brakes .. or reschooling help please

[TommisMum]

Never throught I'd be on this part of the forum but maybe one of you brave people can help.

Now I'm a schooling fan or wimp in your eyes!!

Anyways I have an 18yr old ex-teenagers horse that has hunted all his life ~(bar the 4 years he came for dressage schooling with me)!

So green fields mean flat out pelting yeehaa to him!!

Decided as we were hacking in a mannerly to take him on a fun ride .... should have been named torture....

From the minute we got there to 14 miles later I was on a prat of horse jogging everywhere and showing off!

The first "canter" Mr Vain tanked off with me and we did 2 laps of the field before pulling up, 2nd canter 2 laps and an unceremonious dumping of Mum in the hawthorn hedge which she refused to let him jump .... (major scratches on buttocks source of much amusement to OH on return).

From then on my amazing friends boxed us in whenever there was an open space.
By 10 miles I was able to walk him calmly (well sideways) provided there was noone going any faster and we did the most delightful canter half pass up hills when anyone was!! Extended trot on roads/verges that I would love in the dressage and now know he can do .... (hence the nickname Mr Vain from our madgroup making me sing Your so Vain so I was made to breathe!!)

BUT I would not want to let him get into canter....

How do I reschool him to realise GREEN does not Mean GO!

(Bit is a NS3 ring Gag. )

help wanted for an Old Gal with a bruised ego not to mention other places!!

 

[Archiepoo]

i have the same problem ! except my horse is 20 and has hunted ,evented and team chased all of his life .hes a total schoolmaster in the school but hes a speed freak as soon as his feet touch grass. TBH im accepting this is who he is and have adjusted the brakes accordingly -we go sideways in all 3 paces (beautifully i might add) but hes a very forward going horse and i wouldnt want to change that- i deliberately went out looking for an ex-eventer(so completely my own fault lol ).
i do find he improves slightly with lots of work though- . i also use lots of sit tite spray and ride in a dressage saddle with huge knee rolls which helps loads. sorry i cant be any help really -just wanted you to know you arnt alone

 

[TommisMum]

Thanks Archiepoo ... would never get rid of him he's such a character but my world is it scary/exhilirating/bum clenching and fantastic all at once.

(winces as sits on scratches....)

Like the dressage saddle hint though .....

 

[marley and danni]

Hey im no expert but had major probs with my exracer when i first got him tanking in open feilds.... its taken around 6months to be able to gallop with friends in open spave and actually tske him hunting which he loved. I just spent months keeping him at back when we are cantering in groups and also i got my fiends t gallop off n i stay in walk thrn canter up behind. Also i asked friends if i could canter infront a few times. I also put a pelham in but tied the curb up and used it when i took hold and now i can gallop him in groups at the back middle and front in his snaffle....its just a case of re teaching manners in open space x

 

[JenHunt]

I would make sure he's getting plenty of work, and actually, plenty of faster work (on his own perhaps!) on grass so it becomes less exciting, and as M&D suggests, in a small group of 2 or 3 of you get him cantering at the back and at the front.

you may well find that as he's hunted, if he's held up by the person in front he's quite polite. Or, if he's mastered, then he may be better in front. Some of them feel like they've been left behind at the back, and some feel anxious "going away" from friends at the front...

personally I like the double bridle for being nice when he is, and having brakes when he's not... but it depends on how confident you feel with double reins on a fresh horse!

 

[Luci07]

Think it's a catch 22. The less you let him canter, the bigger a deal it becomes. Make it boring and standard. See if you can teach your horse in the school to come back from first trot, then canter when you sit up, loosen the reins and say scratch your horses neck. My youngster has learnt that this coupled with a loud downward "brrrr" noise means slow down and stop. I made it very different from normal aids so as not to mix him up. The reason for this was my old mare, Madame know it all, hunter and eventing schoolmistress extrodinaire was a complete nightmare to pull up either out hunting or at the end dog the XC course. Having been (rightfully) told off for my inability to pull up after XC I decided I needed another method and this one works!