Difficult New Horse

[Livviequine]

Hello everyone!
I've recently bought a horse who has been jumped too much and not schooled? His neck is upside down, he's nervous around poles and he keeps wanting to rear up. Does anyone have any tips on how:

I can make him walk on and stop him napping, he is threatening to rear so how can I stop this?

How can I muscle him up? He's been changed into a bit as he used to be ridden with a hackamore before so what are some good schooling techniques?

He takes ages to get the bit in his mouth so what do I need to do to help this?

I really think I need to start from the basics but I really would like some tips.

Thanks everyone! 😊

 

[be positive]

You do need to go back to basics, did you get him vetted before you bought him? if not a check over may be a good idea, as he is muscled up the wrong way it may be due to discomfort and not just poor riding, the two tend to go together as being badly ridden can make them very sore, a physio would be the next step along with a dentist to check his teeth are ok. then saddler if you have not already but be aware that once he starts to muscle up it will need to be refitted, possibly several times.

Once you have had the checks done the physio will probably give you an exercise plan, usually lunging and long reining until he has started to relax and build up, at least a couple of weeks with no riding may be required to allow him to start using himself correctly and learn to drop his head as his back lifts up, he will begin to use his core muscles and should start to improve in his general way of going, it is not going to be a quick fix but will be worthwhile as he becomes less tense and you start to see him gain confidence.

 

[Booboos]

You can't really do anything with him until you have eliminated the possibility of a health issue. Vet first, then dentist, physio and saddler.

Once you get the all clear re-school him like you would a youngster. It will take up to two years of correct schooling to build the right muscles.

 

[Sprig]

I would get the all clear from the vet then forget about going in the school, forget about jumping and get out and hack, up hill and down dale. You can do lots of the schooling out and about and it is much easier to get the horse thinking forwards. Hill work will help him build the correct muscles.

 

[Livviequine]

Thankyou everyone! He was vetted and it's because he has been jumped and galloped around he has an upside down neck. He does have separation issues as he was left in a field. I think I am going to go back to basics and lunge him for a month or two and once he is balancing out put some side reins on him loosely so he can slowly build up the muscle. What would everyone else do? Thankyou 😊

 

[EQUIDAE]

I'm a big fan of lots of hacking with hill work and also raised trotting poles. I've found by using a combination of these there is no need for gadgets you're taking a good forward step questioning why rather than just changing bit/tack

 

[Sprig]

If you are not keen to get on him at the moment I would long rein rather than lunge. Lots of small circles are very stressful and not good for them.

 

[be positive]

Thankyou everyone! He was vetted and it's because he has been jumped and galloped around he has an upside down neck. He does have separation issues as he was left in a field. I think I am going to go back to basics and lunge him for a month or two and once he is balancing out put some side reins on him loosely so he can slowly build up the muscle. What would everyone else do? Thankyou ��

I think a month or so with regular lunging, also some hacking for variety would be beneficial, if he lunges properly using his core muscles, work over poles would help, then there should be no need to use gadgets as he will start to drop his head and stretch once he learns he can and he is not restricted in any way, circle work can be very hard work for an unfit or stiff horse but will be the best way to get him working forward correctly at this stage, if done for short periods it will do more good than harm.
I would get a physio out as they can release any tension that is in him and give you a good start.

 

[kc100]

This horse sounds identical to one I used to ride....bar the vetting part, I doubt the horse I used to ride would pass a vetting!

As all others have said - providing he passed the vetting then next steps are dentist to look at his teeth (having had a horse who hated the bit myself, it was because his teeth were in a state because of neglect from previous owner). Get the dentist to make sure wolf teeth are properly removed, you'd be amazed at how many shoddy EDT's or vets who have a go at equine dentistry try and remove wolf teeth but leave bits in there. Get the teeth rasped and if the dentist gives the all clear then work on practicing putting the bit in daily. There are many things you can try, a rubber bit often works for horses that dont like the bit. Make sure it is a snaffle and you are not using anything stronger, again that could be where the association of pain is coming from with the bit if they have previously been ridden in something stronger. Bit butter can also work, again just makes it a bit more tasty and less cold & intrusive for the horse. There are youtube videos from equine behavioural specialists on getting a horse who hates the bit/bridle to accept the bit - have a watch of those.

I wouldnt do any ridden work or any lunging/long lining until the bit issue has been resolved - if you are having to fight to get the bit on before a ride/schooling session you start the session on a bad foot and the horse will associate you and the bit with aggression & fighting - not good!

I know its a new horse and I'm sure you want to crack on with riding/schooling, but honestly as I said the horse I used to ride sounds identical to this, and he got worse if anyone had to force the bit in before the schooling session. And you'd be tired before you even got on from taking half an hour or so to get the bridle on!

Its a day by day process with problem horses like this who may have been neglected/mis-treated in the past, you have to take it very slow and make tiny bits of progress each day. The association with pain from the bit takes a very long time to overcome, its not a memory that is quick to erase so you need to be patient and get this part right, otherwise you are never going to have a horse happy to be ridden.

Once he is accepting the bit with no arguments, physio is the next step - if the muscle build up is all wrong then he'll need regular physio to get everything aligned properly.

As you said you need to start with the basics so its great you are thinking that way - but for this horse, the basics are groundwork and ruling out pain from various sources before you even think about sitting on him or lunging/long reining.

Once you have ruled out any pain (FYI the horse I rode that was very similar to yours had ulcers - many spooky/nappy horses have ulcers and napping is the response to the pain, so if you can get him scoped, I wouldnt be surprised if he has fairly bad ulcers) then come back again and let us know how you got on - dont think about anything other than getting the bit issue resolved and pain resolved for the next 2 months.

Good luck - sounds like you have a challenge on your hands!

 

[ester]

As you said you need to start with the basics so its great you are thinking that way - but for this horse, the basics are groundwork and ruling out pain from various sources before you even think about sitting on him or lunging/long reining.

you could lunge/long rein with a headcollar/dually though. IME some horses actually work better in a more through but relaxed way then.

 

[kc100]

you could lunge/long rein with a headcollar/dually though. IME some horses actually work better in a more through but relaxed way then.

You could......again with the horse I used to ride who sounds very similar to OP's horse we did work in a dually and a hackamore....problem was with his ulcers he still struggled with lunging and any form of exercise, nappy behaviour and not even wanting to walk does sound like a pain issue and any form of exercise, with or without a bit, is only going to aggravate it.

With horses like this that have real problems trying to push them through it with lunging/long reining/any other form of ground based exercise doesnt typically work, it certainly didnt with the horse I rode - made him worse if anything. The ulcers were so bad with him that even in walk he could go off at any moment due to the pain.

OP - I know I sound like a stick in the mud and the voice of doom and gloom, but I spent many years working with this horse I reference and many times on the floor with various injuries, his owner spent close to £15k in various vets, physio, dentist bills and ultimately we concluded his past was too much for him to overcome so he has retired from work at the age of 7 and lives a life happily munching away in a field with his friends. We made some progress with him, he became much more trusting of people, and loved being handled on the ground, groomed etc - so that in itself was fantastic, but we could never resolve the ridden/exercise/bit issue purely because of how bad his past was.

I'm sure that isnt the case for your horse, and I really do hope you have a lot more luck with yours than I did with the horse I rode - however I'm telling you my tale so I get across how important it is just to be super slow with him, take it right back to the start as you would a youngster that hasnt been backed, and deal with the more pressing issues before you worry about exercising him.

Ensure he has plenty of turnout to try avoid him becoming too fresh to handle. But please prioritise the health checks and dealing with the bit issue before you come to lunging/long-reining/exercise of any kind....your relationship with the horse will be much better for it and he will not associate you with pain. As soon as you start fighting with him to get a bit in, or lunging/long-reining when you havent done the appropriate health checks and turns out he is in pain from something.....he will associate you with pain and it will be hard to get his trust back.

Problem horses with bad pasts are not like a horse that is simply a bit stiff on one side, or just a bit spooky on occasion etc....they need careful rehabilitation that is taken very slowly in order to get them to come good again. I know its dull, and not what you want with a new horse, you want to be doing lots of exciting things with them....but from experience that does more damage than good, so take it slow, get the physio out and I really do suggest having him scoped just so you can at least rule that out as the cause of the napping. But from experience with horses that were in fast work (i.e lots of galloping & jumping) more often than not they are very ulcer prone, so really worth looking into.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Thankyou everyone! He was vetted and it's because he has been jumped and galloped around he has an upside down neck. He does have separation issues as he was left in a field. I think I am going to go back to basics and lunge him for a month or two and once he is balancing out put some side reins on him loosely so he can slowly build up the muscle. What would everyone else do? Thankyou ��

Please don't! Can you imagine how bored the poor horse will become, lunging for a month? Get him out and about hacking, or long-reining, to help him to develop the correct muscles and balance. Throw the haynet (if you use one) away and feed him rom the ground to help to get rid of the 'U'-neck.