HELP HYPER ARAB!

rowan666

rowan666

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my 3yr old anglo arab has turned into a nut job!
he lives out 24/7 (rugged),
fed on dengi alpha oil, sugar beet, condition mix twice daily and hayledge.
backed not broken.
he was severly under weight and had never been fed or rugged and lived out all his life when i purchased him a nearly year ago. now hes upto weight looking great!!
he was always very laid back till last couple of mnths every time hes taken out the field he gets over exited, his tail curls over nostrels flair(jst like a full arab looks amazing! ha) but he charges, bites, head butts, rears, throws his head around, jogs not walks and finds it physically impossible to stand still!! both ridden and on the ground (worse on the ground!?)
ive been told its clear the feed is over heating him but HOW DO I MAINTAIN HIS WEIGHT WITHOUT OVER HEATING HIM? he loses wieght easily so i cant cut feed down! wont be stabled either. or could this just be age and breeding? :confused:
 
If he was mine, the first thing that I would do is to put some time into his training in-hand. It really comes across that he is being rude and needs to be reminded how to behave.

Stay calm, don't get cross ever and be quick with your corrections. I quickly reward good behaviour and quickly correct bad behaviour.

I would put him in his bridle with a long leadrope/leadrein (see photo, you don't have to use a chain, a newmarket coupling would be fine) and take a schooling whip so that you can send him forwards.
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I always say 'walk on', 'stand', 'steady' etc and they do learn the commands.

Any *thoughts* about rearing and you need to send your horse on and make him circle around you. If his feet are moving - he can't rear.

Stop ridden work for now and get him walking in-hand, stopping, turning etc... without trying to bite you or jog. Work with poles on the ground and weaving in and out of cones. Make it interesting to keep his attention. Keep sessions short and end on a good note.

My youngsters love going for in-hand walks. If there is any jogging, I circle them and we carry on in walk.
 
I would perhaps invest in a natural halter and lead rope and start some basic ground games with him. It will teach him some basic manners and you will learn how to move his feet and gain some respect from him. I'd also look at changing his feed for a low sugar/starch diet.
 
you could cut out the condition mix, and give something like the HDF cubes which is slow release energy.

Also, as the others say, try doing some in hand work with him, my arab responds really well the clicker training.
 
we go for walks EVERYDAY (im in no rush to break him in!) he was till recently very well mannared ive spent ALOT of time and energy on him and i would never lose my temper with him i do just send him in circles when he starts so im not sure why he suddenly changed over night?
i was taking him out in his halter but have just tried switching to his bridle as suggested by faracat and it has seemed to help a little! i will try doing more games and make it more fun also change his feed!
i do go running with him aswell though (hes super fit but i intend on doin endurance in a couple of years) should i stop this? and actually jst walk i think i maybe i just get him over exited sometimes i need to stop treating him like a dog but he does love to stretch his legs!(extended trot while i run!) thanks all for your suggestions very much appreciated! :)
 
My Arab had a tendency to be the same, and he was also very under weight when I got him. I kept him on Alfa a oil, speedi beet and copra Coolstance meal, and relax me calmer when I was working him. Reducing the sugar in his diet really helped a huge amount. If he s up to weight now I would look at dropping the conditioning mix and increasing his fibre intake and maintaining his weight with roughage basically.

I would also, as others have suggested spend time on ground work. My boy, as a 3yo was fast becoming physically mature, but mentally - he was like a toddler! Lol. I found that ground work and playing "games", like teaching him to retrieve his bucket in the field, gave him something to think about, and he seemed to be better the more he had to think about. I also found my boy was better in the field when he had a selection of toys - like a couple of buckets and a football, that he could play with when the other horses didn't want to. He had a lot of "play" energy!

The most important thing with my boy was patience - he was incredibly intelligent, but also very sensitive to any changes around him - routine was a complete must for him. Have a look at Kelly Marks books for some ideas of ground work games you can do with him, and good luck :)
 
im sorry but i dont know that much about arabs.What i do know is that you should never feed your horse carrots,if you are feeding your horse carrots then stop,it releases these enzymes which makes them very hyper,the same with oats.Since he is a arab he maybe needs more stimulation take him for walks with the lead rein and get likkit treats to stimulate his mind.Is there anything that could be bothering him in the field,is it your own field or somebody elses,if its somebody elses passers by could be feeding him things that he shouldnt be having.Try and wean him off all the different food that you give him and just give him haylage and grass,but you could also feed him maybe in the morning some pellets or something specially for fattening up horses,maybe haylage balancer or something,go into your local equestrian shop and see what they have.hope i have helped
 
I would, yes, stop the running and concentrate on calm walking out in hand just for now. And also look at the feed to see if you can keep the condition without the fizz.

Mind you I did look at the title of the post and thought 'tautology'.... :-)))
 
My young tb has been very spooky and hyper, now he's on hay instead of haylage he's really calm and relaxed. My 2 tb's get adlib hay and fast fibre with a gut balancer and look really well on it. I would certainly cut out most of that feed.
 
Agree-No likits! Get him some fibre treats instead!

Funny though I have an arab and she has been a bit nuts the last few days. Maybe there is something in the air!
 
:D thank you all... definatly seems i need to re think his feeding!!
does anyone have any suggestions on things that will keep his wieght up and the fizz down??
hes far from fully matured, isnt a good doer and does have unlimited access to hayledge (as we have virtually no grass at the mo) :confused:
 
How about allen asnd page fast fibre. Its low insugar starch and molasses and you can feed tonnes of the stuff. I would perhaps add linseed micronised for extra protein if he's a poor doer
 
I would suggest Saracen Re-Leve. It is a conditioning performance feed but it cereal and molasses free. It was designed for horses that are prone to tying up but obviously is very good for for hyper horses too. It is high in fibre and oil and that where it gets its energy (calories) from. Heres a link -

http://www.saracen-horse-feeds.co.uk/products/thoroughbred/racing/re-leve.html

You can always ring Saracen helpline as well. They are very helpful and will give good advice (although will obviously sell their products)

Hope that helps :D
 
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