Earning respect of youngster that aren't scared?

[domane]

I have a traditional cob yearling who is very friendly. I have to walk across the field to get to my stables and he will trot to the gate to say hello when I arrive and often comes over for a scritch when I'm poo-picking. He's great to handle too and doesn't seem scared of anything. But I'm wondering if this is going to be a problem. Sometimes he'll get in my way so I'll growl at him or clunk my poo rake and fork to get him to move and he will just stand and look at me. I've been thinking "ooh, how lovely, he's going to be so steady when he's older" but a friend of mine has recently backed her 4yo similar-personality cob and has had problems in the school which has set me off thinkin. She has lessons and needed help initially to find the forward button but now finds that when they are practising on their own, he will walk a couple of circuits and then stop as if he's bored and can't see the point. She's tried growling, smacking his shoulder with a schooling whip, all the usual persuasions, to no avail so is now hacking him out instead. Is this a common newly-backed trait or could it be because he's so laid back?

This has made me think about the future with my little man. I also have a 15yo TB who is more "normal" (for a TB ) Anyone got any words of advice for me?

Thanks

 

[Kenzo]

I think your worrying too much too soon, he’s still only a baby and will be a bit slow on the up take and no doubt have a laid back nature due to his breeding but this can all change, their personality will develop as he grows up so providing you offer him the right training and educate him well, he’ll learn to understand things and respond much quicker to your commands as time goes on.

Don’t think for one minute that your youngster will turn out like your friends, they are all different despite if they are of the same type/breed.

And remember …let yearlings be yearlings.

 

[BigRed]

I expect her young horse IS bored of walking around a school. That is exactly why so many people take their horses out hacking and hunting - to get them more forward thinking.

 

[Feathered]

domane he sounds exactly like my boy! trad cob yearling, mine is v friendly also, loves humans he thinks were just here to scratch him! he's never had a human be mean to him or hurt him so he never assumes you are going to, even when I've rubbed the clippers over him, or flung rugs over him...

He's also very interested in poo picking! I'm sure he'd get in the wheel barrow if he could, if only they could be trained to help, but on the plus side it's a good opportunity to teach him to back up and he's picked it up pretty well.

He's also showing signs of stubborness but I think it's a cob trait. I think cobs have always got a bit of an attitude like "so give me a good reason why I should waste energy doing this?" It's one of the reasons I like them! My mare has always been like that, if she doesn't see the point of what were doing it's harder to get her to concentrate or try. But then that might be a mare thing not a cob thing.. so I'll shut up now.

Will be very interested to see how you get on though, cos I'll be going through the same things!

 

[Maesfen]

Once the basic stop, start and direction aids have been cracked then she's doing the right thing in hacking her youngster, it's the best thing for them rather than spending endless time going around in circles. She can teach as she hacks when she'll have a horse that is more forward going than in a school.
Don't worry about yours, just don't let him lose respect for you, make him back up when you ask but leave him alone in the main, he's only a yearling, time for school is a long way away.

 

[Tallante]

This sounds familiar.

My boy gives me a lot of trouble because he has no fear of me whatsoever.

We're working on the issue, it doesn't arise every day or in every situation but I'll give you one example.

At the moment I can't lunge him; I have never been able to. Others can, but in a limited way. NO amount of effort from me short of a good flogging (which I haven't attempted) will get him to move away from me on the lunge. Loud noises, flappy whips, shouting, raging, jumping up and down are all to no avail. I sent him to a professional, with lots of experience and she declared him to be lazy and stupid; she could do very little with him. He's not lazy or backward.

I invited Richard Maxwell to visit and he had him sorted out in 40 minutes. Most of his work has lasted (it was down to me to do the follow up work) and I have learned different ways of dealing with the problems my boy gives me.
Maxwell's book on training youngsters is highly recommended.

He's not a lazy boy, I can get some very good work out of him. Hacking helps because he enjoys the trip but I can tell you that it doesn't guarantee a forward thinking horse.

My recommendation, is that you address the problem now. When I look back on the 2 years before my boy was backed when he was laid back, friendly, inquisitive and unflappable I realise it was all a bigger (and heavier) problem in the making. With very little effort I could have started the work we do now to gain his attention and respect ie ground work.

He MUST back up when told.

He MUST stand still when told.

He MUST go sideways; pick his feet up; pay attention and stop eating/chewing/scratching/stargazing/sleeping when I call his name.

These sound simple things, but if you can ensure that your youngster does them now, the process of teaching him and his learning will stand you in good stead later.

Last but not least. While I can easily direct my horse when he is stood beside me. He does all of the above, I still can't make the B*****r go away far enough to move on a circle. One day we will, but as he is now being ridden I'm dealing with hacking issues instead ie napping, confidence, paces etc etc.

If this sounds a bit pessimistic don't worry. I've left it a bit late, but it's not a disaster. I've just wasted some time on things that could have been dealt with earlier.

Good luck and much patience.

 

[Walrus]

My Fell was very quiet as a baby, when I got him (aged 4.5 unbacked) my friend was worried I would get bored easily as he seemed so quiet. He has a slightly stubborn streak and when I backed him he would grind to a halt in the school, I just took him out hacking for a few months. Once we had stop and go we just went out and saw the world. We oly really started schooling more seriously in the last couple of months and he is perfectly forward in the school now.

Also, even though the world could end and my pony will not stop eating, he has stood in his field for the last few days and not batted an eyelid at tractors and trailers strawing down the carrot fields around us. Get on him and he is a typical baby, he looks at things, he has discovered he can nap, rear and spin round, he will walk past the scariest tractor, cows, pigs without batting an eyelid but will totally turn his hog out at a round bale in a gateway - sometimes! Every week he has a new trick and you have to constantly be thinking about what he's doing or thinking. I've never had a youngster before and he is constantly frustraiting yet at the same time totally rewarding. My instructor rode him last week and got leg yield and turn on the forhand out of my fluffy fell pony and I nearly cried! No doubt it will be at least 6 months before I can get him to do it.

I'm sure your baby will bring his own quirks and challanges to his education and as your friend goes along I'm sure hers will as well - even the furry, heavy types will still act like "babies"!