Getting a horse used to the warm area......

[L&M]

As above really.

I have a fab connie x who I have mainly hunted and taken on fun rides, and now my son is grown up, have the time to get him out to compete. He is 11yrs and have had him since a 4yr old.

In the ring he is focussed and responsive, but often I have to go in the ring without a proper warm up as he gets so wound up. He will buck, launch and career sideways with no warning, and am always conscious of causing upset to others, so more often than not remove him, especially if there are any children on ponies around.

He goes to a weekly rc lesson, and settles quickly in a group lesson, and to hunt/fun ride is a paragon of virtue. He does have a sharp side to him, but generally very safe so his behaviour frustrates me rather than scares me.

Any ideas?

 

[Alibear]

Just a thought but maybe try a clinic somewhere and see how he copes with that as perhaps he has got used to the RC Lesson environment but find sharing with strange horses a challenge?
If he's fine at the clinic then there's something specific about the warm up going on , perhaps try with someone else riding him just to check he's not picking up on you?

 

[Goldenstar]

We had one like this and it’s difficult .
I would try going to more shoes and giving lots of work the day before .
Go to a show and stay all day book classes over the day ,you don’t need to do them .
I might start at unaffiliated dressage .
I was lucky I had a show centre where they where happy with my spending the day I also went into the ring trotted round and went out .
This horse stayed sharp in the warm up but it was not clear the collecting ring sharp .
You will need to do lots of shows to fix this .