Does Your Horse Suffer from being herd-bound?

If you have ever experienced this problem with your horse; herd-bound or barn sour you know how difficult, dangerous and annoying this problem can be.  The biggest issue is this isn't the only problem associated with a horse that exhibits these behaviors, it also impacts overall behavior and performance.

What motivates this behavior anyway?  A herd-bound horse is a horse that wants to go somewhere else to get comfort.  It could be back to the herd, back to the barn, out of a pasture through a gate or even back to the trailer.  What you may not realize is this behavior could be motivating other problems that you don't even think are linked to being herd-bound like; not doing a straight run-down, loping circles with the shoulder dropped.  These are just a few but being a herd animal exacerbates the tendency to be herd-bound.

The solution?  Make it work for you.  We begin by making the escapist behavior uncomfortable.  Determine the behavior you want and make that the comfortable place for the horse to be.  One method is to use pressure and release.  When the horse wants to head in the wrong direction, create pressure by circling, loping, anything that makes that place uncomfortable and hard work.  Then move in the direction you want to go and as soon as the horse does what you ask release the pressure.  Repetition will teach your horse to think of the place you want them to be as comfortable and the negative behavior becomes uncomfortable.

When you first begin a conversation with your horse they are going to ask you if what you are doing is okay.  Depending on if the horse is really broke or green determines how long that conversation is going to be.  The bottomline is you have to be the one who says it's okay.  You have to be the leader.

Ultimately you want your horse to follow your feel.  It may take some work and dedication to accomplish this but consistent training will help you beat that herd-bound behavior.  Ultimately your place should become the safe place.

Time and patience will get you there!
Happy Riding from the ranch!