Horse lacking impulsion but is scared of the whip?!

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EquestrianFairy

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My loan boy (hes staying now.. dont ask!!)
lacks impulsion, he seems very backward and i find it hard to get him going forwards.. no amount of leg makes a difference and sometimes too much leg just makes him stop.

We attempted a whip yesterday-literally just holding it and he went mental and got very scared so we scrapped that idea but now what?!

Transitions and the like make no difference, hes quite lazy out hacking aswell so its just the way he is but i need something to perk him up as hes just dragging himself around everywhere.
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Sounds like he has absoultely no idea what the leg is for.

How long has he been broken in? Has he ever had any formal schooling?
 
Lots of horses are scared of whips, as Bossanova says, maybe he just doesn't understand what your leg means. Did you try carrying a long whip ? Maybe you could try a very short stick, because it might not make him react so badly, you ought to persevere with a whip because it is important that he accepts it.
 
Does he work well on the lunge, i.e. to voice commands. Maybe he just doesn't understand. Also, is your saddle OK for him? If it is uncomfortable, too tight on the shoulders maybe, perhaps he doesn't find it easy to go forward.
 
if hes lazy try changing his food.

I would also be inclined to use a blunt pair of spurs instead of a whip to get him use to the fact he has to go when you put leg on, not when hes smacked with a whip
 
hope I explain this right - i know what i mean but probably wont get it down right im sure somone will explain it better... when your schooling say in trot dont use little niggles with your legs all the time, ask for trot then if its not going forward down the long side use only the inside leg and kick every few strides thinking "bigger" not faster young horses are better when things are completely clear. make any sense? im assuming he will allow a little contact or the above will not help at all!
 
oh yes he will let you sit there and kick away as much as you like, only deciding every now and then to listen and keep going. Otherwise he just decides to stop, or it slowly fades out until he's barely walking. I tried both a long and short whip and both he seriously doesn't like which i'm sure is a product of his past. I may have to try spurs then, i don't want to imagine his reaction to them! His saddle is ok- just that- ok but i'm not investing in a new saddle when he's not mine. Saddler said it will do for the moment and is probably the best fitting one he came with.
 
Could you try just carrying a whip around with you all of the time when on the ground so he gets used to it...then when he is not so wary try stroking him with it and things like that lol....eventually u can carry its whilst riding and then use it?
Or try giving him a higher energy feed (as long as he isn't a laminitic sort)
Or spurs...there isn't much else you can do apart from schooling! lol good luck. =]
 
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You ought to persevere with a whip because it is important that he accepts it.

[/ QUOTE ]
Really? Do you mind me asking (and this is a genuine question!) why? Antifaz is scared of whips and I never ride him with one, but then he IS very forward-going.
 
Lunge and get him going on voice commands.
Growl at him.
I believe the NH people use a piece of rope (wip wop or something)
Go on some fast hacks following other horses.
 
I would try long reining and get him attentive to voice commands and then you can transfer that to ridden work and use to back up your leg.

Also if he is being lazy, is he getting all of his vitamins and minerals, if he is just on summer grass then it is not a very balanced feed and can make them sluggish, have just put my boy on a small dose of red cell and that seems to have really perked him up, maybe a supplement like that or benevit would help as they don't fizz the horse up like a change of hard feed.

By the way is he the same out hacking or is it just in the school? If just in the school definitely sounds like a green horse who needs a bit more groundwork?
 
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