Help needed pricing a project horse :(

stormox said:
I dont think OP said the horse was bolting. My understanding was that on one occasion the horse got tense about being mounted and took off. But it has only happened the once, and may or may not happen again.
Click to expand...
thanks, I misunderstood
 
Op haven't read all the replies but I would say he has been badly broken & probably hunted roughly in Ireland. I had a young horse that had been treated the same eventually with professional help I did get to ride but he was only ever a hack couldn't cope with anything else. At that point I vowed I would back my own horses and that's what I have done at least you then know their history. Good luck with sorting him I would recommend Jason Webb to you but he is probably way to far
 
I have said the same irishdraft, I have always bought 4 and 5yos just backed or very recently broken. I bought a 6yo thinking a more mature physique would be better for the heavy workload.. Unfortunately the extra years have added baggage! What a crying shame for a horse of such quality. Lesson learnt.
 
What a shame for you :(

I have a 5yo who I bought as a 3yo and is the first horse I have done all myself and I'm definitely with you on the older horses have more baggage... makes me wonder what I've been wasting time doing all these years!!
 
Hoof_Prints said:
Ok so I have a plan of action now. I had a look in his mouth today, he has huge whacking wolf teeth right where the bit goes, the one on the right is massive and very sharp. I am surprised the vet didn't want them out when he did them...

[...]

I will come out of this with a lot more knowledge, whatever happens.
Click to expand...


Good luck OP, sound like a sensible plan. hopefully getting the teeth sorted will help - my project had 2 tiny tiny teeth taken out last year *on my request* which had been left during routine raspings - made quite a difference to her so hopefully it will do for yours too. I doubt it's the end of the story but every little helps :)
 
Hi, just posting an update to this thread. So far we have taken things very slow with lots of breaks, but have made big improvements I am pleased to say :)

We intitially tried to find some nutter to help get on him, so we went through every "problem horse trainer" we could find... who all went very quiet when we mentioned his issues, and most told us they would just do groundwork for months and then help me ride him. Not very helpful, seems when most advertise that they help bolters, rearers etc.. they are really just hoping for a temperamental loader :rolleyes:

My friend is helping but works a lot, so she has mostly been brushing , lunging and fussing him to relax him around people which is the most important thing. We did lunging and join-up a few times in the school, then she attempted to mount as he seemed calm on the ground. He exploded, reared up over me and threw her in to a car :| So she was off for a while with a bad back ! We had his teeth done by the best dentist in the area, and a physio session who helped relax him and sort a few tension issues.

I had a huge confidence knock but although I will declare that I am never getting on and throwing in the towel.. I know I am not a quitter deep down! So I waited for a day when nobody else was around (to say I told you so when the ambulance arrived), and tacked him up. I stuffed my clipping trousers full of straw and made them mount, tied them on with twine and lead him round feeding treats. We sat in the sun for a while just messing around and getting him to calm.
I took him back to the yard , removed "Legolas the legs" , put the stirrup down very low and removed the right stirrup. He looked a bit worried when I put my toe in the stirrup, so I just kept feeding treats over and over, then I gradually put weight in, half mounted, lay on his back... and lay there for a a while! Then lifted my leg as if to mount and touched his other side with my arm to simulate a leg going over. All the while stopping to feed lots and lots of treats. By this time he couldn't wait for me to mount as it meant more treats! So I thought , well I've got this far.. and mounted properly. All calm,no issues! dismounted and lots of treats. Did this a few times, then lay over his back and used my right arm and right foot to get him to walk forwards. He was a bit confused at first but then got the idea and was happily walking around. I mounted up fully, and on a long rein got him walking a few steps.

He had another physio treatment after this, so we stuck Legolas on and got him lunging up the school. Well it went badly to start.. he bolted and jumped the gate twice. The third time round I put the rope on the bit and taught him to stand as soon as he got worried. He seemed to realize bolting achieved nothing and he stopped dead when he was worried instead, result. After 10 mins he was trotting , cantering and jumping with rustling, bouncy straw legs on his back. The next time we did this, he didn't even flinch and worked happily straight away.

This evening I repeated the mounting process and took him for a walk and trot all around the yard , he felt like his old self and was so relaxed. I am going to do this a few times next week then once he is 110% I will attempt it up the school. If you need a job doing, do it yourself :D hopefully my friend's back will be up to riding soon, but at this point he trust me, so I will keep working him myself until he is completely happy being mounted and ridden away. He is very happy with himself and stands nuzzling my hand, such a soft gentle chap. I just need to go over everything with a fine-toothed comb with him. So overall nothing huge, but a step in the right direction. I am also keeping the pony nut companies in business ;)
 
Oh I am very careful ! I just read his body signals and only did things in his comfort zone, never pushed him.
I might be bonkers.
In all fairness though, he has no badness in him whatsoever, and it is very rewarding to see his happy face when he knows he's done well.
 
Great news!
I didn't comment originally as there was a lot on the thread already, but I was going to say be wary of using two people when getting on because if the problem does stem from when he was originally backed then he probably had someone holding onto his head while a rider was thrown on, so that may panic him. Never mind, hope your friend recovers fully.
Congrats on getting going in the right direction, and it sounds like having to think a little 'outside the box' is helping you get to know all his quirks and triggers and giving a chance to work through them. Bribery will get you everywhere eh! :D
 
Good Luck hopefully he will return to the horse he was before the hunting incident.

Like others I expect he may have had a bad hunting experience before and perhaps rough handling and that maybe taking him hunting again bought it all back to him and he now thinks what happened in past may happen again.

If he has had a rough start to his ridden career I would be careful as even if you are gentle the re-backing process may be traumatic for him if he expects to go through the same thing again, this is quite different to a horse that has not been backed before who does not have any expectations. I think you may need to very patient and understanding to rebuild the trust.
 
Patience and understanding is certainly the approach we will take, I think the key is to keep him well within his comfort zone, and switch the negative associations with good ones. The more I walked and trotted him around, the better he got, rather than more worried. He used to freak out and charge at movement in the saddle such as reaching for pockets, now he stops and nudges you to find out where the treats are.
The physio commented that when she made adjustments and made him uncomfortable, he just moved away whereas other horses would strike out or put their ears back. One thing is for sure, he will never go hunting again! He loved showjumping though, so in a few months time we will hopefully be back out doing that.
 
We found with the bonkers carthorse, that once he understood and relaxed with whatever was being taught to him he was able to move on. It sounds a bit daft, but training him was like building up layers of trust in a very slow, careful and incremental pattern.
 
Inspirational post OP, how lovely to read a post from someone so experienced who is prepared to ask for help, listen to the sensible and helpful suggestions provided and then act on them. I admire you for trusting your instincts with this little horse, persevering and not even considering just trying to pass him on. I truly hope that your patience and hard work is rewarded, keep us posted. Well done.
 
Thanks Sallyg, no matter how experienced you are, you will never know everything! And you will never learn if you don't ask. So many people are too proud to ask for help. I was at a stage where I just wanted him moved on (to someone highly vetted by myself) but when it came down to it, I couldn't do it. That was just my very shaken nerves telling me to quit while I'm ahead! Once he is out of my hands, he could end up anywhere, and I have a huge soft spot for a troubled soul in need of help :o providing they don't nearly kill me. I know he has no aggression or malice in him whatsoever, and at times you see a cheeky character come out. He took my hat off my head the other day, then looked terrified, as if he was about to be beaten for daring to have a little fun, how sad :( But that is slowly improving as he learns he will never be smacked , ever.

Yes AA, as I said it's like going over everything with a fine-toothed comb. With my other bold and brave youngsters you can just get on with things, and the little things come naturally as you progress. With him, you have to go over the little things carefully.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top