How best to sit to horse bouncing on spot?

B

bushbaby28

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 August 2008
Messages
1,177
Visit site
Hiya, after a bit of riding advice. My TB has really knocked my confidence over the last 2 years that i've owned him- nothing huge has happened, its just things niggling over time so decided to try to address the actual thing thats worrying me.

He never buck, rears or bolts, however when excitable will canter/bounce on spot repeatedly and if out hacking will continue doing this until you get home! As he gets fitter and feels well in himself, the bigger the bounces and this makes me feel very insecure. He's only ever had me off twice doing this and that was because he span at the same time so I was already off balance. But like I said, its niggled at me for years to the extent that I now won't hack him out.

What is the best thing to do when he does this to make myself feel more secure? He's fussy in his mouth so I always keep my hands low and on his breastplate to make sure i don't pull him and make the whole thing worse. I try to sit deep in the saddle and ride him forwards but find that I tend to freeze, legs draw up and my seat gets lighter- which is obviously not helping!

So basically what is the best way forward? How do I help both him and me relax and enjoy riding again? I've had back/teeth/saddle checked. Nothing wrong physically, just him throwing tantrums.

Any advice very much appreciated
Thanks
xx
 
mine bunny hops when he's having a hissy fit - I try to ignore it and push through it. I also try to relax my contact to make him move forwards and sit as deep as I can, forcing my heels down.

I know it's not pleasant when your out hacking but I would do your best to not let it bother you as he's probably sensing your fear and getting wound up - not easy to do but maybe worth a try?
I find that mine gets wound up if I keep him on a short contact when out hacking - he assumes that I think there's something to worry about and tenses up.

probably useless advice.. :confused:
 
Following those people who say loosen your contact, I would see if he is more comfortable in a different bit. If he is fussy in his mouth, it does sound as though he could be more comfortable.
 
my tb does the same when he gets excited.. to the point where he canters on the spot.. I'd go along with what the others say and loosen your reins - you know he doesn't buck, rear or bolt so don't worry! Trust him!! I used to ride a big ID that was very onward going and i was TERRIFIED of riding him but one day my aunty just got fed up of me being a wimp and said before you get on the horse say to yourself for this half an hour im not going to be afraid and im not going to be nervous. I can do it!! :D...I know its sounds silly and ridiculous but it worked! He turned into a lazy plod after that and i felt like a tit for ever being scared of him :rolleyes:

Anyway you can do it! Heels down, look up and kick on! :D
 
Seriously? It's supposed to be fun, there are plenty of people out there who won't give two hoots about this kind of behaviour, and plenty of horses which wouldn't dream of doing it. Two years is a long time not to enjoy something, and it costs as much to keep one you can do everything you want on as one you can't.....

Square peg, round hole springs to mind...

My experience of this is if they're the type to do it, you never fully 'fix' it, you just learn to keep a lid on it and not really worry about it.
 
I was the person everyone thought wouldn't be able to manage an ex-racer because of a critical illness and also being a novice rider when I first got mine. Well 18 months down the line we are still together and many people have had to admit that we are a great team now and he is still my dream horse although we have had a few hairy moments.

With my tb if the conditions aren't right for cantering I have noticed he starts storing up adrenalin which is when he will canter or bounce on the spot and the only way to disperse it is to let him get rid of it so I usually push him into a good working trot and make sure that we have several short ones even if he is starting to calm down.

The other ways I have given myself confidence are:
1. I bought and now always ride with a balance strap (leather strap to hold that clips on to the front D rings of the saddle). I have never hung on to it but knowing it is there has helped.
2. Ground work- My tb loves it! I have watched a mare do turns and look as if she was dancing because she was mirroring her owners movements. It builds a bond of trust between horse and owner that riding cannot.
3. Always ride out with someone on a well behaved horse.

If you do not feel up to doing any of the above on this horse either get a recommended trainer to work with both of you or say good bye to him. He knows you are frightened and that will make him worry which will increase his bad behaviour. When I am confident mine is almost a push button ride but if I tense up it doesn't take long to unsettle him and then the situation rapidly deteriorates.

TB's have a reputation for being difficult! I don't think they are as long as you never forget that their reactions are faster than any other breed of horse apart from possibly an arabian. The other aspect is that they are highly sensitive, don't ride one if you aren't prepared to keep 100% of your attention on the horse at all times, they are not a horse that you can day dream on they always demand your full attention! But isn't that their attraction?
 
ETS - in answer to you original question - sit down inthe saddle, push your feet slightly forward shoulders back so that your in a slightly 'braced' position but NO DON'T tense up or you will just bounce on top think 'weight in your heels'. What you are doing with your hands sounds about right, grab some mane for added security if you think it will help. Legs should be saying 'forward' quietly and make sure your not restricting him with your hands.

My 'first' horse - well 14hh nutcase used to do this as well when ever she got excited.
There was no way of stopping her. All you could do was sit deep in the saddle and just ride it out while saying steady steady (mainly for my nerves as it had zero impact on her).

It sounds like you can sit him when he does bounce (apart from the bounce & spin move but that would get 95% of people off!) and you have said he doesn't bolt/buck etc so,
and this may sound mad, but next time he starts - try laughing at anything even if it is a forced manic laugh, it will make you relax and help reduce the tension stress.
I used to think of Tigger, and sing the Tigger the Tiger song if I started to get nervous.

My only thought is that, if you can stop finding his bouncing scary and even find it slightly amusing it won't bother you as much so your stress won't add to his and maybe it will become less of a problem...

good luck!
 
Last edited:
Felicity_09 said:
ETS It sounds like you can sit him when he does bounce (apart from the bounce & spin move but that would get 95% of people off!) and you have said he doesn't bolt/buck etc so,
and this may sound mad, but next time he starts - try laughing at anything even if it is a forced manic laugh, it will make you relax and help reduce the tension stress.
I used to think of Tigger, and sing the Tigger the Tiger song if I started to get nervous.

My only thought is that, if you can stop finding his bouncing scary and even find it slightly amusing it won't bother you as much so your stress won't add to his and maybe it will become less of a problem...

good luck!
Click to expand...

You have my sympathies:-) my old OTTB was famed for being able to dig a hole in the ground when he got wound up cantering on the spot.

I got to the stage with him where when he started I was "oh for gods sake you great poof if you stop digging yourself into the earth and move you will get over yourself"

If you can take the advice above and force yourself to relax about it you will be less tense, much more able to sit it and you will diffuse the situation.

I know it is easier said than done but it sounds like this is pure excitment and nothing nasty, I used to find a "calm down calm down" complete with Harry Enfield Scouse accent used to diffuse the situation and make me laugh....the more relaxed you are the more your horse will get over his fit as soon as you tense up and worry about it the more he will wind himself up.

Also with mine it was a case of letting him have a blast sometimes (I used to call it his Turbo mode you would ask for a canter then say ok go and his backside would almost hit the floor and whoooooosh) and it stopped the problem of him jogging and faffing about on hacks it was as if he knew that he was able to have a pipe opener sometimes so no need to faff about all the time. I used to do hacks one day at full speed then the following day I would do the same hack all in walk and trot just so he did not get used to thinking "ok gallop coming up".....

Rescue remedy is great as is singing anything to keep you totally calm.
 
Chavhorse said:
I used to find a "calm down calm down" complete with Harry Enfield Scouse accent used to diffuse the situation and make me laugh.
Click to expand...

thats hilarious - i say that on my exracer too!!! im laughing now imagining tb's all over the world being told to 'alright, calm down, calm down' in scouse accents!!

i find it works as it diffuses the situation. with my horse its just pure excitement, not badness. he did the spinning thing as well as small rears, and i found riding him with no stirrups brilliant. it made me sit deeper and not grip. balance reins or the rs-tor might work well for you as well.
 
the best way to get thro any kind of sticky situation with your horse is to relax - easier said than done most times - so get yourself a song that you can sing to relax you and then in turn this will relax your horse.

my songs are 'bob the builder' dont ask me why (maybe its the 'can we fix it? yes we can!' bit of the song lol!) it just seems to calm my mare down! and 'mistletoe and wine' at christmas ha ha!

it works a treat to relax both horse and rider i guess its because you have to breathe and concentrate on singing and not looking completly loopy!!

Good luck! :-)
 
My ex racer did it on the roads sideways holding up the traffic, he knocked my confidence so much i sold him and bought my big Irish Draught mare, best thing i did for me, im too old for all that crap lol :)
 
Mole

I 100% agree with the singing. I've got an ex racehorse and when I first got him he used to do the bouncy thing and get really tense and just generally wind himself up to point of complete meltdown as soon as his feet touched grass or stubble. His head used to go up and although he didn't get strong if you moved your hands even a millimetre he would try to be off. Problem was I was making it worse by tensing up, forgetting to breath so tensing up even more.

Every time he started up I'd start singing 'she's so lovely' - he listens, I keep breathing and now he's happy to hack across a field on a long rein. I have no doubt as soon as I pick my hands up he'd be on the move but the singing definitely helped.

She's so luverly
She's so luverly
She's so luverly!

Thank you Scouting For Girls!
 
mole said:
my songs are 'bob the builder' dont ask me why (maybe its the 'can we fix it? yes we can!' bit of the song lol!) it just seems to calm my mare down! and 'mistletoe and wine' at christmas ha ha!

Good luck! :-)
Click to expand...

Ok i't official all OTTB owners are a mad as a box of Frogs lol

I also sing Bob the Builder to my Youngster but i have modified the words;

Its a Tractor (or insert scary item of the day!)
Its a Tractor ( ditto)
Will it kill us?
No it Won't.

"No it won't" is normally accompanied with mega amounts of leg on:-)
 
I went for a hack this weekend with a TB who did exactly this!! Sent my cob into panic mode cos he thought monsters were coming (he's such a dunce) but the TB was just doing her thing! Her rider carried on chatting, ignored the bouncing and her hands were totally relaxed..in fact one handed mostly!! She said it was just what she did and in the whole scheme of things seeing as the horse was the most amazing jumper, was the bravest thing ever on a XC course and had dressage moves to die for then she would forgive a silly bounce while hacking!!!

So guess it's a case of learn to live with it and appreciate the good points or think again about the relationship. ;)

Oh and it's not just TB owners who sing, I have a spooky cob and have been caught out many a time shreeking a tune to stop him being a prat!! Think the sound of my voice irriatates him so much it stops him thinking the sheep in the next field is going to eat him!!
 
Your horse is a horse, it will sometimes bounce (really, everything will) unless it is dead. Some certainly do more than others but all will sometimes. The advantage you have with yours is that you know he doesn't do anything really nasty/dangerous and also you know what his bounces are like and they are predictable.

I'd suggest that you do more hacking not less. Start with (very) little hacks, with whatever else you need to do to make you happy. (Only go to end of drive, do it after a long schooling session, take someone with you on a calm horse, take someone leading you on foot, whatever). Make sure you make it a positive experience and head for home while you're both still calm and happy.

The more you do it the more it will become normal (and less exciting/scary) for you and horse.

In terms of your seat it might be worth getting an instructor to have a proper look but one thing that I do on a stationary calm horse in safe area (well, I take more chances than that but I shouldn't) is to take both feet out of stirrups and draw one leg at a time up in front of me so my knee is on the front of the saddle. Then stretch the leg out behind me along the side of the horse and slowly swing it forward into the stirrup. You should find you almost instantly ride a little longer. Work without stirrups and bareback can also help.

Good luck!
 
I'm another singer! Well, talker... he'd run away from the horrible noise if I sang! Lots of 'eeeasssyyy fella, stop being a Thoroughbred... eeeeaasssyyyy' and stroking his neck, verrrry faint half halts and he usually chills out! Talking/singing makes you breathe and breathing makes you relax :)
 
wow thanks guys this has all really helped! I'm loving the singing ideas- espically the Tigger one as thats exactly what he's like :D

I'm not going to sell him. the thought isn't even an option as I love him to pieces and I want to get through this. Obviously not every ride in the 2 years i've had him has been unenjoyable! I've had some amazing times with him!!! Its only in the last 6 months its really peaked.

Going to get on with it and get out hacking. Can't remember who said it above but going to try the "for the next half an hour I am NOT going to be a wimp, im going to enjoy myself and my horse. I CAN do it".

Thanks again guys. Feeling so much more positive after reading all your stories. Glad to know there are other nutters around ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top