As you leave the barn your horse raises his head, fixing his ears back toward home. His body tenses. His stride gets shorter and shorter before he balks. What comes next could be a desperate spin back to the barn or a rear. However, if you use this fix, you’ll soon be riding down the trail with a relaxed, responsive partner.
Tired of dealing with your horse’s I-don’t-wanna-go tantrums every time you try to ride him away from his barn or pasture? Then there’s his constant, jiggy, I-wanna-go-back-NOW! behavior when you do manage to ride him away from it. If so, this article’s for you. I know such barn sour behavior is not only frustrating, but also is downright dangerous–at my clinics, I work with many discouraged riders dealing with this problem.
I’m going to tell you why your horse is so reluctant to leave home, what equine body-language cues indicate that a battle at the barn is brewing, and how you can overcome his barn-bound problem. Use my simple, step-by-step approach, and you’ll establish the control you need to keep your horse’s nose faithfully pointed away from home and in whatever direction you choose.
