advice from u lovely ppl pls

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catwithclaws

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hi guys, sorry 4 the long thread but i have 2 things i could do with some advice on!!

first, im bringing my old boy (21 yr old forester) back into work having had 6 months off due to my pregnancy. i obviously know the basics of bringing a horse back to fitness, but im finding it very difficult as my boy is very very excitable and fizzy, particularly in company. in walk he is fine, but as soon as we have a trot he will not settle again back in walk and will just jog and bounce sideways the whole way home! this happens alone and in company, and the same if he is ridden every day or not. also as soon as we are anywhere but on a road (i.e path or on grass) he tries 2 bugger off! i can hold him but we still canter sideways until we get back to a road, in which case its jogging and bouncing sideways all the way home. ive tried many different bits in the time ive had him (over 13 years) and he seems happiest in his current bit - a dr bristol and cavesson noseband. he doesnt cross his jaw or fix his neck, in fact when he jogs u could hold the buckle on the reins, and he wouldnt go anywhere, he just wont walk sensibly. now this doesnt upset me in the slightest, we have a great relationship and he'd never intentionally hurt me - but obviously i dont want him 2 hurt himself by doing 2 much 2 soon! any advice?? :D

also there is a young girl on my yard with a 5 yr old cob shes had since june last year. while he was in regular work he seemed fine, but since the winter his behaviour has become worse and worse. out hacking he naps badly and rears right up, and on the yard she cant even get him 2 go down the track 2 the manege without him rearing. hes got into this habit now because when he rears, she pulls one rein 2 bring him down onto all fours, but she is then turning him away from the direction she wants to go!! doesnt help that the girl has got her first boyfriend and now spends little or no time with pony at all - but has now admitted shes afraid 2 ride him. ive been asked 2 work on him a few mornings a week. ive said ill lunge him and ride him on the flat for her (im not taking him on the road as ive got a 7 week old baby and need 2 be sensible) but any ideas on how 2 sort the little beggar out?? FTR his rearing doesnt frighten me, im just not sure how much i can do without his owners buy-in!

advice pls, sorry again for long post, and chocolate hobnobs for anyone who hasnt got bored!! ;)
 
Great to hear you are getting back on board after the pregnancy!

For your boy personally I am a big fan of bringing them into work very gradually and doing a lot of walk work. I would do 4-6 weeks just in walk, ideally little and often, building up from 1/2 an hour to 1.5 hours, but I am not sure how possible this is for you with the baby. Would he stay in walk if you didn't trot? Can you then keep him on the roads for a while when he starts trotting again until he is fit enough to have a blast and blow away the cobwebs properly?

As for the other horse, has he been seen by a vet? He may well be nappy but any such serious change in behaviour should be seen by a vet to make sure there is no physical problem. Pulling on one rein is a fairly sensible thing to do with a rearer, although I appreciate what you say about ending up turning him away from the school, but to be honest the first thing is to control the rears so that there are no accidents. It may well be that he just needs more work and a firmer rider, but be careful and stay safe. To be completely honest I would not get on someone else's problem horse with a baby at home, as I would be too worried something might happen adn I wouldn't be able to look after the baby, but it turns out I am a very stressy mum!

Good luck with both!
 
thanx booboos,

yes i am thinking of sticking to roads on old boy until he's fitter as at least he wont bomb off on them - luckily he's a gem in all traffic!! just wish he'd stop jogging and bouncing as it gives me a really bad stitch lol :D

as for naughty horsey, he has been checked all over by vet and saddle fitter, neither can see any problems. he does seem 2 have had a bit of a up and down history tho. he's had 7 owners since a foal (hes only 5) and been sent away for re-starting 3 times by 3 different owners. do u think its better to lunge or longline him, or is it better 2 get straight on and work through this rearing?

any other advice anyone?? :o
 
Re: Problem 1. I'm assuming he's always been like this, and at 21 you're not going to change it. So I wouldn't try.

Problem 2. I would not get involved in any way - you have a young child, and this horse is a vertical rearer.
 
amymay said:
Re: Problem 1. I'm assuming he's always been like this, and at 21 you're not going to change it. So I wouldn't try.

Problem 2. I would not get involved in any way - you have a young child, and this horse is a vertical rearer.
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^^^ What she said:D
 
I agree that with a young baby I would not get involved with the rearer it is too dangerous

as for your lad as soon as he starts bouncing/jogging have you tried turning him around to face the back the other way? if your with another horse let them carry on and you turn the other way, if he stops bouncing reward and turn back again. keep repeating this he will soon figure out what you are saying.
Like most things it works with some and not with others.
what happens if you insist he stands still, or at least is not allowed to go forward while bouncing, it may get worse for a few minutes while he figures it out too
 
Horse number two sounds like a serial problem horse! I am not saying that he can't be turned around but what do you gain from it all? It would be a lot of work for you, potentially very dangerous and at the end of the day the owner would take him back the moment he was fine. The onwer really needs to get professional help with him and decide if he is just too much for anyone to ride, given his history of re-starting again and again.
 
2nd horse, agree with others what do you gain from it, apart from "you sorted it out". If it was mine i would chuck it out in a field 24/7 for a week, then bring it in and lunge it for 20mins, then long rein it for 10mins, then get on it and be firm with it, colts/geldings generally do not go over backwards, whilst it can be frightening, mares/fillys do go over backwards, however lean forward, kick it in the belly and make it go forwards, it is young it is fresh it is trying it on and do not feed it other than hay. Good luck
 
forgot to add it is probably lacking in confidence so needs a confident rider to in a sense lead it even though you are on its back, what is it like with another horse with it, and could you ride yours and lead the cob for a few days just to get it going again.
 
I don't think you should get involved with the rearer.

As for your horse, how much walking work have you done? I'd walk for weeks until he is fairly fit, then introduce trotting up a steep hill, the steeper the better, so that he won't be so keen to keep going afterwards.
 
we're about 3 weeks into our walking work, we go for about an hour 4 times a week - ideally i know it would probably be 5 or even 6 days a week, but i have 2 rely on others 2 take care of my daughter while im out :o i only want 2 get him fit enough 2 do hacking, maybe 30 mins schooling at a time and the odd local show

as for the other horse, when the behaviour first started i used 2 take him out and longline him on the roads, and he rarely did anything wrong unless something scared him. but when he is ridden on the road, he rears at completely random moments, whether in company or alone, in front or behind, or when going away from home or towards home. to start with he was fine 2 take in the manege but now she cant get him 2 do that either. very strange but as u guys have said, perhaps its best not 2 get involved x
 
beeswax said:
2nd horse, agree with others what do you gain from it, apart from "you sorted it out". If it was mine i would chuck it out in a field 24/7 for a week, then bring it in and lunge it for 20mins, then long rein it for 10mins, then get on it and be firm with it, colts/geldings generally do not go over backwards, whilst it can be frightening, mares/fillys do go over backwards, however lean forward, kick it in the belly and make it go forwards, it is young it is fresh it is trying it on and do not feed it other than hay. Good luck
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What do you mean about mares/fillies going over backwards? Why would they be more likely to do that than a gelding?colt? I've always thought that mares were generally keener on self preservation :-)
 
Of course males can go over backwards too!!

TBH it sounds like a youngster not getting enough work and/or discipline, and even if you were to ride it it would probably do the usual with the girl. Sounds like they need to pay someone to do some pro schooling with it, not just palm it off on someone with a new baby, and also get some lessons afterwards. It sounds like the girl will go off horses soon anyway, so it will probably end up being sold!
 
well the YM has suggested she either gets some lessons on him, or if her confidence on him is completely shot, 2 sell him and buy something a bit more ready made. i thought that sounded pretty good until the girl told her 2 mind her own business and that she doesnt give a **** what anyone thinks. nice. :rolleyes:
 
hazyxmas - apparently it is because stallions rear to mount (mate) and therefore have a better balance than mares (who apparently lose their balance), they go up straighter/higher than males do, this info I was told by a very experienced person who has been in racing 45 years as a professional jockey, now retired, so you could say he has ridden probably 70,000 horses in his lifetime, and is still riding them now - good and bad ones - rearers and nappers etc so I would take his word for it, however your choice is your own.
 
in my 1st post i said that "colts/gelding GENERALLY do not go over backwards", so yes some do, but a filly/mare is more likely to go over than a colt/gelding.
 
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