advice? exrace horse cantering in group or pairs...

marley and danni

marley and danni

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hi!,

i recently started to canter in groups with my exracer and the majority of the time in a pair me and another friend on her pony... the ponies got a fast canter so ussually overtakes out slow canter but them marls thinks its a race and gets his canter on! but then once in front again slows right down untill again the pony opver takes!!!

any advive on how to make him understand there no need to race anymore was fun a few times but no its just annoying especially when there only room for one horse to canter and the other infront or bhind?!

also does the same galloping!! although the piny cant seem to overtake him gallop even though hes not fast infront only behind!!..

hes an odd ball nowonder he didnt make it racing!!

thanks x
 
How long has he been off the track?

TBH, I think you are asking for trouble cantering / galloping in groups on an ex-racer until he is completely reeducated. I've had a few, and I wouldn't ever have done that with them. They're animals, not machines, and he's been trained to race other horses so until you have him completely on your aids and paying attention, his natural instincts are going to take over most of the time. Just my opinion, and I'm prepared to be shot down in flames over it but I've dealt with my fair share of t/breds off the track.
 
agree with hackie, i didnt canter my boy in groups until about a year after having him. I would hack out alone and have a canter, and even when I did go out to canter with another it was 1 person whom i trusted not to bomb past us, and we then gradually allowed the other horse to go in front.
it took a while to get the racehorse out of him, but it was worth taking it slow out in open spaces as I now have a pretty safe and sane TB!
 
sorry....by group i mean 3 people and thats been 3 times and the majority of the time its 1 ofther pony, which is sane just speedy, my TB is 100% sane and safe just speedy when hes been overtaken and iv had him 9 months and only just started to do this so i know im doing the correct thing as in the school hes completly off all of my aid i loosen the reins to slow down and half halt and sit up... but when hes over taking he goes in race mode and it take a bit of strength to keep him behind ( works sometimes) but the majority i just let him speed past andtry keep the fast canter going so other pony ccnt pass...

Its not my friends fault her pony is fast hes in a gag and very strong but completly safe and pulls up!

I just want advice on how to get him used to being overtaken with out wanting to then over take!... iv tried just letting him be in front then be over taken by half halting this works but again other times it doesn’t.... is it just a waiting game?

I don’t want to rush iv had him 9 month and just started to do this so please no one say im rushing!

Also hes been out of racing 1.5 year and he was retrained for 6months out of racing hes very well schooled......

Thanks  xx
 
Its not my friends fault her pony is fast hes in a gag and very strong but completly safe and pulls up!
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So she's not the ideal 'cantering' partner.

Your ideal parter is one that will canter upsides you, put their horse one head in front of yours, slow down back to upsides, allow you to go one head in front and back upsides etc. Controlled, and easy.
 
thanks amymay!

well shes willing to do that on her pony shes willing to hold back for me so i suppose i can ask her this weekend... as the rest of the horses on the yard are nuts!! most being SJ's or eventers!! x
 
amymay has hit the nail on the head....you need to something that will stay steady beside you then ease forward, and be able to ease back again, which is why I said I only started going out with just 1 person that I trusted to be able to do this.
I think you have a fab friend there who if you explain in full what you want her to do sounds like she will and that will help you so much.
its all about claming his brain and just making him realise that is not his life anymore. you have to appreciate thats all he knew, and thats what he was trained to do, so now its just saying to him that its ok to be at the back!
loving his name too....(im biased as I called my boy marley too :-)
 
marley and danni said:
sorry....by group i mean 3 people and thats been 3 times and the majority of the time its 1 ofther pony, which is sane just speedy, my TB is 100% sane and safe just speedy when hes been overtaken and iv had him 9 months and only just started to do this so i know im doing the correct thing as in the school hes completly off all of my aid i loosen the reins to slow down and half halt and sit up... but when hes over taking he goes in race mode and it take a bit of strength to keep him behind ( works sometimes) but the majority i just let him speed past andtry keep the fast canter going so other pony ccnt pass...

Its not my friends fault her pony is fast hes in a gag and very strong but completly safe and pulls up!

I just want advice on how to get him used to being overtaken with out wanting to then over take!... iv tried just letting him be in front then be over taken by half halting this works but again other times it doesn’t.... is it just a waiting game?

I don’t want to rush iv had him 9 month and just started to do this so please no one say im rushing!

Also hes been out of racing 1.5 year and he was retrained for 6months out of racing hes very well schooled......

Thanks  xx
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Well, he's not going to is he?! He is an ex racer. that is what he has been taught to do!

Racehorses are taught to ride upsides each other, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Why not just avoid allowing the other horse to take off in front of you.
 
im not sure i completely understnd, is the pony racing you aswell? It sounds like the pony i racing to overtake you, then rider gets control back then you race and overtake her then pony overtakes you etc etc.
Is this right?
If so, any horse would get a bit wound up by a horses surging forward and back beside them.
My advice - dont canter next to that pony.
 
Hi no sorry the ponys fast and myns slow and thia.pony can zoom past coz its so speedy then mine this ita his turn even tho i didnt say to do it lol anywhoo i did.t.mean to cause argumnets.just wanted advice on how to calm.him a bit and get used to cantering at the.bk calmly and.at side calmly without.going.into racemode lol.x my friends very helpful.thanks ill.speak.to her see.if she doesnt mind trying to.hold her pony bk while we cnt behind.and side.xx
 
Thats quite fast and uncontrolled i could try though but i dont want him.to think just coz hes going fast he has go even faster lol but if i half hault.downn one.rein just to remind him then it could work hmmm ?? its just i see.so many exracers cantering lovly in groups and i one day want to xx
 
My ex-racehorse is exactly the same. I know he tries to race if there's a horse in front so I try to either go alongside someone or I go in front. He's perfect if I do this so I just stick with it. I might be being lazy but I can't see the point in trying to change him when we're just out for an enjoyable hack. I'm lucky that my friends are happy with this arrangement and it works for all of us.
 
marley and danni said:
... as the rest of the horses on the yard are nuts!! most being SJ's or eventers!! x
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I wouldn't fancy eventing a horse that I couldn't pull up in canter on a hack !!!

Sit back ask for a school canter with your leg snug on his side half halt ask for bend to the left or the right - so often we just chuck the rein away and stand up in canter out hacking that is a signal to him !! Other than that what amy may said !
 
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Ooft! Jeezo! Ditch the psycho pony! That's all of your problems sorted in one easy batch!

Racehorses canter in groups all of the time, granted mostly in string hacking speed and then upsides for proper work. If you don't make an issue of it and just ask your horse for a normal canter and ignore the pony if you insist on going out with it then be stricter on your horse until they get the idea. When you say your horse then stops again when he hits the front he sounds like he was a bit of a dog in racing hence why he left so he shouldn't be too hard to convince that not everything is worth chasing.
 
As others have said don't canter out with the pony.

Also practice cantering around in a school or exclosed field with other horses, I did this with my ex racer before I cantered/galloped him out hacking.
 
Maybe try doing passing in lower gaits ie walk and trot - might help him get used to being passed but speed isnt involved.
Have to say my ex-racer just didnt want to race once her career was over...quite happy to move over and let anyone past her...!!!
 
thanks forall the replyes he is brillin the school doesnt get eager its on the grassfeilds he does but wehad a go tonight in the feildswith my mate andherpony and ijust relaxed like someone suggested and i just asked like i wouldin the school and he happily canter besidesthe pony infront and behind...... gues ittoo me justrelaxing haha!! although the 2ndtime we tried hegot excited and we galloped instead lolooppsss xxx
 
hi everyone just a little update....

been practicing in the school with the super fast little pony and marley was fab all he wanted to do was follow him stop when he stop ect... so he didnt get used to that i would pass her in a canter then let her over take and he didnt change pace!!

then a couple days later i took him to the feild and he intially wanted to follow the pony but i didnt let him and i just went for a short not very fast gallop in the opposit direction and he came back really nicley... although trotting back to the pony he was strong but not so much i couldnt stop :)

then we had a canter race in the outdoor last night he was brill puled up fine didnt overtake untill i asked... so i kickstarted him rather than canter a small circle 1st... he was awsome galloped straight away and came back beautifuly! did want to win though!!! although we didnt we need longer stopping distance than the pony!

so we have decided we are ready fopr a race in the feilds i cant wait!!..... going to gallop marls very fast 1st see how long we need to slow down for before he will come back!

i cnt believe i havnt trusted him before now hes a super little exrace horse!!

xxx
 
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