Horse Has Decided Field Is For Galloping In...

[sasquatch]

So, I think this issue is partly my fault - oops.

When my yard is busy and the indoor/outdoor are hired or very busy, we have a lovely flat field we can ride in as well. Horse seems to 'grow' a bit in the field, but hasn't been too bad and has schooled quite nicely in it.

However, as the field is where he is also allowed to gallop, he now seems to be associating field with gallop. I will let him have a fast canter/gallop if he has schooled nicely at the end of a ride (I've ridden him in the field twice) and sharers have galloped him in it, as well as schooled him with no galloping many times.

Now he seems to think field = gallop. He's out 24/7 most of the time, but in a different field, and only kept in if it's been very wet to let the field dry out a bit, so he's maybe kept in for one night every week at most.

The past two times sharer has ridden him, he has pulled on her hands so much he has given her blisters (even with gloves!) as he has just wanted to gallop, after the first time, sharer lunged him to try and let him go mad in the lunge pen and when she rode he still was in gallop-mode. Yesterday, he was again pulling and pulling on her and he has a habit of dropping his shoulder to try and throw you off if he isn't getting his own way/doing what he wants. He dropped his shoulder and sharer nearly got stuck under his hooves as she ended up clinging onto his neck (he did stop once this had happened), and she felt she had no brakes and no control.

He is ridden probably 5/6 days a week at least, and whilst normally in an arena he does hack and has been ridden in the field more than he has the arena recently, and he hasn't been asked to gallop/canter every time he is in the field, and would be schooled in w/t/c in field without gallop being asked for.

He's a cobby thing and knows he's strong, currently he's in a grackle and loose ring snaffle with a lozenge. Sharer has said at times she feels she has nearly no breaks and doesn't like how much she is being pulled, and she has to pull him.

I have a Dutch Gag he goes into when he is being very strong, until you get some control back - last year he was charging when he was being led to his field and it did result in him toeing people and cantering to his field. He was put in the Dutch gag to be led as it meant when he tried to charge we were able to stop him. It is normally a last resort, I've said to sharer she could try him in the Dutch gag only when she's riding in the field just so she has some more brakes incase he does run off with her again, but sharer doesn't like the bit either.

He is an absolute brute, and very aware that if he wants to do something, he can do it if he uses his strength against you. He is fine in his grackle/loose ring combination to school and jump out of in an arena and on hacks, and he's even ok to be schooled in a plain cavesson noseband and his loose ring. If he goes into the gag bit, it'll only be for when he is in the field and once he stops pulling so much he'll go back to the loose ring. He's a very forward thinking horse who absolutely lives for an adrenaline rush I think, if he can go fast and do things he finds exciting he is so well behaved and willing, but it's when he is asked to do slower work and schooling he switches off if he isn't in the mood for it and will just work against you completely. Typical cob/pony brain I think!

I'm at a bit of a loss as to what else I can suggest to them, especially as lunging him and letting him have a hooly on the lunge doesn't seem to have done much to tire him out or get the want to run round as fast as he can out of his system. I want to be able to ride him in the field without him having an issue as when there's a show on at the yard or the arenas are hired or very busy, having a nice flat field to ride in and use as a 3rd arena is brilliant as often there'll only be just you or one or two other horses in it, and it's big enough that they don't matter.

 

[KittenInTheTree]

Honestly, I think you should simply tell your sharers not to ride him in the field until this problem has been resolved. A big, fit horse, the joy of open spaces and grass under his hooves, and a couple of novice riders...? No. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. They'll just have to schedule their riding around the other people using the arenas, or else hack out (assuming that you have safe hacking routes near you; I know it's often mostly roadwork in NI).

In the longer term, get an instructor in to assess things properly and work out a plan to address any issues. I'll pass you an egg to suck in case you've heard this already: respect begins on the ground! Aforementioned instructor could also teach your sharers how to lunge properly. The horse should be learning something; not simply having a buck and a fart at the end of the line. Yes, you might take the edges off, but much more likely (as evidenced in your post) he'll just end up even more excited and ready to go. In addition, a nervous person may feel even less confident about riding after seeing the sort of shapes that horses can make when "having fun" on the lunge!

By the way, I envy you your field big enough for proper galloping. Please package it up and send it to me

 

[SusieT]

two options- 1 is to take him out and gallop at a controlled pace until he is too tired to gallop - then ask for a bit more so he learns that asking for more gallop is daring you to make him work hard
or take him out and school making sure he is between hand and leg until he is tired than have a slowcanteraround - this would be my preferred option if he is schoolable - and I would be supervising sharers in it from now on

 

[Theocat]

I'd stick to walk in the field until he's absolutely calm. Then walk and trot until ditto. Then little bits of canter if all is going well. I'd avoid having a gallop/ hooley in the same place twice. I also wouldn't lunge - you're just reinforcing the ""field is for hooleying" idea - unless you can keep the lunging to walk and maybe trot.

I'd keep his brain occupied with lots of movements (10m circles, loops, Serpentines, transitions) so he has to work hard mentally.

 

[njyr]

Agree with some of the other comments - avoiding galloping in the same place, keeping his brain engaged, tiring him out before any gallop work. I rarely gallop mine. When I do I push her on from an established ready canter for a few strides and bring her back (and repeat). With a friend who was nervous about cantering in case her pony bolted we built it up slowly starting in walk we'd trot a few strides and come back, again and again. When we moved up to canter the horses were expecting to come back to trot within a couple of strides and were lovely and steady.

I've also used circles to control speed. As you've said if there's no point in trying to use strength. If he goes and ignores a half halt, turn a smallish circle. The circle will naturally slow him up. Work the circle until he's between hand and leg and then try a straight. If he goes to takeover again, back on a circle.

Good luck!

 

[sasquatch]

Honestly, I think you should simply tell your sharers not to ride him in the field until this problem has been resolved. A big, fit horse, the joy of open spaces and grass under his hooves, and a couple of novice riders...? No. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. They'll just have to schedule their riding around the other people using the arenas, or else hack out (assuming that you have safe hacking routes near you; I know it's often mostly roadwork in NI).

In the longer term, get an instructor in to assess things properly and work out a plan to address any issues. I'll pass you an egg to suck in case you've heard this already: respect begins on the ground! Aforementioned instructor could also teach your sharers how to lunge properly. The horse should be learning something; not simply having a buck and a fart at the end of the line. Yes, you might take the edges off, but much more likely (as evidenced in your post) he'll just end up even more excited and ready to go. In addition, a nervous person may feel even less confident about riding after seeing the sort of shapes that horses can make when "having fun" on the lunge!

By the way, I envy you your field big enough for proper galloping. Please package it up and send it to me

The best part is the bit of the field has has been galloping in is a fenced off 'arena' part, there's still a good 2/3rd of untrimmed flat field to use as well. I'm sure I can send some if you promise to trim the grass hehe

Sorry for not getting back and thanking you all before now! Forgotten I had posted this. Some very good suggestions, atm it's too wet for riding in the field really as we've had a load of rain so I may have to put putting them into practice on hold for now.

Roadwork is completely off limits as nearest roads are very busy, but there is a route/path on the yard used for hacking that they hack him on, it's an uphill trail that leads into a forrest/woods/up the mountain so it's nice to ride anyway.

Re. lunging, he is meant to be lunged before he's ridden anyway due to minor stiffness in a back leg. I haven't really been doing it when he's out 24/7 (bad of me, I know) but sharers have been keeping it up. I will suggest to them when they lunge to try and not let him canter/hoolley round, and keep it in w/t.

To give a little update on how he's been doing and getting on, sharers rode on Monday in the indoor arena with no problems. There were poles on a circle set out that they schooled him over and they gave him a little jump to finish and he was perfect. No sign of any of the issues they had in the field.

The only problem with doing a lot of walk/trot work is he does switch off very quickly, and if it's something he finds hard and he doesn't want to do, it's when he starts non-cooperating. He wouldn't buck/rear, just will do all he can to work against you. I think it's just the type of horse he is, very stubborn and very quick to learn. I don't think sharers are nervous of him, just were concerned as they'd been schooling him n the field and he had been going well until then!

but again, thank you all for ideas so far! Lots to think about and now put forward and discuss with sharers, and it looks like it will be too wet to ride in the field atm anyway so it means we can do more with him in an arena for the time being.

 

[Damnation]

I'd stick to walk in the field until he's absolutely calm. Then walk and trot until ditto. Then little bits of canter if all is going well. I'd avoid having a gallop/ hooley in the same place twice. I also wouldn't lunge - you're just reinforcing the ""field is for hooleying" idea - unless you can keep the lunging to walk and maybe trot.

I'd keep his brain occupied with lots of movements (10m circles, loops, Serpentines, transitions) so he has to work hard mentally.

I would do this.

Lots of walk to halt transitions, if you feel his mind wander ask something else like a circle or change of rein or a longer/shorter walk or halt etc. If you go up against him strength against strength, he will win. If you feel him set his neck, circle or leg yield. If he is really pushing it I would be asking him to do something different every couple of strides - don't give him a chance to even think about switching off or going for a hooley.

Or do a hard schooling session with him in the arena then literally walk around the field and then leave. Building it up each time.

If you need to put a gag in him for more control then do so. I would rather be softer in a gag then my arms being yanked out in a snaffle!

 

[sasquatch]

I would do this.

Lots of walk to halt transitions, if you feel his mind wander ask something else like a circle or change of rein or a longer/shorter walk or halt etc. If you go up against him strength against strength, he will win. If you feel him set his neck, circle or leg yield. If he is really pushing it I would be asking him to do something different every couple of strides - don't give him a chance to even think about switching off or going for a hooley.

Or do a hard schooling session with him in the arena then literally walk around the field and then leave. Building it up each time.

If you need to put a gag in him for more control then do so. I would rather be softer in a gag then my arms being yanked out in a snaffle!

Yes, that's my thoughts with the gag and have said to sharers it is just for when they ride in the field until he's realised he can't run off with them. Chances are, he'll only need to be ridden in it a handful of times and I'm not looking at it as a solution, and sharers aren't either.

Hadn't thought about changing things up every other stride! Will have to try that when I'm schooling in general, he's very quick minded and if he's not playing ball will mess around as soon as he realises he's doing the same/similar exercises!