Help getting my cob moving forward

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2hairycobs

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Hi guys,

I need everyone's help & suggestions please!

I have a 4yo gypsy cob who will not move forward! I started him last August & he's doing okay, but I can't get him to speed up when we're out or schooling! He will go up into trot nicely a lot of the time, but breaks the trot & shuts down completely, especially if I ask him to speed up in either walk or trot.
I can not get him to canter! On the weekend we tried behind a grind in an open space (not the school) and he point blank refused. My friend was cantering round us, up behind us, even gave him little whoop with her crop as she past us & nothing!! Don't get me wrong, he safe (which is awesome) but I want to get him moving forward now so we can have some fun!!

I have a session with a Monty Roberts instructor and we have made a 'tickle stick' which worked for a few rides but now has no effect. I'm doing more ground work with him so he sees me as the leader but if anyone has any good suggestions to get him going I would be very grateful for anything I can try!!

Thanks in advance :)
 
This has very little to do with whether he sees you as a leader or not, at this stage it is not really relevant, he needs to want to go and start to enjoy doing the work you are expecting of him, he is still very young, may still be growing and possibly finds going at the pace you want rather hard due to the type he is, most cobs are built to pull rather than carry a rider and find a steady pace easier than a faster one, obviously there are some that are more naturally forward.
I would give him time, make the work fun and varied, encourage him to react to a very light aid from your legs and get him as slim and fit as possible.

I would also get his saddle checked and possibly a vet check just to ensure there is no physical reason he struggles but it is likely that once he is fully mature, another couple of years ahead, he will start to find work easier than he does now, there is a chance he will always be a steady type and his idea of fun will be a steady walk.
 
Try to do as much as possible outside of the school. Can you ride him in a field?

When you squeeze legs to make him go, no response then kick with both legs.
If he responds = pat and say good boy. Make sure you are not pulling on reins at any point - as much as possible on a long rein.
If no response from the kick then as quick as possible hit him with your whip behind your leg. Make sure you are not catching him in mouth or restrict his movement forwards.
If he moves forwards from whip then pat & say good boy etc.
If he doesn't respond to one whip use a whip in each hand and use at same time.

Always make sure to praise the correct response and don't catch him in the mouth when he moves forwards from the aid.

Once he gets the idea of moving forwards from aids you can reduce the whip/kicks. But do not nag with your leg - you need to be clear, and quick to respond to his reactions :)
 
He only works in the school maybe once a fortnight & I try to make that a mix of ground work & ridden & only for 1/2 hr so he doesn't get bored.
When we set off out on a hack he's usually fairly forward & responsive but after 10mins it wears off :( and he's less responsive in company, he's a natural follower!
I use the following aids: leg away as his warning, squeeze, tap tap with my leg & then a whoop with the whip (obviously stop at the stage a which I get a response) and always reward him for a forward motion with a good boy & a rub
I feel like I'm doing everything I should be, I've taken everything really slowly with him & he's fairly fit but when he closes down nothing works and it's really frustrating especially when we're out in company
& people have to wait for us because I can't get my horse to move! I don't loose my rag with him, but I also don't know how to get him moving.
My older horse who is a heavier build who I also broke is the complete the opposite.

The youngster has had his saddle checked in the last 8 weeks, he was seen by the dentist about 8 months ago, but I've got the dentist & the physio booked over the next month so hopefully we can eliminate anything physiological.

What do you suggest for making hacking fun? I try to vary where we go (but especially week days that's quite hard) and vary who we go with if we go in company.i try to take him out at least 50% of the time alone & he comfortable in both situations. Are there any exercises anyone can suggest whilst hacking to make it more fun for him? I try not to trot him for too long, do lots of transitions and ride on the common we have & round the little wood we have as much as a can
 
Is he shod, could he be sore? The fact he starts off more forward would indicate possible lack of fitness or soreness. If he is more forward going in the arena I would take a look at feet, if not shod may need shoes you could try boots to check if it helps before shoeing .
 
He's the same everywhere.hes barefoot, seen by a pediatrist & his feet at absolutly Rock solid, their so incredibly hard it's almost unreal. He's seen every 6-7 weeks depending on the time of year & isn't at all footy on any type of ground.
I feel like I'm doing everything right & not getting the best from him ��
 
Fitness? Still growing and struggling to carry rider and be forward for long, could you turn away or if not just stay in walk then build fitness slowly!
 
I would suggest that fitness might well be an issue. Being young, he will only be able to maintain "more forward" or canter for a short period of time.

Quite often what happens is the rider askes for more speed or canter, but then doesn't tell the horse when to slow down (or trot) again, just keeps going until the horse packs it in. Which in the case of a young horse, may only be a few steps before they get tired and fall out of it. As a rider, I have a number of steps in mind before I ask and then ask them to come back and for four year olds, it needs to be quite short.

You may want to go out and have fun, but you will need to wait for him to catch up.
 
You say he is a natural follower yet in your first post you said you were doing groundwork so he sees you as the leader, this is contradicting what you should be reinforcing, you need to build up his confidence and self belief not letting him see you as the leader, it needs to be a partnership where you say go and he answers how far.
I would forget the round pen join up stuff as that can make them even more submissive which you don't really need and get him out on long reins so he is the leader, he is obviously not worried about going alone but is not really gaining from following another horse, I would do as NZJenny suggests, doing a set number of trot strides keeping it very short and then asking for walk, then repeating numerous times on the hack, or long reins, mix it up a bit so you don't always do the same number, sometimes come to halt from trot and then trot from halt, there is a lot you can do to keep him interested without doing too much outside his comfort zone, it should help him become fitter and the fitter he is the easier it should become for him to remain in trot for longer and then do much the same in canter.
 
If he is a natural follower what happens when you are riding with your friends if they canter off in front of you and keep going? So he couldn't just catch up in trot
In my mind he should want to chase them and keep up which might be a way to encourage him forward. not sure if it's the best way but I'd expect him to want to go with the others
 
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