Hi & welcome to the Uni. It is unfortunate that your trainer is not a follower of Monty's methods - the use of a crop/whip will not help either this problem or further your desire to build a relationship & partnership with this mare. If your trainer continues to draw you down the path of administering pain to change behaviours then you will get changes just. not to the ones you are looking for. I think you need to have a conversation with your trainer & if they are unwilling or unable to adjust their training in line with Monty's methods then you need to find help from someone who is. 

This horse has responded to the lack of leadership shown by the previous young & nervous rider. The mare is testing to see if you too are not a leader so causing pain tells her that not only are you not a leader but you are not to be trusted as a partner either. If I were helping you I would advocate Join up, back to basics to build a positive relationship with this horse & proceed from there. It doesn't matter whether this mare was traditionally trained originally or not, you have the opportunity to put something really special in place. She already has the tools to do the job in her toolkit. What she needs from you is proof that you are someone worthwhile & trustworthy. I am not advocating being soft, I am advising you that harsh, brutal, painful methods are outdated, unnecessary & counterproductive in the training of horses. When she acts out respond by causing her to work harder - moving in a small circle for example. When the horse responds appropriately then reward her with appreciative rubbing, stopping work & let her relax or even getting off & walking with her for a short while. PICNIC - positive immediate consequence/negative immediate consequence. Pain has no place in modern horse training. Bad behaviour should bring instant consequences but good behaviour must bring instant reward. 

I hope you find this helpful. By all means come back for further advice, problem sharing & support. Cheers, Jo.

Jo, you are wonderful! Thank you *so* much for taking the time to respond and offer such thoughtful and helpful advice. I appreciate it so much! I will remember 'PICNIC' - thank you! For 'negative consequences', this would be circles, then? Also, I'd love to try join-up with her but my barn doesn't have a round-pen, sadly. I could try the outdoor arena but it's quite open - do you have any suggestions there? If there are any videos on here you can suggest, that would be great, but I'm going to seek them out, too! I LOVE Monty and his methods and am eager to implement them, I just need to study!! *Thank you* again!!

Hi. A round pen is nice but not essential. A bigger space just means you have to move further. Monty did Join up with Shy Boy on the open plains in the wild. Try letting her loose in the outdoor arena & follow her, driving her before you in walk. You will find that after a while she will be bored with going away & whilst you won't get a full on Join up you will forge an understanding between you. 

Negative consequence - yes, working in a smallish circle is work to a horse & if that happens every time they show a certain behaviour they will regard that behaviour as unfavourable & avoid it. The real trick is to be very quick & very generous with praise & reward - horses will work out how to earn the good stuff really quickly once the pattern is set. 

I have shared my experiences with my 4 guys on this forum. There is an entry in Horse Behavour & Training of Trust is a Two Way Street. When you get a chance, look it up. You may enjoy it.

Cheers, Jo.y

This is all super helpful, many, many thanks! I'll go out to the barn today and work with her after looking up your entries/experiences. Do you mind if I ask, do you teach this in a professional setting? You seem very well trained in Monty's methods!

I have been a follower of Monty Roberts for many years but I am not a professional horse trainer. You will find a consistent theme in the lessons - engineer the situation so that it is easier for the horse to choose to behave in the way you want rather than any of the other options. For example, loading. Really difficult loaders will be shown how the Dually head collar works ( smaller & twisted when fought against, larger & more comfortable when cooperated with ). It is vital that the handler understands the horse learns from the release of pressure so the Dually must ALWAYS be handled sympathetically with as light a touch as possible to get the desired response. The horse is stood at the bottom of the ramp & panels are added to prevent backwards & sideways escape. It is then a matter of causing the horse to choose to walk up the ramp. This action is rewarded & repeated over & over & over to establish loading as normal, acceptable behaviour. A traditional trainer might use a whip or a prickly broom or a hose pipe to drive the horse up the ramp. The horse will load but it will not WANT TO LOAD. It will load because it fears the consequences of not loading & as a result it may not travel well ( stressing & more likely to suffer injuries due to not being calm & settled ). You are about to embark on a journey with your mare. You will both discover that you can build a very special relationship together, something neither of you will have experienced before. Most importantly, you will both have fun & you will not so much learn lessons as play games together which give you both experience. If you compare your own formal education you will find that your teachers who were enthusiastic about their subject injected energy & joy into your learning. The classes where the teachers were merely going through the motions dragged by & were far less productive for you. 

My guys stop when the rider falls off & willingly stand with you if you don't get up. This is because they have never been blamed for the rider falling off. After all, it was not their choice to go riding, not their choice of route so the only one responsible for you both being where you are ( & now you on the ground not in the saddle ) is you. In the event of the faller having a more than minor injury they will be found much more quickly if the horse stays with them - horses are easier to see than prone people. Also, horses on their own, loose in the modern world, are likely to get into difficulties & cause more accidents & injuries so staying with the rider is the best option for them too. 

Keep us updated on how you get on. Cheers, Jo.