A 'too fit' horse?

[SummerStorm]

Well, pony actually

I've been riding my pony a lot recently (hard work for us both - competing, long, fastish hacks and 4 days schooling a week for 40mins mostly at trot and canter) The problem is that he has started to get rather fizzy now to ride - it's almost as if he's got so much energy that he now just doesn't know what to do with it all.

Food wise, he's getting one handful of chaff (to stop him getting upset when the others are fed) and a carrot/apple. he's also on 2 sections of hay a night and turned out in the day.

He's not dangerous to ride but I'm a bit worried that one day he'll go too far and just fizzy over or something. It's almost impossible to wear him out (I've tried

) so I can't take the edge of him that way and stronger bit/gadgets etc. just make him fight back so that's a no no too.

So, I was wondering what the best thing to do now would be and I'd love to hear some suggestions... Do I turn him out at night to try and tire him out a bit (he's full clipped though...) or do I just learn to ride him when he's jut full to bursting with life, energy and happiness? Or something else...?

Thanks a lot and sorry for such a long post. All ideas will be gratefully received!

~SF x

 

[Irishcobs]

Maybe try a calmer? Just to get him to chill a little. I assume he isn't worried/anxious about anything?

 

[Malibu]

try magic calmer which you can use long term and a more stronger calmer for comps, few days prior. Prior to riding him you may want to linge (pessoa or other gadget like chambon or degogue) or long rein to get hsi brain think and hopefully get him engaging or even take edge off is possible.

 

[Flipper]

Hi

I wonder if the secret is in what you say - fast hacks and schooling at trot and canter. maybe he thinks what you want is go go go.

I would try doing lots of walk halt, walk trot transitions and some lateral work, shoulder ins maybe to make him concentrate and listen to you and learn to chill again. Maybe the odd walking hack on a long rein.

You don't say how big he is but actually for the workload what you are feeding is not a lot. I think it is worth giving him a little Calm and Condition (very little!) and Readigrass rather than chaff. There is no goodness in the grass now, so with only a small amount of hay and nothing in the chaff I wonder if he is getting sufficient nutrients. He may settle more for a full belly but with nothing heating. I once fed what I thought was chaff and it turned out to be Alfa A!!! Could that be it if you are on a big yard?

Also check your rugging. It is still very mild at the moment and when we clip them it is easy to think we must give them a good rug when maybe a fleece is all they need.

Good luck!

Flipper

 

[SummerStorm]

Thanks for your help guys!

I hadn't really considered calmers as I've always been a bit sceptical asto how well they work... however, I'm willing to keep an open mind about it

As far as I know, he isn't stressd/nervous about anything at all - it's almost like he's just so full of himself that he's bubbling over with energy/happiness in himself. He looks well in himself both condition wise and temperment wise (he's not snappy/aggressive or anything and never has been)

I have tried lunging but that doesn't seem to acheive anything at all

he's keyed in to me and responsive when I ride him - it's just he has a habit of almsot constantly saying 'come on mum, what next!'.

I'm not really complaining it's just I'm not used to a pony who can go on forever!

 

[SummerStorm]

I've just reread my post and it's really not as bad as it sounds! lol, it does come across that I do nothing but gallop everywhere doesn't it

What I meant to say is that I do a fair amount of work with him and quite a lot is at a steady trot/canter with regular transitions to walk/halt. I do a lot of trot/halt/trot transitions and some walk/canter/walk down the long side of the school with loads of normal transitions in between. No lateral work really though past turn on the forehand/haunches and a tiny bit of possibly leg yeilding (not sure if that's what it is though -I'm no dressage expert

) Out hacking, I usually do a bit in a steady trot and then a few minutes of steady canters and if I'm in the right area and the grounds a bit better, some faster work too. All of it's intrspered with walking though too.

It is just apple chaff he's on but he does have a decent mineral lick that should be giving him all the nutrients etc. that he need I'd have thought? He has it almost every day too...

T/O wise, he gets a medium weight and doesn't seem to be getting hot wearing it.

Lol, how complicated can ponies get!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

my initail thought was if he's doing alot of faster work he's anticipating you wanting to go fast all the time which WILL wind him up.

I agree with flipper that what you're feeding isnt alot.
I had a 11.1hh pony on a handful of chaff and 4 sections of hay, AND grass, in no work. He was a good doer, but lost weight on that (I wanted him to lose weight). It may be that what you're feeding is fizzy, but not filling his belly. Different chaffs have different things in them. Unless he's out grazing for most of the day two sections of hay isnt alot.

 

[Flipper]

How right you are! I have 2 kids and I have never agonised about them the way i do with the horses!

Jut=st as you get used to him being Mr Whizz, Summer will come and he'll go all lazy on you!

 

[vicijp]

In racing we call this 'over the top'. If you lay off the work and food for a week or 2 he should come better. Ride him every other day, short hacks, that kind of thing.

 

[Kezza]

my 20 year old welsh C is like this and during the Winter gets worse as I have to cut his work down. I have tried just walking him (he leaps in the air with excitement). Now I just sit and ride it out, he is in no way dangerous imo, I just have to be ready to deal with his excitement and leaping about. It's not that I just want to go, go, go, it's that he just wants to go, go, go!

 

[coedcae]

I had exactly the same thing with my horse when I was eventing. I basically had her so fit, she got way too full of herself. She became incredibly spooky, whipping round on hacks and generally ready to 'go' at any moment. As stated above the only way to deal with it, is to turn them away for a few weeks, cutting out any heating feed. Although, it doesnt sound like you are feeding any, anyway.
My mare is back to her old self now, and I spend most of my hacks in walk, with alot shorter periods of trotting and collected canter. Never do any fast work now, as she is only show jumping at the mo. She's also on Ride & Relax which seems to have done what it says on the packet.