Advise please the youngster who doesn't want to walk!!

asommerville

asommerville

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Hi folks, i have a lovely 3 year old idxanglo arab gelding who i am starting to back. now he has the nicest nature ever and has been lunged, walked out in hand and i have just started long reining him. He has taken this all in his stride - apart from teh long reining but i think this relates to the problems i am having with getting him to go forward.

I have sat on him, he is a little star and is very happy to follow somone else about the school on the end of a lunge rope. however when there is no one there for him to follow he either stands and refuses to move (which is fine) or (and this is worse) takes off and broncs until he gets you off - which i don't like!!!!

i have put a teddy on his back so he can get used to having something on his back and the first few times he bucked and bucked in an attempt to get it off, now that he has realised that he can't get it off he doesn't do anything and i have been long reining him with the teddy on in an attempt to get him moving forwards with no one in front of him. This is working so far but i was wondering if there was anything else that people thought i could be doing with him?

i really don't think he is frightened or upset, his back has been checked and i have changed his saddle. He is always really happy to be tacked up and behaves really well in the school.

i think the initial problem was that he wanted someone there with him as a bit of reassurance and now he might just be trying it on.

Any advice on what to do is great, as i am reluctant to be launched into the air again and to frighten him i don't want to get on him and let loose until i am happy that he won't run away with me again. i did consider waiting until next year to back him but i am a bit reluctant as by that time he will be even bigger and stronger! The plan was to break him in a wee bit and then turn him away until next year. Thanks in advance!
 
Can you get him used to you riding him by having someone in the school who walks alongside your leg? No lead rein or anything and not having your horse follow, just someone there. Once he is ok with that then you could slowly increase the distance until it is just someone stood in the school, then no-one. If at any stage he freaks, then just go back on step and get him comfortable with that again, then move on. It's all very well wondering if he is taking the mick a bit, but if he has a proper bronc then I'm not sure I would want to be the one to try and call his bluff! I would just try a different approach instead. Not accepting of him taking the mick, but always being a comforting, calm and confidence boosting presence.
 
the broncing has not been fun!! i will try that though it sounds good. i thought the long reining would help as it is encouraging him to walk forward on his own.
 
I wondered if he might feel rather too much 'on his own' with long reining? He doesn't have anyone near him for encoragment so needs more of his confidence to go forwards on his own. If he doesn't feel that good about the idea, then I guess that's wear the bronc comes from! Hope all goes well.
 
I would have someone on the ground with a lunge whip and when you ask him to move forward if he doesn't listen give him a flick and make him walk/trot on. Make sure you've got a neck strap and if he starts bucking try and sit tight and ride him through it. If you are not up for this then I'd get someone more experienced in to sit on him and get him going forward. Should only take a couple of sessions. With all the breakers I have in, I get them going forwards safely and then straight out hacking/around the fields with a lead horse. Some horses just don't like being long reined (had one that sat on the ground and wouldn't move) so that was a case of getting on without long reining. I'd be more worried if he wouldn't move off my leg and was planting himself rather than shooting forward and bucking!
 
he is coming on really well with the long reining now, at first i had someone walk beside him but now he is happier on his own with his teddy on top lol. it's not so much the bucking that is the problem as i can (and have) sat it no problem, it was the arching his back and jumping all 4 feet off the ground then then galloping away as fast as he could and then broncing and when that didn;t work start bucking...... Did stay on for ages though got a round of applause off my very petrified and stressed out instructor lol but i woudl rather not let him know that it is possible for people to be bronced off

i have also tried him following another horse which was great for a couple of days, then he thought sod that lol and i really can't afford to get broken and be off my work!

will keep trying with everything said so far :-) i know it will be worth it in the end!
 
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