Training Tip: Pushy Mustang Won’t Roundpen

Question: I have a 3-year-old mustang mare, and I’ve always had problems with her pushing her chest into stall doors, attempting to run me over and shaking her head, which has resulted in her hitting her head against mine twice. She’s very belligerent and cannot focus on anything I ask her to do. I tried to do the roundpenning exercise in the Fundamentals, which in the end did not work because she’d push into the fencing, attempt to jump over the fencing, wouldn’t turn into the center of the roundpen, and tried to run past me even if I smacked her across the muzzle with the string on the stick. I really need help as to how to fix this, or should I just skip the roundpenning exercise? – M. Scheering

Answer: Once wild mustangs learn not to fear humans, it’s very common for them to get pushy. The longer they’re allowed to get away with the behavior, the worse they get. So it’s not a surprise your mare is acting this way.

Without seeing a video of you working with her, it’s hard to tell exactly what is going wrong, but I can say with confidence roundpenning is exactly what this mare needs. I would not skip that exercise. I’d study the video and read the Arena Mate in detail, making sure you know every step of the exercise and how to respond when your mare won’t go forward or tries to run past you. Then, video yourself doing the exercise. Watch the video and compare what you’re doing to me doing the goal of the exercise. Pay close attention to my body language, where I’m standing in the roundpen, and how I’m cueing the horse.

If that doesn’t do the trick, your best bet is to hire a clinician or ambassador to come out to your barn and work with the two of you. They’ll be able to step you through the exercise and ensure that you both stay safe. The training kits are great, but nothing beats hands-on help.

Another thing to consider is your experience level. I’m not saying that you don’t have the skill set necessary, but you may also have to take a good hard look at yourself and decide if you’re too inexperienced to work with a horse like this mare and need to send her to a professional trainer. From your description, she requires someone who knows the Method well and won’t be intimidated by her behavior. If you’re a novice horseman, she definitely doesn’t sound like a good horse to learn the Method on. There’s nothing wrong with admitting a horse is above your skill set. It happens to all horsemen, including me.

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