the winter too – but most extremely with the saddle). Once I have the saddle on him, he seems fine – even when I tighten the girth or am riding him he’s happy as a clam. The “scare” seems to be coming from the fact that I’m throwing something over his back. Now, if I’m hoping up on him bareback, I don’t get this response. He used to be scared when I took the saddle off too, but that seems to have improved.

I’ve worked many, many times with him with just the saddle pad or just a saddle – on, off, on, off etc until he seems comfortable – approaching him slowly, letting him sniff etc, etc. But lately, I can’t even seem to get to “comfortable” anymore. And even though I would get him “comfortable” one day, it would not transfer over to the next day, and I’d be back at square 1.

I’m afraid this has become a “learned” behavior now, and is almost a “non-thinking” reaction.

So – any thoughts or suggestions?! Please!!

Thanks!

That is a tough one. My mare is a lot like your green bean. I stopped reacting to her. I stopped easing her into it, stopped making a big deal out of trying to not spook her. It seems to have worked. If I act like it's no big deal, she senses that and she's like "Well if Mom doesn't care, why should I?" Make sense? Good luck with your boy!

I had a mare that was truly fearful of the saddling process. The trainer that I had work with her did wonders - he took her into a stall, left the door open just enough for him to get thru if she tried to pin him or escalated too much. Then, he'd stand in the center, and lob the pad & the saddle on and off, on and off, over and over again. He let her move, shake do whatever, as long as she just circled around him. After a while, she'd just stand there, then he would expand the space and do the same thing in the tack area and then would hook one cross tie, then the other. It worked really well.

Hope this helps!!

Libby

Okay, first of all, does your saddle fit properly??? You can determine this if there are any dry spots on his back after a sweaty workout then the answer is no, it does not fit. This could be a cause of his behavior; his flight instinct could be kicking in thanks to pain being inflicted by a poorly fitting saddle.

Second, can you easily stand at his shoulder and throw a rope at his back without him getting upset? Can the rope roll down the top of his butt without a problem? How about dangle around his legs without him kicking? If the answer is no, then you have missed a few steps in your groundwork and your horse needs some serious desensitizing before you can even attempt a saddle on his back let alone think about hopping up there yourself. Make sure to use mountain climbing rope for this as you won't have to worry about it getting tied around your horse's foot/leg/etc. Go back and do this from each side until he is consistently accepting of the rope for a week or two. Let him run around you while you continue to throw the rope at him (a roundpen is most helpful here) until he stops and stands quietly while you throw the rope at him. Next tie a rag or towel at the end of the rope and repeat for however long it takes for him to give you a consistent no-fear response of standing still for at least a week.

This part sounds silly, but can you stand next to him and do jumping jacks without him moving? I had an older friend who had a mare he could not mount because she would run away each time he lifted his foot to put it in the stirrup. She had learned to get out of working by doing this. I tied her to the wall and did jumping jacks next to her until she stood still and ignored all my frantic movement. Within 15 minutes she stood still and I could get on and off without a hassle. This worked very well for him as well if he had problems with her again.

Yes, this has probably become a learned behavior and once your horse is used to being sacked out, use the same routine with the saddle pad and a surcingle (easier and lighter to flip off and on his back) until he behaves. If it is just a case of spoiled horsey, put a chain over his nose and enlist the help of a friend whenever you saddle your horse. Correct the horse with a snap of the shank each time he moves a foot. He will learn that his pushy behavior is not acceptable and it is simply easier to stand still. Be firm! Don't back off. Remember if you give an inch he will take a mile!

Let me know how you horse does and what happens if you try any of this!

I'm with Krissy on the saddle fitting issue. Also he could be having pain elsewhere; doesn't have to be poor saddle fit. My horse used to try to bite and kick me when saddling but then u/s almost always had his ears forward. However there were other things he couldn't do. Some might have thought he had atttitude issues but I realized he couldn't do what I was asking. After taking him to a university we found out he had a torn ligament by his SI joint. VERY VERY painful! Regular vets couldn't figure it out. So sometimes it takes a university to find out what the REAL issue is. I would try Krissy's desensitization techniques first then delve further. Its possible its just become a bad habit. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

My greenie stopped being a 'tard about being saddled when I flapped the pad all over her each time. Don't know why it works, but it does. (But I didn't let her get away with it that long - two weeks, maybe???) I also knew saddle fit was not the issue because I was doing groundwork with the saddle on - not saddling up to ride. If you're riding, definitely check the saddle fit.

Thanks for all the ideas!

I do know that his saddle fits, and I've also had him checked for back pain. (These were my first worries).

My horse is also pretty unflappable (with anything other than horse eating saddle pads that is). He's definitely not afraid of the rope - and in fact likes to try to play when I do that game. Also, the only look I get from jumping jacks is a look of confusion. That's why I find this whole saddle issue astounding. And plus, if I let him sniff the saddle pad, he generally just tries to chew on it.

I did try the tact of going about it like it's "no big deal" and his reaction was also less extreme. (So maybe he's picking up on my aprehension?? *guilty look*) I've also spent several consecutive days just throwing a saddle pad over him in different places (cross ties, round pen etc) and that seems to have helped some.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

The gelding that I recently sold had the same problem. For the entire time I owned him, everytime I tried to saddle him up he would act as though I beat him and he was normaly an almost unflapable horse. When it came to the time for me to start showing him to prospective buyers I knew that wasn't going to work out so well. I decided, right after watching an episode of the dog whisperer, that maybe I was focusing too much on it and being too careful and that it was giving him something to be scared of. I tied him up like I always did and, looking in a different direction, I tossed the saddle purposfully roughly onto his back. He stood perfectly still and when I did look at him he looked at me like "what?". After that everytime I saddled him up I looked away from him and didn't try to be careful. I was also careful not to project tense, nervous energy and I never had another problem with him unless I forgot. That's what worked for me.