How can I get her to settle down?

tonitot

tonitot

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I've just come back from riding my horse and we didn't have a very good session. She was very on her toes and I must have done hundreds of walk-halt transitions but that wasn't working so got on with trotting and we were whizzing round no matter what I did. I was trying to get her workin long and low so had a decent length of rein but with a contact, but she kept sticking her head up and zooming round. She calmed down after a while an after she had worked nice and calmly in trot I asked for canter. She was fine to start with but seemed to get more and more wound up so I tried some trot-canter-trot transitions but this made her worse. She ended up not cantering forward at all but bouncing on her front end very quickly and swinging her bum out so I tried lots of leg and it didn't work. I ended up giving her a smack behind my leg, which I've never done to her before as Ive never felt she needed it bit tonight she was on one. The smack wasn't such a great idea as she protested to that by rearing and as I was more prepared for a buck I wasn't expecting it and off I plopped. I don't blame her for dropping me though as when I brushed her afterwards she had a mark where I smacked her, so either I hit her bloody hard (which I'm sure I didn't hit her that hard) or she's very sensitive, either way it mustve hurt her so I don't blame her for protesting. I got back and tried again this time with lots and lots of leg although still didn't get what I wanted but decided to call it a day ad I was wound up, as was she and it wouldn't do either of us any favours. So how can I get her to relax?
Feed wise she is on a cheap garlic chaff and recoup, a mix we give the racehorses who are on rest as it's the only thing that keeps weight on her.
Bit wise she's in a happy mouth loose ring snaffle with lozenge and has a flash noseband. I am thinking of changing her bit to something stronger as it seems the fitter she's got the stronger she has become and I have to give her a hard pull sometimes even just to get from walk to halt.

Please help :)
 
Im guessing she is a TB? Personally all the TB's i have had i have put onto magnesium as they behave just like you have described, its not so much a calmer that you need, but a "switch on and listen"
Also some days its best to take a very little positive and put them away. Mares have off days so dont forget that!
 
I find with my tb exracer who behaves like that all the time, I have to keep stimulating his brain to get him to listen to me. Lots of transitions, circles, serpentines, leg yielding, shoulder in, rein changing. I keep him in trot until I'v got him listening before moving into canter. If he begins getting a bit above himself, I do lots of half halts and circling so basically if he doesn't listen, he becomes unbalanced so he has to listen to me!
 
ok hun how relaxed were you? not a critisim just well i was taught ( with a hard embarrssing lesson lol) how my body reflects in the horse. were you tense cause of her behaviour did you stop breathing cause of her behaviour. tonight i gave daughter a lesson and we were concentrating on just establishing a good rythum, and even pace - sod front end - just using her body to slow the pace with her counting and breathing - amazing - what im trying to say in a half arse way is step back - sometimes we are so caught up in getting out line and forget to breathe relax and that in self is best thing for horses , . draw a line under tonight ( we all have bad days ) and tomorrow new start - ground work, some chill time just grooming and fussing but when next on board think today its going to be good - forget front end just look for a good even rythum in time the rest will follow - good luck xx
 
Thanks everyone, yes she is a TB, she's 4 years old and was in training to be a racehorse althoguh never races (but you try telling her that somedays!) I've had her a year and 3 months, just before she turned 3. I did some lunging and ridden work with her once she turned 3, she was already broken as a two year old at work (where I got her from) but hadn't done anything for a while but was an angel to get back on. I did a bit of canter work and a little jump and then turned her away from July till february as she wasn't keeping weight on, even in the summer. Now we've been doing lots of hacking and schooling and she was perfect when she came back in but like I said now she's fitter she's gotten stronger.
I do so many circles and serpentines etc it's unbelieveable, leg yeilding just makes her excited as any leg pressure makes her think she has to go faster and matter how much rein I use she won't come back.
I probably wasn't very relaxed to be honest as I was getting wound up with her not listening. I did bring her back to walk and try to take a breather and relax but that's hard to do when she jogging off evey two seconds!
Today I'm planning on taking her on a nice long hack, she seems to settle more in the school the day after we go on a long hack but I don't have much time to do it anymore :/ thanks again guys, keep the advice coming :)
 
Talk to her, or sing! Works a treat everytime! Big sighs and saying woooooaaaaahhhhhhhh if she's dead fuzzy and slowing the rhythm of your body so she matches you (slow the rise in trot, in walk slow your hips)

Personally I wouldn't canter if not listening in trot and I wouldn't smack a horse in this state of mind.
 
Fizzy not fuzzy!

As she's been in training have you tried dropping the contact? Racers often slow down if you drop the contact.
 
Certainly not a stronger bit because if she is going to have a tendency to go up this is quite often related to too strong hands.

Have you tried lungeing her first to get her going forwards? Lots of loose rein and plenty of leg - try not to take up a contact too quickly - certainly not until she is thoroughly warmed up and this can take 20 minutes with some horses!

Good luck
 
If I drop the contact she zooms off and I have no control, I slow my body and she just ignores me. She reared because i smacked her, I was pretty much on the buckle of my reins with no contact whatsoever. I feel I need a stronger bit as she is in probably the kindest bit possible and she ignores me. She just seems to get too excited and I also don't junk she likes her flash much, she still manages to cross her jaw so I'm wondering if she'd prefer a grackle??
 
Just a thought, could she be in season? Some seasons my filly is totally off her head for a couple of days. On her other seasons she doesn't seem to change much at all. Maybe worth keeping a diary of her 'moods' and seeing if there is any pattern.
 
Spyda - she was in season and was fine, I think she coming out of it now. Tbh I don't know much about mares and their seasons, but she's been getting worse over the last couple of weeks being ridden as she's gotten fitter.
 
tonitot said:
Thanks everyone, yes she is a TB, she's 4 years old and was in training to be a racehorse althoguh never races (but you try telling her that somedays!) I've had her a year and 3 months, just before she turned 3. I did some lunging and ridden work with her once she turned 3, she was already broken as a two year old at work (where I got her from) but hadn't done anything for a while but was an angel to get back on. I did a bit of canter work and a little jump and then turned her away from July till february as she wasn't keeping weight on, even in the summer. Now we've been doing lots of hacking and schooling and she was perfect when she came back in but like I said now she's fitter she's gotten stronger.
I do so many circles and serpentines etc it's unbelieveable, leg yeilding just makes her excited as any leg pressure makes her think she has to go faster and matter how much rein I use she won't come back.
I probably wasn't very relaxed to be honest as I was getting wound up with her not listening. I did bring her back to walk and try to take a breather and relax but that's hard to do when she jogging off evey two seconds!
Today I'm planning on taking her on a nice long hack, she seems to settle more in the school the day after we go on a long hack but I don't have much time to do it anymore :/ thanks again guys, keep the advice coming :)
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My boy was exactly the same! If I dropped the contact, he'd whizz off, if I slightly caught his side, he'd whizz off also! I had to teach him to take a contact and to accept my legs on his side (retraining from racehorse to riding horse!) and it wasn't a ticket to go!! Does she work in an outline or does she fly around, head in air, tugging away? With mine, I picked up a contact with my reins, and kept my legs on and kept trotting around. When he lowered his head down, I'd soften the contact (but still keeping one). Sort of a give and take situation, gently, don't get into a tug of war match, just squeeze the reins and half halt. Try to relax and if she takes off in canter just gently bring her back, keep rising as if you're trotting and carry on as if you're oblivious!! Eventually, (they're pretty clever and do get the gist, just can take months until it becomes natural!!) they begin to soften as they realise it's more comfortable. You then have more control. Lots of half halts too, and keep them occupied so they concentrate on what you're asking (lots of circling, serpentines etc) and not on the next straight coming up!

Bit wise, they say exracers are best in a mild bit. They're not all the same though and at times I can put mine in a loose ring french link, however some days I'd have no chance and would end up in Timbuktu so he's in a pelham, with double reins and he works really well in it. I tried a waterford, loose ring as my friends exracer goes great it it but didn't work for us, even tried a kineton but didn't get on with it.

I hope this makes sense, it's just what works for me and my boy! The main thing though is to relax as they're so sensitive and be gentle, gentle but get her to learn how to work in a contact. Also, my boy doesn't wear a martingale, you think horse, head in air, get a martingale on,, well it just wound him up, so off it came! Good luck, it can take time but they're so worth it once they click!!
 
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I agree with Bumblelion... The horse is only 4 years old - surely you can put it down to an off day and start a fresh tomorrow.
 
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