Help with a 'cut and shut' horse!

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A1fie

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My lad has had a whole host of problems and was never schooled - just hunted from an early age. As a result of this and also his medical problems including arthritis, navicular, ligament damage, bone spurs etc he has never learnt to balance and carry himself.

With regular work, mainly hacking and a small amount of schooling, he has started to improve loads. He is now nearly tracking up in walk. However he does not track up at all in trot leading to the very rude comment that he looks like a cut and shut car!

Does anyone have any good tips to help him use his back end more? He finds it difficult in the school so lunging him on a smaller circle with or without a pessoa is not really an option for him.
 
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to the very rude comment that he looks like a cut and shut car!

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Lovely description!
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You don't say how old he is Alfie, but I'm a big believer in gettig them working whilst out hacking. It's less restrictive and psychologically more enjoyable. I would give him lots of work in trot wherever possible, paricularly up and down hills, concentrating on getting him going forward and, very importantly, keeping a good rythmn. Trotting on rougher ground such as grass with the same aim is beneficial too. Providing you make him work as "forward" as he is capable of doing, he will strengthen the right muscles and start to come under a little more. It would be a good idea to incorporate lots of transition work too.

Have you had the usual back/teeth/tack checks?
 
haha I know whatyou mean, there is a cut and shut horse at our riding school! He's a lovely chap though so we let him off!

Try slowing your rise and keeping the rhythm really steady but keeping your leg on and pushing him forward. Lots of horses naturally try to go too fast to enable them to balance, get a regular rhythm, balance and straightness before you push forward too strongly.
 
Without taking this the wrong way, I presume your vet/farrier has said that your horse is sound enough to be ridden or at least doing the sort of work that you wish to do with him?, given the medical conditions that he currently has or has suffered with in the past.

Silly question to some I know, but you do get some people (novices who are perhaps not fully aware of the conditions or how bad they are) who insist on trying to ride the when clearly it would be unfair on the horse etc.
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Other than that, if you have had the go ahead then I'd build him up slowly with lots of hacking, brisk walking and making sure your riding him into a contact, hill work etc before you up the pace if his condition/confirmation is not up to scratch.
 
Kenzo - no offence taken, he is fine to be ridden. He was going to be shot a couple of years ago at the age of 7 because he was so lame (before I got him) but has been brought back into work slowly and gradually. His farrier has become my best friend because I see himi so often and he has just had xrays done from the vet who has not said he shouldn't be ridden. My fabulous farrier came to the vets with him for the xrays so he could see exactly what was going on.

He also has physio regularly.

He has just started going out cubbing with me and is absolutely in his element, he loves the hounds and is so happy to be in work that I have no doubt that I am doing the right thing by him. He is still only 9.

Katt - You are right - he does speed up to try and balance himself and just kind of ends up running along on his forehand. I wil try slowing him down - that's a great suggestion.

Camilla - he definately prefers being out hacking (although much less so with the arrival of free roaming pigs!) As soon as he gets in the school he is just like ' oh I can't really, I can't walk or trot, or go in a circle - it's all too difficult but I wil run around in a diamond shape if you want!'
 
If you can long rein around some undulating fields in a Chambon or De Gogue it would help him through his back and you would be fitter than fit.
 
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Kenzo - no offence taken, he is fine to be ridden. He was going to be shot a couple of years ago at the age of 7 because he was so lame (before I got him) but has been brought back into work slowly and gradually. His farrier has become my best friend because I see himi so often and he has just had xrays done from the vet who has not said he shouldn't be ridden. My fabulous farrier came to the vets with him for the xrays so he could see exactly what was going on.

He also has physio regularly.

He has just started going out cubbing with me and is absolutely in his element, he loves the hounds and is so happy to be in work that I have no doubt that I am doing the right thing by him. He is still only 9.

Katt - You are right - he does speed up to try and balance himself and just kind of ends up running along on his forehand. I wil try slowing him down - that's a great suggestion.

Camilla - he definately prefers being out hacking (although much less so with the arrival of free roaming pigs!) As soon as he gets in the school he is just like ' oh I can't really, I can't walk or trot, or go in a circle - it's all too difficult but I wil run around in a diamond shape if you want!'

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Sounds like you are doing fine so far Alfie. Concentrate on the hacking as I described and then start incorporating more school work - long reining as suggested will be a good idea but wait until he is going a little more consistently out hacking before doing too much schoolwork. He needs to understand that school work is not going to be uncomfortable for him so let him build up a few of the right muscles first! Good luck with him
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but I'm a big believer in gettig them working whilst out hacking. It's less restrictive and psychologically more enjoyable.

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Spot on Camilla - seen more horses soul destroyingly ground down in the school than anywhere else. hacking, variety of surfaces, lots of hills if you have them are brilliant for balancing out the muscles and making them work
 
Thanks all
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will try to do as much schooling as possible outside - and will see if I can get hold of a cambon.
 
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but I'm a big believer in gettig them working whilst out hacking. It's less restrictive and psychologically more enjoyable.

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Spot on Camilla - seen more horses soul destroyingly ground down in the school than anywhere else. hacking, variety of surfaces, lots of hills if you have them are brilliant for balancing out the muscles and making them work

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It always surprises me how many people see "schooling" as separate from "hacking" and such a waste of an opporunity!
 
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