Help! How do I stop my horse jogging?

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Horsey_Anne

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Any ideas will be very much appreciated...
I got a new horse at Christmas, supposedly hacks on the buckle, sadly not.
It seems to me that whenever his feet touched grass he went trotting or cantering. Also,whenever he turns a corner or onto a new track he wants to trot or canter. When I say no to trot he starts jogging. If I say no again he will somtimes jog more frantically or even buck, sometimes huge bucks. He's simultaneously chomping on his bit. I feel as if he's very very anxious, as if he doesn't know what to do because I've changed the rules.
THings are improving by just hacking out with sensible companions who won't worry about his antics and walking everywhere but for no apparent reason we went back almost to square one last weekend, jogged continuously over 2 miles on last stretch of ride home - made my back so sore I had to get off.
I've experimented with bits, he's not strong while he's jogging/chomping. I have felt very over bitted in a pelham with a lozenge and in a 3 ring gag. Best so far has been nathe pelham. I probably would be fine in a snaffle but his previous owner road in a vulcanite pelham. I haven't bought one of them because he can't actually close his mouth around it!
I bought him a well known brand of calming herbs very early on. I've added in a magnesium/thiamine/tryptophan calmer since the weekend but...
As I say, any more ideas will be much appreciated...
 
Is horse kept in/out?
How often do you ride?
How often does horse have exercise?
WHat is horse fed?
Have you had teeth done recently?
When you first went out for a hack did you do lots of walking OR "have a trot here and a canter here?"
What bit do you have in at the moment?

My mare is VERY joggy- I let her jog for a few paces and then bring her back to walk- she has been like this ever since I broke her at 4- she is 18 now and has not changed jig-jog-jig-jog

Do you hold your reins shorter when horse jogs? My pony CANNOT stand this- the more you shorten your reins the faster she will go!
 
You can't actually stop a horse jogging. Jogging is the better alternative which happens when a horse allows you to stop it from acting on its desire to beggar off. ;) You have to work on taking away the desire to beggar off. Essentially, over time your horse needs to learn to relax and enjoy hacking.

In your case I would be trotting steadily long before corners, round the corners and then if you have had a decent spell in trot, come back to walk.

Have you tried hacking alone? This may be what your horse was used to when he hacked "on the buckle" and it is the company aspect that is causing him to upset himself.

Don't do rides where you ride away from home and then turn around and go back the way you came, this will set off any horse inclined to stress about getting home. Also if you can, make your rides snaky-like - left, then right, then a loop, etc. Avoiding allowing your horse to think he knows better than you where he's going next and that he ought to head there faster. ;)

Hack from a lorry in all different places. Being on unfamiliar, varied routes can take away the "cockiness" that can happen once a horse thinks he knows what's coming next and the frustration some horses build up in themselves that things just aren't happening quickly enough.

Also, when you want walk, assume "sack of spuds" position. Feel as floppy and easy-going as you can without falling off. Breath slowly and keep saying to yourself, "**sigh** I could just nod off". Absolute lack of tension does transmit to the horse unless its already set itself off and is too far gone, then you're best just trotting IMO.
 
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My boy goes out 8.30ish to a bareish field but with slice of hay. Comes in 4ish.
He has adlib meadow haylage, feed balancer, handful of low energy low sugar chaff + salt and calmers.
He does something 6 days a week, a riding lesson 1 x week, natural horsemanship trainer with TREC type obstacles to tire his brain 1 x week then walk hack, school, lunge, natural horsemanship practice on other days
We have trotted about 5 times in total out hacking, always in different places. I'm very lucky with the variety of hacking around.
He chomps on his bit when he has a new rider or when we introduce a new exercise in the school and he's finding it tricky, that really seems to be an anxiety response.
I ride in egbutt snaffle with lozenge in school. Out hacking I started with pelham with same mouthpiece. Then tried 3 ring dutch gag with same mouthpiece - he flipped with rein on bottom ring. Tried nathe pelham for 1st time today, which he was much happier with.
 
Spring grass has also made them all a bit joggy at the mo. Has he led a 'fast' life before you? maybe he is simply used to going everywhere at speed and the extra sugar is making it hard for him to settle.

Have you already covered the basics? back, teeth etc. I'm sure you have so apologies if I'm talking rubbish!

My mare jogged everywhere when I first got her, it was partly anxiety, some excitement and also my position! She was very sensitive to the leg...oversensitive.

Started with lessons, managed to improve my leg position, put her in a straight bar happy mouth and she was instantly happier. Bit of time and she became the nicest horse I have ever ridden. Sadly retired now.

I remember that horrid back ache you speak of! I used to jump off and walk the last 10 minutes to loosen off.
 
I ride my mare in a pelham, single reins though- and she is happy.

She CANNOT stand a thin bit- she likes something chunky in her mouth

If Horse is happy in pelham them keep him in it xXx
 
Looks like I was replying whilst you added your response. Sounds like you are already doing a huge amount of work with him. Does he jog in the school? Any bucking in the school?
 
Thanks guys...
Yup, he has evented in his past, which is why my best guess is he at least trotted off after every corner and every time feet touch grass.
He passed a 5 stage vetting with flying colours :) (teeth & jabs done 1 month before) & my equine physio has checked him over and treated him since we got a saddle properly fitted.
I'll be very interested to research the centred riding - thanks for that
 
Parker79 said:
Sounds like you are already doing a huge amount of work with him.
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Really? I was just thinking it doesn't sound like a lot of "real" work at all.

My money's on excess energy, if I'm honest. I would up his work load and maybe try swapping him onto hay if there's no reason not to (breathing issues etc).
 
JFTD said:
Really? I was just thinking it doesn't sound like a lot of "real" work at all.

My money's on excess energy, if I'm honest. I would up his work load and maybe try swapping him onto hay if there's no reason not to (breathing issues etc).
Click to expand...

You should see him after a NH session with the trainer - he's exhausted, at least mentally, which has been my aim to try to reduce his fitness
& he's usually dripping with sweat after a lesson

Research for endurance riders in 2001 FMD epidemic showed best way to increase cardiovascular fitness was to alternate hard and light work

I've thought about hay but it's awful round here & we'll be turning out 24/7 in the next week or two/three so don't want to do too many diet changes too close together (farmer says we can turn out and everyone does so I'll get no warning - great!)
 
Horsey_Anne said:
You should see him after a NH session with the trainer - he's exhausted, at least mentally, which has been my aim to try to reduce his fitness
& he's usually dripping with sweat after a lesson
Click to expand...

It just sounds like he has way too much energy to me. Even if he's mentally exausted after a session and physically tired after a lesson, that's still only 2 days of real work, one of which won't wear him out physically. If you've only trotted a few times out hacking, he's not had much opportunity to let off steam - which is something I normally find very important for long term sanity :)
 
Dare I say I disagree! If you 'let him go' out hacking then he may continue to hot up. I agree its excitement, he is used to going everywhere at speed, so i would be persisting with the slower pace and hacking out with 'babysitters' until he settle if you can. That is my opinion based on what you have said so far.

You havent had him long and you have the hotter weather coming (hopefully). That may help make him quieter. Also 24/7 turnout will help.

Mine did stop jogging. She still did it occasionally in her later years, she always walked at the speed of light too so my back was battered!

Good luck
 
Parker, I wasn't suggesting the OP let him go out hacking - I said he may need opportunity to let off steam, which can be done by controlled fast work, on hacks, in the school, over jumps, free schooling, boxing out to gallops or beach (i.e. not assoc with hacking) or even by allowing another rider to take him out and work it off him periodically.

Agree about 24/7 turnout though...
 
depends on why he's jogging IMO...

Tom jogs when he's unfit or tired and struggling to keep up, in which you have to ride him forwards to encourage him to stretch out. He also jogs when he's feeling stiff, in which case you have to allow him to warm up and then he's fine. You can talk to him and keep half halting and eventually he walks.

Ron jogs when excited, and it's much more comfortable than the other option (huuuuge bunny hops and spanish riding school manoeuvres!), so I don't make much attempt to stop him. he gives up after a while! :)

an anxious horse would need talking to in a calm voice (singing helps too!) to reassure them.
an excitable horse may want more exercise, or lunging/schooling before hacking out, or more turnout to burn some energy!
an impatient horse may want lots of half halts, and then riding forwards positively to keep him listening, or lots of changes of direction or speed to keep him listening.
 
My experience - Welsh, chestnut mare - jogged for England! And leapt and snorted and jibbed and sprayed saliva all over me! I used to get blisters from the stirrup leathers despite wearing full length suede chaps. She was so full of nervous energy and wouldn't give in or give up however long you were out for. One evening it was horrendously hot and humid, way too bad for schooling so we went out for a hack. As usual she was great on the road, but this time she ambled down the bridleway and along the river bank without turning a hair so I sat quietly and waited for the inevitable but it never happened and from that day on she was 90% better. She used to have the odd outburst, especially if she was coming up to somewhere she recognised as having had a whizz on previously, but I found that standing up in the stirrups seemed to calm her, and riding one handed for some bizarre reason. The best cure is patience and time though. However frustrating it seems try to keep calm, talk rubbish to the horse (keeps your breathing steady) and use repetition. My girl was obsessed with galloping and would eye up every verge and the golf course :) as a possible chance. I used to do alot of schooling on a huge open area but chose a bit with trees round 3 sides to work her on. Lots of circles which would be made bigger if she behaved herself and smaller again if she tried to tank off. I ended up with a horse that yes, went like mad when I did let her go, but knew where I expected her to pull up again and I could get to go from gallop to walk simply by saying " and walk". Once she'd had a spin she was happy to go home on the buckle. Getting hold of the reins just encouraged her to pull down and go faster.
 
I'd say he's doing too little work in comparison to what he's used to & for the amount of feed he has. The only effect that being an ex eventer would have is on his fitness levels. Eventers hack a lot for fitness, same as hunters, but they're certainly not allowed to tank off whenever they hit grass or pound everywhere in a mad trot. Provided the work is up to the level of fitness, most eventers are pleasant hacks, can you imagine the carnage xc if they were all taught grass equals fight for control & bomb off? Just up the work level, if he jogs give him something useful to put his energy into.
 
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