Dealing with a Buddy / Barn Sour Horse

It's very natural for horses not to want to separate from each other because they know that there is safety in numbers. When you're dealing with a buddy sour horse, you have to use a little reverse psychology on him. Instead of the horse thinking that being with his buddy is the best place in the world, you have to make the horse believe that his buddy is the worst thing in the world. That is accomplished by making the horse move his feet and work hard around his buddy and letting him rest away from the other horse.

Instead of thinking "I need to separate him from his buddies, think "I need to make the horse uncomfortable for being around his buddies." Instead of trying to drag the horse away from his buddies, make him work next to his buddies. Trot him around in circles, canter some serpentines, anything to hustle his feet. You want him to work hard, preferably at the canter, so he gets to huffing and puffing.

After 10 to 15 minutes of working him hard around his buddies, move him 50 to 100 feet away and let him rest. Rub him and give him a chance to catch his breath. It's important to find a starting point for your horse. In the beginning, you might only be able to take your horse 20 feet away from the other horses. That's OK, you'll gradually build your horse's confidence little by little, until eventually, you can ride him off by himself without a struggle.