Horse has trouble standing still

[jeromevaleska]

Big Mama is an OTTB who's always been very forward, but that comes with an issue where she is incredibly impatient and has trouble standing still both at the mounting block and under saddle. The halt is never really a halt for her, it's more of a... stop and shuffle forward and backward and side to side until we get to keep going. Tips on helping to teach her more patience?

 

[Melody Grey]

I’m sorry to say, you may never fully break that habit. Many in racing are used to being legged up onto off the floor at the walk and the concept of the mounting block and standing for anything may be foreign.

Giving treats or clicker training (not that I have used it) may help to reward and promote the ‘good’ behaviour of standing still if only momentarily. Could also try someone on the ground with a likit?

Shuffling can be related to anxiety, so anything you can do to give good experiences of life with you may help- being confident and ascertive, consistent with expectations, building up new hacking routes/ equipment in the school slowly. She may settle with time.

 

[Jambarissa]

I give my horse s treat once I'm on, none if them will move a muscle til they get it now. May not work but easy enough to try.

I'd usually deal with this type of behaviour with tiny disengage the hind end type circles, it's hard work for them and you can quit asking when their feet are still. I do agree that an ottb has an entirely different mindset though.

 

[P.forpony]

I have an OTTB who didn't know what standing was when he came out of racing either.

It's actually really easy to teach. Just be ready to commit to the process!

Never try and fight their desire to move, you'll loose every time, work with it
Get in the school and get nicely warmed up. Pick a spot and ask for halt.
Relax your reins and don't use them to keep the horse still.

They will move!
This is OK!

As soon as they decide to fidget or move off, ride forwards straight into canter. Doesn't have to be a pretty transition just go go go. Straight to the track and canter several laps of the school.
Then take them back to the spot ask for a halt relax and repeat.

They can stand still or they can canter.
Only two choices avaliable, but there's no stress, no correction and no fighting over it. They usually get the idea pretty quickly and learn to appreciate the standing as a nice thing rather than a stressy fidgety thing

TBs are made to move, and making them feel trapped or forced to be still doesn't work.
Make the right thing easy and pleasant to do and the wrong thing honest hard work and they'll be much more willing and relaxed

 

[Arzada]

Big Mama is an OTTB who's always been very forward, but that comes with an issue where she is incredibly impatient and has trouble standing still both at the mounting block and under saddle. The halt is never really a halt for her, it's more of a... stop and shuffle forward and backward and side to side until we get to keep going. Tips on helping to teach her more patience?

How much time do you spend with her where absolutely nothing is required of her? eg sitting in her field, sitting inside/outside her stable, sitting with her 'free' (ie not even a head collar on her in the arena, any other opportunities you can think of. Perhaps not the best time of year to do this so wrap up warm, have a hot water bottle, a flask and a book. And not as a one off. You could do something every time you see her. Horse watching is so interesting and you can learn so much from simply watching

 

[jeromevaleska]

I have an OTTB who didn't know what standing was when he came out of racing either.

It's actually really easy to teach. Just be ready to commit to the process!

Never try and fight their desire to move, you'll loose every time, work with it
Get in the school and get nicely warmed up. Pick a spot and ask for halt.
Relax your reins and don't use them to keep the horse still.

They will move!
This is OK!

As soon as they decide to fidget or move off, ride forwards straight into canter. Doesn't have to be a pretty transition just go go go. Straight to the track and canter several laps of the school.
Then take them back to the spot ask for a halt relax and repeat.

They can stand still or they can canter.
Only two choices avaliable, but there's no stress, no correction and no fighting over it. They usually get the idea pretty quickly and learn to appreciate the standing as a nice thing rather than a stressy fidgety thing

TBs are made to move, and making them feel trapped or forced to be still doesn't work.
Make the right thing easy and pleasant to do and the wrong thing honest hard work and they'll be much more willing and relaxed

This is actually such a great idea I think I'll have to start doing this, I never want work to be boring or frustrating for her and that seems like a good solution to both Thanks !!

 

[YourValentine]

This is actually such a great idea I think I'll have to start doing this, I never want work to be boring or frustrating for her and that seems like a good solution to both Thanks !!

Depending on the horse, this could just wind them up and make standing still even more unlikely/difficult as they are stressed / anticipating being asked to canter.

It can be a great tool for some, but it can backfire.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I know someone who had an issue standing with their ottb. They wanted to do dressage so need to halt. Unfortunately it created another problem, pawing the ground! They are very successful in dressage by the way!!

Do you need her to stand still? As others have said the anticipation of cantering off afterwards could make it worse. Could you just accept her little ' stand', pat and move off? As you know short reins to a race horse means go so could you try to introduce halt with your seat, no reins? If this is her only issue you are very lucky!

 

[P.forpony]

Depending on the horse, this could just wind them up and make standing still even more unlikely/difficult as they are stressed / anticipating being asked to canter.

It can be a great tool for some, but it can backfire.

It completely depends on your energy and how clearly and consistently you define the exercise.

As long as the horse is still you should be completely relaxed on a loose rein.
Nothing about the process should be stressful as the options are very clear.

Yes the first few canters may be a bit forward, but just sit light, quiet and leave them alone, don't try and ask for a halt until they're settled and calm in the canter.
Cantering isn't a punishment for not standing still. It's just directing the energy into an acceptable form, and putting their bodies and minds into the best place to want to relax and stand still when asked.

The whole goal is to reward relaxation.
If the horse is stressed, you're either not being clear and consistent, or you haven't finished yet

 

[rabatsa]

How is standing still on the ground, when in only a halter? If this is not good you need to go right back to basics with handling.

 

[Cloball]

My pony was very forward and anxious in the school when I first got her. Hard to mount as she would set off as soon as your foot was in the stirrup, wouldn't stand still in hand, wouldn't stand still and relax under saddle. I tried lots of things moving the feet, treats for staying still after mounting, groundwork and breaking mounting down into tiny tiny steps. To be honest time has been the best single factor she can still be impatient and fidgety but I find it a useful barometer of how she's feeling in herself and tailor what I plan to do accordingly. She finds lots of pressure stressful so repeating the same question and forcing the stand just winds both of us up. She has now learnt that being in the school isn't stressful and she's allowed to figure things out without being rushed and will now stand on a long rein whilst I chat. She is still a pony so will sometimes take herself off when she's decided she's done but it's in a relaxed way

 

[dorsetladette]

Have a look at Steve Young horsemanship - a lot of talking about stuff that's not relevant to horsemanship but he is good at getting horses to understand whats been asked.

 

[YourValentine]

It completely depends on your energy and how clearly and consistently you define the exercise.

As long as the horse is still you should be completely relaxed on a loose rein.
Nothing about the process should be stressful as the options are very clear.

Yes the first few canters may be a bit forward, but just sit light, quiet and leave them alone, don't try and ask for a halt until they're settled and calm in the canter.
Cantering isn't a punishment for not standing still. It's just directing the energy into an acceptable form, and putting their bodies and minds into the best place to want to relax and stand still when asked.

The whole goal is to reward relaxation.
If the horse is stressed, you're either not being clear and consistent, or you haven't finished yet

I absolutely understand the principles and have used it before successfully, but have also had it backfire where the horse just became more and more wound up about stopping because they never associated standing with rest/relaxation rather the forward canter that followed. I was trying to unpick someone else's errors in the poor horses schooling.

Just thought it was worth warning the OP.

 

[LEC]

You have no relaxation and the horse is tense. Blood horses solve it by constantly moving to cope with their stress. Hence they think slowly and move fast.

There are plenty of options to teach it but it takes time and you need to put the effort in.

Firstly in hand you take the horse to different areas and then just stand. Every time the horse moves you correct it and put it back into the place you started. You are looking for the tension to leave the body. It won’t happen quickly and you need to be disciplined about constantly correcting. Eventually what will happen is the periods of relaxation get longer.

Mounting needs to be done with a similar approach. I would have them in hand and ask to stand by mounting block and then a treat when they are straight and still. You build it up so you can stand on the mounting block and they self correct. You need to stand on the mounting block and correct them every time it’s not correct. It usually takes me a week to get it perfectly with probably starting at 30 mins and this whittling down quite quickly in time.
I am then strict about it every time I get on.

Our riding I ask for halt and completely drop the reins. If they don’t I will turn a few tight circles to bend the body and then ask again. You are waiting for the relaxation and you will look to increase the time. Reward with a treat when it happens. I will often do walking patterns on a long rein just to keep building relaxation.

Effectively as a OTTB they are in a brand new world which they feel very uncomfortable with and they have never needed to seek relaxation in their work as it will be move, move, move in racing while in a herd (surrounded by other horses) and then any anxiousness is released through cantering or galloping.