Frustrated with new boy!

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minerva

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www.heliosgallery.com
He is a poppet and a lovely relaxed lad, however he is having a problem with one of our rides, he will go happily outwards but we do a circit round a village and then back up the same lane, so when he knows we are going back up the lane he just goes tense as hell and backs off my leg, throwing his head down and bucking and prancing about all the way home, i dont seem to be able to get through to him at all and any active forward pressure really sets him off.

today i took him back past the farm and round our village and he is fine when he gets past the farm again, he does seem to want to wipe his nose on his knee a lot as well? and his saddle is being reflocked this week just incase its that, but he doesnt do it on the other rides or in the school - it worries me as i havnt taken him on any fast rides on the grass yet and what will happen if his bucking and prancing gets worse then
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What can i do, any advice gladly accepted xx
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wiping his nose on his knee could be a sign of pollen allergy? Bloss did this when her allergy first became present. have you tried riding him in a nose net?
 
It sounds like the beginning of nappy behaviour, is he better when you go out in company, he could be getting over excited because he's on his own and knows he's going back to the other horses at the yard. My horse does this but only when I'm on my own, and he's getting worse..I'll be reading what other people say to improve the behaviour!
As for wiping his nose on his knee could he have hayfever? Have a look inside his nose at the membranes - they might be inflamed. I think my horse has this as well, he's started shaking his head so I'm going to buy a nose net...do these really work?
I love the horse with the blaze in your sig, he's v similar to mine what breeding is he?
 
thank you
He has been with others when he has been doing it, first time with a group of very forward joggy types, but today with my friends "boverred!" cob and still being a prat!
the hayfever/allergy thing is interesting as it is a very overgrown enclosed lane - Big banks and hedges type, can you give them allergy stuff, and do the nets work?? i saw the vet this morning as well, i could have asked her to take a look up his nose - i will look later
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The ginger boy with the blaze is Jack,he was a typical highly stung Irish TB, i loved him so much, he died three months ago, hence the new horse - i did think i had done the sensible thing and gone for 1/2 TB! this time
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I'd certainly look into the wiping of the nose - a friends horse did this on particular rides/certain times of the year. The allergy drove him insane and he used to almost throw himself about. I would either try to steer clear of this particular ride for a month, then try again or try a nose net. My honest opinion would be to avoid the ride for a while as, even if it isnt an allergy, its causing him to get silly and you dont want the behaviour to become ingrained. But thats just me!
 
Big ginger boy used to head shake really badly and wipe his nose on anything he could find (usually between the arse cheeks of our other boy who luckily didn't mind!) at a particular point on a ride we do. Must have been pollen allergy. He now wears a nose net and it is 98% better. Still the odd shake but nothing like the hysterical fool he was before.
 
I'd look into the allergy/headshaker idea - it can't hurt to at least try a net!

But it does sound like if he is reacting to an allergen it's only part of the problem (which doesn't mean you shouldn't look into it, just that treating it might not give you a complete and magical cure). It's quite common for horses to fuss coming home, especially if there is only one way they ever go home. (Is there another route you could use sometimes?) Some horses never care, some are almost unridable, most think it's a good idea to get home as quickly as they can but will listen to reason.

Your idea of going past the farm is a good one but to train him out of his behaviour you will have to be a lot more persistent, I suspect. Don't slip into the habit of always using the same routine, coming back and then turning him out/feeding him whatever. He's not stupid - he soon figures out the sooner he gets back, the sooner he gets his reward!

Try to mix it up. Ride by the yard, as you did the other day. Ride into the yard and then go out again. Ride out one direction, turn around and ride past the yard but don't go in. Sit in the driveway for as long as he can reasonably stand it (don't push for too long - you could create a real problem - build up slowly). When you do come back don't always get right off - school a bit or keep him off to one side for a few minutes. Don't feed him or give him treats immediately when you come in. If you give him hard feed see if you can arrange to let him have a portion of it before you go, then wait for the rest when you return. If you're the type you might try stopping and feeding him a mint just before the spot he gets tense. Then go a bit further and repeat. I'll even let a tense horse graze a bit if it's safe as that can really help them relax - so long as it's my idea and I get to say when he stops. It's not "cheating" it's creative teaching!
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In short, don't let him think that getting back to the yard is the be all and end all. Don't fight about it - that will just make him more tense - just try to convince him that the rest of the world is a pleasant place too and there's no need to hurry home.
 
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