How to make a horse fizzy/buzzy to ride? Fat little cob's too steady :(

Kallibear

Kallibear

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Can a super chilled horse be made 'fizzy'?

Rather opposite from the 'Help, my horse is too much for me', my horse isn't enough for me:(

He's a very handsome nearly 15hh rising 5 MW cob who is THE sweetest, quietest, gentlest boy going. Instructor describes him as the nicest, most innocenct little horse possible :o

However I just don't find him fizzy or forwards enough for my taste.:( He's VERY obedient and always goes the second you ask but it's so..... steady, I suppose is the best word, and lacks oomph and 'buzz'. I feel i'm constantly have to be really forceful to make him really go zoom, which is no fun for him. I like them to be raring to go on canters etc but, although he goes as soon as asked, he's is far more willing than i'd like to come back to walk. He def lacks power and enthusiasm for bombing around :( I can make him go halt to flat out easily enough but it's clear it's under duress.

He's a rather tubby right now (big grass/hay belly, although that's improved greatly recently) and not hugely fit (again, a work in progress, now ridden 5times+ a week) and he IS becoming more forwards, but will he ever be fizzy?

Can I teach him to be fizzy/sharp? How? I hope to take him hunting next year: rather hoping it'll go to his head and turn him into a raving lunatic, but I suspect he's far to polite and laidback for that :(

He'd be utterly perfect for a nervous novice rider but I don't want to sell him :(

Trying very hard to be the hand taller that i'd like
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Fabby jump

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And what he'd love to be: a kids pony
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Oh dear. I would hate to see a ponies nature changed! Accept your pony for who he is. Good schooling will make him a responsive forward ride, but I would think you would have to upset or feed the wrong things to make fizzy.
 
If they're naturally laid back by nature, then you can only really alter that to an extent really I've found. We've got a lovely ploddy cob, we can get him 'sharper' but not necessarily more fizzy. He'll just never be a whizzy cob...it's just not in his nature hence why he retired from showing as it deadened him even more.

If you want to go about it from a feed point of view, try tiger oats to see how much difference they make. If they don't liven him up - not much will lol!

Only other things really are getting him more tuned up and sharp off the aids really - though again, won't necessarily make him more whizzy. [He can still be laid back but tuned well to the aids.] Lots and lots of snappy transitions, keep him thinking forwards and anticipating the next command. I'd plan his work to be similar to sort of a hunter exercise type fitness plan - get him as fit as you can, make him walk out, trot out, hillwork, get his heart up/wind out, etc.

Then see what you're left with.
Bear in mind the whole time, always question whether it is what he wants to be doing though and whether he's suited for it. It's always what I've said - every horse cannot be everything. Not all horses were put down on the ground to go on to be great jumpers...not all were put down to be racers, etc. They all have their 'forte'. Maybe him being his kind, nice self is his calling.

Be grateful you have a laid back steed and that he's being true to his type :) You have something a lot of others would wish for.

I ran into the same problem with my lad who couldn't jump. I tried changing him...but you just couldn't change him enough at the end of the day. He was a bombproof saint for everything, other than show jumping. It took both of us a lot of falls to get me to realise that. He's now living his life happily doing nothing but hacking. Hard choice...but you need to either accept what he can do and settle with it...or move on and get the horse you think you want. Out of experience - I then never found that horse I thought I wanted. Nothing compared to him.
 
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Aw he is lovely :)
He sounds very much like my boy (also a cob but more LW) I have tried changing his diet, schooling tactics, routine change & making him fitter but nothing has changed the "laid back larry attitude" he has! Unfortunately have decided that is the way he is & best not to try changing it.
I have been suggested to take him hunting but unfortunately do not have the bottle :o may be an option for you though.
Good luck!
 
Well you probably no more likely to turn him into a TB than I am likley to turn into Kate Moss, however you can concentrate on getting him very fit, trimmer and more responsive which might then give you a more reactive horse. Many years ago my now podgy cob was trained up to do advanced endurance. At the time he was mistaken for a fairly stocky Arab, he's a welsh cob. I did fittening rides of 1 to 2 hours 3 days per week and 2 to 3 hours sat and sundays. What made him really buz was race rides and I guess hunting will have a similiar effect on yours. Be careful what you wish for though as this meant that I have been unable to do ridden showing with mine as he trys to rAace and then bucks, he threw me off in front of the judge in a VHSClass and I can only do dressage on an arena surface, not grass. Hope that helps, yours looks to be a lovely boy.
 
He might struggle with cantering around etc and prefer to wander because he's unfit for it. See how he goes as he fittens up, perhaps look at his diet also.
He sounds absolutely lovely to me :)
 
He is absolutely gorgeous, alot like my gelding who too doesn't have that 6th gear but with the confidence issues i have, suits me down to the ground.

My thoughts would be that if you do not wish to sell could/would you consider loan to a riding school?
I'am sure there was a post on here the other night from someone looking for riding school types.
Or loan to a family as an all rounder, lots and lots of people would die for a horse like him they are so few and far between.

Good Luck with whatever you decide :)
 
Be careful what you wish for. I have found that once you make them whizzy, you cannot unmake them whizzy. I like very reactive horses and have the unfortunate problem that once I have owned a horse for any length of time they are no longer suitable for people who do not have steady hands and a secure seat. As that is most novice riders and many happy hackers, you would have a horse that they cannot ride. Cheers.
 
Kallibear said:
Rather opposite from the 'Help, my horse is too much for me', my horse isn't enough for me:


He'd be utterly perfect for a nervous novice rider but I don't want to sell him

Trying very hard to be the hand taller that i'd like
DSC00492.jpg



And what he'd love to be: a kids pony
DSC00251.jpg
Click to expand...


From them statements rolled together...I think it sounds like you've made up your mind about him/what you want. A bigger, fizzier version of him.
Only advice I can give, is just think very carefully about what happens next really. Settle with him, or move on to bigger, forwards one you want. I'm sure you could easily loan him or something so he can carry on doing what he likes with someone suited for him?
 
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He sounds perfect for me lol! Loan (to me) and get a big whizzy one! :p:p:p

You do need to consider it carefully though as you don't want to appreciate him less because he hasn't got the fizz/oomph you want :o
 
I think it would Be such a shame to try to change a horse who sounds so chilled and quite frankly worth his weight in gold.
 
Get a new horse. It's not fair to feed him ridiculous feeds hoping it will change his temperment.
If I eat sweets all I end up is hyperactive, not a different person.
 
He's young, green, overweight and unfit. I don't blame him for not being overwhelmed with excessive enthusiasm :eek:

I'd give him time to mature, get him fit, work on really sharpening up his responses by schooling, and consider hunting / fun rides etc to try and jazz him up. That's what I've been doing with Fergs and I'm finding new gears quite regularly. I'm happy to wait till he's ready to be the sparky, super-forward ride I'm hoping for (and I'll love him regardless!) so that's the right course of action for me. From your post I wonder if you're just not suited each other. If you don't really appreciate him, and want to wait for him to grow into what you want, definitely sell him to someone who will - sometimes people and horses just don't click! Don't write him off as a plod, just yet though.
 
Sounds like i'm stuck with Steady Eddy then;) Although hackedoff, that gives me hope! Galloping off and trying to dump me would be just fine;)

I ADORE the pony and have had him since a baby. One of my previous horses was a leggy, VERY forwards (but never strong) large cob and she is the best fun horse i've ever ridden and I wanted the same again but in a patchy colour. Sadly Piggysquigg is a rather more sedate boy.

I think him being fat and unfit is part of it (although he really isn't that fat nor that unfit now) but poss not all of it. For now on it's fittening and diet time. I like my horses very lean and he's only become podgey due to the hay the others need. He's already lost a fair few kg in the last month. I think once he's slim i'll try the oats suggestion.

I'm def careful what I wish for: I wish for a proper whizzy pocket rocket! I'm a confident experienced rider so the more forwards the better!

I've just bought (almost) a 2yr old ISH who will hopefully be my dream horse. I'm in absolutely no rush to get rid of Pips and, if he does turn into a proper whizz kid, the big orange thing will be going, not him!
 
Kallibear said:
Sounds like i'm stuck with Steady Eddy then;) Although hackedoff, that gives me hope! Galloping off and trying to dump me would be just fine;)

I ADORE the pony and have had him since a baby. One of my previous horses was a leggy, VERY forwards (but never strong) large cob and she is the best fun horse i've ever ridden and I wanted the same again but in a patchy colour. Sadly Piggysquigg is a rather more sedate boy.

I think him being fat and unfit is part of it (although he really isn't that fat nor that unfit now) but poss not all of it. For now on it's fittening and diet time. I like my horses very lean and he's only become podgey due to the hay the others need. He's already lost a fair few kg in the last month. I think once he's slim i'll try the oats suggestion.

I'm def careful what I wish for: I wish for a proper whizzy pocket rocket! I'm a confident experienced rider so the more forwards the better!

I've just bought (almost) a 2yr old ISH who will hopefully be my dream horse. I'm in absolutely no rush to get rid of Pips and, if he does turn into a proper whizz kid, the big orange thing will be going, not him!
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There you go then :) Give him a year or so to get more mileage and then see where you end up! If he's still your Steady Eddie, then you'll have your ISH to ride then anyway - so will have the best of both worlds. :)
I'd start him on the Oats now personally - otherwise he'll just working on empty. Start of small just to start livening up his system whilst keeping him work and just up them with his workload over time :)
 
SusieT said:
Get a new horse. It's not fair to feed him ridiculous feeds hoping it will change his temperment.
If I eat sweets all I end up is hyperactive, not a different person.
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agree with this. Op sounds very young and sounds like you should work on improving schooling etc than be more concerned with trying to show off how fast your ned is. He is a heavy set cob not a tb!
 
In a normal situation with a ploddy horse I'd immediately say you need to work on his schooling. But if he's like you say responsive to your aids then schooling won't make him fizzier as such. If you think his flatwork needs work then I'd recommend transitions transitions transitions! Ride with a schooling whip, ask for a upwards transition with your leg and if you don't get an immediate forwards reaction tap with the whip. Continue this every transition, don't let him get away with a slow one. This may be painstakingly repetitive and boring but it will help in the long run.

But, you've mentioned that he's reponsive and obedient - so schooling may not necessarily be the solution if he's already well schooled. You may just find that slow and steady is his natural rhythm and natural way of going and if so then you can't really change that much. Pumping him up with oats or similar isn't a long term solution and probably won't work anyway, oats making horses fizzy is a bit of an old wifes tale.

If you're desperate try hunting or fast hacks with other horses once he's fit. But once he is fit you may find he's naturally more energetic and up for it.

Generally though he may just naturally be slow and steady and you may just have to live with it I'm afraid. He's a lovely type though, you may just get used to his steady way of going!
 
OMG!! I'd love him!! he's a chunkier version of Alf. Alf is very forward though, very sensitive off the leg a bit too much for me. My welsh D is a lazy git though, I have found a combination of schooling and fitness make him more forward, but he will never be fizzy, nor sharp, that's just not him. Enjoy you lad for what he is, or sell him if you want more of a challenge, his type is gold dust and you could sell him many times over.
 
I think its a little harsh on the OP to suggest she swaps him, he's a lovely pony.

Our cob has always been too laid back for her job as a show cob, she lacked "sparkle" and any real "get up and go"

We found the she was better when she was fit. Also feeding Racehorse Mix, Naked Oats and Red Cell helped.

Be careful what you wish for though, it didn't alter our cob much, but it would have sent most horses compelely loopy.
 
Pixebee, oh to be very young again;)

I have half heartedly thought of selling him as I don't think it's fair to try and force him to whizz about AS HE CURRENTLY IS. He won't enjoy. HOWEVER it could maybe be changed so he does enjoy it. Other than his rather sedate outlook on life, he is just perfect. Having had silly Drama Queen's welshy sports horse things before, something quiet and sensible is just SOOOO much easier. He's the ultimate go anywhere, do anything pony. I'd rather like him to be a hand bigger (I'm tall but not heavy) but other than being more fizzy, I wouldn't change anything else about him.

Incidently, I should point out that I currently have no intention of stuffing anything into him as he's currently on a diet!
 
I would think hunting would help massively. Other than that, just focus on getting him fit and responsive but I have to say if it's his nature he may not change that much.
 
He might surprise you as he grows up. My lw cob was a saint as a 4yr old, now he's nearly 10 he acts like he should have as a 4yr old lol. He's very forwards and up for anything. What really helped him along was taking him xc.
 
I used to ride an awful, lazy, stodgy, ploddy heavy cob. They fed him heaps of oats and it made no difference. :(

Then they sent him hunting- Wow! What a difference, fit, clipped out and seriously smart, forward going and responsive. It was the perfect job for him and he loved it, made a huge difference :D
 
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