Advice needed about turning my horse away.

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littlen

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Can anyone list the pros and cons of this as I cant decide what to do!

Bit of background but I have been having some issues with my horse. He has been known to bronc and rear, and bolted with me on a hack afew months back and I basically stopped riding him. He is a very difficult ride and jogs/spins and rears most of the way home. He also constantly shakes his head about and fights the bit. He is incredibly unbalanced and leans constantly, I have tried everything to teach him to hold himself but he cant seem to understand and I am not experienced enough to teach him.

I have tried all summer to sort him out. I have had his saddle fitted and got him a new saddle as old one was pinching (saddler thinks he may remember the pain of last time as he flinches when girthing)
I then had the physio out and vet as he seems a little stiff behind but vet thinks its just his action (he was buted for a week on advice of vet to see if he improves-he moved just the same) He was also cushings tested and blood tested, nothing.

I have spent hundreds on lessons from a useless instructor who taught me nothing and just keep shouting "TWEAK THE REINS, JAB HIM" which only made him lift his head further.

In the past 3 weeks he has smacked me in the face with his head 4 times acting up and jogs/rears all the way home and I am worn out at the moment, plus I start my new full time job next week and wont have time to school him properly anymore as I work 9-6 with an hours commute each way (not that it worked in the first place!)
I also fear his saddle is pinching again as he has put on weight, but I dont have the money to get a replacement at the moment as I am taking a huge huge paycut with new job as it is. He is currently ridden in a market harborough to stop him whacking me in the face but I still have no brakes/control at all.

I have discussed it with a friend and she thinks the best thing I can do is turn him away until next spring so he can sort himself out a little. Then I can hopefully bring him back into work next spring with a new saddle and everything checked.

I would have liked to ride him once a week still, but would this defeat the object?

I was also thinking of paying someone to school him and bring him back into work for me again, would this cost a small fortune or would it be affordable?

Would it beneficial to still lunge him to teach him to balance himself?


Any ideas would be great :)
 
A really hard one to answer without seeing the horse, tack, bit, way of going, your riding, etc.

Given the lack of time it sounds like you're up against, plus the cost angle, maybe turn him away as you suggest. If turning away though I wouldn't be riding even once a week: it's not going to give you the time and consistancy to work on the issues. Certainly bring him in and handle him, do ground work with him, but don't ride.

When you do get back on, get a better instructor, which I guess you're going to do anyway. It might help you to have some lessons during the winter months to help keep you riding fit, keep your eye in, and to keep learning.
 
My last horse would Bronc & bolt whilst riding & when tacked up he would sometimes hump his back & threaten to kick. I have a friend who charges a small fee to exercise horses so I had her come to ride him 3 times a week for 6 weeks & that helped alot. But by that time I had lost all trust in him & decided to sell him. Im still contact with his new owners & they said he's going well. So it might be worth paying someone to school him for you if you can afford it. I also put mine on magic which helped loads, he wasn't as tense whilst being ridden or being tacked up.
 
Thanks MrsM for your help :)

I have tried with him for over 2 years to get him 'right'. He has always been an awkward ride and used to be completley terrified of everyone and everything. I used to make excuses for his spooking and bolting as I thought he had gotten a fright but now I think he is just taking the P out of me. He has admittedly knocked me and now I am too nervous to canter him etc. I hate hacking him out as he goes on stupid, normally he is fine going out but coming back he will spin, buck, rear, and then when that fails he will jog and throw his head in the air leaping as he does it, which is pretty awful to sit to for a mile or two home.
I was actually managing fine with him last year and had him in line but he has since knocked my confidence so I have not been able to push him through- resulting in him getting worse.
I also dont really have the time to school him consistantly as I am working full time, plus college and a second job so really busy in that respect! I doubt a sharer would touch him with a bargepole!

I didnt know whether to turn him away for winter as I will literally have no time to iron out his issues but I would still like to ride on my day off work which is a pain not to be able too, but then again I think you are right in what you say!

I would love to find someone to work with him schooling wise so I feel safe again, but after my last experience of an instructor I am really wary. I also wouldnt have time until light nights again, and even then could only afford maybe one or two a month- would it be worth it for so few lessons?

I am definatley saving to get him a new saddle over winter and replace all his tack incase its any of that (I doubt it but to be on the safe side!)
 
R.A.H said:
My last horse would Bronc & bolt whilst riding & when tacked up he would sometimes hump his back & threaten to kick. I have a friend who charges a small fee to exercise horses so I had her come to ride him 3 times a week for 6 weeks & that helped alot. But by that time I had lost all trust in him & decided to sell him. Im still contact with his new owners & they said he's going well. So it might be worth paying someone to school him for you if you can afford it. I also put mine on magic which helped loads, he wasn't as tense whilst being ridden or being tacked up.
Click to expand...

Thanks :) I thought about magic but it has such mixed reviews! I might try it and see if it has an effect then!
 
I think turning him away sounds like the right answer for you. Could you find something else to ride on your day off instead? maybe a friends horse or a decent riding school. A break from each other could really help you both but it would also be nice for you if you could get a bit of confidence back riding something else so you're one step ahead of your boy when you start him again
 
How old is he? How experienced are you? Has he always done this? Have you any idea why he behaves like this? Does he do it with anyone else riding? Sorry lots of questions but I think all relevant here.
I'm usually a fan of turning horses away for a bit but wonder if this is kind of avoiding the issue in your horses' case? Could you turn away for say 6 weeks then have him worked on by a more experienced rider for 6 weeks?
 
How old is he?
He is 11- nearly 12.

How experienced are you?
Well I am not a novice rider, have ridden over 15 years on various horses and dont have a problem at all. He is a very difficult horse to ride and has knocked my confidence after afew nasty falls. I now dont want to canter etc as I know he will explode and its making my confidence worse :(

Has he always done this?
No, not always. He used to be very well mannered. However he dropped weight and was out of work for a few months to gain weight ever since he has put it back on he has behaved like this. My management of him has not changed at all, same field mates, same everything. He is ridden less than before his weight problem. My instructor did help at first and we managed to get him working well, but he has since gotten worse again.

Have you any idea why he behaves like this?
Not really! I think excitement/naughtiness as the majority of his behaviour happens in these type of situations eg, hacking in company, If another horse canters or trots without him he will explode. Alone, he is fine. His behaviour also gets alot worse if he is on the way home.
He has always been a very nervous horse though and has always spooked and shied at everything. I dont know why his behaviour has drastically changed though, only thing I can think of is that bit extra grass and little less work although I cant exactly starve him to make him calmer ;)
He also has tantrums because he dosent want to do something, eg if in school.

I have a feeling most of it started when his saddle didnt fit, although its ben resolved now I dont know whether its remembered pain or something! I am saving for a new adjustable saddle but financially I am struggling at the moment :(

Does he do it with anyone else riding?
Yes, worse with certain riders but he is the same always.


Thanks for your help :) If I turned away i think he would have to be away the whole winter as our facilities freeze over and the weather is mainly awful here, I wouldnt be able to get lessons etc :(
I would like to get him ridden more to see if that helps but I dont have anyone willing to get on... lol
 
When reading your post I thought it had been written about me and my lad!! Mine is very similar although has always had issues, i.e. back problem before coming to me, have had him rebroken and schooled twice now but still problems! Similar to you I dont have huge amounts of time and similar to you all of this has knocked my confidence! Although when ridden apart from being ultra spooky and very forward going, he doesnt quite react like your horse. Main problem with him is its a 2 person job to get on him so even when I want to ride I cant if no-one else is down or going out. Have got name of a recommended instructor who I hope will help us overcome these issues.

Sorry this really hasnt helped you but I often wonder if there are other people in the same boat and after reading your post I now know I am not alone!

If its any consolation I have turned my lad away for winters etc and he has been great to restart, still spent lots of time doing groundwork and handling him etc. Agree with what others have said, turn him away, spend time with him and try and ride something else??

Above all, good luck!
 
I had a mare who behaved a bit as you describe your horse as doing, though I don't think she was as bad as you describe. But she jogged incessantly, flung her head about, was very volatile and wouldn't settle.

I used to ride with a friend who was a very experienced Long Distance rider, and she persuaded me to try a hackamore. I was very anxious about doing so, as you need confidence and care to ride in one. My confidence had long since gone out of the window, and it was also going to be a very sharp learning curve, as if she misbehaved I had to use great tact and gentleness in my reactions. But it was the best thing I could have done. She really liked it, the head tossing stopped almost immediately, and she just seemed to calm down to manageable proportions from then on.

When you bring your horse back into work, would it be worth borrowing one and trying it out? You could perhaps persuade someone to come with you on foot or on a bike at first till you both get used to it. NB It's very important that they are fitted correctly so if you haven't used one before get someone who is used to riding in them to show you - saddlers are not necessarily very expert at it.
 
Ditto the hackamore, and if it worries you to try one then put a bit and seperate reins on at the same time until you are used to it. You might be surprised at the difference it makes, I know we were!
 
Why don't you give yourself a break, turn him away completely for the winter and ... spend money once a week at a really top notch riding school/equestrian centre for a 1 to 1 lesson. That way you will a: get your riding in b: be a considerably better and more confident rider at the end of the winter c: have saved money so you can start again/saddle/training d: given your horse time to completely settle down.

then in the Spring, you can go back to basics, (you know what you normally do - the old mantra of teeth, back and saddle - possibly a mini MOT from your vet as well) and start him off with help from day one.

Good luck!
 
turn him away properly- no rugs, no feed just a field with plenty of shelter and look at him over the fence to check him. fetching them in and out and doing groundwork (and riding!) defeats the object of turning him away.

we did the same with one of mine, he was always spooky to hack (so we didnt, just went down the one qiuet road from the yard to the end and back) and it ended up with him spooking away from a pile of rubbish outside a house bolting and running through the barriers of a level crossing. i had fallen off a couple of hundred feet before luckily otherwise we would have both been in a bad way as he was trapped on his back under the barrier (trashed my saddle but thats another story)

i got back on once he had healed and we rode a few times but it had completely tipped him over the edge so we turned him away for a few months. we dropped him off at a friends field, kicked him out and that was it. they were checked 2/3 times a day and apart from that just left. (this was a horse that had never been out at night or for more than a few hours cos he stresses to come in) went up to see him a few times in those 3 months and he seemed settled so left him a bit longer before bringing him home.

Im not saying hes 100% now, i never expected him to be, but now he doesnt immediately bolt away from things hes unsure of (yes it is a bolt, he doesnt have any sense not to kill himself, he would run through anything as proved above) and if i am careful hes not that bad. i just avoid obvious situations like bin day, or tractors or bus times, or dumped rubbish :mad:

as an aside, we started him on blue chip when he dropped weight early in the show season and before it he was reluctant to stand and was stressy and joggy, now he is far more laidback. the only thing i can put it down to is the bluechip, instead of going for bits and bats of supplements we went for a complete balancer and its done the trick (no other routine has changed)
 
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