Barn Sour or Herd Bound? How to Fix a Horse That Wants to Go Home

By Jeremiah, Rafter J Horses

He's fine until you turn for home. Then he jigs, rushes, calls to his buddies, and acts like the barn is on fire and he's the only one who can save it. Here's what's going on, and how to fix it without a fight every ride.

What "barn sour" and "herd bound" mean

Barn sour is a horse that pulls, rushes or jigs toward the barn, or doesn't want to leave it. Herd bound (or buddy sour) is the same idea with other horses: he can't keep his mind on you when his friends are out of sight. Most horses that have one have a bit of the other.

Neither one means you've got a bad horse. It means he's made a reasonable decision for a horse: home is safe, friends are safe, and the person on his back hasn't yet given him a better deal.

What happened with Goose

If you follow us, you've probably met Goose. He's a two-year-old colt we're starting, and one morning he had a lot of feelings about pretty much everything. Being around the other horses was too much. Pressure felt like something he needed to get away from. Then he decided he needed to run. And when we got out on the road, all Goose wanted was to go home.

The easy thing would have been to decide he was being difficult. But he's a young horse, still learning what all of this means. So I gave him what he asked for, just not the way he pictured it. He wanted to run for the barn, so we ran, and when we got there we didn't stop and rest. He went straight into the round pen and went to work. Same thing around the other horses: when they came close, we worked.

By the end of it, Goose didn't much care about the barn or his friends. Then we went out behind the cows and he got to learn his job.

Why does a horse get barn sour?

• The barn is where the work stops. Saddle comes off, feed shows up, buddies are there. Of course he wants to go back.
• He's never learned to leave in small steps. Going straight from the barnyard to miles alone is a big jump for a horse who's never been the only one out.
• Leaving gets fought, so leaving gets worse. If every departure is a battle, he learns that leaving means trouble.
• His foundation has a hole. A horse that won't give to pressure or stop soft will feel worse when he's worried, because you have less to help him with.

How to fix a barn-sour or herd-bound horse

1. Make the barn a place of work

When he drags you back toward the barn, let the barn be where he goes to work: circles, changes of direction, hindquarter and shoulder yields, transitions. Not mad, not fast, just busy. Then ride a little way out and let him stand and rest. You're not punishing him. You're changing which spot feels like a good deal.

2. Do the same with his buddies

When he drifts toward the other horses, put him to work near them. When he's away from them and with you, let him relax. Pretty soon leaving starts to sound like his idea.

3. Start close and build distance slowly

Start close to home, leaving just one other horse for short distances, and build up from there. Riding straight out alone for miles on a herd-bound horse is how you set a good horse back.

4. Don't end at the barn

Get off somewhere other than the barn now and then, or ride past it and back out before you finish. If unsaddling only ever happens at the barn door, he'll keep racing for it.

5. Check the foundation underneath

Barn-sour problems usually live on top of other holes. If he won't stop soft, give to pressure or recover fast after something worries him, work on those too. The 10 signs your horse is ready will show you where the hole is.

"It doesn't happen in one ride. It happens in hundreds of little moments where your horse learns: I can trust this person."

How long does it take?

Longer than one ride and shorter than you're afraid of, if you're consistent. The hard part is telling whether it's actually getting better or you just had a good day. Some days a horse feels great. Some days it feels like you went backwards. If you're going off memory, you'll remember whichever one fits your mood that morning.

That's why I write it down. Which day, how far out, where he got sticky, how long it took him to settle. A month of that and you stop guessing.

Frequently asked questions

How do you fix a barn-sour horse?

Make the barn the place where work happens and make being out with you the quiet, easy place. Then build distance from home slowly, and don't always end the ride at the barn door.

What's the difference between barn sour and herd bound?

Barn sour is attachment to the place; herd bound (or buddy sour) is attachment to the other horses. The fix is the same idea for both: work near what he's pulling toward, rest away from it.

Should I ride a herd-bound horse out alone to toughen him up?

Not to start. Begin close to home, leaving one other horse for short distances, and build from there. Jumping straight to riding out alone usually sets him back.

Why does my horse jig on the way home?

Home is where the work stops, so he's in a hurry to get there. Turning around and working when he jigs, then walking on when he settles, teaches him that rushing home doesn't get him home faster.

Jeremiah, Rafter J Horses

Jeremiah is a working cowboy on a cattle ranch with years in horse training and hoof care. He starts colts and shares the real days, good and bad, at @rafterjhorses.

For informational purposes only. Horse training involves inherent risks. Use sound judgment and seek qualified professional instruction when needed.