Horse aggressive ... I'm pregnant .... help !

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Dukes Point

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I would like some advice on ground exercises to do with my gorgeous 8 year old 15.1 TB Gelding. He is an ex flat racer who was gelded late at 6 and then retrained for polo. He is a wonderful horse to ride, but can be a little spooky when hacked out alone.

I am however now pregnant and due to a long history of miscarriages have been advised not to ride at all.

I have also become a little wary of my boy as recently he bit me in the stable. I had been bringing him an extra feed as a treat and as he is grumpy around food already it just made him a bit snappy that day. I also wonder due to the fact he was gelded late that he could be picking up on my pregnancy as he pulls some awful faces over the stable door at me. Teeth bared like he wants to kill me LOL


He is however a sweetie to walk out in hand so I wanted to know if there are any exercises I can do to help with me keeping leadership status during my pregnancy?

He is on full livery so I don't have to do anything but I wanted to keep a relationship going between us before the baby comes next year.
 
I'd get a NH trainer in to help teach him some basic exercises to get you going.
It's very easy to teach them the opposite of want you want. And i'd stop the treats.
Good luck with the horse... and the baby!
 
I would stop hand feeding treats, if he gets anything it should be in a bucket. Lots of ground work will get him thinking and mentally tired which should lessen the agression
 
If he is not being ridden i would cut down on his feeds, as that can make him agressive when hes not burning the energy.
Id get in a natural horsemanship trainer to teach you the basics like digger66 says.
our yard specialises in NH and i know how it can go wrong if you dont know the basics, but its a fabulous way of building up a relationship and trust between each of you. I think its very important, and surely it would be nice to be bonded well when you do get back in the saddle.
Last year i was unable to ride my new horse and i spent a couple of months doing NH work with her, with the aid of a teacher, and she is so bonded to me now its great we really understand each other.
Plus if done right after a join up, the horse will follow you around the round pen without a rope, its a very special feeling.
There are lots of exercises you can do!!

Good luck!! and best wishes for the preg :D
 
Thanks Jenz,

He will actually follow me around the menage after I have ridden and I can even get him to turn away from the gate even though I know he's ready to go back out of the school. It is an amazing feeling and I love doing it, I think perhaps I have lost some of his respect in the stable.

Thanks again everyone for your advice x
 
Congrats on the baby!

Is it not possible to put him on part/full loan? if he's anything like mine he needs the constant work. I had 8 weeks off riding mine after an opperation and he was a nightmare for weeks after that, and didn't even want to be caught, I think he thought he'd retired! lol

Ive used the monty roberts thing before were if they come at you or invade your space you put your arms right out to the sides, to make your self bigger, it really worked with mine when he was a baby and kept waking me with his big head!
 
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