If I could name the biggest problem with owning and riding horses, this would be it. Plainly put, a herdbound horse or pony is more interested in his friends, than he is in you. It’s an especially shadowy thing to nail down because the degree to which he acts out will often depend on the time of year and who’s riding him.
Mike and I are down to one personal horse, each.
That’s an all-time low for us but you know, they get more riding and attention this way. (I conveniently forgot to count sale ponies!) Without knowing just how it happens, we can own so many that feeding and husbandry take up all our time, energy and money. Simply put, nothing is left for the fun stuff.
Be careful, though, because owning two horses can come at a price! Buddying up, getting lonesome, being herdbound – whatever you call it – runs rife when horses are kept as a pair. To combat this natural tendency for horses to cling to one another, I make a point of taking one horse out on their own. We go to town for lessons or public riding. We ride alone at home a lot because they have to be trained to be OK with separation.
Know that this is not only about going to work alone, it’s also about being left behind!
Everybody worries about “the herdbound thing” but we need to realize that our horses worry about it, too. They need to be socialized – and this takes a plan consisting of knowledge, courage, a sense of timing and commitment. We’ve learned the hard way that herdboundness can change according to time of year, even with different riders on the same horse.
Finally, while most horses can learn to handle separation, there is maybe a tiny percentage that cannot. So let’s talk.
Imagine, if you can, that you are back in high school…
This will help you understand. Horses, like teen girls, simply want to be in the group that makes them feel cool. This group literally tells them what to think and do. Even deeper, horses have been programmed since time began to find safety in numbers. As long as they aren’t the slowest horse in the herd, the one falling behind, they will survive.
People love ‘submissive’ horses, thinking they will be less pushy and easier to train. In our experience, the ones low in the herd pecking order are often desperate for leadership. These sweet, gentle horses can struggle the most with being alone, while their bossier herd mates are bravely striking out on their own.
That said, we’ve found no correlation between breed, age, sex and herdbound behaviour.
This method is non-confrontational.
It allows your horse to simply choose his or her behaviour and the consequence. While not requiring special skills as a bronc rider, it requires some forethought and often, setting the scene for success.
Please note that we do not use treats, as one cannot trade the core values of honour and respect for a cookie.
What to do…
We’ll start our ride by going to work right where our horse wants to be, right near his friends. We’ll ride vigorously at a hard trot with lots of tight directional changes, until both horse and rider have raised a good sweat.
We don’t try to fix herdboundness with a lot of straight loping, as so many horses get in a place where they stop learning and just get tough. Maybe in twenty minutes, maybe more, we’ll quietly ride off a ways; we’ll just try him and see.
He’ll either walk along sweetly, happy for the break, or he’ll start acting up. If it’s the first, praise him for his generosity with a loose rein walk and lots of petting; you’ll soon be able to ask for more, by riding even farther away.
If it’s the second, which is more likely, ride him firmly back to where he wants to be but work him even harder! Keep allowing him the chance to show he’s learned the lesson by riding him quietly away again.
Remember, if he wants to go back to his friends, hustle him back to them – but then you’ll work him until he’s wanting to stop.
You might have to repeat this a few times before you get an improvement but most often, we are pleasantly surprised.
This approach also works in group riding situations, whether your horse gets herd bound when you ask him to ride behind, or over the hill, from his friends. Work him hard around his buddies, then invite him to relax when he’s not with them.
If he’s fine with a group but wants to be the one in front, you’ll just work him hard up front and let him relax when he’s at the back. You might have to set the day up by getting the cooperation of the other riders. It’s inconvenient as heck but with most horses, it’s only a small part of one day.
This fix can have lasting results with some horses… and it will need to be ‘reinstalled’ more often on tougher-minded ones. You’ll know when your method is starting to slip. Once you have the tools to cope, this one thing will change your riding life.
We also can influence our horses’ herdbound behaviours with methods on the ground. These will not correct a horse entirely under saddle, as does the above way, but it will help. Our horses can learn to stand quietly, to wait patiently and be on their own.
We teach our horses to tie and wait from an early age. While they might fret for a while, this is very good for learning how to self-soothe and cope with stress. A horse that can’t tie safely and stand alone, is never entirely a pleasure to be around.
Next, we do a lot of hauling one horse or pony at a time for short hauls. This means that the trailer stays on the truck for a while. We want it to be convenient for us to load up the buddy-struck horse for trips to the grocery store or the bank, even to pick up mail or have coffee with a friend. Why is this so valuable? Without being on a long overland haul that is tiring, our horse or pony learns that no matter where we’ve been, we always go back home again.
This takes, on average, only about three short hauls to see an improvement. The payoff is knowing that should an emergency arise, our horse has learned to load and travel quietly on his own. Note that while the horse might be fretting in the trailer, he is not unloaded until he is quietly standing. To do otherwise will create an impatient hauler.
What not to do…
As riders, we can “train” in the problem by tending to work our horses when we’re alone, then stopping and chatting whenever we meet up. It takes only one or two rest breaks with friends before even a confident arena-ridden horse gets herdbound.
If we concentrate on this behaviour with as much dedication as we use in learning other horsemanship skills – by making this number one – we’ll likely see a changed horse within days.
Remember, our success lies in rewarding quiet willingness with gentle, undemanding riding and insisting upon sustained high activity when our horse threatens rebellion. That’s all we really need to know.
One other thing, a tired horse tends not to be a hard to handle horse! While we’re dealing with deep rooted issues like herdboundness, we’ll be riding actively enough that we both raise a sweat at least four or five days a week.
Herdboundness is most often about respect.
It can ramp up according to the weather, if the horse or pony happens to be a mare in heat, or just the added stress of a new location. For this reason, plan your ‘fix ‘for a time when it’s warm and not windy, or when your mare isn’t ruled by hormones. Practice tying your horse alone, both at the hitching rail and in the barn. Leave him home alone in a secure pen whenever you’re off with his herdmates. Additionally, trailer him everywhere you can, by himself.
Build a trusting relationship where your horse relies on you for guidance, instead of his friends. These are all good things to help build new mindsets, while keeping ourselves safe. Where we run into trouble is in hoping an insecure horse will suddenly go out and respect our wishes, rather than training to rule his mind.
Is it worth it? Yes! A herdbound horse, no matter how well schooled, has a hole in his makeup that we’ll be tiptoeing around until it’s addressed. In the end, if your horse isn’t getting the message and/or if you’re feeling unsafe, it’s time to call a pro.
PLEASE NOTE THAT A VERY SMALL PERCENTAGE OF HORSES ARE SO SOCIALLY AND MENTALLY UNSTABLE THAT THEY CAN NOT OR WILL NOT BE REMEDIED, PUTTING BOTH THEMSELVES AND THEIR RIDERS IN DANGER WHEN ATTEMPTS ARE MADE TO DO SO… If you suspect yours might be among these, seek a professional opinion on whether or not your horse can be changed. Please, above all else, stay safe.
Note: This blog post was originally written as a series of Keystone Equine facebook stories in May of 2016. As the subject is timeless, it might be good to revisit it again.
Thank you for reading my blog! If you’ve enjoyed it, I invite you to subscribe using the red button on the home page. Your email address will be treated with respect. I promise you’ll not be blasted with sales or spammy messages. Happy trails, Lee.
Excellent post, Lee, and full of good advice. I offer up to you a slight deviation from herdbound – yardbound. I am currently working a harness horse who despises going to the field and he has been known to express his opinion in quite a spectacular fashion. As to the whereabouts of his herdmates, he could not care any less. We start each day with me offering him a leisurely drive, pulling only the forecart, in the field. If he cuts up, he gets hooked to the chain harrows and he works in the pens around the yard until the sweat flows freely. Then we try the field, again, with just the cart. He is ever so slowly coming around to my way of thinking.
You’re doing it just as I would… two heads must be right! Right? LOL
Right!!!
I don’t know about my horse, but I am quite willing to trade my core values of honor and respect for a cookie!! Thank you for this post, it has some good takeaways for me 🙂
Oh, Sandra, that made me laugh! Thank you for reading… and commenting.