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  1. SallyAnne McCartin

    I have a four year old Morgan who was doing terrific in her training and then I hurt my back. I couldn’t ride, had her trainer working with her and an experienced rider exercising her. I had just started to get back to walking on her in early August when she started pinning her ears for everyone who got on her back and refusing to move forward. We had her saddles checked by a certified saddle fitter, had the vet come out and check her (she’s also a chiro/accupuncture expert) and we let her rest for over two weeks. I’ve stayed off her; only her trainer works with her but she still will sometimes put her ears back or kick out when she’s asked to move forward into trot. It’s now mid-October–what haven’t we thought of to solve this? She was doing so well all of last year and had moved into learning to canter before this started!

    • SallyAnne, my suggestion is to try another vet or chiropractor. One visit, in my experience, is never enough, usually 2 – 3, and yearly check-ups. And maybe find another trainer that knows how to fix problems. Not being mean, just keeping it real: horse health is such a vital role in the life of a trainer. I would have this horse under vet care until it is happy. Your mare sounds exactly like a mare one of my students has: we have a chiropractor-massage person once every 4 months to keep her in line (literally). She was the worst I have yet to see, but we have worked it out. All trainers need to be able to diagnose and either treat or know of someone that can. The only other thing I see is that most horses cannot handle two riders. No matter how much instruction you get, you two will be different. It leads to confusion which can move to actions you don’t want. I train to basics, then train the rider to move forward with the horse. I do not recall training a horse over 3 months other than horses left completely to me for showing.

  2. I’ve been visiting your blog for a while now and I always find a gem in your new posts. Thanks for sharing.

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