I don't know what to do with my new cob

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Emily T

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I bought a 7 year old, 15 hh cob gelding about six weeks ago and at first he had a lovely trot and canter. Long story short he started bucking (only small and it's more like he stops, lifts up his back a tiny bit and spins around so I come off) at every corner in trot, but I've managed to stop him for doing so by talking to him in a calm voice. I have fallen off him twice. Anyway i cantered him on Tuesday and his canter was lovely aside from a few happy bucks, but on Thursday every time I asked for canter he would start bucking. It got so bad that now I can't ask for canter without holding on to the saddle because I know what will happen. everyone has told me that it's just his way of being a cheeky cob/ him being too cleaver but there has only been one solution which will be to hit him with a whip when he bucks, however, I have a feeling that it won't work for my horse. Another solution has been to give up and trade him in but I can't see myself doing that because I feel like with a bit of work he can be an angel. Any ideas?
 
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The first thing I would do is get the fit of his saddle checked. It sounds as if he might have changed shape since you got him (more/less work or more/less feed or different amounts of hill work), 6 weeks is just long enough.
If the saddle is ok, some lessons with a good, recommended instructor could help.
 
have you had the saddle checked by a qualified saddler? that would be my first thought....did you have him vetted? i wouldnt think hitting him is the answer as you may provoke more violent reaction which you may not be able to cope with,. if all checks have been done i would lunge him for about 20mins before riding so if the bucks are just high spirits he can get them over and done with before you get on..i would also get a decent trainer to help you as they should be able to get an idea if he is just taking the mickey . good luck...
 
Thanks for the tip and I am currently using the stables saddle because of the shape changing issue. My current instructor has told me to just not give up and carry on but I feel like she isn't very helpful at all. All she does as says it's my fault but then tell me that he would act that way for anyone. And it's even harder for me because I'm the only one in my family who knows anything about horses and all my family do is tell me that I'm scared of him (I'm not) and that they don't want to watch me fail every lesson. I know they just want to help but it isn't my horse that is ruining my confidence, it's them and their pessimism and negativity! 😬😬😬
 
splashgirl45 said:
have you had the saddle checked by a qualified saddler? that would be my first thought....did you have him vetted? i wouldnt think hitting him is the answer as you may provoke more violent reaction which you may not be able to cope with,. if all checks have been done i would lunge him for about 20mins before riding so if the bucks are just high spirits he can get them over and done with before you get on..i would also get a decent trainer to help you as they should be able to get an idea if he is just taking the mickey . good luck...
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I have lunged him before but most of the time it stresses him out. I also agree with the hitting thing - i don't even carry one on him because he doesn't need it. His saddle isn't actually his either, and I have to use this one until he has thined out a bit more. My current trainer is decent but I don't like her reaction to when he gets stressed. Once the farrier knocked over something outside the school door and my horse freaked and wouldn't go passed the door. While I was calming him down all I could hear was her yelling that he was acting up. He clearly wasn't and he was just scared of the loud crash outside. He's bombproof, yes, but I think she forgets that it was one oaf his first days in the indoor school (at his old stable they had an outdoor one that he could look out of)
 
No horse is bombproof. A seven year old is not exactly a young horse, but that depends on how much training he has had prior to you owning him - doesn't sound like it's very much, it also sounds like you are on the novice side, so plenty of lessons, perhaps a bit less food for the cob, and keep his head up and send him on if he goes to buck. yes, the saddle needs to fit, but he also needs to buckle down and stop mucking about.
 
your problem may well be the saddle so i would get a saddler out to measure him properly and get a saddle which fits him now because you are in danger of making him worse if the saddle is pinching......horses change shape all of the time but its not necesary to keep changing saddles if you get a good saddle fitter.. i got a saddle fitted for my loan horse in january and as she has changed shape i got the saddler to come out again and he adjusted the saddle for me, if she changes shape again i will do the same. its always worth getting yoursaddle checked regularly anyway...if your instructor says its you, get her to ride him and if he behaves take note of how she rides him..if he still bucks then you need to check saddle etc...you didnt say if you got him vetted...
 
Emily T said:
I have lunged him before but most of the time it stresses him out. I also agree with the hitting thing - i don't even carry one on him because he doesn't need it. His saddle isn't actually his either, and I have to use this one until he has thined out a bit more. My current trainer is decent but I don't like her reaction to when he gets stressed. Once the farrier knocked over something outside the school door and my horse freaked and wouldn't go passed the door. While I was calming him down all I could hear was her yelling that he was acting up. He clearly wasn't and he was just scared of the loud crash outside. He's bombproof, yes, but I think she forgets that it was one oaf his first days in the indoor school (at his old stable they had an outdoor one that he could look out of)
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what do you mean lunging stresses him out? sounds like you are making excuses for him and letting him dictate what he will and will not do...he really needs to have firm handling(not rough) and give him boundaries so he is confident that you are in charge..
 
I'd get the saddle checked and his back, just to rule anything out, particularly if he was fine and then started acting up. Has there been any other changes? Bit? Bridle? Feed?

Sometimes they'll do something once, for whatever reason, and then it becomes a bit of a habit if they get some sort of reward for it -something as simple as a few minutes standing still while the rider dusts themself off is a good enough reward for some! To buck he'll have to get his head down, so try and keep his head up before the canter transition. If you are having to hold the saddle, you are probably unwittingly get giving him enough length rein to get his head down.

Get a good instructor who will ride him aswell, so they can feel what he is doing. This will also help when they are teaching you as they will have experienced it for themselves. Keep feed to a minimum aswell.
 
Emily T said:
Thanks for the tip and I am currently using the stables saddle because of the shape changing issue. My current instructor has told me to just not give up and carry on but I feel like she isn't very helpful at all. All she does as says it's my fault but then tell me that he would act that way for anyone. And it's even harder for me because I'm the only one in my family who knows anything about horses and all my family do is tell me that I'm scared of him (I'm not) and that they don't want to watch me fail every lesson. I know they just want to help but it isn't my horse that is ruining my confidence, it's them and their pessimism and negativity! ������
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It sounds as if you are surrounded by negativity and that your instructor may be the most influential part, the horse now knows he can do pretty much as he likes and you need someone more on your side to get over this, cobs are notorious for being strong willed and are often far more sensitive than people expect so do not cope with being shouted at and the rider being tense.
You need to get a saddler out who should be able to fit something that can be adjusted or at least make sure the one you are using is ok to continue with for a while, then find an instructor who will help you get over this by giving you the confidence and help with the skills you require, maybe even think of moving yards if need be as often it is the whole environment that causes issues and things spiral out of control very quickly.
 
Cortez said:
No horse is bombproof. A seven year old is not exactly a young horse, but that depends on how much training he has had prior to you owning him - doesn't sound like it's very much, it also sounds like you are on the novice side, so plenty of lessons, perhaps a bit less food for the cob, and keep his head up and send him on if he goes to buck. yes, the saddle needs to fit, but he also needs to buckle down and stop mucking about.
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So, Cortez, do you really think that the horse is not allowed to say "Hey, this saddle is hurting me"?

OP, it sounds to me as if the 2nd time you cantered him, he was already bruised from the last time he cantered, so when you asked on Thursday, the saddle caught where he was sore. I wouldn't ride him in that saddle again. You can get adjustable saddles at fairly affordable prices. I think I would find a different instructor too. You have my sympathy, it is difficult when you don't have a horsey family and don't know who the people to trust are.
 
It does sound like a saddle issue get a fitter out to make sure what your using does fit, then I would ditch the instructor yelling and blaming you for his bucking is not helpful, find someone who is going to help you it might be useful for them to ride him and then they will get a better idea of why his doing it if it turns out to be behavioral rather than discomfort. It wouldn't hurt to get his back and teeth checked as well just to rule out if anything.

have you spoken to his previous owner about his changed behaviour?
 
It sounds like the saddle could be an issue. Adjustable saddles, especially synthetic ones, are generally fairly affordable, and any good saddle fitter should be able to provide and fit one to your horse. That way, when he changes shape, you won't need a new saddle, and the fitter can just come out and change it for you. I did this with my horse, who needed to lose a significant amount of weight when I got him, and he's still in the same saddle, it's now just effectively 2 sizes smaller than it was before! :D
 
scats said:
I'd get the saddle checked and his back, just to rule anything out, particularly if he was fine and then started acting up. Has there been any other changes? Bit? Bridle? Feed?

Sometimes they'll do something once, for whatever reason, and then it becomes a bit of a habit if they get some sort of reward for it -something as simple as a few minutes standing still while the rider dusts themself off is a good enough reward for some! To buck he'll have to get his head down, so try and keep his head up before the canter transition. If you are having to hold the saddle, you are probably unwittingly get giving him enough length rein to get his head down.

Get a good instructor who will ride him aswell, so they can feel what he is doing. This will also help when they are teaching you as they will have experienced it for themselves. Keep feed to a minimum aswell.
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Thanks for the advice! I've actually found that by turning his head towards the wall of the arena I can stop him from bucking, which is kinda odd. I also have noticed that he'll swing his head a little before a buck, so I have time to sit in and pull his head up so he can't.
 
iknowmyvalue said:
It sounds like the saddle could be an issue. Adjustable saddles, especially synthetic ones, are generally fairly affordable, and any good saddle fitter should be able to provide and fit one to your horse. That way, when he changes shape, you won't need a new saddle, and the fitter can just come out and change it for you. I did this with my horse, who needed to lose a significant amount of weight when I got him, and he's still in the same saddle, it's now just effectively 2 sizes smaller than it was before! :D
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Thanks for the help and tomorrow I'm going to go to get a saddle fitted and have all of his tack checked!
 
scats said:
I'd get the saddle checked and his back, just to rule anything out, particularly if he was fine and then started acting up. Has there been any other changes? Bit? Bridle? Feed?

Sometimes they'll do something once, for whatever reason, and then it becomes a bit of a habit if they get some sort of reward for it -something as simple as a few minutes standing still while the rider dusts themself off is a good enough reward for some! To buck he'll have to get his head down, so try and keep his head up before the canter transition. If you are having to hold the saddle, you are probably unwittingly get giving him enough length rein to get his head down.

Get a good instructor who will ride him aswell, so they can feel what he is doing. This will also help when they are teaching you as they will have experienced it for themselves. Keep feed to a minimum aswell.
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I did have an instructor willing to help- but she decided that she wouldn't as she has too much work and can't really help. So now I'm looking into a horse trainer, who says he can solve it in 4-6 weeks if it works well, as it is only the bucking issue that I can't seem to stop, the rest I can deal with like steading him up in canter.
 
Cut back the feed to just hay. It won't do him the slightest bit of harm but you would be amazed the difference feed can make. I had a horse who never in his life bucked til he was fed silage and then the higher sugar content made him buck every ride. It was a completely nutritional issue. Get the saddle checked but also cut all hard feed - I can promise you he won't fade away but just might discover his manners:)
 
You need professional help. Immediately.

Firstly, you don't know if the saddle fits, so that needs checked by someone who knows what they are doing.

Secondly you don't know why he's bucking. Your post screams inexperience so I'm afraid you need a good instructor to even this out.

Lastly as IG says, feed him hay only. I have lots of cobs. They are eventing fit before they need any additional feeding and that's to keep weight on them. The level of work this cob is doing means he needs hay. Your level of experience and the fact he's bucking is another reason.

There's nothing wrong with inexperience, none of us know everything BUT you've got to get GOOD eyes on the ground when it's not going well and that counts for all of us. Don't struggle on in the dark.

Good luck.
 
Once you have checked he is fine physically (incl ulcers!) then you need to get tough, or get someone else to. Ive been exactly where you are, and have received a few stern words from a v tough instructor (basically get on and ride the animal or just forget it!) It was also explained to me that these horses of ours are herd animals and in the herd there is always a leader. If you dont take that role as leader, the horse will ! Before I had my pony, she kept throwing people off and it was always 1:0 to her. A bit of discipline from a rether tough friend of mine (and it honestly didnt take much) she massively improved. These horses are far too big and strong for us to be feeble around them, so it sounds like your horse needs some tough love. If youre not able to, enlist in the help of a strong and confident rider (but kind) to can break this cycle. It probably wont take long. And in the meantime, you need to get fit, improve your core, improve your seat, and then have lots of lessons. It will absolutely pay off, and i wouldnt be giving up on your horse. Give it 12 months of hard work, and you will be a formidable team and be so so happy you stuck at it !!
 
So it’s been a while and my con has gotten better with a new saddle and has stopped bucking. A few weeks back he bolted but when he stopped we had a lovely ride and I didn’t have any help for the first time in a few months. Hes so much better but he’s now showing signs of stress so I’m not sure. He’s having some time off anyway to chill out for a bit 😃
 
Tried those but in all honesty they were horrible and when this jockey that my dad knows got on it was like a rodeo! Changed it for a second hand leather and he loves it! It’s the best saddle I’ve ever sat in and my horse seems to agree!
 
OP - Not sure why you revived this thread? Are you looking for different answers? You have a horse who has bitten you; bitten your farrier. Who has to be ridden by your instructor to "get the kicks out". Who bucks and bolts with you - although there is an issue was to whether or not he is actually bolting as you can stop him. You have instructors who have said they are no longer able to help you - and the instructor in this thread clearly did not achieve their 4 - 6 week target to "get him right".

Yes you pony is stressed (as per your thread in tack room) but being told that he is too much for you (as per your other thread) is not sexist. He is a cob and they are strong willed. You manage him because you never ask him to go outside what he dictates as acceptable - when someone does he acts up. You do seem to have some fundamental misunderstandings of horse behaviour - he bit you so you walked away to "show him he can't do that". When in fact all you did was confirm to him that he was the dominant partner - at which point he charged you. He didn't run after you because he loves you and was sorry for having bitten you.

I have massive amounts of sympathy for you and this must be turning into the Christmas day from hell. You are only 13; your parents have no horsey background and you have a horse who is too much for you. You are looking for someone to tell you it is OK and this will work out And in fairness it might - but the odds are not good. The odds are better that you will get hurt.

I know how hard it is. I am sorry.
 
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