Training Tip: Stay a Step Ahead of a Barn Sour Horse

One way to deter a barn sour horse from wanting to rush back to the barn is to come back to the barn from different directions or on different paths. In other words, try not to always come back to the barn from the same trail. Or, when you do come back to the barn, work the horse, and then immediately ride him off on another trail. Stay a step ahead of him. I do this with my horses even when I’m riding them in the arena. All of my arenas have multiple gates I can take my horses in and out of, so I’m conscious of always leaving the arenas out of different gates. That stops the horses from getting hooked on one particular gate and thinking it’s how they can escape work.