Squeeze Gently squeeze the middle of the horse's ribcage with the calves of your legs to cue him to move forward. Squeezing is politely asking the horse to go forward.
While riding a horse, squeezing it with your legs is the signal that it should move forward. A well-trained horse will respond to this movement immediately. When you squeeze the horse with your legs, make sure you keep your legs straight and squeeze with your calves.
Give your horse the very lightest squeeze possible and ask him to trot on, simply by slightly tightening your calf. If there is no response (which there probably won't be!), immediately give a much harder kick with your leg. You want the horse to really jump forward, ideally to an energetic canter.
Rider tension and imbalance is a common cause of stopping your horse from going forward willingly. Because that tension interferes with his natural rhythm and movement. And that prevents him from being able to forward comfortably. Every horse has an unique rhythm to his movement.
A horse seems unwilling to move forward. This complaint can result from a variety of underlying causes including severe foot pain, lameness, muscle pain (tying-up) abdominal pain (colic), or lack of proper halter training.
BODY LANGUAGE
Although horses communicate vocally, their verbal language is limited. It ranges from squeals and grunts (aggression or excitement), through snorts of interest or fear, to whinnying to attract attention from separated companions or humans, to the soft whicker of a mare to her foal.
Squeeze gently just behind the horse's girth with the leg outside of the turn you're trying to complete. For example, if you're turning left, your right leg would be your outside leg. Use your inside leg to apply a gentle pressure directly on the horse's girth.
Horse kick injuries tend to be severe, because the transfer of energy from the end of the hoof, with a small cross‐sectional area, to a small field, leads to internal organic injuries that are more severe than predicted, similar to a handlebar injury.
The confirmed stubborn horse that refuses to go forward may initially react by backing up rather than going forward. Just remain calm and focused, and stay with him while continuing to “push” forward and tap with the whip until the backing stops. Then release and try again.
The short answer is sometimes they do… and sometimes they don't. (Sounds a lot like our moods, right?) It's most likely that horses like or dislike riding based on whether they like or dislike the specific circumstances that occur during and surrounding the activity. Every horse is different.
Horses can be disrespectful in many ways; here are the most common disrespectful behaviors when it comes to dealing with horses: Grazing While Being Led or Ridden. Bumping Into You. Dragging You or Walking Too Slow When Being Led.
When he pins his ears and fusses, it is because he does not like the thought of working harder and he is protesting. The canter has much more suspension (all four feet off the ground) than the trot (the walk has no suspension at all) and therefore requires a lot more physical effort on the part of the horse.
Should your horse drag you, do your best to stop and assume one position. Then swing his head around in a way that makes him turn to face you. Maybe you can back him up a few steps after he stops and looks at you. Maybe you ask him to step sideways away from you for a set number of footfalls.
Horses will lie down to catch up on much-needed REM sleep, to relax, and in some cases, they will lay down because they are in physical pain or discomfort. Lying down is a normal behavior in horses, but it can sometimes indicate a medical problem requiring the help of a trained veterinarian.
Summary. Occasionally, a horse seems to collapse or fall away under saddle while being ridden. This can result from a variety of problems including lameness, neurologic problems, and poor conditioning. This problem is more common in young horses that are not accustomed to carrying the weight of a rider.