3 steps forward, one giant leap backwards for the lickle ex-racehorse :(

Girlracer

Girlracer

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*sigh*

I will try to keep this as short and as none winey as my utterly deflated self can!

Basically those that don't know him Major is a just turned 6 year old ex-racehorse, i got him off a friend in September 2010, he finished racing in 2008 and between then and when i got him had done a small amount of groundwork and i had him out the field after being turned away. So as clean a slate as your going to get for an ex-racer.

I re-backed him and started his education from scratch, i've never rushed him, and he's never refused to do anything i've asked. Now the weather is better over the last month and a half, 2 months i've started introducing him to new things. We've started lesson, SJ schooling, XC schooling and been to a few shows. We've had our ups and downs don't get me wrong but all along he's been safe, sane and willing.

Last week i SJ schooled on ther Wed, XC schooled Thursday, and did a dressage test on sunday (in the same place as the SJ). All VERY successfully, only a few minor problems, bit of napping and his feet only left the ground aimlessly a few times. The odd bunny hop.

Today i hacked upto the local showground to SJ school again, we got there and he was a little nappy to his hacking buddies... fine no worse than before. I stayed COMPLETELY calm, in fact calmer than i have been previously. We had a walk round, then one of the girls i came with decided to go home, and then it all went wrong. He was threatening something, i don't know what, prancing, jogging etc generally being a bit silly. But again, he's been worse i stayed totally calm and ignored him. We were walking together and he exploded, not a little bit as in upright, vertical, i saw my life flash behind my eyes type explosion.

He went sideways, upright and god knows what else. Again i stayed calm, ignored him let him finish, turned him round and made him go away from them (brave or stupid.... i'm not sure) got so far and we went carrering (sp?) sideways at them leaping and bounding. Un-fortunately they wouldn't wait a few minutes and let me walk around they went off on to the road and i had no choice but to follow. We leaped and pranced on the road a bit before he settled down back to normal.

He didn't scare me, i didn't feel as though i was coming off, however i would only of needed to of moved a mm and he's of gone over backwards. It's dangerous.

But what do i do, it was a split second explosion, i'm confident it was due to going there with stable mates etc. So someone please tell me all is not lost, it happens and to move forward? Or is all lost and in fact i should start making some pastry to go with him now? :p

Thanks to those of you who have read those ramblings, now someone give me the answer please :p
 
majority vol au vons i think... in fact you can now buy just roll puff pastry...!

no breathe (((()))) all is not lost they r animals and like people have their days of trauma maybe slow it down a little after doing so much last week (even though it was succesful and loved the vid) he still a kid and is probably just tired and emotional so do as you are doing keep calm and carry on : ) keep us updated but sure all will be fine! x
 
Get some new hacking partners!

No words of advise but my ex-racer was horrible at the age of 6, not sure what caused it if it was just the 'Kevin's', if it was him testing me, if it was the speedibeet but he's gone back to the horse he was when he was 5 now he's the grand old age of 7 :D

Do you hack him out alone? I think with mine I need to do a mix of hacking alone and in company too much of one and he/we take it for granted and get silliness, I hack him alone to stop him being clingy and hack him in company to stop him being nappy...

TB's, they're like having manic depression... you're either high as a kite or so low you don't know how to go on :D
 
Sounds like a massive anxiety attack on his behalf that his pals were going home. Racehorses tend to exercise in strings so its well programmed into their minds. Take a deep breath and try taking him somewhere on his own without equine company.

Keep it up you have been doing really well :)
 
There's some good asparagus around at the moment (what with living in the home of the asparagus festival) thought he may go nicely with some of that. :p

I do hack alone yes, we do a bit of both but actually majority on my own.

Dizzle, i hope your right because he was lovely as a 5 year old but since he's turned 6 he's had some serious 'Kevin' moments!
 
yeah my exracer is the same either with horses and stay in the middle of them or not near a single one! if they are vaguely close he goes psycho and does a good devil impression, he has a certain talent for airs above the ground especially if we r schooling and a horse walks past!!!! yeah either be alone or close to others...x
 
I call them "Bloody 6 year olds!" They spend their baby years being sensible, mature mentally when they are 4/5 and when they turn 6 I tend to find that they say 'Stuff You, I know way better than you, I'm doing things my way!' And turn into spoilt little toads! It's just a phase he will be going through. Were there no other horses around at the show ground that you can have chummed onto?
 
I am re naming him Kevin until he turns 7, he's a brat.

EKW there were about 10, however all having loads of fun flying over showjumps. I'm going on my own next wednesday, even just to have a trot round.

Very handy having a show ground a few minute walk away :D
 
pastie2 said:
I have to laugh, sorry, but we take them on! Mine is so attached to his sheep that it is making my life unbearable!
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I know, sometimes i think to myself why don't i just have something easy, predictable and sensible but then i think it would be no fun that way... they've got to have a bit of character....
 
I agree with Dizzle, when they realised you were having problems they should have waited.

Next time when they decide to leave why not let you know before and then you can be the one busy doing something else and he hopefully won't notice the mass evacuation.

Like the others have said, racehorses are worked together and they are sometimes a little "needy" for company - I wouldn't like to try and diffuse the rearing situation again - for me I would just try not to let the situation arise again.

I definitely don't think you need to get the Bisto gravy on the boil just yet, from your previous posts he looks like he has come on heaps.

Good luck :-)
 
Mine is being an arse right now, funnily enough his stable name at his old yard was 'kevin'. he just turned 7, yesterday tried to bronc my friend off, been spooky and silly on the ground and has broken out of his field twice in the past few days.
When he breaks out he injures himself so i have now resorted to stabling at night (he only does it at night).
thing is, he hates being in and so he weaves and makes a right racket. I could hear him at the end of the lane!
only thing i can do so stop him injuring himself though :(
damn thoroughbreds haha.
 
Little monkey!! Out of interest when you got dragged back to his mates did you let him go back with then, or make him go back to where you were? xx
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
Little monkey!! Out of interest when you got dragged back to his mates did you let him go back with then, or make him go back to where you were? xx
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I got him to walk a couple of circles, then went back to them.

I decided much as i didn't want him to win, i also quite like my limbs where they are :D

Very annoying, i went XC schooling last week with ONE other horse... also a stable mate and we were jumping at opposite ends of a field at one point no problemo. Little brat, he's lucky he has a cute face i can't be mad at him
 
Ohhh yes I wasn't being inflammatory as much as it would have been good to teach him a lesson in not getting away with things, you can't be dealing with vertical rearing!! This is why I asked out of interest!

Don't blame you xx
 
The thing to remember with ex-racers is that most of them will have been born on a yard with other mare's and foals, then turned away with other youngsters, then brought into a yard full of other horses to be broken- worked with others, hacked with others, raced with others..... you see the problem.
Being alone is not only unatural to her but also very probably unheard of and she could well be lacking in confidence, it took me 6 months to get my mare (ex racer) comfortably hacking alone which I did by taking her quite literally one step further each day then jumping off giving her a treat and walking back on foot to avoid overfacing her.

The other thing to consider is any physical reason for it? My gelding (also an ex racer lol) is prone to pretty drastic explosions if he is in any kind of discomfort - he's a bit over sensitive at times. !
 
maggiesmum said:
The thing to remember with ex-racers is that most of them will have been born on a yard with other mare's and foals, then turned away with other youngsters, then brought into a yard full of other horses to be broken- worked with others, hacked with others, raced with others..... you see the problem.
Being alone is not only unatural to her but also very probably unheard of and she could well be lacking in confidence, it took me 6 months to get my mare (ex racer) comfortably hacking alone which I did by taking her quite literally one step further each day then jumping off giving her a treat and walking back on foot to avoid overfacing her.

The other thing to consider is any physical reason for it? My gelding (also an ex racer lol) is prone to pretty drastic explosions if he is in any kind of discomfort - he's a bit over sensitive at times. !
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Hi thanks for your reply, he is getting much more confident now and hacks alone very well.

I'm positive there isn't a physical reason, he;s upto date with everything and has recently had back and teeth done :). Although of course if it continued i'd look into it, but i do think it was merely a brat moment! :)
 
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