INEXPERIENCED HORSE OWNER AND YOUNG HORSE

QUESTION: I just bought my very first horse. He was such a gentle sweetheart when I bought him. But now he has become evil. He strikes at me with his front feet, spooks if I only go to pet him, goes half-insane when I go to saddle him and throws himself around. He is a two-year-old gelding and I have had him 2 months. They sold me a bad tempered horse didn’t they and he only acted nice for the first little while?

ANSWER: He is slowly getting spoiled by you. You do something he doesn't exactly like and he Strikes out at you with his front feet. This has become a serious game with him. He is trying to be your master instead of the other way around. The saddling and other things making him Spooky tells me that you are incorrectly handling this baby. Yes, he is just a baby. You need to immediately take some lessons from a PROFESSIONAL (not the next door neighbor) on handling young horses and to learn what you are doing wrong.

99.9% of the time when this happens, it is the owner’s fault. This is a gelding, correct. Not a stud colt, correct. Then you need lessons in handling a young horse. This is not a Tolerant, Older, Well Broke Horse that will just put up with MEGA mistakes from a human. This is a Young Horse that is actually taking directions off the owner. You are spoiling him by improper handling, whether that handling is being to nice and letting him push you around or to rough causing him to fear you, both are spoiling the horse. And/or the equipment (such as the saddle, etc) is hurting him or being improperly introduced, causing this behavior. Take some lessons now from an experienced horse person.