Difficult youngster

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georgiesparkes

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I'm in need of advice for riding my difficult youngster. He is 5 rising 6 so not that young but has only ever done one season of hunting. He is very quick to learn and is already going beautifully on the flat, he seems to really enjoy learning new things! However he gets extremely excited, which leads to him tensing up and throwing his head up very high in the air, I got him a martingale to control this, but he still gets extremely tense and bunches up in his trot, making him very hard to sit to. I know this is just a learning curve because he is young and he will eventually grow out of it, but I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for my riding so I don't get too tense when he is, and how to quickly get him relaxed again?!

Thank you so much x
 
Do you have triggers that make him excited? Are there certain moments or events etc that you know make him excited or tense? I think that's your first step to solving this. Typically I find with clever horses they need to be kept busy and on their toes - my horse, given too much time to think about anything, will run around with his nose poked out in giraffe style. I do lots of polework, new shapes and changes of pace etc to keep him guessing. He LOVES polework it keeps him motivated :)
 
Whenever he is in a different environment, or something has changed about the arena we use he doesn't like it and it takes ages for him to settle! He also spooks really easily and at everything! Pole work sounds like a really good idea! Thank you!
 
I agree with the pole work suggestion.

Also loads and loads of transitions, anything to keep him thinking.

He sounds fab, far better to have a motivated horse than a lazy one I think :)

Also don't spend too much time in walk when you start schooling, as long as he hasn't been stood in the stable all day there is no reason why you can't crack on in trot .
 
He needs to learn how to relax, it sounds obvious but it is an important part of training to find a way of teaching them to drop down into a long frame and switch off when asked, that way you have a place to go to if and when he starts to tense up, with mine I like them to start every session on a totally loose rein in walk, it is not always easy to start with but they do pick up that loose rein means "chill" usually I it start at the end of a session when they are more tired I can drop the reins and let them stretch down completely, this comes from working long and low which I want to be able to do in all paces when asked for.
Until they can stay in a rhythm and remain in front of the leg without relying on the hand you will struggle to get rid of the tension, a few lessons working with a good instructor would be very useful to get him more focused on you and less on the environment around him.
Giving them plenty to think about can work but for some if you throw too much info into the mix without the basics in place it makes them more tense and they start to anticipate which is why I think having someone on the ground is the best way forward until you find out what makes him tick and get a little more established.
 
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