6 year old gelding has turned into the devil!

update,......on my "kevin"......

He is now 7, grown into a big strong boy, hacks out alone, (used to have a battle going out one direction). Problem now, is that he has got opinionated regarding jumping.
Knows he is big, and i'm only 8st 5ft 3. Has got really spooky with any different type of jump. Have had to drop all jumps onto floor and try and desensitize him with them. This was done every day. Each day started off the same....his eyes out on stalks, as if he had not seen them before.!! It has taken 6 weeks of this, then riding him over them on floor, to slowly building them back up again. Today, was the first day i could actually just ride him quietly up to them, holding him for a stride and him just popping over. Before , if he jumped, he would get half way over, then kick out at them, or spook sharply at what was under him.!! Fingers crossed, we are throught this horrible stage with him. OOOh, just looked at date, almost a year to the day......
 
Oddly mine is going through this at 7. He was an angel aged 6. But he is getting better and I have found he actually works better in a field than he does in the arena. He really just naps and spins but he is easy to stop as he is lazy and will eventually give up.

Don't worry your horse will get over it. You have done everything right now just need to make him realise you won't give up.
 
Well we have hit 7 and he is still difficult...I think he has confidence issues with being alone. I'm trying a horse communicator. She if she can shed some light. I thought horses were meant to be fun....I've had a difficult 3 years.
 
I feel your pain Tallywhacker, I have just posted a similar thread about my opinionated WB mare. Reading through this thread, I don't think she is being quite as awful as yours but is getting on my last nerve nonetheless.

I am off on a rare holiday for 10 nights in 2 weeks, and have no-one to exercise her while I am away so I am dreading what I'll come back to.

If you have any moments of clarity and find something that manages to get your boys head out of his arse, please share!
 
I will do. I'm hoping the lady that comes out can shed some light on the situation. I've heard really great things about her. I've spent all this year getting him out seeing the world hoping to do a couple of odes at the end of the season...but due to his napping would be a waste of money so I'm not going to bother 😣 I'm really hoping one day he will just Co operate. I will keep u updated with our progress.
He's lucky he is my mate...😂
 
Yes I was of the same opinion - I had planned to aim for a small ode by the end of the season but I just don't think it's realistic as it will just be a waste of money.

Interesting re: horse communicator. I've got to be honest, I've always been quite skeptical about horse communicator types, however a couple of friends have had them out and swear blind that they have been told things that the lady could not possibly have known (about both horse and owner) I'd be interested to see what you make of it, and to see if it helped any
 
tallywhacker said:
Well we have hit 7 and he is still difficult...I think he has confidence issues with being alone. I'm trying a horse communicator. She if she can shed some light. I thought horses were meant to be fun....I've had a difficult 3 years.
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Yikes, I admire your pluck, I think I'd have packed it in a long time ago. Hope you find a way through this one way or another!

I worried about whether my just-turned 5yo would go through this at some point. He's def had moments when he's been a bit annoying on the ground but fingers crossed, a year later, he is so much better, and no Kevins have appeared riding wise so far. Long may that last!
 
My 5 year old has just been away to boarding school for a week. I found a very nice Irish man who does breaking and schooling and he took her to basically sort her out a bit and make her behave better when company leaves her etc. Of course I had described the horse from hell who plunged and bucked when another horse went off in front of her etc. What he got was a very well behaved horse who never put a foot wrong!!!!!

However, apart from my pride (felt very silly when he rang after 4 days and said he couldn't get her to misbehave if he tried) it has definitely done her the world of good going away and being ridden by someone different and it has given me the confidence to give her a kick and make her get on with things when she is threatening to be silly.

Whereabouts in the country are you?
 
tallywhacker said:
Until they hit 7ish so i am told...��
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Just re~read your first post. Have started feeding mine the herb Vervain
Which seems to help help him focus his brain to concentrate on task being given and forget the spooking. Been on it since Friday, took him sj today and he jumped fab, no spooking and jumped double clear over fillers that normally he would not go near, let alone jump them.
 
I'm in bristol. I've sent a fortune on calmers nothing seems to work. I'm just hoping due to his really late start he will be OK just will take longer. He really is a nice person. Just can't seem to get in his head. I've thought about sending him away but worry the problems will return when home. I'm not really sure what to try tbh x
 
I'm tempted to buy a go pro so u guys can c what he does. I've tried so many instructors, methods. I spent 350 on a well known IH trainer and nothing....
 
Doing anything alone. Hacking, travelling mainly. He said it was fear. And that can be sorted in one session which is fine. But no amount of groundwork, de spooking and repetition sorts it. 😣
 
While hacking? I wish I had some ideas to throw at you but I'm coming up blank. Did you get pee'd off with badly?

My response would usually be just to persevere and be consistent, but it sounds like you've had these issues for a couple of years now?
 
God, rather you than me. Though I rarely take Jelly on the road at the mo as she is such a spooky nightmare to hack.

Not ideal, but are you familiar with the one rein stop?! :lol:
 
tallywhacker said:
Well we have hit 7 and he is still difficult...I think he has confidence issues with being alone. I'm trying a horse communicator. She if she can shed some light. I thought horses were meant to be fun....I've had a difficult 3 years.
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Have you had this horse's back x rayed and his SI and PSD ruled out by a performance specialist vet?

He sounds to me like he's been trying to tell you for three years that he's in pain, and that whatever you've done to find the reason, it hasn't yet been found.
 
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That's the next port of call. The thing is he doesn't always run off or do anything to make me or my regular vet think that he is in any sort of pain. He works well in the school it's when taken away from horses I find it happens. But yes I'm just discussing that now x
 
tallywhacker said:
That's the next port of call. The thing is he doesn't always run off or do anything to make me or my regular vet think that he is in any sort of pain. He works well in the school it's when taken away from horses I find it happens. But yes I'm just discussing that now x
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The next port of call? After three years?

I think you may have been let down by your vet, who doesn't seem to know much about stoic horses. That kind of horse works on through pain, until you add one last straw such as a touch of separation anxiety, when they finally throw their toys out of their pram.

My own horse with kissing spines was fine at home and warming up (until he reached 7), but lost the plot at the letters in the dressage arena (where he anticipated a transition and pain). A list A physio missed the fact he had kissing spines and I've known two physios miss kissing spines in three horses, one of which was so severe there was no option but to put her down.


Please ask for you horse to be referred to a specialist in performance loss work-ups.
 
No...not after 3 years. He has seen a vet on numerous occasions. Different physios osteos etc. But I have like I said decided to now to get a more in depth work up...he displays no obvious symptoms. No spooking at the same thing like u describe.
 
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