I dont know what to do anymore

madhector

madhector

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Got up at 6 to ride Jerry before work, I lunged him yesterday and he was excellent, so I was really looking forward to schooling him today...

He was very very forward from the start, after 2 minutes I had no arms left
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He wasn't at all spooky though which was something. The walk was OK, but the trot was like a steam train, I kept checking him and asking him to slow but nothing really happened. I did loads of transitions and changes of rein, never once going large, but he just wouldn't slow, then when I attempted a transition to walk he lost it and reared up vertical and came over backwards, landing on top of me
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He got up and charged of. I was shaking all over and had to sit for ages before I could walk without wobbling. I managed to catch him, legs still shaking like mad. I just wanted to chuck him out in the field, as the last thing I wanted to do was get back on, there was no one else there. I knew however if I didn't get back on, I wouldn't ever ride him again.

So took him back to the yard, mounted and rode back into the menage, trying desperate to stop the shaking going down the reins, we managed a trot on both reins and then I am afraid to say I got off.

I am at a loss as to what to do, I feel like the most useless rider, I have the most talented horse, yet I cant do anything with him
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Sorry for the long post, not a great way to start the day
 
Oh god you poor thing, it's terrifying when that happens.
Could he go back to that person that had him in to school for a few weeks? Sounds like you need to build up your riding strength on something less volatile and he needs to remember his manners.
 
Aww bless you, you were bloody brave getting back on when you were on your own, it prob just a blip, what about lunging him first before you ride next time?
 
Oh honey, please don't beat yourself up about this! We all have bad days, this one is yours. So jot it down to experience, and forget about it. Try to remember more of yesterday than this morning.

As for naughty Jerry, I would firstly be very tempted to have his back checked as I would with any horse that rears up. I know he is probably fine, but once something has done that to me I don't like wondering whether I am causing it any pain, and therefore do not ride it as I should do. I hope that makes some sense.

Once this is all 100% fine and naughty Jerry has no excuses, I would start by ignoring what the front end is doing, and concentrate on the back end in walk and trot. If he was pulling like a steam train I would push him more into the contact with my legs so that he had to start using his back end and therefore not running onto the forehand as much. Transitions are good, but I would make sure I did 5-6 on a 20m circle to constantly keep his attention. As soon as he came down into walk, I would give him the reins for a few strides so I was not constantly holding him up. I have this with Hannah you see... she runs into my hand and before I got Grace I would find myself constantly arguing with her when she was in that mood. However, having learned an awful lot in a year, I now just give her the reins for a few strides then pick up the contact again which is working incredibly. She is a completely different horse to ride.

If he is too hot to do some longer work, then make him work hard by asking for a bit more from him to keep him occupied. If his attention is wandering, ask for some lateral work. For example put him on a 10m circle in the middle of the school, leg yield out to 15m then straight, then leg yield out to 20 m then spiral down again and repeat, sometimes doing it to 15m then spiralling back down. That will certainly make him engage his hindquarters and slow everything down.

I hope some of that helps... keep your chin up!
 
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I think that might be the best option, although I dont know if I'll ever be good enough to manage him

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When he's there ask if you can ride him on the lunge a bit so that you get a feel for how best to influence him.
He sounds so similar to Grinder and for quite some time I had to stay on a circle with someone in the middle just gaining his attention. Once he started to respect me we could venture further away!
 
well done for getting back on, that was the biggest battle and you've already won that.
i would definitely lunge him first, even if it's just for 2 mins to check what kind of mood he's in, before riding him.
i'd also get his teeth and saddle checked by someone different to last time - that extreme a reaction (and his total edginess from the start) makes me instantly think that he's in discomfort somewhere. obviously i don't know the horse though.
i'd also boot him out in the field 24/7 and feed him nothing but hay. waaay too much energy there by the sound of it. you can always add the energy again later.
very best of luck with the little git! hope you're not too sore.
 
Just an idea - when he is so whizzy like that would it be an idea to just canter him round the school to get the fizz out of his toes and just get him to let down a bit? I know that sometimes they just aren't ready to concentrate when we first get on, and just need to be allowed to go forward, forward, forward.

Thank God you were not hurt. You are not crap ( we all know that ) and I think anyone would feel shaken after that.
 
Ok, so as you push him from behind, give him a half halt and then drop him again so he does not get chance to hang onto your hands...

Another thing to try if he is being fast and heavy is riding a 20m square... on each corner make sure it is a corner so a small squeeze with the inside rein to get the bend around the inside leg, and then check with the outside rein but again do not let him hang on to it. Then make sure your straight sides are truly straight. Or, to give him even more to do, turn 5m before the end, then leg yield out to the square then use the stepping under from the leg yield to make your corner a bit shorter, then leg yield. You will be aching after, but hopefully it would encourage him to step under and he cannot get away from you because he is having to be under himself to do this work.
 
I wish I had lunged him now, but after the amount of rain we had yesterday ( I can only lunge in the corner of the field) I didnt think it was wise.

My saddle fitter is brilliant, she was out just before his illness but I will see if she will come out again before I try someone else, as she is known as the best in the area, dont trust the rest
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He is out for about 12 hours a day, lives of hay, has no hard feed what so ever! Will try leaving him out at night and see if that helps, but he was quite similar in the summer when he was out 24/7

My back is beginning to ache now, and I have to go and ride some nice green 4 yr olds at work, all of which Id rather sit on than mine
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Thanks for the luck, think I will need it
 
yep, think canter would have helped, but at the speed he would have done it he would have gone over at the corners (done this once before!) If the ground had been better I would have taken him in the field and just cantered him round and round, but its so wet now
 
Well done for getting back on. I would think that as he's been feeling so poorly for so long that he's now feeling great about himself and is 'throwing his weight around' so to speak.
I think if you can persevere with the worth then he will gradually get better and you will eventually get your horse back.
You won the battle today.
 
Dont ever put yourself down- you are more than capabale of riding this horse- it was just a bad morning!!
Honestly he is no different from the tens of young event horses that I've watched with Rock King's owner/breeder- we had many like J- there is absolutely no point in trying to school them or make them listen when they are in this kind of mood. So they were lunged- for a solid hour at that- not all, but that is what some of them needed. Just so that they could let off steam. Once or twice one of them was lunged for nearly an hour before he had done a one day event! It sounds as though it is way extreme, but you are talking about overboiling excessive energy here- that is too dangerous to be ridden on- so they were lunged solid.

It only needed to be done a few times, once they were in a good work routine and were more settled- they were fine- and gradually they never needed these long lunges again. If we got on one day and they were far too fresh and fizzy again- we got straight off- and they were lunged until they were calm. There is just NO point in trying to ride them.

So methinks nothing wrong with you, the horses back, nor do you need to go and send him away! just lunge him till he is knackered- then ride- and hopefully you'll only need to do it a few times. I know that having no where to lunge is an issue- so perhaps move him somewhere so that you do have the option to lunge if you need to?
 
oh i really feel for you as i felt like this last year with my boy - he would all of a sudden just bronk or rear for no aparant reason or spin and bugger off down the otherside of the school !! very scary on a youngster !!

But well done for getting back on i think i would lunged him into the floor before i got back on - dont worry about only doing 2 more circles in trot you did that you should be really proud of yourself !!!

have you got an instructor that helps you does he do this in lessons ?? xxx
 
Im so pleased you are ok, very naughty Jerry!

Some excellent advice as been given as always, I really hope you find an answer, even if its sending him away for a while.
However, you CAN ride him, we have all seen the evidence of what you achieved with him in a short space of time, so dont you put yourself down!
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((Gentle hugs)) I hope you arent too sore.
 
I persevered with my youngster and it's paying off. However he never really reared (just baby tantrums). He would charge off and run away but not once was he doing it out of naughtiness - just greenness. I'm sorry but if a horse reared on me like yours has I would not persevere, especially if it came backwards and on top of me. You are supposed to enjoy this not fear it and this is going to be in your head now - it's a dangerous thing whether it's pain related or not. Doesn't matter how talented the horse it is you need to be able to ride it. I would part company to be honest and get something that you can enjoy riding - we work too hard and spend too much money on them for it not be enjoyable.
 
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In that is the case SV many of our top class event horses would have been bypassed or shot many moons ago!!

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yep the sharp difficult ones always nearly turn out the best in the end !!! they just take a little longer x
 
Many of us aren't top class riders either, and have the know how and guts to continue. I certainly wouldn't jump round a PN course anymore let alone a 4* track - that's the difference between us mere mortals and those that have it. I don't know the history of this but it's plain dangerous to be honest and there is absolutely no way I would sit on a horse that reared like that - and it sounds that the OP does not really want to either. I might be wrong
 
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I'm sorry but if a horse reared on me like yours has I would not persevere, especially if it came backwards and on top of me

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Totally agree, personally I wouldn't get even back on a horse that had gone over backwards with me. My life is far to valuable to me for that.
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I'm sorry but if a horse reared on me like yours has I would not persevere

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In that is the case SV many of our top class event horses would have been bypassed or shot many moons ago!!

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Yes - have you ever seen Toy Town in training? It would seem that the only way is up quite regularly for him.

I also think that it's what the jockey feels happy to deal with as well. A rearer would scare the pants off me - give me a bucker any day. But I am not in the same league as MadHector (or indeed many of the people who post on here) and simply would not have the skills or ability to deal with that sort of behaviour.

We're also discussing a horse for whom MH has plans - competition that is. She's not a leisure rider as most of us are. And lets face it - the most talented are usually quite quircky......
 
I would prefer to give the horse the benefit of the doubt in this situation and would like to see how he is once lunged in the way as described in my post before, which is what is done with many young competition horses
 
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Yes - have you ever seen Toy Town in training? It would seem that the only way is up quite regularly for him.


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Very big and important difference between a horse that goes up and one the goes over backwards IMO.
 
Yes but you must draw a line somewhere. I compete at dressage quite a bit and have achieved reasonable succes with a nice, non-flash, not hugely talented little TB but I could ride him. I now have a big-moving, ultra-talented warmblood that is very sharp and it's taking me a long time to harness the power and get somewhere - but under no circumstances would I have tolerated that sort of rearing. He reared a little and I could kick him on but the minute he would have gone up that would have been it. As Burite said - my life is far too valuable for me - however seriously I take it. With regards to Toytown comment - come one - how many of us are in the same league as Zara Phillips?
 
But is it worth getting killed?? .... or seriously injured?... a hores rearing on top of you is dangerous, bloody heavy animal to fall on you, plus OP was alone at an early hour it could have been much worse
 
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Very big and important difference between a horse that goes up and one the goes over backwards IMO.

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I suspect that he has been over more than once........

Anyway we digress.
 
I can't really help as I've no experience of this, but I just wanted to say that I'm glad that you are ok (apart from the sore back), and whatever your level I still think you did very well to get back on. Is there anyone who can be around whilst you ride though just for safety?
 
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With regards to Toytown comment - come one - how many of us are in the same league as Zara Phillips?

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I wasn't commenting on Zara Phillips - or her skill as a horse woman. I was merely agreeing with the fact that if every time something went up it was shot - half the event horses on the circuit wouldn't be in existence. I was just using Toy Town as an example.
 
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