Has anyone evere had a horse who wouldnt work in certain types of arena?

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dozzie

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Just wondering as a friend is having problems again. Her horse was here for a few years and was fine on my arena (sand base with rubber topping) but would throw a major tantrum in other schools (but not all.)

She is now in a new yard and he has been throwing tantrums again. He has in the past actually thrown himself on the floor so we are not just talking a bit naughty. She has been badly injured in the past. Yet he is a really kind horse at all other times. There is no malice in him. He is fine to hack out.

I am going to suggest she brings him over to try him again on my surface just to check but really was wondering if anyone had experienced this sort of thing and if they found out the cause.

We both think it is pain related but not sure what! She hasnt got far with the vets as he isnt insured.Please dont judge as it is not my horse.

Ta!
 
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thats interesting MrsM, my horse had a suspensory issue over winter, he really had a paddy when asked to work on a soft surface other day, hes usually fine, wonder if its that as we are only going back to work in walk etc at the minute.

Sorry to hijack OP just read that and it made me think
 
If its an extreme reaction, then I think its definitely pain- maybe he's feeling stiff or he's tweaked something and the extra work from a softer surface he struggles with. I know my horse really doesn't cope on soft sand surfaces, although he jumps fine off knee deep bog!
 
MrsMozart said:
Suspensory ligaments? The softness/depth of the school surface could be causing issues?
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Could be that. I have large pieces of rubber and it isnt deep really. Not clingingly deep if you know what I mean! He reacted on Passada type surfaces if i remember rightly. I need to find out more really.

But he wasnt lame( although he is mildly lame now). Always active behind on the right surface.
 
Summerleft said:
thats interesting MrsM, my horse had a suspensory issue over winter, he really had a paddy when asked to work on a soft surface other day, hes usually fine, wonder if its that as we are only going back to work in walk etc at the minute.

Sorry to hijack OP just read that and it made me think
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No worries! The horse had an accident in a trailer, resulting in SI, so this complicates things. But I dont think it is a new issue. Interesting that your horse had a paddy after suspensory probs.
 
dozzie said:
Could be that. I have large pieces of rubber and it isnt deep really. Not clingingly deep if you know what I mean! He reacted on Passada type surfaces if i remember rightly. I need to find out more really.

But he wasnt lame( although he is mildly lame now). Always active behind on the right surface.
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Tigs (chronic damage to both hind suspensory ligaments) wasn't always lame. It was on and off for about seven or eight months before she went to the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket.

Dizz has a wee bit of damage as secondary issue to her pelvis problem, but she's not always lame. I do stay out of deep mud or deep schools though, just to keep the strain off. One of her lameness bouts was after a hack around a field that had some deep and heavy mud that we had to wade through for some distance.

Vet will lunge on different surfaces as an initial review.

Fingers crossed for the horse (and owner).
 
Thanks MM! I wondered about hind suspensories. Wasnt sure about Tigs. It is the sort of thing I associate with older horse who have worked hard.

But clearly that is not the case.
 
Some horses are just sensitive!- I have one who hates deep chopped up surfaces (and who can blame him!), he's always been like this, never had any suspensory issues etc-he also hates the surface too dry, it has to be just right for him! dead flat surface with a bit of give in it- theres been loads of research done on arena surfaces and whats best/what type causes the most injury etc- I can't remember who carried it out sorry, but you may want to google it....
 
My horse hates our rubber school, but works much better in the harder sand school. He's fine on hacks across fields. He just doesn't like to rubber school!
 
Yep - my boy when the yard initially had their new combi ride surace laid just would not work in it. He was sluggish, lazy, wouldn't come through from behind and kept dropping behind the contact but to school him on grass he was fine.

The school was really deep and the installer came back and added more fibre surace which made an amazing compact surface which you worked "on" not "in" and he was ine to ride in it :)

I put it down to him finding the drag/depth of the original sand too much hardwork :rolleyes:
 
It really is extreme. Rearing bucking and leaping on the spot. My instructor has seen him throw himself on the floor and the girl has been seriously kicked by him when she came off. He would not dream of kicking normally. He has been working/competing at elementary level so not unschooled. He is 17 so not a baby either and she has had him 12 years.

I dont think he is just being lazy.
 
JoG said:
Yep - my boy when the yard initially had their new combi ride surace laid just would not work in it. He was sluggish, lazy, wouldn't come through from behind and kept dropping behind the contact but to school him on grass he was fine.

The school was really deep and the installer came back and added more fibre surace which made an amazing compact surface which you worked "on" not "in" and he was ine to ride in it :)

I put it down to him finding the drag/depth of the original sand too much hardwork :rolleyes:
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Yes I can never understand why many arena installers put too much surface in, and also there are many deep rubber arenas too- one of my horsey "bugbears" is poor surfaces! and really annoying when shows have bad surfaces too!- it's much better for a horse to work over the suface rather than through it, the top being about 4inches is normally adequate for most horses? .... v interesting. At least you were able to get yours sorted!
 
Sorry dozzie....if this horse is finding the surface hard to work on or it is perhaps exacerbating some very mild pain (Joint stiffness? age? lack of muscle?) then this may be his way of say "no thanks". My boy would never had thrown a tantrum - it involved too much effort :rolleyes:

K27 - completely agree, I want to do a dressage test, not plough the arena!!!
 
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