Help, I am in pain... sorry long post .... xx

[Gentle_Warrior]

OK, here goes ....... got down the yard and it was a beautiful day, horse does RDA during the week, been half term so had not done a lot. My birthday on Friday so have organised to take him out for the day over the local forest commission - got lady to take me in a trailer all booked etc. inc day off work .

So thought would got for a nice hack today and tomorrow as weather due to be very nice. Horse was usual self, affectionate and loving. So gave him nice groom, looked gorge and tacked him up. And off we went. Everything was going fine UNTIL, got over to local woods and there was another horse in the distance. He started jogging etc, which I controlled. Decided to take a different route to horse otherwise he would just want to catch up with it all the time.

So asked for trot and then canter. Horse is usually so well behaved, BUT today decided to stick head inbetween legs and do a rodeo horse impression (about 5 bucks). Lost stirrup and eventually managerd to get his head up.

Got us both together again and asked for a trot, hey presto bucking again. Then found a hill to have a trot up and he was fine as could not get head down to buck. When came to next hill had a canter up and he again was fine, as could not get head down. Got to another flat stretch, asked for trot, and tried putting head down but managed to prevent it. Back to walk and then trot again down another flat bit and hey presto bucking bronco again !!!

Decided at this point that I did not trust him any more to take me home safely, his walk kept breaking into trot etc, walking very fast and bouncy.

So thought ok will get off and walk him back - BIG MISTAKE dismounted and managed to badly sprain ankle !!! Could not believe it !!!
Spent 5 hours in MIU, luckily not broken but can not walk !!!

Do you think more skooling will help with this. I am of the opinion that the horse we saw set him off, along with the fact that he now lives out, full of energy. But also his brain does not get taxed during the week. Could it be bordem showing and he wants more work ?? I have got a friend to ride him for me tomorrow and am thinking of asking her to ride him during the week aswell. He used to be in a riding school doing upto 3 hours a day 6 days a week, until year ago when I bought him and moved him.

RDA is only walk work with very very little trot. Volunteers for RDA sometimes ride him. But I think he sees me at the weekend and thinks it's party time and lets all hell breaks loose. Only acts like this with me.

I work full time so can not exercise him during the week.

Advise please, sorry for the really long post.
xx

 

[Jemayni]

Just a thought,. be careful about giving him more work, as if you do you will be getting him more fit, therefore he may get sprightlier. It may sound harsh, but my horse gets like this, my answer is just cut out all concentrated feed....

 

[Jellicle]

I feel for you as I have the same prob with my share horse. He saw some race horses in the distance the other day and did an impression of a train all the way home! I will wait for more helpful replies than mine with interest!

If he used to be in a riding school maybe he is very used to riding out with other horses?

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

I was thinking bout cutting his feed aswell ..... I know what you mean about the more work, but really at dead end - I and him hate skooling. Would breaking his routine help, as in he sees me and we always go hacking, common sense tells, to school instead. I have already deided to book a lesson when ankle better, bout 1-2 months. i mean time getting friend to skool him at weekend.

I dont want to lose my confidence in him

 

[H-J]

I dont think him living out has made him lively, my experience of horses out 24rs is that they are lazier and can be tired.

I would cut out food - and put some peas on the ankle

Good luck

 

[YorksG]

I agree that you need to cut down his hard feed, we have decided to cut down the big girls feed after she cantered up the road today! When we thought about it she is still having the same amount as last week when it was freezing and snowing, so less tea tonight.

 

[Agent XXX999]

I tend to think that pushing them forward is better when they are bucking is to give them an almighty kick and cqnter on till they are knackered

 

[Ravenwood]

Was this forestry ride quite new to him? Although I agree with the more work makes a fitter horse theory to some extent it doesn't mean a fitter horse is a badly behaved horse. perhaps just taking him there more often will make it less exciting. We are lucky enough to live on open moorland but horses new to the area sometimes find it mindblowing and its takes them quite a while to adjust and revert back to normal horses again!

It must have been scary riding those bucks on such a big horse though!

 

[suzyseymour]

I would also ride them forward when bucking. Can you try bridging you reins so he can't get his head down to buck?

There is no reason why you can't school your horse out on a hack. Leg yileding, shoulder in, lots of tranitions, all sorts of schooling you can do out on a hack, especially as you are off road. Then he'll be listening to you more when you are out riding and also the more he is concentrating on you the less he is being effected by what is going on around him.

 

[Patches]

First of all OUCH!!!!!

I tore ligaments in my ankle last September and it still hurts now!!!!

I was told not to ride for at least six weeks. Good tip I learned (thanks F) is that vet wrap and gamgee make for a wonderful support bandage when riding. I strapped by foot up rigid. Thank God for my Mountain Horse boots with zips as I couldn't get anything else on. I did stick to hacking and I must admit that it still really aches now if I do much rising trot. Damn thing!

As for your horse......well sat! Big wide horses are so hard to sit to when they play up as you can't get your legs around them as well as the finer types.

I agree with cutting down feed if he has alot of concentrates. 24/7 turnout wouldn't make him fresh I'd not think. Has the opposite effect on my horses anyway. Sounds like he just got very excitable.