Experienced Trainer for a Naughty Horse in Sussex, Surrey or Kent?

K

K4thy

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Some of you may remember last year I bought William, a black ID, who at the time was a 2yr old. Well about 8 weeks back I started having him schooled to be broken by a lovely lady who came to my house 3 times a week. All was going well... She had started to ride him in walk and trot for a few of weeks (if I remember right), then it all went wrong
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Last Monday she asked him for his first canter ever and he went into a leaping fit and she fell off. Unfortunately she has fractured a couple of her vertebrea and has had two ops to deal with it and is currently still in hospital till probably next weekend.

Im now in a situation where I could either sell him (which I dont really want to do but was suggested to me), or send him away for some intensive schooling - as I think it imaybe because he has got too big for his boots.. At about 16.1 currently, he is a big boy and feeling too good I think. As you do need to give him a telling off for being bolshy.

So I wondered if anyone could recommend someone experienced that would take him in for an assessment to see why this might have occured and if need be bring him down a peg or two but I dont want him beaten and scared witless.
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I took this pic just about 5 mins before his hissy fit. Also I have had people giving their 'IMO' with regards to the equipment he had on, so I dont want to go over that debate again!

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Thanks Kathy
 
The tack was what I was going to mention, no wonder he buried her.
Any youngster is going to find it hard work going round a circle in a school at canter, let alone a 3yo. I never start cantering in a school, usually on hacks. I never wait a few weeks either, the sooner the better. At 3 I would consider whether he is still weak, if so you have nothing to lose by turning him away for 6 months.
If a horse came to me with the same background that would be what I would advise anyway. Going by the tack the horse has on she has messed the job up and I wouldnt consider anything other than starting from scratch.
Cant recommend anyone, im too far away, just recommend turning him away for a few months and then thinking about it.
 
Duckhurst Farm in Kent, takes horses for schooling livery either short term or long term, have a look on their website and she what they suggest. You could try putting adverts up in tack shops asking for lessons etc... or proffesionals to come out to school your horse.
 
IMO he looks as though he has too much asked of him too soon....she seems to already be asking him for an outline!! He should have been backed and then only ridden for no more than a few weeks and then turned away until he was a rising 4 year old.
Too much pressure, too soon. Turn him away dont waste your money trying to 'sort him out'.Re back him around Xmas time.
 
I know the area is wrong but I can highly recommend one in derbyshire (ripley area).

She has taken my friends horse for the last 8 weeks and he is now very well behaved on the road and jumping etc (still the odd buck though) and not quite ready to come home.
 
I have got a 4yo TB who i have had back home for a week following being away being broken in and lightly schooled for 3 months. I had done most of the gronud work, had sat on him and had him walking around the school then he became rather naughty. He is now a different horse! The yard guy I sent him to is in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and uses the Monty Roberts join up approach. Let me know if you want more details!
Claire
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i would strongly recommend Bryony Whittington (francis's sister) - I think she may take horses to work on? I always send my horse to her on competitive livery when i am away with work, and he comes back lovely. She produces them very well, is a very quiet yet firm rider and is based in Crowborough which would fit into your category?
 
Sorry to hear this story, but as other people have mentioned, it looks as though he has been asked to do too much to soon. He is in side reins with the rider on, he should be encouraged to work forward, long and low to stretch the back etc.

Whenever I have broken in my youngsters, I have done little and often. As mentioned by one other reader, canter work is best done out hacking were you have a natural impulsion and I prefer a hill, so you know they will stop at the top!

Ralph my big bay had a bad start, he was asked to do too much too soon and then retaliated and started to buck etc, causing a girl to get a broken leg, his owner then wanted to send him back to the RSPCA, so I took him on.

He was turned away for 6 months (he was just 4) then lunged, long reined and then I got on, but no schooling, just quiet hacks on his own. Once we were both happy we went into the school and I asked an instructor to come and help. It all paid off as now he is a real gent and has been ridden by judges/instructors etc this year. He is nine now so yes much older, but please research who you get to assist you and please don't send him away, I don't think this is the answer, unless you send him to a reliable producer.

Preston farm in Kent take schooling liveries and the guy who runs it is my old instructor and I would highly recommend him, I can give you his number if you want to PM me, but please give him a chance.
 
Don't forget that a young, unbalanced (& slightly confused) horse really needs to be able to 'run' in to the canter - the first canters (when unbalanced & weak) should forget 'proper' transitions, but let happen naturally when the trot gets a bit too fast - come off the back, forget the outline, let the horse have a short & calm canter & then quietly back to trot still off the back.

What inevitably happened in this case is the kept a contact (& probably sat deep in a defensive/safety seat - she looks the sort to take NO risks!), so the horse stiffened his back & ran into the (blocking) contact - the side reins kicked in & the horse had nowhere to go. Think about it - the rider is asking the horse to go forwards with the leg/seat/voice yet the side reins are stopping him from using his neck as he will instinctively want to do at this early stage. So, can't go forwards - where else could he go? Up, that's where...

I would say keep him at home, but get someone who has a better understanding of youngsters.

All that said, I'm sorry the rider hurt herself, I hope she'll be ok.
 
Please don't send him to anyone to 'sort him out'! He is an ID (cross, presumably) - they take longer to mature than warmbloods. Turn him away and re-start him when he is nearer to 4 year old. His outline is forced and he is not seeking a contact and it looks like his saddle is right on his shoulder - IDs need to be able to move their normally huge shoulders freely.
I can recommend Pam Van Zwanenberg who is a BHSI based near Sevenoaks in Kent. She is a dressage coach and is hugely passionate about IDs - she did Badminton many years ago on an 3/4 bred ID. She taught me so much about my ID mare in the six months I was at her yard. Her method is consistency not forcing and she never advocates traiing aids.
 
I have called a lady called Valerie Light who has taken friends horses in to sort them out when they have become too much. She will be giving me a ring back to let me know.. as she said that she had to 'jiggle things about'!! So hopefully she can fit him in! She thinks that he will need about 2 weeks.. but Ill update everyone when I have some more news.
 
Gosh, your horse doesn't sound naughty at all - just young and green. I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination - but why all the accessories - what happened to a good old fashioned snaffle bridle and neck strap??
 
I worked with young show jumpers for a few years in the past and would agree with the above: too much too early and your lovely horse is not naughty but young and full of life. This is not to say let him be bolshy but like someone said he would definitely benefit if you kept him at home (maybe do some grounwork to teach discipline/obedience), turned out and re start when he is closer to his forth birthday.
'Natural outline' in his case (and any 3 year old really) would worry me and I would be even more determined to work him long and low, make sure he stretches and moves forward.

Very sad story, hope the rider will be fine - have to agree though that the amount of tack on the horse was asking for trouble in the first place.

All the best and wish you find someone knowledgable in your area.
 
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All the best and wish you find someone knowledgable in your area.

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They don't come much more knowledgeable or expperienced than the Light family in Sussex
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They've bred and produced some of the best SJ'ers in the country
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I agree Rambo - I know the Lights - hopefully they'll help to sort things out for you - but it does just sound like inexperienced rider on a youngster - bad combination.

Anyway, good luck with getting him sorted.
 
I know Val fairly well, she is sure to help your boy, have to say that I don't think she would agree with all the gadgets though
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Still, sorry to hear about the rider, hope she is better soon, and hey, we all make mistakes once
 
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Neither am I Amymay, so I didnt question what she felt was necessary to use on him..

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I do feel for you, you did the right thing and sought help, you were just unlucky with your choice - no one can blame you for that. Am sure Val and Shirley will help you
 
Oh well, we all learn from mistakes... But I dont think I would get another youngster.. give me one thats already had the hard part done!!
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Ill be so glad when this is all behind me and we can move on... Its been an awful week
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One thing that did shock me is the amount of condition he has put on.. it is really noticeable between these two pics.. where the hell did that neck come from?!!
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Oh dear, didn't mean to sound offensive or discouraging! It might as well be that we are all wrong and you are right but there is no way we can be 100% acurate replying to a few line post. You showed a picture of a 3 year old before his first ever canter under the saddle and he is in side reins, martingale, breastplate (ill fitting saddle?) and a couple of more straps around his neck with a lady on who looks like she is trying to bend the horse's neck - I think it's understandable that people get a little bit stirred up by such picture.
No need to get defensive though. If that is your first young horse you will probably make hundreds of mistakes (as all first-time-young-horses - owners make!) I think your horse looks like a very nice youngster and, being a thoughtful owner as you seem to be, I am sure you will get there in the end.
Sorry if I sounded like I was patronising or giving irrelevant critique but it was by no means my aim.
 
Florence, having been here twice before with youngsters...

They very often cannot canter under saddle. Midi would stick her head between her knees and do some sort of mad cross between arching her back and leaping in the air and bucking. It was always sat, and from all accounts was bleeding hilarious to watch, but she got there in the end!

Mushi would also fall back onto two legs instead of four if canter was asked of him, and was sent off for schooling prior to sale and ended up so stressed out that he's rearing again.

It's a baby thing to do. Bear in mind up until now the only canter he's done has been lose and in the field, suddenly with a rider on top and the saddle on, he's not comfy with it, and so is throwing a baby tantrum.

If you must keep working him, put the saddle on loosely and lunge or long rein him and have him canter so he can work with the restriction of the saddle. It might also be worth using a pessoa to encourage use of his arse to that it's stronger when a rider comes back into the picture.

Then, hacks hacks and hacks - a chilled out atmosphere where he can learn these things are fun. There is no reason why you couldn't try a bit of schooling on a hack, but it's not as boring and motoanouse as schooling schooling schooling.

But I'm gonna have to agree with the majority, for a IDX, the field is the place to go. They gotta have everything in small chunks or their brains explode, lol.

And also, ditch the gear.... how can you say he has a natural outline when he's got all that holding him in shape? I loath using gear on young horses as it forcably builds up the muscle, I far prefer to let them to that themselves as they find a more comfortable position for their heads. And, IMO, any rider who relies on all that to school a youngster is a crap rider and needs ditching!!
 
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