I think I've spoilt her

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Ahrena

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Firstly - I'm very sorry you must all be fed up with all my moaning and complaining so feel free to ignore me.

When I got Lacey, she was fairly green. Going into trot involved a boot, she went in an outline but overbent. She hadn't really been hacked. She was slightly strong so just in a 2 ring gag, I believe(when i got her, then fine in a snaffle), and didn't pull at all doing that. She never stopped. She wasn't nappy. Her idea of a rear was about a foot off the ground.

Okay, her jumping shape has improved, as has her outline..Usually. But now she naps sometimes, very strong, rears up to vertical and has flipped back over on me, goes through phases of stopping (but then there was a reason for it) and just...well now she absolutly refuses to listen to me in the school half the time.

Firstly I thought it was a one off. Second time I didn't know what to think. Third time when she was bad on a hack on Saturday (reared straight up & tried to flatten some poor pheasant shooter we were talking to, then tried to throw me under a car) I thought maybe it was the change of feed, so took her straight off it, and now 3 days later (first time I've ridden her again) she was even worse.

What she was been doing is on the left rein, just plain and simply refusing to canter, and when she does, charges off and stops dead when she feels like it. She's fine on the other rein. Today she wouldn't even settle in walk or trot let alone co-operate in canter. I got off and lunged her, and she cantered straight away in her bad corner as soon as I asked, so all I can conclude is that it's me.

She isn't in pain because she had her teeth done yesterday (no major problems), her back checked a fortnight ago (was fine) because Willow has something out, and her saddle was checked only a short while ago and she hasn't noticeably changed in condition since.

I'm having a lesson with a grade 3 listed dressage judge on Firday..If she can't make her canter, no one can.

I don't know what to do though..She's gotten better in so many ways, but also so much worse in other ways since I got her. She's my dream horse..If you take away days when she just won't listen and I can't get anything out of her, or at least halved them since no horse is perfect.

I don't want to send her away..I don't want a horse someone else has "fixed". Maybe I should turn her away and see how she is when she comes back into work. I don't know.

I'm so sorry to moan again like this guys.
 
Aha! snap. My Welsh cob who is 7 now is being quite spooky and difficult at the moment.Naps terribly but always has. Doesn't rear but will spin round. I put it down to time of year. I'm sure you haven't spoiled her. They are just very opinionated and like to test you from time to time.
 
It's a welsh thing I've experienced similar with my green ten year old, I call them brat attacks
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Having some lessons should improve things, my RI is schooling my welshy for me at the moment.
 
Opinonated is the word!

-laughs- I feel better about it now, I'm gonna ask this new instructor if she thinks it could be a pain issue just incase..And get her to try and make her canter, if that doesn't work I'm doomed.

Its true, she is constantly testing me, but usually only 1 really bad session then back to decent, not constantly misbehaving.

Do you think I should ride her again meanwhile before my lesson or leave her? The lesson is on Friday
 
It actually took me two years to crack canter properly, and it wasn't just me, various instructors had great difficulty as well. If you feel confident ride before Friday, if not wait for your instructor, but I'd try and avoid the conflict by doing something entirely different. Maybe avoid canter if it's a problem, Just work in walk and trot and keep her guessing, do complicated shapes and circles and loads of transitions.
 
Maybe I should give canter a couple of goes just so I can get my mum to film it so I can show you guys for opinions? Then if she won't play ball just do some walk & trot with transitions ect?

Thank you
 
I know it might not suit everyone but I sent my horse for re-hab and and it was the breakthrough we both needed. If you have hit a wall (and I had literally more than once!) and your not getting anywhere, the right intensive professional help can get you over it and get you back to enjoying your horse. If you use someone local as I did, they ought to be able to carry on helping you cope with the problem after they've got on top of it.
 
I really sympathise as I'm the same as you - when the horse goes cr&p, I blame myself! But you've got to try and remember that they all go through phases, two steps forward and 1 step back, or quite often, 1 step forward and 3 back!! Your horse is still quite young, and they are always a bit silly at this time of year. Mine is going through a bit of a teenage phase at the moment and I've been feeling a bit down about it as I feel like our flatwork has gone backwards. Last week we couldn't even canter! So I just took a step back, lunged her for a couple of days and then spent a couple of sessions just concentrating on trot, and now we've got canter back, not perfect but better. Try and stay positive, have lots of lessons and remember they are not machines and particularly mares can be moody so-and-so's, different from one day to the next...
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its part a welshie thing and part a teenager thing.... just ride positively and have as many lessons as you can fit in/afford.... she'll eventually get the message that you don't take that as an answer and grow out of it.... another option would be to give her a couple of months off and be prepared for a real fight when she comes back in if she hasn't grown out of it.
 
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