Okay, my horse is starting to have some respect issues with me. I know I'm the problem, but how should I work on this?

Here's what's been going on:

Usually he's a real sweet, laid back, very gentle horse. But here lately he's been acting differently. He's been nippy and has no respect for my personal space. I can tell he's not doing it for meanness; he's just testing my leadership abilities.

I'm a new horse owner. I've only had him since August. He's in a small pasture 24/7 all alone. I can't afford another critter to keep him company at the moment.

Here lately the weather has been terrible. Rain, rain, rain. His pasture is a foot deep of nasty mud. So it's been like a month since I last rode him. I haven't even been able to get him out of the pasture for a bit in quite some time because of the weather.

As of right now I have nowhere to ride him. I mean I can ride him in an open field but he doesn't pay me much attention. Since he stays cooped up in that pasture he can't really run and kick his heels up to release any energy so he does it when I ride him. That has made me a little nervous when I go to ride him. I mean I'm okay with his little hops and his tossing his head because he's feeling good. But I don't like it because I'm out in the open. If I had a pen to ride in I'd feel more comfortable and I know he'd pay attention a little more. (Less distractions)

So yea, what can I do to gain his respect when I'm working with him on the ground? Whether it be leading him or just being out in the pasture with him? I've stopped hand-feeding him. I know I shouldn't have done it in the first place, but he was so well mannered about it before. So I quit that.

But any advice or tips would be very much appreciated. I don't want him to become bossy and hard to handle but I don't want him to become scared of me either. I know I need to be the boss but how can I achieve that?

Have you tried lounging (don't know if I spelled that right) him before you ride, or just to "blow the stink" off him?

How big is his pasture he's in? And what are you feeding him, and how much? Too much feed, with not enough exercise can make a horse hard to handle.

Yes, he's going to test you. It's a given with any horse. You need to show him you are the leader of your little herd of two. And that means making him listen and do what you tell him to. Don't be afraid to bop him a good one with the end of your lead rope if necessary. Sometimes it's a good wake up call to get their attention.

I would say that the problem is boredom and frustrated energy more than a respect issue. Lunging might help, but in a small muddy area is just as likely to lead to injury. I don't know what you are feeding, but if he is not getting enough exercise, a reduction in concentrates often works wonders on the temperament. Increase the low protein feed to compensate - eg a low protein grass.

The other thing to bear in mind is that you are effectively his "herd". A dominant horse will stand squarely facing a delinquent and drive them away when the behaviour is bad, and will continue to drive them away until signs of submission (lowered head and neck, mouthing) are shown. The signal to allow the horse to return to your space is to turn sideways to him, or turn your back - don't look directly into his eyes. Any repetition of the bad behaviour repeat this process.

Do try to find a way to step up his exercise routine however, and I believe this is the major cause of his behaviour.

I've tried to lounge him but I really don't know how to do it correctly. He goes to the left perfectly but he will not go to the right. I believe no one has ever taught him to lounge correctly in either direction. But yea, I do plan to work on him with that. I definitely could use some pointers on lounging correctly though.

Madder- His pasture is well over 100 feet on all four sides. It's kind of big, but not really, cause most of it is trees. He has access to to Bermuda grass hay 24/7. (It's a round bale) and I feed him just a taste of Strategy once a day. I use one of the small feed scoops and just fill it up half way. Just enough to get him to come to the gate and stand quietly while I check him over. I'm not stuffing him! LOL

Thanks ya'll. Anyone else have any advice or tips?

P.S. How can I control him effectively? i.e. leading, tying, grooming, and even petting him.

Thanks in advance.

Hi there. It sounds like you need an experienced horseman/woman to stick by your side for a bit and shows you the ropes.

If you are still in school, Id considers joining a 4-h club, or take some lessons from a competent instructor in basic horsemanship.

It would do both you and your horse a world of good.

You didn't mention in your post whether your horse was a stallion or gelding. If a stallion then that may be your major problem. All stallions I have had any contact with are dominant unless there is a stronger dominant in the herd.

Otherwise I would have to agree with Urban Warrior that he is just bored and frustrated from lack of exercise and interaction. Another consideration here is rather you are feeding him enough?

What kind of space en environment does the horse have as well?

Being bored may be part of the problem, but a lot of horses (especially males) use the nipping and pushing to test you and see where they fall in the chain of command so to speak. I'm no expert, but I think this is a critical time to establish that you are the boss, otherwise things can get bad. Take me for example.

A while back my Dad was out of the country for a month, so he needed someone to ride and take care of his 17+ hand fresian. As the weeks went on he became more and more pushy, more and more bitey. Now, I am pretty savvy around horses, but for some reason I was not catching the signs that this boy was testing me and my mother and we were both letting him know that he was boss. Finally, one day while my mother was grooming him on the cross-ties he lashed out, grabbed my arm and tossed me.

When my Dad came home, he started ground training straight away--doing a lot of ring-work and yes, lunging him. It seems to have helped. But really, I think it's all about savvy and respect.

I've heard that Parelli's Seven Games can help you establish a good relationship with your horse, but I've never tried it myself.

Nip this in the bud quick--before your horse nips you!

Do you have a place you can work with your horse inside. Maybe a dry stall or barn isle?
Atleast until the ground dries out.
Personally I would take away the grain for now if he has 24 hour access to hay. How does he look as far as weight? I know one of my horses is on the heavy side from hay and grass.
I would work your horse with backing out of your space. He dosent need to be in your space unless you invite it. Put him on a lead and stand out in front of him. A foot back from his nose will be good. I ask for a back and wiggle my lead from side to side as snake.
If he dosent budge then I would have a crop ready to gently tap his chest asking for a back. If he dosent back tap harder. Only tap as hard as he makes you until he backs. Even if its one foot back stop and praise. Ask for 2 steps and so forth while praising for each effort. Dont expect to much right away. Backing is not a natural step for horses and getting them to do it readily is a respect thing. You will have to astablish yourself as leadmare over him.

Work on leading him on your side. If he pushes in to close use the crop to drive him over. Now only using as much force as he makes you until he moves over. Start with baby steps only tapping lightly giving him time to react. If he dosent then tap harder till he moves over out of your space. Takes time and patience, He will learn as will you.
Now the biting, I call even nipping biting, is NEVER acceptable and the horse will know immediatley that he dosent want to do that again. Its his way of taking charge and showing you he is boss. NEVER! I scream and knock the nose mighty hard for a few seconds worth and then go on as usual.

Even a horse with lots of unused energy needs to know his place and no excuses for bad behavior. My horses dont get used alot in the winter and have more standing time but are never allowed bad behavior.

There is so much you can do in the stall to keep his mind thinking until you can ride safely.

I would look for someone near you that has a good head on their shoulders with handling horses to help you.

Check into a 4-H leader in your area and maybe get involved with them as a helper. You will find horse people that would be happy to help you with advise or some hands on.

Good luck and stay safe.