horse taking the mick a bit(long)

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clairefeekerry1

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i've had my new horse 6 months and i've had so much fun on him, he is ace! but more recently he's started getting sharper and sharper. it all started about 3 months ago when i went out for a hack with a mate who is very nervous (been out with her loads before) something that day went wrong when we hacked past a football match (i've hacked him past loads of times before-no issue) and they both go very wound up, which i'd never seen my new horse get before-had always been very sane. anyway, i literally jogged sideways whole way home, was v unpleasant. since then he's not quite been the same. has thrown in few mini rears every now and then and humps a bit, both in the school and hacking, once you ride him thru it he's fine. spoken to his old owners at length who confirm this is not like him, before he came to me, he'd never even thrown a buck, and they are quite novice at there own admission. his back, tack and teeth are all fine and checked recently and his diet and turn out is the same. my inst thinks he is simply pushing his luck and i continue to ride him thru it, but when will he stop trying!!!??? he's 6yr old, connie x tb. feel bit silly posting this as he still is great fun and having a ball with him, but he always seems to be testing me!!!
 
I would take him out with school to mistress to show him ropes.Its probably sharp air less turnout and combination of age and confidence.I had 6 months of terrible behaviour and had to persevere a nightmare at the time but you will get through.Magnesium calmer helped my tbx.What feed is he on and have you changed his diet both considerations especially for this time of year.
 
Six is still a bit young and still learning. Maybe his confidence was a bit shaken going out with the nervous horse? Ditto Cellie, take him out with a very sensible horse for a little while. Also, it's winter and the cold may be making him feel a bit lively.
 
he has been on a mag calmer for 8 weeks now (which his old owners were shocked by, as was pretty laid back) and doesnt seem to make a difference. he wasnt fed anything until it got really cold (old owners never fed until cold) and he literally gets an apple, half scoop of hi fi and handful of spillers nuts (same as he was fed before) i think maybe since our bad ride he's maybe lost some confidence in me (it was a nightmare, friend started crying, i lost my temper with her a bit) but is that any excuse for playing up every single time since?? maybe.
 
It can freak them out one bad experience is a good excuse
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I would team up with more sensible rider and horse and he will learn by example.My mare hadnt hacked on her own reared spun and is still generally nervous but going out with right company has improved her so much she is now babysitting 3 year olds on first hacks.She turned 7 this year and the difference is amazing.
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Maybe if the old owners were novice, they didn't ride much, and didn't take him out of his comfort zone too much and therefore didn't get any resistance to anything. maybe you challenge him a bit more and ride him a bit more so his fitness levels have improved too. I would try to get him out with a really calm horse to see how he behaves then. I think he is just pushing his luck tbh. I would do some groundwork and schooling and try to build the bond. 6 months isn't long for a horse to settle and you to get used to each other.
I would look at the starch content in his diet too.
 
Once something unpleasant has happened you may have to work a bit to restore his confidence. By the sounds of things, he is not doing anything major so the best thing to do is just go back a step (i.e make everything easy and do not set yourself up to have problems) and just restore his condifence and yours with easy riding.

I know it's easier said than done (believe me) but try not to dwell on anything and ride each time as if nothing has happened previously and deal with each little evasion quickly and quietly and not make anything out of it. He is still very young and doesn't have years behind him, so no doubt this episode has upset as he is still in learning status.

Best of luck.xx
 
This is my take on this:-

He now knows you
He now knows you are asking a little more of him than in the past
He knows you are apprehensive of hacking out
Football matches are scary, its the running, the shouting and "adrenaline" that can be sensed
Its cold
Hes board
Its fun to do !
He did it the last time

So how would i fix this
Given this time of year i probaly would leave it for a month and do loads of schooling work. Once you can get out every day - i litterally would bore him rigid with hacking out. Firstly i would have a good schooling session before venturing out. Then i would plan to walk to the first corner or lamp post or tree - with either someone on the ground or a very calm horse. Everytime he jogs i would turn him round and go the opposite way or bring him back to the school and do some more work and then go back out again. I would progress the hacking out slowly over a few weeks, this will give BOTH of you the confidence to ride out.

I also would not feed on the return to the yard as he is obviously a bright little feller and soon learns things, its up to you to police what he learns

Good luck - you will both be fine

p.s. if anyone takes the mickey tell em "for coughs and colds" - "take veno's"
 
Yes, I think young or sensitive horses can be unsettled by one bad experience and it sounds like tensions got very high in this hack.

Stay calm, ignore the nervous behaviour, don't worry about it too much and try to go out with a very sensible horse for a while.
 
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