Help or advice

[Dzm92]

Hey guys! Bit of advice needed.
Cut a ling story short, I have a 15.1 rescue horse, who as a whole is quite a sweet boy, ive only had him 3 months, and in that time hes kicked me in the head hispitalizing me causing underlying issues. Anyway ive been cracking on and doing basic groundwork as he is unbacked.ive got a trainer to help with this as my confidence got a kicking so to speak! Anyway the trainer lunged him with a roller last week, he was fine for 10 mins then went rodeo style and gallopped around the training paddock, we got him back and he was fine. The next day I did it again, same bronco billy but this time he decided to run THROUGH the fencing gallopping off everywhere next to the main road. This has shattered my confidence more and obviously I dont want it to happen again, im not enjoying him at the moment I dread going to the yard, any advice on what to do?
Edit- hes rising 5 and was checked by dentist farrier and vet in february

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Where did you get him from? If that is a reputable registered charity, I would send him back, as being unsuitable to be rehomed until they have done more work with him

 

[be positive]

3 months is not long if he was a true rescue, cracking on is maybe going too fast for him and he is getting upset and over reacting, he needs to go back a step or two to well within his comfort zone before he really loses his confidence in you, your own confidence will take a dive but his is probably completely gone after 2 traumatic days, give both of you a chance to settle down and go very slowly if you want to succeed in giving him the best start possible.

 

[Melody Grey]

I second sending him back to the rescue if possible if you've totally lost confidence. I've not heard of something rescued being re-homed requiring backing, but I know some of the bigger organisations will back youngsters themselves as it gives them more scope for rehoming and the reassurance it's been done properly. Is there support available to you from the rescue?

Although your checks have been done in Feb, I'd be tempted to do them again- a lot can change in 4 months with a growing youngster. There may have been something going on below the threshold for detection which might now be more obvious?

 

[Dzm92]

3 months is not long if he was a true rescue, cracking on is maybe going too fast for him and he is getting upset and over reacting, he needs to go back a step or two to well within his comfort zone before he really loses his confidence in you, your own confidence will take a dive but his is probably completely gone after 2 traumatic days, give both of you a chance to settle down and go very slowly if you want to succeed in giving him the best start possible.

He was from the RSPCA, when I say cracking on I mean like just getting on with things and trying not to let the accident bother me. Hes only been lunging the past week and a half maybe, without the roller, but when roller went on thats when he went nuts

 

[milliepops]

I was wondering if it was RSPCA because I know they rehome unbacked young horses, a friend got one from them a while back. I think they get totally signed over after ?6 months too so if you want to send him back then you might have to act fast.
Anyway, assuming you want to keep trying, in addition to double checking that he is comfortable, it sound from your first post like you might need to assess your facilities critically to see whether it's really suitable to back him where you are keeping him now. If he can get free and onto the roads then you might need to consider sending him to a yard elsewhere, perhaps for a professional to work with him full time for a bit?

 

[bonny]

He was from the RSPCA, when I say cracking on I mean like just getting on with things and trying not to let the accident bother me. Hes only been lunging the past week and a half maybe, without the roller, but when roller went on thats when he went nuts

Don’t lunge him at the moment, you are asking for him to keep trying to run away. I would concentrate on handling him, take him out in hand, then add a roller or a saddle. He shouldn’t really react like that to a roller, I assume he has had rugs on ? Sounds like he just needs to get used to various things happening before you try to back him or it is going to keep going wrong.

 

[be positive]

It is still rushed from his point of view, he 'went nuts' because he was not ready to fully accept a roller while moving, he was fine for 10 mins and work should have stopped after just a couple of minutes before he couldn't cope and flipped, it is not an uncommon reaction but these days most are well prepared before lunging in one by wearing one just walking about in hand, getting used to the feel of it when moving, turning while the handler is with them.
He needs to really learn to trust you as much as anything else and you may want to assess whether you are really the right home for him before it goes too far, he may have had serious trauma before being rescued and that needs to be considered with everything you do, if you are not experienced with starting youngsters he may be a tricky one to learn with.

 

[Dzm92]

Yeah I was planning on sending him away to be proffesionally backed, I just wanted

Don’t lunge him at the moment, you are asking for him to keep trying to run away. I would concentrate on handling him, take him out in hand, then add a roller or a saddle. He shouldn’t really react like that to a roller, I assume he has had rugs on ? Sounds like he just needs to get used to various things happening before you try to back him or it is going to keep going wrong.

Hey, he has had saddle on in hand and walked around and is fine x

 

[Dzm92]

Yeah I was planning on sending him away to be proffesionally backed, I just wanted

Hey, he has had saddle on in hand and walked around and is fine x

And no never had a rug on

 

[bonny]

And no never had a rug on

I would do that first then, it’s a big help if a horse is used to wearing one. You could rug him and then let him loose in the field. He should be used to a rug anyway and it would help with you handling him.

 

[Dzm92]

It is still rushed from his point of view, he 'went nuts' because he was not ready to fully accept a roller while moving, he was fine for 10 mins and work should have stopped after just a couple of minutes before he couldn't cope and flipped, it is not an uncommon reaction but these days most are well prepared before lunging in one by wearing one just walking about in hand, getting used to the feel of it when moving, turning while the handler is with them.
He needs to really learn to trust you as much as anything else and you may want to assess whether you are really the right home for him before it goes too far, he may have had serious trauma before being rescued and that needs to be considered with everything you do, if you are not experienced with starting youngsters he may be a tricky one to learn with.

He has had them on whilst walking, all I have done is baby step groundwork until me and the trainer started to lunge a week and a half ago

 

[Kaylum]

what does your trainer suggest?

 

[meleeka]

I’d speak to the RSPCA and see what they suggest. They are ultimately responsible for him.

 

[Peter7917]

Im not a fan of lunging. I just don't see it as a necessary step in a horses education.

If hes good to walk out in tack then I would go back to this. I personally teach breakers by leading out with one arm over the saddle holding the outside rein, a bump with my hip to teach them to move off. Its very basic and not 'proper' but have found most take to it easily. I just don't see the need to teach a horse to run in a circle.

 

[Leo Walker]

I’d speak to the RSPCA and see what they suggest. They are ultimately responsible for him.

Actually they arent. They sell them on to you and then they are yours, they have no further input. My YO has just had 2 delivered yesterday

 

[bonny]

There’s no real point in sending him back where he came from, either the OP needs to manage herself or find a more suitable home.

 

[paddy555]

Im not a fan of lunging. I just don't see it as a necessary step in a horses education.

If hes good to walk out in tack then I would go back to this. I personally teach breakers by leading out with one arm over the saddle holding the outside rein, a bump with my hip to teach them to move off. Its very basic and not 'proper' but have found most take to it easily. I just don't see the need to teach a horse to run in a circle.

I too don't see much point in lunging and I walk them out like this although I haven't seen many others doing it.


OP, I feel you may be going a little too quickly for your horse. 3 months is nothing. Could you perhaps just stick to what he can do well ATM to give him confidence.
Even though he may have had a saddle on and a roller when walking it doesn't mean he has accepted them. The other problem is that you don't know what has previously happened to the horse. The RSPCA may have given you his history but something in the past could have triggered running off when lunging with a roller and you may never find the reason. When you take on a rescue horse you take on everything in it's past. Someone may have already tried to lunge him like this unsuccessfully and all your trainer has done is to hit the trigger.

 

[splashgirl45]

when i started with my youngster she really didnt like the roller and bucked alot while wearing it, i then put a saddle on without stirrups and she was fine, never bucked with the saddle. i would continue with walking him in hand to get him used to you and used to signals to go forward, stop, move over ,turn . use your voice as well as that will help once you get on to lunging again. if he is nice and calm you could introduce the saddle again and do all of the above with the saddle on....just go slowly as he has now had a fright so needs to build his confidence....hope all goes well