HELP - trouble exercising horse in cold weather?

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eva

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Hello priceless H&H minds!

4 months ago I've bought a 5yo Andalucian gelding, and it's his first winter here in cold cold London :) He's grown quite a coat, was getting very sweaty after exercise and so I've asked for the yard to clip him, sadly the clipping person decided to give him a hunter clip without asking me (I wanted a trace), and so he's baring all now. He's wearing 3 rugs at night in his stable and a MW turnout in the daytime when out. He is a good doer and gets ad lib hay and 1 scoop of pony nuts and 2 scoops of hi fi a day (goes a bit mental on anything more than that). Teeth, back, feet all fine.

The trouble is that since the cold kicked in, we're having real trouble working - he seems more tense than usual and runs from walk into canter - I have major trouble getting him to simply trot from walk!!! He never did that before! I've tried stopping him and asking for trot, tried stopping, changing direction and asking for trot, I'm very aware to give out clear signals, completely at loss! He only trots through downward transition from cantering for some time :( I'm really at loss - any ideas what to do? He is working in an exercise rug and I try and warm up as much as I can but even after 30 mins of mainly trot and canter he does that! He's usually a very good boy, tries hard so I'm sure he's not naughty... Is it somehow harder to trot and canter when it's cold? Any ideas how to overcome this? Thank you ever so much.
 
Firstly eliminate any comfort issues on his part - back, saddle, teeth etc. Has he been left with a saddle patch?
I think your best bet would be to ask an instructor to take a look from the ground.:)
 
thanks, but as I have mentioned in the main post he does not have issues with any of the things you've mentioned :)
would leaving/not leaving a saddle patch make any difference?
 
Maybe the exercise rug is annoying him? I once lunged my newly clipped horse in an exercise rug as I thought I was being thoughtfull to him, but he just bucked and galloped like a mad man took the rug off and he was fine again and never had a problem with riding him after either.
 
It could make that much of a difference to some horses if they are fully clipped and left without a saddle patch, obviously the more sensitive ones. I know of 2 horses who need to have at minimum a saddle patch left when clipped as their backs are so sensitive ones bucks like mad and the other went so tight and tense and hollowed, yet leave them with a patch and they are fine. Horses are individuals just like us s'pose!
 
eva said:
nope, it's not the rug, he does it with and without a rug :/
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Hmmm maybe its just a coincident then from being clipped maybe go back to basics a bit with schooling, lunging, long reining and try get past it that way I do tend to agaree with Happy hunter. At the worst at least the hair will grow back.
 
eva said:
thanks, but as I have mentioned in the main post he does not have issues with any of the things you've mentioned :)
would leaving/not leaving a saddle patch make any difference?
Click to expand...

Some horses are more sensitive than others. It is possible it could feel peculiar to him.

Have you tried lunging him or trotting with him in hand? Just to see if he reacts in the same way. If he is happy to trot in other situations, my thoughts would be drawn to either his saddle, his back, your riding, or possibly even the clip.
If not, then I would be inclined to think he is uncomfortable in some way.
 
Thanks everyone, good suggestion about lungeing, will try that and see if it's just the riding issue! I had a thought that it might be that he braces his back because he feels cold and because of that rising trot might feel unpleasant to him whereas in canter I sit well and he finds it easier. It's quite hard to sit to his trot when he's not warm and loose, so a bit of catch-22 really :/ winter sucks.
 
Just an update - hope it might help someone sometime - the solution was found in a half wool numnah! Really helped to warm his back and keep it nice and supple - transitions are back to normal :) yaaay :)
 
give him a really good hard brush before then put saddle etc on then chuck stable rug over him and leave him for 5mins for saddle to warm up - i do that with my sensitive mare
a wise old horseman once told me never to ask a horse to pull on a cold harness - always warm it up before (ie put on to warm before hitching them up to trap etc) or you'll create problems... i use same mentality with saddles
 
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