hippyembo
New User
I have just recently had the most awful experience with my new horse. I bought him from a dealer (although I know not too - but it was through a friend and I thought it would be fine). He is only just 4years old. I had him vetted and got him home and all was lovely, after a few days settling him in, I couldn't wait any longer and went to get on on the concrete yard and whilst doing so (with only a foot in the stirrup) he bucked and sent me flying to the floor - he then ran off, but being a determined and confident rider I caught him and took him in the lunge school and with a friend did some basic ground work - putting weight on the sadlle etc and got on. My new horse was not happy and was terrified. But I didnt want the fall to be his lasting memory.
I decided that maybe the horse wasn't as baked as he was sold to me and I had a professional rider and horse trainer come up and see what he thought, he also thought the horse hadn't been backed properly and explained that I would need to send the horse to him for a fee to be re-schooled. I decided to do lungeing and lots of ground work until the date when he could go to the trainer - which I carried out for a good few days but I couldn't resist anymore and I tried to get on again- I lunged, did ground work, got half on the saddle and then got on nervously. For a few days this was going well, and I thought I might have solved the problem myself, but oh no, the next saturday a little girl on her pony was in the school and this time I tried again, to find that as I got on my new horse did an almighty buck, sent me behind the saddle on his rump and went bucking bronco around the school, giving me the option of staying on his rump and the situation getting worse or me falling as best I could. I went for the fall and found myself in hospital on spinal boards etc as I fell badly.
I then asked the trainer if he could take my new horse that weekend, and he did. He spent a week re-backing him, he worked and worked on my horse re-backing him and then getting on and off hundreds of times until he could get on and off with absolutely no problem in all situations, after two weeks (when I had stopped feeling sore) he called for me to have a go at getting on again. As you can imagine I was a bit nervy now, but I tried, but as soon as I walked close and took hold of the stirrup the horse went ape.
We decided to leave it that day as we weren't getting anywhere and the trainer continued having fun and training my new horse over jumps, x country etc.
I tried multiple times to get on, some days he would be fine and some days he would go balistic again.
We still havn't worked out the problem he has with me, we have tried videoing how I get on and how the trainer gets on, and there is no difference. I have had very humiliating getting on lessons on a yard oldie just to make sure, and again no problems. We had his back checked by a specialist and there was nothing wrong, checked his feet etc, nothing.
I was dispairing last weekend thinking I would have to sell my new horse when one evening the trainer told me to take off my body protector, to come onto the concrete (yes concrete not the nice soft landing of a school if anything goes wrong!) and he fed my little horse polos as I played in the stirrup, adding weight, jumped up and down, went half up and then all the way up.
And now four successful rides later -after having jumped and had lots of fun on my new horse I think we have made a break through - and I need to get shares in Polos as every time I get on we use about half a pack!!!!
So the reason for my story is that so many training books tell you how to school a young horse, how to back your horse etc but if you have the fundamental problem of getting on for whatever reason no one seems to give any advice - so my advice is is that if you have the same problem, dont give up, try everything, polos may not work for your horse, but find their thing that they are afraid of and remove it, and try and find something they like that you can use. If polos work, use polos!
We think my horse was frightened the first time I got on by a lose girth and he held that memory against me, but now he associates me getting on with polos, and now he cant wait to have the bridle on to get his minty treat.
I still have my heart in my mouth every time, but he is so distracted I am fine.
I know I cant feed polos forever, but for now and until he is comfortable I will always have a pack on me and a helper to feed them.
I hope this helps someone out there who is having similar problems. It is worth it - dont give up!
I decided that maybe the horse wasn't as baked as he was sold to me and I had a professional rider and horse trainer come up and see what he thought, he also thought the horse hadn't been backed properly and explained that I would need to send the horse to him for a fee to be re-schooled. I decided to do lungeing and lots of ground work until the date when he could go to the trainer - which I carried out for a good few days but I couldn't resist anymore and I tried to get on again- I lunged, did ground work, got half on the saddle and then got on nervously. For a few days this was going well, and I thought I might have solved the problem myself, but oh no, the next saturday a little girl on her pony was in the school and this time I tried again, to find that as I got on my new horse did an almighty buck, sent me behind the saddle on his rump and went bucking bronco around the school, giving me the option of staying on his rump and the situation getting worse or me falling as best I could. I went for the fall and found myself in hospital on spinal boards etc as I fell badly.
I then asked the trainer if he could take my new horse that weekend, and he did. He spent a week re-backing him, he worked and worked on my horse re-backing him and then getting on and off hundreds of times until he could get on and off with absolutely no problem in all situations, after two weeks (when I had stopped feeling sore) he called for me to have a go at getting on again. As you can imagine I was a bit nervy now, but I tried, but as soon as I walked close and took hold of the stirrup the horse went ape.
We decided to leave it that day as we weren't getting anywhere and the trainer continued having fun and training my new horse over jumps, x country etc.
I tried multiple times to get on, some days he would be fine and some days he would go balistic again.
We still havn't worked out the problem he has with me, we have tried videoing how I get on and how the trainer gets on, and there is no difference. I have had very humiliating getting on lessons on a yard oldie just to make sure, and again no problems. We had his back checked by a specialist and there was nothing wrong, checked his feet etc, nothing.
I was dispairing last weekend thinking I would have to sell my new horse when one evening the trainer told me to take off my body protector, to come onto the concrete (yes concrete not the nice soft landing of a school if anything goes wrong!) and he fed my little horse polos as I played in the stirrup, adding weight, jumped up and down, went half up and then all the way up.
And now four successful rides later -after having jumped and had lots of fun on my new horse I think we have made a break through - and I need to get shares in Polos as every time I get on we use about half a pack!!!!
So the reason for my story is that so many training books tell you how to school a young horse, how to back your horse etc but if you have the fundamental problem of getting on for whatever reason no one seems to give any advice - so my advice is is that if you have the same problem, dont give up, try everything, polos may not work for your horse, but find their thing that they are afraid of and remove it, and try and find something they like that you can use. If polos work, use polos!
We think my horse was frightened the first time I got on by a lose girth and he held that memory against me, but now he associates me getting on with polos, and now he cant wait to have the bridle on to get his minty treat.
I still have my heart in my mouth every time, but he is so distracted I am fine.
I know I cant feed polos forever, but for now and until he is comfortable I will always have a pack on me and a helper to feed them.
I hope this helps someone out there who is having similar problems. It is worth it - dont give up!
