Anyone else's horse got the wind up their ****!!!!

S

Shantor1

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Mine has!! All 18hh of him. He's had almost 3 months off work as I don't have the time to ride him over winter due to working FT. Our livery yard is slap bang on a very fast main road and he is a v spooky animal requiring a lot of reassurance and positive leadership from me. For the first month of bringing him back to fitness I start by riding him in walk around our large fields with hills and going large around the arena. Over time we commence trotting etc and I box him up to safer off road riding once he's done some flatwork to get him listening to my leg etc.

I decided to start him on our usual pre-fittening work of leading him in hand around the arena and to start me on my own fitness programme. I had his boots and bridle on and got as far as leading to the arena! By which time he was bouncing like a rubber ball, then he noticed the black haylage wrapper flapping in the tree (it is very windy here today)...half reared, spun round. I knew if I opened the gate to the arena he'd be gone. I had a job to lead him as he was pulling my arthritic shoulder.

Led him back to the stable and removed bridle and put on his rope control halter. Led him out again and as if by magic he behaved, calmly walked into the arena, we walked around for 10 minutes and I made a big fuss of him.

My conclusion is that apart from feeling fresh in the wind, I think he is associating his bridle with previous times when I used to lunge him with side reins. He started to go short and one day panicked and nearly went over so stopped using them. Physio later found sore areas and advised side reins were not long enough for him. I bought the longest I could find on the market but he still panicked when I tried again so not bothering. Yet he's lunged lovely and quietly without andy gadgets, stretching down etc and working from behind. Its just this initial 'begin-work-again-mess-about syndrome.

Looking at from a psychological point of view I think I was a bit keyed up this morning and he sensed it. On past 2 counts as soon as we've gone in the arena with bridle on he's shot off, I've tried to stop him but he's reared right up nearly coming on top of me or whipped round, bucked and kicked me on top of my leg (v painful). This evening I will bring him in with bridle on and his rope control halter over the top and lead him round quietly. Its becoming an issue and affecting our confidence and trust in one another. Once he's started in daily work he's fantastic and no problem. He is a sensitive horse!

Anyone else with similar experience? How have you overcome it?
 
The wind will not have helped things for you particularly if there were scary things flapping about. But when you lead him out in his bridle do you have a lunge line attached to it. That way when he messes about you can let him out a bit and not be in the way of his head and hooves? I do this with my lad so he can have his paddy without me being involved directly! I clip the lunge line to one side of his bit, take it over his head and through the other bit ring so in effect I could lunge him like that if needs be. And make sure you are wearing gloves too to prevent rope burns! But if he is on a lunge line and you can create some distance between you when he is messing about you can drive him forward out of his sillyness and then bring him back to you once calmed down a bit.
 
Yes, maybe today wasn't the best time to do it plus flapping objects. I've led him into the school with a lunge line on but he's immediately bucked and lashed out whilst I was still closing the gate and caught me.

Decided to go back to basics and lead him with control halter over bridle then progress to doing it with lunge line. If I progress quietly and slowly and keep reassuring him but being firm, may be he'll overcome it. I admit that in the past he's done it and I got cross with him once so this hasn't helped. But this morning I ignored him and it seemed to help!
 
i find that using a pessoa really helps when they start mucking around, since they only fight themselves when they start messing and they soon realise its not worth it, also they are more forgiving than side reins as they can vary their head height and stretch better.
 
My ID has completely lost the plot & having the beagles around yesterday hasn't helped at all. I had to leave him out last night as I couldn't even get a headcollar on him, I did manage to catch him today but leading him was a total nightmare & I had to get someone to do the gate or I'd have lost him. I shan't get on him until the wind has dropped a bit, there's just no point as at best I'll get no useful work out of him & most likely it will turn into a battle & one of us may get hurt.

I'd leave it for a day or two, after 3 months what's the point in forcing the issue?

If he uses himself well when he's lunged without gadgets then I wouldn't bother with them. Or try lunging him with two reins, that can make it easier to get them working properly as you can work both sides & control the quarters but he won't feel restricted in the same way. If you need to use sidereins in the future could you get a saddler to make yours longer?
 
err yes on the yard today - horses going mad in fields scaring horses in outdoor school so spooking ones in indoor school, another horse bolted on farm ride around yard and galloped straight into yard then the new stallion got loose. never a dull minute in the wind...
 
18hh, sheesh, how do you get on, stannah stair lift
shocked.gif
 
whats it like having a 18hh???????? my 3yo is 17'1 now and am thinking hes going to be close to 18h !!
 
Oh dear, I'm not alone then with the wind affecting all our horses! Glad you managed to catch him Nari. I caught him this afternoon as the wind had dropped so put his bridle on and control halter over the top. Led him round the school in hand then managed to quietly slip halter off and he did some loose schooling. Reasonably quiet and came down to walk at my voice command. Very pleased.

Hmm having a rethink about leading him in hand. He hurts my shoulder when he spooks so maybe sensible thing is to ride him in walk only for first week. If he can canter and bomb about his field OK for past 3 months he must be half fit anyway!
 
He he, no I use a 3 foot high mounting block which my dad made! Out of a cut down pair of aluminium ladders fixed to a pair of plastic 2 step tool box. Light weight and comes with me to all dressage and shows! Well used by everybody in the school!
 
Its like riding on top of a mountain - lovely when i"ts sunny" i.e. when he's feeling relaxed and chilled out; or hell when "its howling a gale" i.e. when he's feeling like he's going to explode.

I think the weather's going to be quiet for a few days so will probably start to ride him for 15 to 20 minutes in walk to start with.

At least you get some good views and nobody can look down their noses at us!
 
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