Advice on riding a stubborn horse!

[Showjumper17]

Hi everyone- just looking for a little advice!
I have a 10 yr old ex-racer. I got him 4 yrs ago straight off the track. For the first 2 years he was very lively and a handful! So I focused on re-schooling him and talking him to very small competitions and cubbing etc (all of which were VERY exciting and required a lot of pre-planning). He was always very good but could be quite stubborn when he wanted, i.e hacking out alone he'd nap, not all the time but if he said no then it took quite a while to get him going or occasionally over fences.
Anyway he went out on loan for about 6 months and when he was sent back to me he was a total nightmare. He would bolt into fences and wouldn't go near coloured poles without a serious amount of convincing. Fillers were a no go. He'd simply charge at the fence and last minute duck out and deck you into it! Either that or refuse to go near it and throw a tantrum (spinning about, broncing etc). Lets just say riding wasn't that much fun.
Anyway it took quite a bit of time to set him right, but right now he is a great horse. He hasn't stopped at any fence in over a year now, if he gets it wrong he still attempts it rather than runs out. He's also great on the flat and has done a lot of dressage. But the problem is, I always have to ride him in spurs to get him going. He's changed from being borderline mad to being the most chilled out horse ever. I now take him to huge shows and out hunting and he's just not bothered at all. I'm not complaining, but I do think he's naturally quite lazy now. He does what I ask (if I have spurs) but no more.
I always feel I should try and get rid of the spurts, as i'd rather not have to use them, but without them he is SO lazy. I have to work 10x as hard as him and its almost impossible to get him into canter, as he just throws his head and goes all sticky (his back and teeth are fine). Yet with the spurs on he's perfect!
I'm not sure how to make the transition between them. Crops are no use, if I use one on him he's practically outraged and just plants himself and looks grumpy. He's such a character and I love him to bits but i'd appreciate any advice on how to get him moving a bit better without the spurs!

 

[vickyb]

You have a horse that was previously a feisty sort, but now you are using spurs and have tried a stick as well because of his reluctance to go forward. Have you considered that your horse may be suffering from an illness or is in pain? If this was my horse, I would be getting it examined by a vet to rule out any physical cause before I resorted to stronger aids. For example, having had a horse I cared for display the exact same change of character, it was found to have navicular.

 

[ThoroughbredStar]

"if it aint broke don't fix it"- if he works well with spurs and not without no reason why you should change. Its like bits- why fight a horse in a snaffle if it is comfortable with a Pelham?

 

[yaffsimone1]

My mare came off the track at 4 years and had 2 and a bit years off, she is 7 now. Given half a chance she is the laziest TB / ex racer i have ever known, she has to be kept busy otherwise she will drive me insane with her slow coach attitude.

I did consider spurs with mine but instead went back to basics, forgot about her head (as this would come naturally) and worked on tons of transitions to get that behind working (and it wasn't easy for me, physically i was exhausted!)

Now she goes off the leg like a dream and it doesn't take long, a few weeks, but i have to keep it like this, she goes back to lazy mode if i give her too long off. I also vary her work (although it is simple work as she is still in the conditioning stage after so long off) otherwise she gets bored very quickly and that's when the stubborn / silliness starts.

TB / ex racer is the best horse i've ever owned....there is nothing more refreshing that going up a gallop with the knowledge that she will actually stop at the top and not just plough on like my obnoxious cob!