Am I expecting too Much ??? (Little Long)

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Gentle_Warrior

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I am not sure if I am expecting too much of my horse ?

To hack out alone he is a dream. In company he is brill. BUT when in company and the other horse canters, there have been times I have not wanted to, e.g. he has not warmed up yet, he throws a complete paddy.

He jogs, which I can cope with and expect, as soon as you lighten with the hands to calm him he is off, he throws his head around in pure displeasure and really gets himself worked up. Then when you ask him to trot, he gets faster and faster, even with slowing the rising.

I then sometimes ask for canter and he just prances around, yanks his head down and bombs off.

And every time I canter in company he thinks it's a race. Would not be too bad but he is NO WAY a racehorse !!!!

All of this goes on while the other horse is, in sight, at the end of the lane waiting for us.

What can I do ?? Please don't say have lessons or go into school, this is not an option as he does not get on with the school we have and I have no transport to use another yards.

I just want to be able to go at my own pace no matter who is with is and for him to be happy with that. The way he is going I am going to teach him a lesson and put him for a dressage show, he can obviously be lighter on his feet that he shows me every day !!

Thanks Guys
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To be honest I have found in my (not that massive) experience, some horses are just more like this than others! My lad is pretty well schooled these days, and don't get me wrong, he NEVER gets to just charge off after other horses just because he feels like it, but he doesn't let that stop him prancing around on the spot! We have spent years having big schooling sessions (and a few almighty arguements!) about it, making him walk every time he tries to canter off, making him stop whenever he jogs etc etc, but to be honest it is just part of his character, he is a racer through and through (well, his ancestors were arab raced, he never was!).
However lots of schooling and transitions has meant that although he is desperate to go, he doesn't now as long as I hang on to him, not with my hands as that just winds him up, but through my seat and core muscles. Lessons made a big difference though I have to say, could yo hav lessons in a field or something if he hates the school? Also with cantering in a group, I have to keep him very collected and work him in an outline, never giving an inch or he will take a mile! It doesn't help that his propoer 'schooled' canter is very slow, he gets so wound up! Or if I let him go, it has to be a proper gallop, which he absolutely loves
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, so we do do that sometimes...the most important thing for him has been the distinction between the two...controlled canter or proper blast, and no middle ground!
Not sure if that will help you at all but at least you know you aren't alone noe!
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Would it be possible to agree with the other rider to canter when you both want to. Most horses would be difficult if another horse went off in canter without them - mine would be a nightmare! When I go out in company we always discuss what we want to do and if someone doesn't want to canter we don't.
Can you do some schooling on hacks especially if you're on your own. Do lots of transitions, vary the pace of your trot and canter. When my horse is naughty hacking I find doing something to make him concentrate on my aids helps.
 
Sounds like he's being a cheeky beasty and his antics are showing you he's pi**ed off with being left behind. If you want him to be able to stay behind, and you say you do, he should learn to do that. You may have to put up with a bit of jogging and head tossing if he gets impatient. You are not asking too much by deligating the pace - you are taking him out, not the other way around! These horses taking liberties...
 
Have you tried trotting to the end of the lane and letting the person who wants to canter catch you up?
I think that the vast majority of horses will give you a bit of trouble if their "only friend" has cantered away and left them.
I'm sorry to say schooling and lessons are the only thing I can suggest if you really want to change his behaviour, however you can school on a hack and lessons don't have to be boring.
 
This is what worked for me. Out on hacks practice walking and trotting off in front whilst your hacking partner stands or walks behind, then be the one who stands whilst the other horse walks off in front or walk whilst the other horse trots off, build up the distance between the two of you from a few strides until your almost out of sight of one another. Then do the same whilst cantering, it might be easier if one of you canters a circle round the other to start off with. Some horses get used to this quickly but others never manage it, I have one of each
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Most horses hate being left behind, so will jog, prance or just take off. Its really rude of other people to just canter off when you're not wanting to though! I've never been able to get Chex to stay behind, he's just yanks his head about and takes off
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, I've just got used to it (the lazy approach
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Just out of interest; what is he like if you start out on a hack with others and then you go off on your own?

I spend time teaching mine that they are not always necessarily going to be riding with the other horse/s for the whole of the ride and when they are little I will always take myself off alone with the horse.....often to meet back up again a little while later. I also get them used to other horses cantering off, trotting off with my horse being expected to remain at the gait which I ask. Mine all do this happily - they tend to listen to me rather than be interested in what another horse and rider are doing.

I wonder if you could teach this to your horse; do you have the facilities in which to teach him? Do you have a hacking area and a nice friend with a horse, who will help you teach your horse this? You can start off in an arena, have your horse walk and have your friend ride around you at all paces. Then you can move out of the arena and practise the same exercises out in a field, then once that is perfected move out to practise on hacking trails.

Anyone can do it; if your friend is happy to help you out then it really shouldn't take a whole length of time to teach. Make sure that she doesn't canter off into the distance too early in the training though. If she just does short bursts of it and then returns to you, then each time make the bursts a bit longer to finally her going out of sight of your horse.
 
Emma_C –-------> I do make a point that when ever he starts acting like this I do not give in. Would not be too bad if he was a TB or like you an Arab but he is a bloody HUGE suffokl punch x cob !!!!! I do let him a gallop and we both love it, but like you I do often hold him back so that he does not take it as a habit. Although at the mo it’s walk or just flat out !!!! I am glad I am not alone !! x

Hullabaloo –-------> This is the other annoying thing is that I will say to my friend that I do not want to canter etc and she knows what he gets like and she will start trotting with me and then just go. I am at the stage where I hate hacking out with her. When hacking alone I do school and he is brilliant. And the other reason for being annoyed about it is that he should be able to hang back and be happily listening to me. x

Mighty_Blighty –-------> thank you for confirming that I am not asking too much !!!!!! I think next time I will just make him walk all the time !!!!! you should have seen him he got himself in such a state he was dripping in sweat !! Felt mean, hence posting this !!!! x

Comicduo –-------> yeah tried that and of course he is fine with that, but not so confident rider in the background has a nightmare with her horse !!!!! I am the stronger rider, hence why if I don’t want to do something we hand back which means me dealing with the strops !!! x

Tabithakat64 –-------> hhhmmmm might give that a go !!! x

Chex –-------> I am starting to resign myself to just either letting him go or just putting up with aches the next day !!! x

Tia –-------> bless ya !!! if horses hack and then we split, he will spend 10 mins screaming and refusing to move and then go donkey like going away but as soon as you are going in the same direction as they left in, he will start screaming and jogging. He is even a nightmare if we even see a horse in the distance !!! he nearly put me in a tree cause there was one in front and I would not let him follow it !!!

He is fine in the school doing passing exercises etc, he used to work in a riding school and had this all the time. He takes A LOT of leg in the school to move at all.

I think the whole prob is to be honest is that my friend is younger than me and loans her horse 2 days a week and is still at the novelty stage of wanting to canter and gallop everywhere. She is 5 years younger than me. Where as I own my lad and therefore no offence to anyone here I know what can happen if, he is not warmed up, the ground is too hard etc etc (different from those who have permanent loan animals where you pay for everything then you may aswell say you own aswell !!!!!!) And where I am there is no one else confident enough to help me, I am the one that helps them, if that makes sense !!! Back to hacking at myself at this rate !!!

Would be ok to get my head around, but I am sure you have all seen pictures of the animal in question !!! this is him if you never seen him !!! every time I think of this doing the above I laugh to myself.

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Maybe try to explain the situation to your friend (as I'm sure you have) with the threat that if it happens again you won't hack out with her. Then stick to it! I know nice to have company, but if you don't enjoy hacking out with her anyway at the moment what's the point. If she wants your company and sees that you mean it she will have to be more considerate.
In an ideal world our horses would ignore what the others are doing and listen to us, but unfortunately none of our horses are perfect. My horse would be a nightmare in that situation and while I will hold him up and make him do as he's told, I know he'll always argue about it. That's just how he is so I find it best not to get into that situation in the first place.
Your boy looks very strong (and lovely too!) - I wouldn't fancy arguing with him! Good luck!!!
 
I have resigned myself along with Chex on this one and yes it probably is the lazy approach.

Bert is as you have described your lad to be and again being a larger lad is incredibly difficult to hold. Even cantering on a hack results in rocket take off for a few strides before getting any kind of controlled canter. I have lessons and he is fine in the school but hacking out is a different matter.

I am lucky however that my hacking buddies (who are 15 yrs my junior) are very understanding and will let Bert go in front if cantering or galloping and we always check every one wants to change the pace. (including donwards transitions otherwise it ends up in a pile up
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I have found that practising transitions on the hacks has helped a bit but I would consider changing your hacking partner if they cannot be more considerate
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No words of wisdom though I am afraid as I just grin and bare it.
 
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