fed up!! new horse decided to go off down road? change bit??

[CBFan]

ok great thank you, so hi-fi mallases free and speedi beet. ill go with those now and see how that goes.
he is 15'1 connie, maybe ill look into a sharer... for an exo rider, he will get riden more then. i didnt want to do that as i wanted to bond with him but might be a good idea.

he has loads of hay constantly for him in field and stable...i think i might have to consider a diff yard, maybe just until next summer or somehting

thank you so much for your help

Sounds like a good plan

He probably actually doesn't need much feed at all. Maybe half a scoop of each, both ends of the day. With a good amount of hay he will put weight on, and if he were mine, I'd prefer him a little skinny coming out of winter so he has room to put weight on on the spring grass

 

[putasocinit]

You say you are still learning. I find nervous riders or new riders tend to hang on to the bit too much which makes the horse gets all uppitty because basically he wants to walk on and do what he does best, so get a nice length of rein not long leave his mouth alone and make him walk out, even walk quite fast if need be, when he breaks in to a trot bring him back to a walk but dont hang on to him.

 

[ladyt25]

As per the last post I actually feel you may be over-thinking and over worrying. To me he sounds like a nice horse who is maybe just a bit set in his ways to be honest. My first 'bought' pony was a bit this way inclined - if his feet touched grass he'd go but he'd always stop when the grass ended (he had obviously done this most of his life). Initially he was very strong yet i never felt in danger or unsafe (mind you I was a fearless 12yo! lol). I have found a 3 ring gag helps a lot to be honest BUT it depends a lot on the horse and what works best for them. You need to try bits. If he is fussy in his mouth or flings his head upwards then i would say a gag would not suit him and maybe try a curb bit instead (ie kimblewick or pelham). I would beg, steal, borrow a school and just have a session trying out some bits and see how he reacts to them.

Also when you ride out just think of enjoying the hack (you don't even have to go out of walk). Don't fuss too much asking for this, that and the other just hack out, steadily and get to know him. If you think there's any hacks you don't feel comfortable going on then don't go yet - go where you feel happy and don't let anyone pressure you in to going faster etc. Honestly, you've had him hardly any time and these bonds take time.

I'm all for groundwork etc but, if you are handling him each day then in my mind this is enough - I am assuming this is not a young horse as such so he knows the basics and personally I think you learn a lot more about each other when you're on board!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

ok great thank you, so hi-fi mallases free and speedi beet. ill go with those now and see how that goes.
he is 15'1 connie, maybe ill look into a sharer... for an exo rider, he will get riden more then. i didnt want to do that as i wanted to bond with him but might be a good idea.

he has loads of hay constantly for him in field and stable...i think i might have to consider a diff yard, maybe just until next summer or somehting

thank you so much for your help

I really don't think you need to get a sharer.
Instead concentrate on building your relationship with your horse - you'll be fine. Get a stronger bit if you feel that it would help, make sure you have a neck strap which will help your confidence - it could be part of a martingale. Go on walk only hacks until you feel that you really want to go faster, make sure that your cousin knows that is what you will be doing. As someone else said, be careful not to hold the reins too short, try putting a rubber band on each rein where you think you should hold the rein to allow him to be confortable and relaxed and keep checking that your hands are there. Taking the horse for a walk is a good idea but probably best done in a bridle. Unless he is really ribby, I wouldn't give him a bucket feed. Try ad-lib hay for now. Monitor his weight weekly and only start to worry if he actually loses weight. And tbh, if you are sharing your yard with relatives I wouldn't risk upsetting them by looking for a different yard - they will be able to help when life gets in the way of looking after your horse/daughter, which is worth more than half a dozen schools.
Above all - enjoy your horse!