252. Can you change a horses behaviour?

Yes! There were so many times when i contemplated selling Spice due to never feeling able to ride out confidently on my own with her and as a horse owner this was obviously highly frustrating as a lot about riding is having the freedom to jump on your horse and gallop off to wherever your heart desires but for me this was NEVER the case and NEVER felt like it was going to be. It was more like try to mount a horse that moves away from the mounting block 10-20 times and then trying to get out of the yard whilst the horse attempts to spin around and run backwards in the opposite direction! If i did get out of the yard i had a horse who generally spooked at anything and everything and would attempt to rear at anything they found too scary to pass. I never wanted to beat Spice up for not going past something she found scary because i didn't want to have that kind of relationship with her and i am pleased to say that no aspect of her training has involved doing this. People used to say to me 'you wanna put a martingale on that horse to stop her rearing' or 'you wanna ride that horse with a stronger bit' (i still ride bitless) or try using the whip on her - something which i did try with little success. The three major things which i feel have contributed to Spices improved behaviour are 'time off', 'groundwork' and 'consistency' - the latter being the most important. There was one day which i feel was particularly effective in turning Spice around - it was about 4 months ago when we were trying to cross a ford which had become so overflown you couldn't see the bottom - both myself and my friend were literally there for about 20 mins with Spice rearing, spinning and even throwing in the odd buck or two before she finally gave in and crossed - it was clear that this had a huge impact on Spices confidence and trust and i am sure that even though it was some time ago the memory of this event stuck. I feel that 'Time off' allowed Spice and myself to have a completely fresh start (both physically and mentally) and 'groundwork' which involved me walking Spice up and down a busy main road several times gave Spice the chance to see and walk pass lots of vehicles all shapes and sizes with me by her side giving her commands which enabled me to gain her trust.