horse not well suited to his new job of 'happy' hacking

[freshy]

have to say i don't like my horse much at the moment. we are not getting on well at all really.
he is rising 9 and was bought 3 yrs ago as a competiton horse (nothing major fancy, just a nice all round fun horse) he is ish and about 15.2 so nothing massively complicated.
the major reason for buying him was he was uber straight forward and easy, safe etc tho green.
things were great for a yr or so and he was worked hard and just affailated etc and all good. he then went lame and to cut a v long and expensive story short he had spavins and basically broke down. advice ranged from pts to light hack. i turned him away for 15 months and he really really matured physically. looks like a different horse, toned and hardy and gen looks amazing.
so i brought him on as a light hack and so far so good. he is sound, extremely forward going and loves going out....but.....
he is a different horse to ride.... he is stupidly forward going (even tho 90 % of his hack is walk) i have never known a horse walk so fast. we leave everyone else miles behind. even the big event horses we sometimes go out with. he is so forward to the point of rude really.
he is v spooky. he often feels like a ticking time bomb. he sets his neck and often trembles like an idiot but still insists on walking a million miles an hour.
he is frankly becoming rude on the ground. paws the ground, kicks walls, nips all the time, pulls and pushes.
but the basics are still there as in he is still basically safe but just a totally different horse.
i would love to pure him out on loan as a happy hack but he is far from it.
don't know what i am asking really... just so annoyed with him in a way

 

[babymare]

My first thoughts is work at ground work for his manners. firm and consistent . but others will give more advise

 

[GeeGeeboy]

So all this horse gets to do is walking hacks? No wonder he's misbehaving, he's probably bored. Maybe he just needs to blow off steam. How much turnout does he get?

 

[freshy]

i agree with you gee gee but i am not sure his joints are up to it. he is out 10 hours a day in winter and 24/7 summer. in a field with grass summer and winter. i moved to an expensive yard so he could get loads of turn out for his joints

 

[catkin]

How long has he been like this - if it has just started this last week or so do you think it may be 'spring fever'? Lots of horses are feeling, err, rather 'well' at the moment as the weather has changed, mine certainly are!! If it is then he will settle down soon.

PS don't be concerned about a horse who really steps out at walk - that's good - much easier to channel that enthusiasm than to be forever pushing 'em on.

 

[be positive]

He sounds very tense, this could be due to several things, diet, not enough work, pain somewhere, just exuberance from being back in doing something, saddle fit he will have changed shape since the time off.
I may be stating the obvious but I would get the saddle checked and a physio to look at his back, often spavins cause issues in the back so something to rule out, he may then be able to actually start doing more than expected if the spavins have fused and everything else is ok I would then start to up the work and see how he copes you can always slow down if he shows any signs of discomfort.

 

[freshy]

he has been back haking for about 6 months about twice a week. his saddle is spot on as i have spent sooooo much getting this right as you say he had major back problems from the spavins too. he has had new saddle and this had made the world of difference.
i sometimes think pain but he doesnt appear to be a horse in pain. he is having remedial shoeing and he feels better and better everytime he is shod. ears forwards at all times when ridden.
as i say the basics are still there in that he is excellent in traffic, open spaces, alone or company and will go past anything...... but he is just so so sharp......

 

[freshy]

i suppose i kinda expected him to just mooch out like he used to....
half of me thinks this was how he was supposed to be but the spavins had been giving him low grade pain.
he is just so rude sometimes

 

[be positive]

I would start to do more with him, 6 months steady work following the time off may well mean he is ready to do more, use your judgement as to how much.

 

[NeverSayNever]

just a thought for you... I bought my mare 18 months ago, when i had just found out i was pregnant! I rode her all through my pregnancy, mainly walk & trot and never put a foot wrong. She had about 6-8 weeks off then last summer I started riding again and doing more fast work. Again she was fab! Fast forward into winter and gradually she became as you describe, just no fun to be around. I put it down to my field (i keep her and a shetland at home) being a total bog and her being stressed out, plus me not getting to do any flatwork with her , so I moved her to a yard. Things improved a bit as we had the used of a school...however she was still just really stressy! About a month ago I put her on magnesium after reading on here about magnesium deficiencies. She was a textbook case, the utterly crap grazing and year we have weather wise I think means a lot more horses are magnesium deficient than in previous years. She is a transformed character and back to her chilled self! Its cheap on ebay so maybe worth a shot?

 

[freshy]

well interestingly one of the issues i have with him is he appears to be v sensitive to feed etc. wrong types of feed or chaff or hay or haylage sends him loopy so have to be careful there so currently fed on nout!!!.
so maybe you make a valid point!

 

[moorhillhorses]

He sounds fresh :/ is he fit todo anything more?

 

[freshy]

well that is the question i just don't know how much he can tolerate.
i take him in the school every now and then and ask for a bit of long and low etc but then if you ask for an outline he doesn't feel quite right but hack him out on good ground and he feels amazing so i think the surface makes a bog difference.
he lunges really well now but i try avoid this for his joints.
thing is what do you do with a fresh horse who is limited physically as to what it can do????
years ago if he was this fresh i would take him for a long controlled canter but i am pretty sure his joints are not up to this now...

 

[kerrieberry2]

I'd written a really long reply but my page closed down! doh!

how is he if you hack alone? my mare sounds just like your boy! I have to ride her alone! she gets too stressed in company, she is always miles ahead, so hacking in company has just become too much hassle!

 

[freshy]

he is no different company or alone.... tho not many want to hack out with me as he walks so bloody quickly i leave everyone behind and have to keep waiting for them. not exactly a relaxing sun mooch.

 

[moorhillhorses]

Maybe hes just not fit enough to ride in a outline. Hes a story that might give you hope. I had a 17.2hh sports horse who went lame at 15, when he walked his fetlock joint done a little twist. So eventually wear and tear he got Artheritas . Two vets x rayed him and both said hes only sound enough tobe a companion. So he was turned out. Over 2 years I watched him become more mobile. He wasnt lame in walk just in trot. Then one day I gave him a little chase, he was sound. So I lunged him gently for a few mins each day. Then decided to ride him and built him up and had him back out competing for 3 years! Its strange its like time heels. Thennnnnnnnnn we have a polish jumping horse who is crazy. He fell and broke three places in his hock. The vet wanted to put him down, but he was so highly spirited how could we. This horse couldnt put his leg on the ground. He lay down and couldnt get up. We had to help him. He was eating and pooping , happy kicking the doors. We box rested him for 4 months, then began to walk him out for a few minutes each day, then began to turn him out for a little while. Still hopping but not as much. This horse is now walking and trotting 80% sound. Gallops around the field with his tail over his back and looks like hes smiling. Every day he looks more sound. He 100% happy. Its nearly like the joint has healed stiff. Im not sure if hel be rode again but if he keeps going the way he does he will.

 

[moorhillhorses]

MY SPELLING :/ lol