Advise Please Hit a dead end :/

[xoxellaxox]

Last Year in October for my 21st I got my own horse. Ive been riding since I was 11 and just horse mad! Myself and my parents spent about 3 months looking for a horse that would be ideal for me. In my mind I wanted a safe happy hacker who had been that done that and who i could have a few lessons on . I'm not big into showing . I just wanted to ride and enjoy owning a horse. To cut a long story short I ended up buying a 4 year old ! But he really was a little star , we would go for hours on hacks, he wasn't scared of anything and was a dream in the school and to handle, He really was my perfect horse! These last few months however he has become a bit of a nightmare! He seems to have loads of energy and I'm finding it very difficult to hold him back, hes started napping on hacks. He has bucked me off numerous times in the school. Or just decides to bomb around everywhere. Last week it took me 45 minutes of lunging him before he was calm enough for me to get on him! . Its like he changed overnight. His feed hasn't changed, his routine is the same. Ive had the vet, dentist , farrier and a physio check on him and hes 100% sound! I just don't know what to do. I want my safe happy hacker back!

 

[Ceriann]

I would rule out all ppossible physical problems first - horses dont typically change overnight for no reason, its usually a reaction. I appreciate you've listed most of the basics but have you looked at his saddle? My young mare went from being a very safe hack to explosive and whilst we had a combination of issues, one was a poor fitting saddle (i'd had someone out but they just hadnt done a good job). We went back to basics, lots of ground handling, lunging, just getting the manners right and trust and i'll be honest wwhen we stopped focussing on riding i felt i got to know her better. I only did this though after a full vet work up and i looked at everything, feed, routine etc. We are now back on track - new saddle, taking it all very slowly but she is now more laid back now than she was before.

When does he react, what does he react to, is he always the same or worse in some cases, have you had an incident that could have triggered this, do you ride on your own or with company? Do you have an instructor that can help pr ride him to see if he earcts differently to them?

 

[Zero00000]

Judging by your previous thread from July, its not an overnight change is it?

You say you lost your confidence on him them, so its been a slippery slope,
Check all tack is fitted, and start at the beginning!

 

[dianchi]

Get lessons with a professional, you are on a young horse that needs some help.
Now your confidence is low you need some help

 

[xoxellaxox]

Ive not had my saddle checked actually so I shall look into this! he did come with a new saddle last year but I just went on what his previous owner said. His reactions are all over the place, if we hack on our own then he is extremely spooky and naps, the worse case was where he took off at a full gallop down a main road back to the yard, nothing had spooked him he just turned and ran. If we hack out with other horses his spooks are minimal BUT he is a nightmare to handle he pushes the other horses, bites them tries to kick and buck, and all breaks go out the window. In the school he is a lot better and not as spooky but again very very strong and if he wants to gallop laps of the school I just have to hang on for dear life until hes tired. I do have an instructer ans she has just put it down to him being baby and hes really trying to take the p**s basically . She has told me to go back to basics, lots of lunging and ground work, simple things like opening gates with him. But its hard as he was such a good horse and his manners were impeccable!

 

[nikicb]

Does your instructor (or anyone else) ride your horse? How does he behave with them?

 

[xoxellaxox]

My instructor has rode him in the school and he tried it on big style with her. She just sat to him and kept pushing him forward and he did eventually calm down she got him working extremely well . That's why she said it's him just pushing me and seeing what he can get away with. She is obviously a lot better rider than me and can sit to his erratic behavior. No one at my yard will get on him as they have seen what hes like.

 

[Booboos]

Unfortunately it sounds like a typical youngster. By all means get all the usual checks (saddles should really be checked every 6 months, especially with a young horse that's changing all the time), but it is fairly common for previously calm youngsters to go through a 'teenager' phase when they are 5-6yo.

You need to resolve the problem asap and the best way is to get your instructor to ride him on a regular basis to re-teach him good habits, otherwise he risks learning that it is acceptable to play around and he may end up hurting both of you.

 

[nikicb]

My instructor has rode him in the school and he tried it on big style with her. She just sat to him and kept pushing him forward and he did eventually calm down she got him working extremely well . That's why she said it's him just pushing me and seeing what he can get away with. She is obviously a lot better rider than me and can sit to his erratic behavior. No one at my yard will get on him as they have seen what hes like.

So long as all the physical checks have come back clear, it sounds to me that you have a fairly typical teenage horse to deal with. I've been there as well, as have many people on the forum, but you do need to have a long hard think about what you want to do.

If you are sure he is the right horse for you in the long term, get the instructor or another experienced rider to ride him on a regular basis. You could well have another 1-2 years of this testing behaviour which is why a 4 year old was perhaps not the wisest choice as a first horse. You will get there, but more than likely only if you get someone more experienced to help.

If you really just want to have fun and don't want the challenge, there is no shame at all in selling him on and getting something more established. This is meant to be fun after all.

 

[BayLady]

It does sound very much like typical young horse trying it on behaviour.

I have a 4yr old and once he got his feet under the table so to speak, he started pushing the boundaries. We had a couple of seriously hair raising solo hacks (bucking and rearing combo, he'd do well in the Spanish riding school, napping and shooting around madly) and his manners on the ground deteriorated. I booked a lesson with a good instructor which put us back on track ridden wise by boosting my confidence and giving me some tools to use when he started getting a bit above himself, and we had a "come to Jesus" leading session with a rope halter. That followed with firm but fair handling has us back on track after just a couple of weeks. I have owned for over 12 years and been riding for much longer though, I suspect if I'd been more novice he'd have scared the wits out of me.

It sounds like he's pretty fit as he's been doing quite a lot of work (my 4yo does 3-4 days a week at the minute, hacking for no more than an hour, schooling for 30-40 mins and one lunging session). Add that to the weather turning cooler and windier and you've got a recipe for a handful of a youngster. If his saddle hasn't been checked in that time it's very likely that you'll need it adjusting or even a new one, and if that's the case I'd also get his backed checked as there's a chance he'll be sore as a result, which could explain his current behaviour.

Once you've had the saddle and his back checked, it would be a good idea to get some good instruction on a regular basis, and perhaps even someone more experienced to ride your horse inbetween your lessons/rides, to keep you both on track.