Blooming horse (and owner) advice please

[4leggedfurries]

and dont be too harsh! I know what you luvlies are like lol!

I just dont know what to do at the moment with D and would like some avice on which way to go. He's a wonderful horse, well mannered, tempered etc can do what i like with him sort, but am struggling on schooling him. I try to ride often as possible but when you have a boggy field and a crap road to ride on theres only so much you can do. The main problem is that he suffers with idleitis and finds every single hole going. He has issues out hacking but thats something i'm working on but its the schooling i need help. A lot of the time he can be hard work, really having to kick on to get him going, i cant use spurs on him as he throws a wobbly every time i touch him and when you have a weak leg its something i could do with. I can use a whip, but for the first few times he'll throw in a mini buck then settle down. I try to vary the work so he doesnt get bored but then when it comes to pole work or jumping he turns into a loon, tanks round, am practically holding the reins by his bit. he also careers off after the jump (and yes i have done grids to try slow him down but hasnt worked yet) and takes me till the other end of the field to get him under control. He goes from cant be @rsed to raving loon and its p!ssing me off. Next year i'm going to have regular lessons as i should have somewhere suitable at home to have them then, but do i in the spring send both of us somewhere to have a couple of weeks intensive training (i can ride but i'm the first to admit i have to work hard at it and am not the most experienced/gifted of riders), with me and a more competant person riding him to give him a kick up the backside and some work on the jumping? Do i change any of the feed he's on, currently hes on hi-fi, D&H build up mix, speedi beet and veggie oil. Do i put him in different bits for riding, i ride in a loose ring french link for flat work and atm a hanging cheek french link for jumping, but dont have the best control and have been told to try, bubble gag, myler short shank combo, of a ns elevator for this. Oh i dont know, so blooming frustrated i could cry. I was sold a rc horse and thats what i want! I want to go to a few little comps, i want to jump (3' - 3'6") and i want to do xc, but at the moment were going no where fast.

 

[Paint it Lucky]

There are quite a few things you can do so don't despair!

My first idea is if he is lazy schooling but a loony jumping why not combine the two? Put some jumps up in the school and work round them, warm up first then pop over a few to wake him up then use the energy this creates to your advantage, get him going forwards into the contact on some circles in trot and canter and various other school figures, popping him over a jump whenever he starts to lack motivation. This will not only get him putting more effort into his chooling it will also get him listening to you more with regards to jumping. Satrt with the jumps quite small and do lots of work round them, so that he really has to listenb to you rather than just tanking over them. Also I would try to keep him in the hanging cheek for this if you can. Hope this helps

 

[Paint it Lucky]

Also is there nowhere near by with a school you could hack to to use when the ground is bad? (Also adds variety so is good in that way too). Or if not, practise schooling when on hacks, do lots of transitions etc, try to get him bending properly when you go round corners, leg yild across tracks etc. Horse tend to be more forward going on hacks so this may be easier than battling with him at home.

From what you feed him I'm guessing he is a poor doer? If so great! As it means you can feed him lots of high energy food without worrying about him getting fat. Barley rings are great for weight gain and energy (prehaps swap these for the build up). I would keep him on oil as this is good for stamina. Maybe add some competition mix or even straight oats for more energy. Though judging by his jumping behaviour it does sound more like he just can't be bothered rather than he actually lacks the energy. Keep his work as varied and exciting as possible as I know you are trying. Definately try to have some lessons as these will give you specific things to work on rather than just laziness! You could also try pole work, schooling and hacking out with other horses. I hope you find something that works,

Best wishes Painted Lucky

 

[4leggedfurries]

Thanks for that! My one problem with putting up jumps for him to work around is that he automatically switches to jumping mode and then he wont listen, pulls and drifts so that he's heading in the direction of the jump! I do lots of transitions, circles, figures of 8, you name it we attempt it (not always sucessfully lol). I do try to school him whilst out hacking but he does have 'issues' whilst out but have made a lot of progress, dont normally have to get off him to walk him past stuff and the nearest person who has a school is about 4/5 miles away but i've never asked if i could use it.

Yeah he's a poor dooer, drops weight really easily and has dropped quite a bit over the last few weeks (were not even close to winter!!!!) must admit i was always led to believe that if you wanted a sane horse never to feed them oats but i'll give anything a go. Just got to save for the lessons now!

 

[the watcher]

1) have you checked back, tack and teeth recently to eliminate physical causes - especially if he has changed shape and lost weight

2) are you feeding a calmer? If not start one now

3) forget the intensive training and aim for a lesson at least every two weeks with a trainer you trust - ideally in a school