12/24/2025
Good morning!!! I will be posting some videos of work I’ve done with “Ricky”, a 5 yr old Oldenburg gelding. Per his owner, “Ricky” wanted to do anything but work…she states it would take her upwards of 30 minutes to even get him paying attention…when asked to work, he would try and run off, rear, or hump up.
These videos are from a few days ago. I took Ricky with me to roping practice, and needless to say, he was overly stimulated by all the new sights, sounds, and noises!!
To my surprise, he walked off in the arena with no problems, a bit watchy, but nothing that could not be redirected. The hesitation on his part began when I asked him to step into the heading and heeling boxes.
I took my time and we eased one step closer with each try. Before long, we were in the box. Of course, we had one behavioral outburst from Ricky. He decided to pull off to the right and attempt to rear. What did I do? I was assertive, not abusive in letting him know that the behavior he was exhibiting would not be tolerated. Don’t immediately correct a horse and throw him back into the task; allow him a minute or so to gather himself, settle down, and then ask him to perform again.
After successfully going in and out of the roping boxes, I decided to step it up a notch. We walked out the back of the heading box. There the owner of the arena has an assortment of small animals, such as goats, chickens, bunnies, geese, and ducks. It’s a lot to take in, I know, but a horse that listens to its rider, will go through anything.
“Ricky” is a testament of how with determination, we can help our horses be better. That no matter what situation we may face, success is dependent on our response. Will we “run off”, “rear”, or “buck” to get out of it? No. Instead, we analyze, don’t make rushed decisions, and take our time.
Enjoy the videos!!
