spotty_pony
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Are they known for being bolshy and a bit stubborn?
I've been working with one for his owner for almost a year now. He has come a long way in that year as I had to almost completely restart him due to him having being schooled at a dressage yard in draw reins (aged 4!) poor boy. He was five when he came to me and very angry with life and not really enjoying his work. His main issue was going forward. I managed to sort this with lots of loose schooling, starting again with the schooling and introducing hacking - which was something he had never done before. He did have locking stifles which we had a specialist look at and his advice was to give him six months to strengthen them up through correct work before deciding whether he needed operating on. Six months later, the specialist was so pleased with his progress he signed him off and said to carry on as were. He also said if they occasionally locked in and out slightly not to worry as it is a known problem with the breed because of the upright conformation behind. This does happen occasioanally but doesn't seem to bother him.
A year down the line, he hacks alone and in company, knows basic school movements, basic lateral work and walk to canter, etc. He has worked over poles both on the lunge and with a rider and has popped over a few small fences again both on the lunge and with a rider. He has also taken part in a pleasure ride. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction until this past month.
I have moved my horses (plus the Friesian) to a new yard. It is a bigger yard but there aren't many horses there currently so we have new environment to work in, etc. His routine has remained exactly the same though. He has just started to become more argumentative to ride and seems to be testing the boundaries somewhat! He is now six so I'm wondering if it's a case of the teenage years. He has taken to doing a 180 spin if he sees something out hacking he doesn't like - regardless of whether he is alone or with another horse and then protesting when you try to turn him round and ride him forward by spinning around and rearing. He has also decided he doe not like water AT ALL and any kind of uneven ground and I had to get off and walk him up the bridleway the other day because he protested that strongly about going up there because it was a bit rutted and i was fighting a losing battle, even though his hacking buddy was leading the way. Today I took him in the school, walked him around but when i asked for trot his back came up and he set off across the school bucking. I ended up getting off and lungeing him before getting back on - he protested for another 15 mins if I tried to work him into a contact but finally gave up and then worked very well. He is very lazy though and you have to work VERY hard to get what you want. Horse is all up to date with saddle/physio/dentist checks etc.
Just wondering if this is a common friesian thing? Hoping he might grow out of it as at 17 hands it isn't particularly fun!
I've been working with one for his owner for almost a year now. He has come a long way in that year as I had to almost completely restart him due to him having being schooled at a dressage yard in draw reins (aged 4!) poor boy. He was five when he came to me and very angry with life and not really enjoying his work. His main issue was going forward. I managed to sort this with lots of loose schooling, starting again with the schooling and introducing hacking - which was something he had never done before. He did have locking stifles which we had a specialist look at and his advice was to give him six months to strengthen them up through correct work before deciding whether he needed operating on. Six months later, the specialist was so pleased with his progress he signed him off and said to carry on as were. He also said if they occasionally locked in and out slightly not to worry as it is a known problem with the breed because of the upright conformation behind. This does happen occasioanally but doesn't seem to bother him.
A year down the line, he hacks alone and in company, knows basic school movements, basic lateral work and walk to canter, etc. He has worked over poles both on the lunge and with a rider and has popped over a few small fences again both on the lunge and with a rider. He has also taken part in a pleasure ride. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction until this past month.
I have moved my horses (plus the Friesian) to a new yard. It is a bigger yard but there aren't many horses there currently so we have new environment to work in, etc. His routine has remained exactly the same though. He has just started to become more argumentative to ride and seems to be testing the boundaries somewhat! He is now six so I'm wondering if it's a case of the teenage years. He has taken to doing a 180 spin if he sees something out hacking he doesn't like - regardless of whether he is alone or with another horse and then protesting when you try to turn him round and ride him forward by spinning around and rearing. He has also decided he doe not like water AT ALL and any kind of uneven ground and I had to get off and walk him up the bridleway the other day because he protested that strongly about going up there because it was a bit rutted and i was fighting a losing battle, even though his hacking buddy was leading the way. Today I took him in the school, walked him around but when i asked for trot his back came up and he set off across the school bucking. I ended up getting off and lungeing him before getting back on - he protested for another 15 mins if I tried to work him into a contact but finally gave up and then worked very well. He is very lazy though and you have to work VERY hard to get what you want. Horse is all up to date with saddle/physio/dentist checks etc.
Just wondering if this is a common friesian thing? Hoping he might grow out of it as at 17 hands it isn't particularly fun!
until of course I moved back to England when she was 2....
