Feel like giving up..!

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WackyWelsh

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Just a rant
I’ve owned my horse since May, but loaned him for a few months beforehand. As it got into summer I was obviously excited about the idea of lots of summer rides with my first horse but the reality has been as far from that as possible. First we had back lady out as part of general MOT and she found he was very sore and her conclusion was the saddle didn’t fit and sat lopsided, hence why he was a lot more sore and less flexible on one side and wouldn’t take a contact..although of course part of that could be down to the bit which is a whole other problem!
We’ve had FIVE saddles to try and the only one that looked like it would fit him he bucked in constantly. We have a saddle fitter coming out on Monday but she’s told us she’s on a very tight schedule so not sure if we’re even going to find a saddle.
Horse is already green but hasn’t been ridden properly in about 2 months now, is getting fat in the field and is bored of lunging, has also started acting odd when I bring him up from the field..probably nothing but just adds to the list of inconveniences.
On top of that he’s still no better with sprays or the clippers as he was 4 months ago..which probably won’t matter much as I’m sure he won’t be in much or any work this winter the way things are going.
...horses are such fun.
 
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Where are you in UK? Someone might be able to recommend a saddle fitter who isn't 'on a tight schedule' (wtf, you're paying her for her time!) and who will spend the time helping you find a saddle that fits. What was the problem with the bit? Has he had his teeth done in the last 12 months?

I'd use this time as a chance to work on his issues with the clippers and sprays - if you search the forum there is a lot of advice detailing the different approaches you could use to help him get over this. Personally I'd use a mixture of clicker training and desensitising but YMMV :). You could also work on useful ground-skills without riding; free lunging, ground tying, hack out in hand, etc. If you've got someone experienced to show you why not have a go at long reining? If you've got somewhere enclosed to ride I'd be inclined to see how he is bareback - when mine was 4yo we hacked out bareback for 3 months while I looked for a saddle!

I know it's rubbish to be missing out on the summer but the ground is too hard to do much at the moment anyway and it's too hot to do all-day hacks.
 
DirectorFury said:
Where are you in UK? Someone might be able to recommend a saddle fitter who isn't 'on a tight schedule' (wtf, you're paying her for her time!) and who will spend the time helping you find a saddle that fits. What was the problem with the bit? Has he had his teeth done in the last 12 months?

I'd use this time as a chance to work on his issues with the clippers and sprays - if you search the forum there is a lot of advice detailing the different approaches you could use to help him get over this. Personally I'd use a mixture of clicker training and desensitising but YMMV :). You could also work on useful ground-skills without riding; free lunging, ground tying, hack out in hand, etc. If you've got someone experienced to show you why not have a go at long reining? If you've got somewhere enclosed to ride I'd be inclined to see how he is bareback - when mine was 4yo we hacked out bareback for 3 months while I looked for a saddle!

I know it's rubbish to be missing out on the summer but the ground is too hard to do much at the moment anyway and it's too hot to do all-day hacks.
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I’ve ridden him bareback once (just walk in the school) and he didn’t really know what to do at first but I will do more, I just feel like since I can barely stay on even at the walk I won’t be doing him much more good than just walking in hand. Yard I’m at doesn’t let us free school and I did start some positive reinforcement stuff with him, just getting him to touch his nose to a ‘target’ but still need to buy a clicker. With the bit he’s in an eggbutt but always seems to tense his jaw and lean on it, he never has a ‘wet mouth’ so I was going to try a sweet iron loose ring when I start riding again. He gets his teeth done once a year x
 
Use the time to learn how to work him in hand - you can work on his suppleness and flexibility, and his acceptance of the bit - thus you can also find a suitable bit he likes without waiting till you get back on. You can also transfer than into bareback walk work (I mean, I'd say crack on and ride in all gaits, but if you don't want to, you can do a lot of suppleness schooling in walk).

I'd also get working on clippers and sprays - both essential for a horse to tolerate really - and get him accepting those. I don't use a clicker - I don't see the need, but there are many roads to Rome. I just take things slowly, bribe if the horse is that type, and let them get used to the idea. I'd also recommend looking into horse agility, or in hand TREC classes / training - excellent for getting youngsters used to life, and you can do a lot of the training at home if you're creative about equipment. Plus in hand hacking too. This doesn't have to be wasted time.
 
JFTD said:
Use the time to learn how to work him in hand - you can work on his suppleness and flexibility, and his acceptance of the bit - thus you can also find a suitable bit he likes without waiting till you get back on. You can also transfer than into bareback walk work (I mean, I'd say crack on and ride in all gaits, but if you don't want to, you can do a lot of suppleness schooling in walk).

I'd also get working on clippers and sprays - both essential for a horse to tolerate really - and get him accepting those. I don't use a clicker - I don't see the need, but there are many roads to Rome. I just take things slowly, bribe if the horse is that type, and let them get used to the idea. I'd also recommend looking into horse agility, or in hand TREC classes / training - excellent for getting youngsters used to life, and you can do a lot of the training at home if you're creative about equipment. Plus in hand hacking too. This doesn't have to be wasted time.
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Not a youngster..10 aha but he was a field ornament until he was 7. The reason I want to try the clicker is that it would give him a clear ‘yes that’s what I wanted’ which I feel would benefit him and help him focus on me more. I’ve got him accepting an electric toothbrush but the clippers and trimmers are still a no go..and I CAN spray him but he hates it and gets stressed out. I used to just get on and canter bareback but that was on an older horse that I knew wouldn’t throw in an unexpected buck or bronk 😂
 
It's a pain but at least giving him some time off will help his back if he was very sore. If he'll accept a spray I'd just get on and use it, he'll become more tolerant of it the more you use it. with regard to clipping, why not give yourself the rest f the summer to get him to accept them but if he's still very jumpy tbh I'd sedate. All of my horses bar one have been fine but an 11 yr old that I bought had never been reliable to clip and I just sedated. In fact I got vet to do teeth, sedate and I'd clip him out. As he had a fairly light coat I generally got away with one or occasionally two clips. I value my head more than the cost of sedating! there's also lots of in hand work that you can do, but I'm afraid that's horses for you, at least he's not on box rest, now that really is a pain!
 
If he is also very difficult to find a saddle for then I would start looking into the made to measure route eg a WOW or such like which are much better than off the peg saddles. In the mean time lots of in hand work, long lining, desensitisation etc.
 
There are some free videos on the Straightness Training web page that you could have a look at and a play with. One of mine is non ridden and I am trying to teach him to be more flexible by doing some of their most basic exercises.

When my mare had weeks and weeks of walk work I got a tarp in the school and we walked over that plus she had it over her back etc. She also did a tonne of in hand polework stuff on long reins.

I have had a wow saddle on trial and it's been great. I appear to have a horse who measures MW at her withers but with a big rib cage and a short back plus cart horse shoulder movement. Off the peg saddles never let her move as well as this. Sadly it does mean that I can now 100% see that the niggle behind is not my imagination....
 
Am I missing some element of the problem here? You can't find a saddle so you feel like giving your new horse up? And are writing off the winter so you don't need to worry about the clipping issue?? Why not just sedate to clip while you work on his acceptance of it?

I get we all need to vent sometimes and I am sure you aren't being serious about quitting but you may want to have a think about your expectations of horse ownership.... There is a lot of hassle, stress, time and cost in between the fun parts and if you are not up for it you will hate it. Just wait till you need 4 months box rest in the middle of winter and all the pipes are frozen so there is no water on the yard! Or have a case of strangles (as I did with Amber within a week of her coming to me) and being on total shut down for months on end. The hassle:fun ratio is often pretty rubbish when it comes to horses.
 
Ambers Echo said:
. The hassle:fun ratio is often pretty rubbish when it comes to horses.
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Agreed! I got my boy a year ago this weekend and he has spent the majority of it off work with various issues completely out of our control, however while he couldn't do hard work we've done all sorts in the forms of long-reining, ground manners and general life experience. I'll be the first to admit I could have made more use of that time but the important thing is when I did eventually get on I felt that all that work had paid off and I had a well-mannered, eager to please horse despite having been a field ornament for a long time. Goodness knows he's not perfect and neither am I, but he's MILES from where he was and that's the crucial part.

Although sometimes it feels like bashing your head against a brick wall. try viewing this time as an opportunity to strengthen your bond with the horse and lay the foundations for a successful ridden career. As suggested above I'd look into straightness training and 'brain training', and you can also use the time to train yourself, maybe book a lesson or start some equine pilates (loooads of free tutorials on YouTube)
 
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