Advise from experienced trainers please (French Trotter)

[paddi22]

I had one similar trotter in before and it was a case of boredom/being institutionalised a bit. I was restarting her and I always handwalk them for a bit any the start. they are real workhorses who love a job and my mare just found hand walking pointless, boring and confusing. I think it didn't occupy her brain enough or give her the adrenaline buzz of fast movement so she just started acting up. the acting up would start after about he same period too and she would do it when ridden as well, perfect for 10-15 mins and messing., it was easily fixed by doing groundwork and inhand stuff with her and giving her things to figure out. I taught her bend, flex backing up and lateral work and then any time I hand walked she would be doing that and it kept her brain occupied. it looks tons of reward and praise as well. at the start it was just walk for 5 mins, back up do turn on the forehand fuss and reward and back to stable. and then repeat that several times during day. if you do it all in one session the horse seems to get too excited about their chance to get out and work, they need to come out a few times work a few times in a day.

I would suggest either deciding to have it as a sulkies horse or a riding horse, going between the two jobs can blow some of their minds and they can't handle switching from one to the other. what I've found all of my trotters have needed is some way to release adrenaline out of the sulkies as well. so I take them for a ridden fast canter/gallop on grassy tracks up a hill, I really think as high adrenaline horses they need an outlet to release it at least one or twice during the week.

it could well be a physical issue your horse has, but if it isn't my guess would be a mix of confusion, boredom, bad manners and too much energy.

 

[paddi22]

reading back on the post I think trying to retrain it while it's still sulky racing is just blowing its mind. if you think about it, they have to access adrenaline-style flight responses when they are racing, that releases a massive amount of chemicals and hormones in their bodies and that reaction would kick in on some level as soon as they think they are starting 'work'. it's like if every time you went to work you were going in a ring to fight someone for survival, your body gets pumped with fight or flight chemicals. then someone tells you to do a new job, but now it's gentle yoga. which is fine, you can learn how to do that. but if every time you left for work you didn't know if you'd be fighting or doing yoga, you would melt. if you are retraining, retrain fully so the horse is clear in its job and can reprogram it's brain. if you are retraining for riding you are also for the first time teaching the horse to slow, balance and carry weight correctly, to round its back and work in a totally-different way through the entire spine and neck to lift and strengthen. I can't see the benefit of asking a horse to learn to work that way and then totally confusing them by by getting to go hollow and rushed again in a sulkie. even physically I think it will be damaging for it to be going between the two types of frame, you will weaken both frames and won't get the benefit from either of the two frames work-wise.


what do you do with the sulkies? do they get sold on to a particular style client for a job?