Enthusiastic...Energetic...Or Just Plain Crazy???

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Amys_Babies

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I was just wondering whether anyone else has this sort of problem with their youngster or with anyones older horse.

When i get buddy in the school ready for lunging he is always really hyper and very energetic. As much as i try to start the session slowly he tries to have a few free rounds of canter before he starts proper listening to me. It is not much of a problem and after he gets it out of his system i can get him to walk, trot and canter mainly by voice command rather than the whip. But as i am backing him aswell now and it is going really good and soon want to be able to sit on him whilst he is lunged i was just wondering whether anyone had any tips to slow my baby down at the beginning. Any ideas glady appreciated as i dont really want him bombing around with me when i start working properly with him.

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My horse has always done this and she's 11 now...

I'd suggest walking next to him to stop him racing off but after I did this with a 4yo I was backing and it decided to aim a buck at my head instead.....maybe not!

Personally I think let him get it out of his system and get on when he's calm.
 
Don't know if this helps but my 16yo pony likes to have a good buck at the beginning when I lunge him and then settles down to work. However, he is very quiet to ride and rarely bucks when ridden - usually if I'm holding him back when we are doing something exciting and he has a strop
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Oh dear...that wos very friendly of him!

I walked him around a bit today and then started lunging him and he still went bolting around. I think it is just excitement but i think it will become a pain when i no longer want to lunge him before backing him.
 
I would say its just baby fun!

Do you do other work on the ground? Long reining and changing things around so its new and different will help.
 
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Don't know if this helps but my 16yo pony likes to have a good buck at the beginning when I lunge him and then settles down to work.

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Bless him!!! I think it is just the joy of doing something new to him, though i dont have the problem of bucking. I have only seen him buck about 2-3 times and this was on his first lunging sessions with the saddle now he just goes around with out any problems.
I would like to be able to stop this excitement and have him working right from the start so i dont have to put up with this for ever...i dont know whether there is a way though.
 
I'm not sure but is it not best that you let him have a few rounds of canter first to tire him out a bit beforehand, otherwise he may start being crazy when you get on him and he's containing all that energy. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, he's only young
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xx
 
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I would say its just baby fun!

Do you do other work on the ground? Long reining and changing things around so its new and different will help.

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I try to mix it up as much as possible, though i dont long rein. I also run him over jumps and walk him on road so it isnt like were going and doing the same thing over and over again. I think your right it is just baby fun...i just wondered whether there was a way of calming it a bit.
 
If you have a look at henryhorns blogspot, you'll see how they get their horses backed and ridden away, it may give you an interesting and different view, which might help.

Good luck with your lad - my 16 year old still have to canter on the lunge before settling down too!
 
Some top rider, perhaps Carl Hester, Im not sure
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said that with energetic horses when he first gets on he lets them straight away have a trot and a canter, then asks them to work. Whoever said it it clearly works for them! I know this doesnt help when backing, but is it really a problem to let him have a hooley and then ask him to settle and work?
 
No its not a major problem at all...i rather him being enthusiastic rather than not wanting to do any work. I just wondered if anyone had found a way to control the energy a bit more, i am not to bothered about it really.
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