Horse being an idiot at shows......what to do?

[Neddie123]

So Ive had my 11 year old TB for 9 months. He's evented and done a fair bit competition wise with previous owners. They did warn me that he gets excited at shows and can sort of bronc in warm up arenas.

Obviously I haven't been able to take him out due to covid so today I hacked (with a sensible horse for company) to a local pleasure ride to see what he might do (the idea was to get him to the car park, walk/trot about and then continue our hack). I thought this might be a good way to see what he might do before our first comp next month. It didn't go very well - he sort of threw himself about, spun each way and 'humped' as soon as he saw other horses. It completely fried his brain. In the end I got off and lead but even then I really struggled to keep hold of him.

I gave him some valerian to take the edge off (I know this isn't comp legal) so I'm looking for other suggestions of what to do to calm him down.

Normally I would have done the usual stuff like asking to back up, leg yield etc to get him listening but he went from ok to completely wired so fast.

p.s He's had his back, teeth, saddle etc checked.

 

[humblepie]

I would start low key. what is he like if you hired an arena and met a friend there. Could you join a riding club and go to clinics letting them know what you are trying to work on so don’t upset others . Then perhaps find low level dressage and see if you can go first, so warm up when quiet etc and Build on that. I think also to appreciate he’s not being an idiot as such though I know it’s a phrase. He is just very excited or thinking something very exciting going to happen. He needs to learn it’s nothing to worry about or get excited about.

 

[Muddywellies]

A TB? Has he raced? If so, it might be tricky to completely stop his excitement, tho the suggestions above should certainly help. I know a TB who had raced and he was usually okay at shows unless there were white railings/fences, then it was game over ?

 

[AmyMay]

Far too much excitement at a pleasure ride, I’d have thought.

 

[Mahoganybay]

A pleasure ride would absolutely freak any horse out that had anything about them that hadn’t been out in a while.

Best thing to do I would have thought is to keep things low key, when you can arrange a lesson in a safe indoor/outdoor environment with an instructor. If all goes well with that after a few sessions then hire the arena on your own, see if your horse listens to just you. Do that a few times, maybe introduce another horse in the arena.

Build up until you can attend a quiet event, ask to be first or last when it’s quieter.

Set yourself and your horse up to succeed.

 

[Squeak]

Another who agrees that a pleasure ride is a lot for them to deal with. Don't be too disheartened by his reaction, going to a fun ride after not being anywhere for so long was accidentally dumping him in the deep end.

As others have suggested I'd try boxing out to either lessons or a quiet arena hire and see what happens and then build on it from there. If he's been out competing previously his behaviour is hopefully not normally as extreme as it was today.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

A pleasure ride would be akin to a race day in his mind!! I would start low key with arena hire, pole clinics, jump clinics etc. You haven't had him long and obviously haven't been able to get out and about. I definitely wouldn't worry about today as it was a big ask.

 

[NicholasMurray]

I mean spooking at nothing idiot. From mild annoyance and “horses will be horses” to full “Oh hell no you didn't do that to me! Now don't get me wrong, aces etm I don't fall on my sword for baby horses being green and having broken brain She enjoys showing on the local hunter/jumper circuit .

 

[sportsmansB]

My event horse would be mental at a fun / pleasure ride. I see no fun AT ALL in those lol.
Definitely try and work up from arena hire, to clinic / RC lesson, to unaff dressage and ask for earliest or latest time when warm up quietest, slowly until you have been plenty of places. Once the world opens up try and do it every week at least so that it becomes much more routine. .
Also lunge before you leave home, ride hard the day before, give yourself every chance to have a quieter horse!

 

[F&B]

My old boy also a TB was a seasoned endurance horse, and was very workman like at endurance events. He was calm at shows and dressage, but fun rides used to blow his brain, as someone else has said, not fun at all! May be try some dressage where people have time slots so not all there at the same time.

 

[Orangehorse]

A pleasure ride can test any horse. I used to try to go right at the very end so I knew I wasn't going to be passed at the gallop!

All you can do it keep taking him out so it becomes routine. You could give him some work at home first. A neighbour who used to produce young event horses to sell used to get up at an early hour and working them in the indoor school for an hour if they were the excitable sort, then load on the lorry and off to the event - that would have to be fairly local I suppose. She must have been driven, but then maybe we all were at some time!

 

[Vodkagirly]

I would find a riding club that does group lessons. Get them used to working in a group environment and less exciting than a pleasure ride.

 

[Hallo2012]

id ride mine down the M6 in a headcollar but wouldnt go to a fun ride for any money!!!

you need to start with low key arena hires and quiet lessons etc and hand walk or lunge before mounting.

 

[Goldenstar]

I don’t call them not for pleasure rides for nothing.
I had a horse who was very difficult in warmups , thinking it was me ( she was homebred and very precious ) she went to a pro I did warn them they did really believe me they took her to a show and weep as he put he’s never seen a warm clear quicker .
He cured her by renting a stable at a show centre where a few boxes looked over the warm up ring and taking her to every show and leaving her in the box all day she did come through in the end .

 

[GreyDot]

Had a horse that was always extremely wired at shows and the only way to handle it was ride at home for 45mins to an hour (proper workout) before loading. I would try with an arena hire or clinic and ask to be first on, so that there are a minimal amount of other horses there.

 

[nikkimariet]

So Rooni has been on one pleasure ride. He will never be going on one again! It was a mistake, we thought we’d hired the XC track for 2 horses. Nope. Turned up and it was chaos... Loose horses, ones being lunges, kids screaming, picnics...

Rooni loves his hacking he’s been out for 30 miles and in groups of up to 8. He is great in company and good on his own and he was BEYOND insane. I’ve not fallen off anything since 2019 (jinxed it now) and I could barely stay on him. He was covered in foam and I couldn’t walk I could only get marginally run off with in canter.

It was dreadful. I wouldn’t have even taken Bruce out on one now having experienced one myself.

I know a few people that enter shows to use the warm up but WD from the class on the day etc. Bit sneaky but that’s what they do.