Dealing with Excess Energy in a Horse

Have you ever had to deal with EXCESS ENERGY in a horse? Excess energy might look like jigging down the trail, refusing to stand still when tacking up or getting in the saddle, or constant nickering. While some behaviors might only be mildly annoying, if the horse is not taught how to manage his emotions and pay attention to YOU, he can become extremely unsafe in a hurry.

It is a mistake to try to hold onto a horse to contain his energy. He needs to learn to manage his emotions on his own without me having to constantly hold him back. With that being said, I prefer to put that excess energy to work instead.

Excess Energy On the Ground
If my horse refuses to stand still and is dancing around me on the ground, I'll direct his feet. I'll lunge him around and keep changing directions if necessary until the horse is focused on me.

Walking Off When Mounting
If my horse tries to move forward before I ask, I'll immediately back him up then let him sit - then repeat as necessary. This will eventually cause him to anticipate stillness prior to moving forward when I get in the saddle.

Running Through the Shoulders
One of my biggest pet peeves is when a horse bends but won't follow his nose. It's the result of way too much bending and not enough actual movement. When he is jigging or showing signs of distress, I have to start moving his feet - picking a direction and taking him there. When I pick up on the rein I want his body to follow his nose. If I ask nicely with the rein and he refuses, I'll lift that rein until he comes around. When he follows his nose, I'll release. Admittedly, it's a little ugly, but it's effective.

Things to Remember:
- Your arena exercises aren't just for the arena. Take those lessons and use them wherever you go.
- Set clear boundaries and stick to them ("my horse may not crowd my personal space," "my horse cannot dance all around me," etc.)
- Keep your horse focused on YOU.
- Remember that what happens on the ground happens when you're on his back.
- Change the way your horse thinks about standing still. Help him desire a rest period.

Remember that it is YOUR job as the leader to help teach your horse to manage his energy and his emotions. Help him to find where his release is, and reward him for his efforts. Until next time, may God bless the trails you ride!

- Ken McNabb

[epona]

I absolutely love when trainers take a horse that has an actual problem and show how they handle it. Being shown, after the fact, what you DID to fix it just isn't helpful! Thank you so much for this. This is the second trainer I've watched recently (the other was Tim Anderson) that demonstrated the horse's body/shoulder not following his head. Something I didn't realize was A THING until recently. I'd just never seen it, or recognized it I guess I should say. Again, thanks for this great video.

[pamelasaba]

Today with my trainer, we had the exactly same situation. He wanted to go!. My trainer made him wait and moved his feet a lot!. He calmed down after that. I was able to ride him.

[glorybound]

I like the fact that Ken shows us ones with problems.

[seneynah]

Arabians never desire a rest… lol 😂 mountains and deep sand are my friends..My Arabian stallion would back up 90 miles per hour upon mounting when I first got him. Somebody tried the backing technique. I switched to circles if he needed to move. Dude just would not stand, so we just move forward all the time.. never wrecked or had a bad attitude just gotta go go go not stupid crazy hot just liked to keep movin I just respected that about him. He could stand tied, but until he was 28 years old if I was on him boy let’s go! Or air pawing and strange dressage moves would happen. He’s old now and tired, in the sunset of his life, but man I miss that spice! He was so flamboyant but not crazy he’d never blow up or dump you.

[freeman.]

Shalom Sir from tiny Kibutz in Israel. Excellent content, thank you for sharing valuable lessons. Keep up the good work and make America great again.

[economyrvandtrailerrepair]

If you move quietly you can ask for low energy. Move loudly you get more energy. Show your horse to match your energy. For me that's never failed.

[kodycross]

Something I've noticed is sometimes people that are pretty confident in the round pen or the arena get scared out in the open. They wanna wait till they get home to fix stuff

[acetoneslove]

god I LOVE thing channel. You arent too soft or too harsh on the horse, right how I like it. I keep buying project horses and selling them but theyre all very different and im still learning how to train for a higher level horse. Thank you!

[Starmystik]

Excellent videos! I am working with my first green horse and have taken many tips from these lessons. I have to say one thing that I completely disagree with is lunging a horse from a bit. I have always been taught that is a HUGE no-no. Obviously, Ken is a professional and knows how to handle his reins and hands, but a less experienced person might cause lots of mental and physical trauma and rip that horse's mouth apart trying the same thing. I would NEVER advise or encourage someone to try this.

[Horseable]

I enjoyed this and will try this with him. I do need him to pay more attention to me. I dont feel much control when I ride him. Thank You!

[AngieKaiser-eo]

Really good video ! I love the trainer's voice, very pleasant ! He gives you confidence that you can train your own horse !

[smc]

Thank you so much. I'm new to riding and this video was very helpful. I appreciate you explaining the steps and why you are doing what you are doing. Any beginner will appreciate this video.

[kathewells]

Oh gosh! I have been searching for this answer. Can't wait to get out there and try it out. Thanks for the game plan.

[Inca]

You make so much sense. Sold on your horsemanship. Please come to Florida!!

[sunmountainfarms]

I have an "old dunny" horse.. he wants to go, go.. he's an emotional wreck😅.. thank you for this video

[outfitr]

Most of the ground work we did for over energetic horses were done by opening the corral and heading up our steep switchback trail. Usually didn't take all that long.

[sherryyoung]

I have a great horse and like this one it's his emotions that need work. Thanks for the tips. God bless.

[terry]

Love this video! I had a not so good ride yesterday, and so this morning I'm watching training videos on how to work with a hot horse and get them thinking. Just came across your video, first time I've found you on YouTube, and I think your technique is absolutely wonderful! Thank you for this video.

[mingram]

Outstanding explanation! Looking forward to more!!!

[sketchalater]

Great exercise, if you know what you're doing. I say that, because there are going to be some dumbos who will take this the wrong way just run a horse to death, constantly whipping and putting pressure on the horse and make it go in circles round and round and round for hours. If done wrong, it can make the horse even more nervous and flighty, shut down, and worn out.

Basic principle: If the horse is antsy and wants to run on his own volition, then let him. If he wants to canter, let him canter long enough till he realizes that he's going to tire himself out. Watch how much pressure you're putting on your horse. Basically make it their idea to want to slow down.