5 year old with no pep.......

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dressedkez

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It has been sometime since I have embarked with a really green youngster, having had TB's for about the last 15 years. Generally current or ex racehorses - all young, 3-6 years.
I have just got on trial (V long trial, with the option to send back at anytime) a stunning looking ID X TB gelding, who has simply been backed and ridden out a couple of times. He is 5 years old (broken late, due to a massive over breeding programme, with his owner having a field full of well bred lovelies, far too many, sadly)
He is an absolute paragon - having not been ridden for about 2 months we simply tacked him up, and got on him, and he is so quiet, that I feel that my aged mother would happily ride him. There is no doubt he is as green as grass, but with no nasty traits at all. Today we rode him through a village where there was a road closure - lots of scary signs, machinery and he was a star, out in front, he went past everything.
What am I moaning about.....(I hear you ask....)
He is not at all forward going, very ploddish, which for his breeding, he shouldn't be. Whilst I freely admit that at my great age, I want a sensible conveyance - but neither do I want something that I have to keep booting in the ribs to keep him going. If one stops using ones legs, he simply stops!
Now, I do know that a fun ride, or hunting might pep him up - but I have to first get him fit enough to do that (and I might lose the will in the meantime, also I suspect that his education to date has not given him much of a mouth, or steering aids, so I need to know him a lot better, and do more ground work out hacking, as we have no school, and I can't stand schools (all that trotting around in ever decreasing circles...) anyway, before I up the anti)
Today we took him in a 5 acre field (my daughter was riding him) and I cantered in front (slowly on my TB) Even that did not bring a reaction from him (much to daughters relief) but I was a bit dissapointed that he did not get just a mite buzzy.
Do you think that inherently he is a plod? Or might he get better as he gets fitter and stronger? Or is there something else I should be doing?
He is turned out on no hard feed at the moment (not fat, but well covered) and we have shod him in front for now (though not sore behind) and will put hinds on him later this week.
He is perfectly healthy, regualry wormed, same home all his life, so not brewing an infectious disease, or illness. The first day we had him, he considered jumping a 5 bar gate to join another horse in the yard, so shows spirit out in the field......
Your thoughts would be most welcomed.
 
He sounds lovely! Also sounds a bit like my boy. And the result of fitting him up just made him a bit more 'thoughtful' as in that could be spooky!
 
Might he have underlying confidence issues when being ridden even though he appears relaxed? He is in a new home with new people and a new rider, he's probably a bit shell-shicked. As he is ridden more he may start to come out of his shell so to speak, that's what I've experienced in the past anyway.
 
He seems to have a laid back temperament and is unfit. You take him on a ride that sounds way longer than a first fitness ride (10min walk I'd start with), then today when he's possibly still feeling achey from the first ride and nowhere near fit enough to canter anyway, you're wondering why he has no desire to run around?! Unless he's been on a fitness program that you haven't mentioned in the first post, I'd say get him fit gradually and take it from there.

IMO 'plod' horses don't really exist, they're over worked and under fed or mentally switched off and soured creatures. Even with a laid back nature there's no reason your horse shouldn't develop into a responsive and forward going ride. He will probably need some schooling (on a hack is fine) to become like this though. If what you want a horse who goes faster when you let the reins out an inch or two then you probably need another horse.
 
What exactly do you want from a horse? This may just be the way he is. My 5 year old is so sedate that most people can't believe he is only 5 (he is as green as grass too.) But he goes when you say go, stops when you say stop, jumps whatever you point him at (be careful what you point him at as he doesn't stop at anything, even if it's a really bad idea!) and he doesn't spill my drink out hunting. Goes in front, at the back, a mile behind with a pony on a lead rein. Leads the field over hedges and ditches, whips in. Mine DID jump a 5 bar gate the first day I had him - next door neighbour on a pushbike was about the only thing that's ever caused him to spook. But he IS extremely sedate. I don't know what more I could ask of him though. He sounds like a fab horse for someone - maybe perhaps not you though?
 
I think in part its down to age. He may be 5, but the late start means he's mentally more like a younger horse riding wise. So its all very new to him & he's too unsure of himself right now to do anything but take it all in slowly. As his confidence grows under saddle, its likely he'll wake up. I've known plenty of quiet 4yr olds who wake up at 5, he's just a year behind. I'd take him out hacking in forwards company so he's moving forwards & tracking up himself, but otherwise just leave him to gain a bit of confidence for now. Then towards the end of the season take him hunting if still no change.
 
Sugar_and_Spice said:
He seems to have a laid back temperament and is unfit. You take him on a ride that sounds way longer than a first fitness ride (10min walk I'd start with), then today when he's possibly still feeling achey from the first ride and nowhere near fit enough to canter anyway, you're wondering why he has no desire to run around?! Unless he's been on a fitness program that you haven't mentioned in the first post, I'd say get him fit gradually and take it from there.

IMO 'plod' horses don't really exist, they're over worked and under fed or mentally switched off and soured creatures. Even with a laid back nature there's no reason your horse shouldn't develop into a responsive and forward going ride. He will probably need some schooling (on a hack is fine) to become like this though. If what you want a horse who goes faster when you let the reins out an inch or two then you probably need another horse.
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Well thank you for that (despite the implied criticism of my training methods!) The ride we took him on was about 20 mins at walk, that for a 5 year old, I think is OK......but I am heartened by your response that hopefully he will gain confidence and become more responsive. It is just during my 30 odd years of having had about 100 odd horses through my hands, I have never experienced one quite so laid back and un-responsive, hence my question, that for some horses (a small minority, could it be inherent?)
 
The idleness could be inherent but if you bring him on quietly and give him an allround education there will be people queuing up to buy him from you next year, so unless you need to buy to keep long term he could be a great investment even if he is not for you.
 
Our big ISH was a total plod at 4-6, then turned into a teenager at 6-8! He is still very laid back 90% of the time, but if you wake him up you often can't stop him!

Be aware that he may be very immature - they often take a while, and especially if he hasn't been backed that long. Ours used to get tired on long hacks and hills etc. He really was a baby in disguise..
 
Do not worry about this at all!! I would much rather have a youngster like this that you have to gee up than one that is totally wired!

We got my sister's lusitano x TB as a 4 yo. My mum and I went to see him, he had done a little bit of competing (ie the odd clear round) so had a little more life experience but blimey was he laid back!!! I tried to gallop him acros a very open field and he just didn't get it at all. He couldjust about muster a loping canter!

His jumping was the same, not bothered just popped over. We bought him and funnily my sister did comment in the first few months he was a bit boring (odd seeing as her previous horse had been a napping rearing nightmare!). We took him to a local hunter trial in the first fe days (just as a spectator) when i was competing my horse just to see how he reacted in the environment. He couldn't have given a hoot!

To cut a long short, after some more life exoperiences and lots of hacking etc he did start to get more oomph - we soon realised he'd only ever been used to hacking out with a horse's bottom as his view so, once he got in front he was very unsure. we had to work on encoraging him to gallop but it came. Since then he has competed at BSJA up to Newcomer and also done BE upt to pre-novice and competed in the RC horse trial champs. He loves his jumping and certainly isn't slow at all - gets quite excited about going xc to the point he almost does a little rear in the start box! Lol

He is still a laid back soul (although has his moments) but it makes life a lot easier knowing you can just get on and do stuff with him with no fuss yet he is fast xc, bold and rarely ever touches a fence SJing.

I think my horse was very similar as a 4yo actually and I remember in the forst week of having him I happily sent my mumout on a hack on her own without any concerns as I was that confident he would be fine. He has spent 17 years with us being mine and my mum's ride - I competed him in SJing/XC/ODEs etc yet my mum can hack him out safely.
To me, that's a perfect horse!! :)
 
Mine was a lot like that to begin with. It seemed he'd been taught "kick means go", so a squeeze meant nothing to him but confusion. With a little work both on the ground then under saddle he learned to move away from pressure, using quick release so as soon as he did as required I'd take the pressure off and praise. He's no plod, he just didn't understand at first.

Kelly Marks "perfect manners" helped us a lot.
 
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