Exercises for getting respect from your horse?

Ground work. You need to show her two things: you deserve her respect, and you are safe. I would really recommend doing a join up/round penning/lunging for respect. Then I would do some in hand work like side passes, backing to the end of a lead line, long reining, and maybe even some tricks. I like to take a chair and a book to the barn and just sit and read in a horse's run or stall. I think it is important to teach a horse that your presence doesn't always mean hard work, sometimes it can just be fun and relaxed. Also, remember that pressure motivates a horse, but release teaches. Good luck!

Get some lessons. The problem could be you, but since you are not very specific as to what it is that is going wrong, then we cannot help. Or give up that lease and get a different one, since neither of you sound very happy.

Spend hours and hours grooming, tacking up, untacking, trying out beautifying her with ribbons, or braiding and unbraiding her mane and tail. Try fitting a dozen different bits, trying one after another, for an hour or more, talking to her about each one. All the fiddling around with bits and other tack (instead of riding) might help each of you gain a better attitude. If you catch her before riding, first put her in a stall with a bit of grain for about ten minutes while you compose your thoughts or clean up junk around the barn. Then go and tack up for riding. If instead she lives in a stall, take her out daily for walks, rather than riding, on many occasions. Look up Xenophon's "On Horsemanship" which is available in various translations (as well as the original) on the Internet for free. The copyright would have expired more than 2300 years ago.

I would strongly suggest lunging. It is a great way to bond with any horse. I like to free lunge horses. Chase her around, make her change directions every couple of minutes. Try doing a join up. Remember that horses take time and patience, so don't expect it to happen right away. Spend lots of time with her. Spend time just grooming her, or sit near the stable and in the paddock and just watch. Grab a halter and take her out to a grassy field. Sit down and just be there. You will eventually learn to trust each other. Time and Patience is the key.

The next you go out to see her don't ride. Just put her on the cross ties and really groom her and brush her tail. Once you are done with that you can take her out to hand feed her. then you can put her back in her paddock or stall. If she goes back in her stall then sit next to it with a book or a phone, doesn't really matter. It will make her feel better with you.

In my opinion the first respect exercise any horse should learn is the BACK-UP. Your horse needs to know that you can make her back out of your space any time you want. Stand a few feet directly in front of her and start shaking the lead rope until she backs up. If she's really argumentative and doesn't want to back up, raise your arms in the air; or up the pressure on the rope, letting the snap bump her chin if necessary. Match her resistance, but as soon as she backs up, make sure you release all your cues immediately so that she gets her reward. Backing up is doubly useful because it makes for a very effective method of discipline---even more effective than hitting. Say your horse pinned her ears at you or pushed into you. You would immediately make her get out of your space, but with added energy. "Jump" towards her, raise your arms in the air, and start shaking the lead rope at her. You do not need to strike her. You can let the rope run into her if necessary, but really as long as your action is quick and somewhat "explosive", you can drive her out of your space several paces, and ten to one you're going to notice much more submission in her attitude. While you're working on respect, however, make sure you work on trust, too. Your horse should enjoy being around you. If she looks up from grazing and sees you and her first thought isn't, "Oh, boy, it's Amg21! (or insert another name)" than you need to rethink your system of doing things. If riding isn't fun anymore, find out why. Do you only go to see your horse when you want her to work? It could be that she's associating you with only unpleasant stuff. What I would do is start doing things with her that she will enjoy. Here are some tips: 1) Don't catch your horse only to work her. Bring her in for a little feeding, and then put her back out. Or go out to her without her halter just to give her a treat and a pat and then leave her alone. 2) Put a halter and lead on your horse and take her to a nice grassy spot where she can graze while you just stand by quietly, enjoying the solace together. 3) Instead of always riding, try going for walks in-hand. Occasionally, let her have a bite of grass in spots where you normally ride, but don't make a habit of this! 4) If you usually ride in an arena, round pen, or paddock, take your horse out on the trail more often to make things fun. Ride through the woods or explore a new route. I also recommend you read this book: "Teach Your Horse Perfect Manners" by Kelly Marks. Good luck, and I hope this was helpful. :)

You know, whenever I teach a new horse or help someone with theirs I like to teach a horse all kind of different things. Like standing still or ground tied when I want to brush and saddle them. I like to get them to face me everywhere I go in the round pin or paddock. I like to teach them to turn and face me when I approach them from the rear. I don't like a horse to walk or run away when they see me coming to get them. To teach a horse all of these things and more will get you what you need from your horse. Also, ride them in either a round pin or a paddock and teach them to have manners there. You need to be in a controlled environment where you can relax and let the horse make mistakes but not to where the horse is in control. I really don't think you are upset with your horse as much as you are with yourself in not knowing how to control the horse. Learn these things and I believe you will enjoy your horse more. If there is anyone you like who answered this question for you e-mail them for more info and I am sure they will explain more in detail.

There is no one exercise that will make or break the connection between you and your horse. It's like being healthy. It's not a one-diet-fix-all, it's a life-style choice. A commitment and change you have to make so you change and it sticks! One session of lunging may correct it for a week, but once your horse learns you really haven't changed your attitude to you, she'll go back to pushing you around. To me, it seems like she could use a little horsey-bootcamp for respect and then you can start backing it up with a regular routine of correction and re-direction of energy. From now on, when she acts up, don't let her! If she does any negative behavior like biting bucking (not out of pain) etc, correct her (be sure not to over-correct or under-correct for the behavior and don't let your emotions get in the way!). For the next week or so, be a little tough on her. Be picky and don't let her push you around AT ALL. After a bit, loosen up and let her be a little closer to you, let her play and be herself but still stay in that boss position and keep her in control.