Girthing Issues (I think!)

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kate.l

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Apologies in advance for the length of this!!
I have a very nice 16.2 ISH gelding by cult hero - is is 7yo, very intellegent but still v green and can get a little sharp at times. Up until a few weeks ago I never had any issues with getting on him and tightening my grith (not overly!!) pretty much straight away, after a few circles of walk etc. One day a few weeks ago he spooked at something behind him while i was mounting and this resulted in me landing heavy in the saddle - he is quite a sensitive soul and as a result of this he started to 'leap around' for want of a better word! and spin aound/jump on the spot... My initial reacting was to remain calm and reassure him. This leaping did not stop so before I fell off I made the conscious decision to just jump off!! Once I was out of the saddle he continued to arch his back and spin around before running to the other end of the arena and stood looking horrified! I lunged him after this and sat back on him, just at the mounting block to see his reaction. He was again a little bit tense however I got straight back off to avoid a repeat performance... I then asked our groom to ride him the next day who is a lovely, soft very experienced rider. When she got on there was a slight arching of his back but no leaping/spinning around performance and after a few minutes he settled and went beautifully for her. For the next couple of weeks she has been riding him for me, not only am I busy with uni work and other horses, but if I'm honest I was reluctant to get back on him!! The back arching only happened the first 2-3 times she rode him. Two weeks down the line, being ridden 4x a week by the groom and 1-2 weekly schooling sessions with my coach he appeared to be back to his 'normal' self. So, yesterday I decided to get back on him. Big mistake! I sat on him, walked a few strides forward and then realised that I had not done up my girth before mounting. I reached down (very gently!) and proceeded to tighten it - not yank!! just up one hole. As soon as I did this he arched his back and proceeded to spin and leap around again - once again I jumped off in fear of seriously hurting myself! I was not nervous in the slightest, so he cannot possibly have sensed this nor was I yanking the girth up!! I don't know whether he sensed it was me and knew that that was all he had to do to get me off last time?! I am wondering whether he may be slightly cold backed? I have had him for almost a year and he has never exhibited this kind of behaviour before. I'm also not sure whether groom/trainer have attempted to tighten his girth when he's been ridden recently - I have never had a problem doing this with him before though... Anyway, I'm getting quite upset about the whole situation and am basically wondering where to turn next! I am by no means a novice/nervous/inexperienced rider but have never encountered this problem in the past.. any advice/help/questions welcomed!
 
See what happens when your groom and coach do up the girth.

Maybe doing the girth away from the mounting block and facing the direction the disturbance came from?

When on him and well away from the mounting block, start to de-sensitize him with small leans forward and gentle strokes of your hand down his shoulder. Do it in a matter of fact way rather than a softly-softly way.
 
Hi there

Please do not worry...you have a Cult Hero 7 year old...so do I!! In the nicest possible way your post made me chuckle, he sounds so alike!

You said it yourself, he's a sensitive soul and I can pretty much (obviously i've not met him) assure you that this appears to be a trait of Cult offspring!

I bought 'Rastas' last year when he'd just turned 6, he was sold to me as being a little 'cold backed' which I have experienced on/off really. Before I waffle on I will just bob down a few pointers that I have tried/things I find exaggerate his reactions & things I feel help:

-he's worse and more reactive in the wind/rain/cold 99% of the 'humps/mini bucks' have occured on a 'fresher day'
-warming up on the lunge first helps relax him and warm him up
-I had to start with saddle on and small yard walks in hand first to build his lost confidence, give him small tasks to 'achieve'
-he does not respond well at all to 'grrrr' or any form of harsh words/crop/firm kicks frustration/anger etc, I find just sitting it out/ignoring him, reassurance if it's in reation to something spooky and praise when he responds as requested i.e walks forward calmly works with him.
-he's very sharp and it's very subtle! so he easily lures you into thinking he's a big soft lump when actually it's all ticking away inside his head, so although be kind if you feel his reaction is genuine, do not allow him to gain anything from his behaviour as with Rastas I know a chap that used to ride him once had an 'experience' with him when trying to take him out alone, Rastas bucked and he got off and took him back to the stable! This weekend I rode him past the menage gate where his field mates had just passed by and he stopped, I nudged him on and he did his party trick to try and protest...now this humping only used to occur when he was first mounted/first few strides until warmed up typical cold-backed, but the clever monkey thought he might try it on!! He just likes to test the boundaries every now and then if it's work he's not that interested in or that's a little hard!

I know no two horses are the same and the breeding alone does not create these habits but I do believe tehre's probably a bit of something in it and if you need any further info on Rastas PM me...I've learnt a lot over the last 9 months!!

I hope this helps a little :) Do not worry yourself, I have cried out of frustration sooooo many times but what you have is a very sensitive but probably incredibly talented young horse...he's young, you have years and years together and the last thing you need is to put too much pressure on yourself, enjoy him, learn from him, do make sure his back is checked and he's comfortable, then you know you're just dealing with a behaviour you can start to work through
 
Thanks so much for your reply HerosRomeoDeputy - our horses seem very similar!!! You're right, he is exceptionally talented although he is extremely sharp and far too clever for his own good.
Sorry it took me so long to reply, I have since sold 'Charlie' I intended on keeping him and hoped to have his as my newcomers, potentially foxhunter horse.. He had amazing ability and scope to burn - he just didn't have to right head for it. I had put word out there that he may be for sale and a lovely man - a well known event rider bought him from me. It was a sad sale, as we appeared to overcome to whole girthing issue with, as you said worked with your horse simply 'sitting it out!'
I'd been reading up about cult hero offspring and have found too that they appear to be intelligent, highly strung and often professionals horses!
Thanks again for your reply :-)
 
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