Problem Solving Help: Horses That Jig

Jigging – that irritating half-prance horses fall into when they want to go faster and you won’t let them – is a symptom of nervousness or a lack of foundation.

“Before you can fix your horse’s problem, you first have to understand why he is behaving the way that he is. Is your horse hot and nervous because he’s in a group of horses, or is he just naturally hot and nervous on his own? Maybe you’ve taken him on a new trail and he’s uncomfortable in the strange environment,” Clinton says.

In order to get your horse to stop jigging and relax, you have to get him to use the thinking side of his brain. “You’ll accomplish that by moving his feet forwards, backwards, left and right and always rewarding the slightest try,” Clinton says. “The more you move the horse’s feet and change directions, the more he’ll think and pay attention to you. If he’s paying attention to you, he won’t have time to think about getting nervous and jigging.”

If you’re dealing with a horse that jigs on the trail, Clinton shares tips on how to correct your horse’s behavior in the Problem Solving section of the Downunder Horsemanship app. Learn how to solve a jigging problem in the FREE video: Jigging

To access the video, download the Downunder Horsemanship app. When the app opens, scroll down to the Problem Solving section. Select the video you want to watch.

The Downunder Horsemanship app is a free download from the App Store and Google Play as well as AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV. Learn more about the Downunder Horsemanship app and adding it to your device on our website.