Feeling Down - 2nd bad day with new horse

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Scottish_Miss

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After yesterdays bucking episodes in school - I thought today we would lunge - he is supposed tobe very good.
Well lets just say he doesnt give a monkeys about the whip, you or the lunge line. Quite happy to trample me to bits on the left rein - just would not go out - every time I steped to his girth area he whipped round quicker than I was organised, shaking the libne to encourage him out didnt help he proceeded to trample me!!! using the whip at close range resulted in me getting a swipe at with his legs!!

Feel really deflated and had a bit of a cry to myself going to the field. Just threw him out in disgust. Now feel really crap. After years of working with strapping eventers etc this 'bloody' little cob is really got me down.

Any one else had a bad weekend!
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You haven't had him very long though so maybe not give up yet. Organise someone to come and help you with him. He's probably taking the p*ss but he is pretty young and unfortunately cos you bought him from the other end of the country you're unlikely to find someone who knew what he was really like. I take it teeth etc are all fine?
 
Sorry to hear your new lad is being an ar*e. Here's hoping it's just him 'testing' you to see what he can get away with. As Scarlett O' Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day.", so just try to forget about today!!!
 
Stick in there!!

I had problems with my new horse when I first got her and now only 3 weeks later she is being a little angel and doing everything I ask of her.

I've had days like you too with Taz where I've ended up in tears of frustration and disappointment but you'll get there in the end.
 
Get a friend to come in with you to lung him, and use two lines, so you can pull him out, so he does not get to close to you. also for a while lung him in a bridle with a snaffle bit, did you have the horse vetted? is his back & teeth & neck all o.k give it time. good luck
 
Thanks all

Yes only got a 2 stage vetting as he really is for my daughter - and wasnt a huge amount of money. I know you can never have good days all the time where horses are involved.

He was long reined before and was apparently very good - I know he is testing me. Just feel bloody awfull. I know its best to leave untill I have assistence as its impossible to do him myself just now. My friend has gone on holiday now for 2 weeks so will have to leave the lunging till then.

He is in a fulmer snaffle and will get his back checked out - but I do think its him being naughty as absolute poppet to hack out ( my girl goes out on him) he just has an adversion to school work!!!!!

sigh SIGH SIGH
 
Scottish_Miss - happy to come and lend a pair of hands if you ever need them!

I have had a nice day visiting my horses, but haven't ridden for 5 weeks now. Boo!
 
Would re-iterate using 2 lines, works wonders for my little sec a that will turn in and run at me with the intention of trying to kick me, 2 lines put the kibosh on that idea and now he gives in happily.
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Oh Dear. Sounds terribly upsetting. Hang in there, perhaps he is just trying you out.
What about working in hand for a while to gain some respect?
 
Woah there. Has this horse ever been taught to lunge? You mentioned there in your previous post that the previous owners had no school to work him in - so does this extend to lunging as well? Also horse was broken in in February you say?

Give it a chance - new home, new experiences. Think you are expecing a lot.

Just take it slowly and give it some time.
 
HI Just to say all horses change a bit when they go to a new home, they are having to deal with a completely new life and a whole set of new rules that no one has yet explained to them so please count to ten and don't worry, you are an experienced handler and you can sort this. If the horse is young and inexperienced I agree with AmyMay he just may not understand what you are asking.

I think you should long line. My horse was ferocious on the lunge when I 1st got him, was told he was trying it on but I am convinced he had been hit with the whip and was scared so was wading in 1st. I learnt to long line (not lunging with 2 line but proper long lining) and he was a poppet immediately, I never had a problem and I think it is because he understood the body language. I have never tried to lunge since as am a true convert but was curious the other week to see how he would behave after 4 yrs of not being lunged and he went round beautifully without any problems because he knows and trusts me.

It takes time to establish a relationship with a new horse, keep at it and take it slowly but surely, a good instructor to help refresh some of the basic's might be useful, I knew how to do things like lateral work but I didn't know how to teach a young horse to do it and so have had to learn and am still learning and so is Ryan.

Best of luck to you hope it all works out
 
I know from pictures I was sent from the prevous owner that when he was broken in - he was lunged and long reined. He apparently goes well in long reins..... He likes to be out and about!!!

I am pretty sure he was testing me as was OK on one rein just the left had a real problem. I know also I need to then check for any phisical issues - have the vet comming next week anyway for follow up flue jag.
I will wait untill my friend returns for holiday and try two reins - not done that before so could be eventfull.... getting hands all tied up!!

For the now I shall work on some groundwork - getting him to respect my space etc etc and also just hack out and try to do some work there.

I know I am being impatient in some peoples eyes but I dont think its too much to hack out 3 days a week and have 3 days work, thinking he should have been ok to lunge I expected no problems. hmmmp..

Thanks to all for the help and advice - i'll keep you all posted .
x
 
He has less than half a year's training, very little of it "formal", he's in a strange place with people who do things completely differently from the people (likely only a couple at most, maybe even one) who handled him before and who aren't familiar with him or the way he's been taught up to this point . . . .

The amount of work he's being asked to do is really immaterial, he's trying to figure out his new situation and find out how his new home works. I'm sure he IS testing his boundaries a bit - horses are very instinctually socially oriented and they *have* to do this - but it doesn't sound like he's doing anything too out of the ordinary for a horse in his situation.

Why not go back a step with the longing as if he hasn't done it before? Teach him how YOU longe - it's bound to be subtly different than his old person's method, even if it's just a case of the "accent" in your body language etc. Since most horses learn to longe in a session or two and he already has some knowledge an organised "teaching" approach shouldn't take long to result in success.

I am NOT saying let him behave badly - quite the opposite! But instead on concentrating on how he's letting you down try to think of it as you - the one with the big brain - helping him understand how his new situation, however different from his old, works and which bits are familiar.

As an aside, it's much easier for experienced competition horses to switch homes easily because at similar levels in similar sports the education and experience is remarkable homogeneous and people tend to do things quite similarly. Young horses and those who may have been handled in very "personal" ways have a much harder time.

You'll soon be well underway - just give both of you a little time, space and understanding to get speaking the same language.
 
Thanks - I am feeling a lot more positive now, I agree with post suggesting that competition horses etc are prob at the same level of trainig etc and easier to cope with new yards.
As he prob hasn't had any kind of this trainiig since feb I need to go back a step or two.

Fingers crosssed.
x

again thanks to all
 
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