How would you deal with this? (Long!)

ElvisandTilly

ElvisandTilly

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Hi, had my new horse now for 3 months. Had a slow start with sorting a saddle, him getting a knee injury and losing a shoe, all delaying getting to know him in the saddle. He is wonderful to handle and such a sweet horse.

I cantered him for 1st time on a ride out a few weeks ago and he put his head down and tried to buck, feels a bit like a rocking horse... his head going down and his bum going up but not a full buck! I managed to keep his head up after that but he puts his head in air, sticks his tongue out and evades my aids to slow, he just gets so excited and wants to go full pelt! Finally managed to get to walk but he was all excited and flinging himself about!

Haven't cantered since then as I have now hurt my back and I am waiting for blood test results and then to be referred to hosp to see whats going on. I am still riding out but taking things gently for the sake of my back.

When out in company he trots lovely but when I ride on my own he does the same as he did in canter, pulling his head down, doing a rocking horse impression and evading my aids to slow. He starts in trot nicely but then when he gets a little faster and I ask for slow he does his rocking horse impression, like he just wants to go faster and is having a tantrum because I say no, slow! If I did let him get his head down proper I'm sure he'd give one hell of a buck!

Tonight he did it again and I managed to pull his head back up, fix left rein and pull upwards once sharply on his rignt rein growling at him,NO! He did the usual head in air evading contact but did slow and settled quite quickly.

After this long rambling my question is am I doing the right thing and am I best not cantering till I get the trot and more importantly my back sorted?

As he is new and I don't know him as well as my mare (who I have had 19 years and if she had done this I would have just laughed at her and made her behave) I am scared of what he is going to do next, will he get worse or will he eventually settle with time? More worried because trying to protect my back. In all ways he is fantastic, other than this one little hiccup we are having! His teeth, back and saddle are all fine. I am looking to change his bit but just not sure what yet!
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I think you are right to be working on trot before you get canter. Are you having lessons with him? I think this would be the best thing if not as it is very useful for someone else to ascertain what he is doing, why he is doing it, and the best way to correct it.

This may (or may not!) be consolation for you, but I have had my TB gelding for 5 years now and he still goes through some serious phases of throwing every evasion at me under the sun. Fortunately my riding instructor has been working with us all this time to help my confidence with him when he is naughty & evasive, and teach me the best (& safest!) way to deal with him. He will always be a challenging horse, but makes it all the more worth it when you get results.

For him, certainly, if I get him working correctly through walk & trot, then I get a nice transition to canter which is always much more manageable. Good luck!
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There seems to be quite alot of horses who are for sale doing this type of thing around here. 2 especially both coloureds about 15h.h. Thats probably why they sold him
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How old is he? May not have been schooled properley as a younster. Needs nipping in the bud before it gets any worse. If you can't handle it send him for reschooling to someone who is experienced and can teach him back to basics. Hope that helps. Good luck
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I agree with both of the posts before me... and am in a similar situation myself.
Bit wise, if You really think this is the problem, I found the waterford a life saver. As I can really get Frankies head up and keep it up when he starts having one of his 'FrankieFits'
 
Hi Carma. I'm absolutely not an expert as I'm not a bold rider and only ride safe, happy hackers. But I do remember a riding instructor saying that if you can't control the walk then you'll never control the trot and if you can't control the trot then you'll never control the canter. So I'd certainly suggest you stay in walk/trot until (a) you get some lessons (b) you are more confident with your new ned and he with you and (c) ned gets totally bored by it so doesn't find it exciting at all! Maybe stick to riding out in company for a bit too? Good luck - he doesn't sound evil, just a bit insecure on his own x
 
He is probably testing you - seeing exactly what he can and cant get away with!

Keep being firm with him and doing what you are doing.
If he is just annoying you with his antics then fine - work through them.

If he is actually scaring you a bit then get an instructor to help you with this problem - dont deal with it all on your own and scare yourself more!

good luck
 
Some horses feel pain more than others and from personal experience i would have his knee and foot x-rayed to see if there is a fragment of bone moved in the knee that is causing him pain because canter is more weight bearing gait than walk trot.If you have somone asking you to run faster with a chipped bone in your knee or a piece of small metal in your foot you would object wouldnt you?.You would also see whether there maybe a nail fragment still left in the foot.It maybe £250 to x-ray but all horses are worth it!!!
Hope this helpsXXX
 
did you get his saddle rechecked after he'd had time off for his knee injury??

it may just be pinching somewhere??
 
What bit is he in? It sounds like he's bending from his poll rather than trotting through from behind, and soemthing like a dutch gag will accentuate this. What happens if you just drop your rein?
 
Perhaps I'm going out on a limb here -but...
....some horses just love a good run & if he's not done anything more than walking and troting, he may be going a bit mental.

It's easy for me to say this, but in a "safe" way just let him go & get that energy out of him. Keep kicking and hang on, if you're allowing him to move forward then he'll settle after a minute or so, then he'll run out of puff & think he's had the best day of his life.

Is there a race track or something similar you could go to? I agree with the other posts, but mine could be worth a try.
 
A lot of horses just need a good run from time to time. It doesn't matter if this is under saddle or on the lunge/freeschooling. Your horse was out of work for a while, now can only trot. Maybe he just needs to go? If my horse doesn't get to release some of her pent-up energy ridden/on the lunge she gets very bucky and needing to go.

See if a good canter on the lunge/freeschooling helps. If your back won't let you lunge, could a friend do it for you?
 
I would sugest that you take him out initially just for nice long 3 - 4 hour hacks at a walk each day for the next 6 months and get him used to all his new surroundings.

Then once he is used to everything start some trotting
 
Ditto Dolllydolls and Bronya, my girlie is very well behaved, however if she hasnt had a good' blast' for a while she will jog and do a rocking horse impression whenever we hget to a good canter spot - sometime I think they just need to blow the cobwebs away. This may be all the more important if your horse has had to rest. In your situation, and with your back it might pay to get a freelance instructor out to take her out, or to lunge.
 
Hi all

Thank you all ever so much for the replies. Flin is in a french link eggbutt, he has just turned 6 and has been broken and ridden the Parelli way.

He is so easy to do and fantastic other than him getting a little over excited!

His saddle was fitted after his knee injury and the vet came out to his knee and said not to worry about a chip as it is higher up above the knee. He is fine in company and he also behaves when lunging, he does everything really easily because of his parelli training.

After reading all your positive advice I have ridden out on my own again, kept a firm contact and ridden him forward in trot and he was excellent, we had a really lovely controlled trot. He is a french trotter so loves to trot!!!
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Rode to a local show just to watch and to see how he behaved and seen my instructor who I had for my old mare so booked some lessons in. He wasn't scaring me just making me worried about my back.

Onwards and upwards and a big thank you to you all!.I'm sure I will be back in a couple of weeks asking for advice for his next evasion!! x
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