I want to back to the field and I want to go NOW!!!

[Olliepoppy]

My 7.5 year old cob has recently decided that when he comes out of the field and down to the yard he will NOT stand still. This obviously makes it very difficult to groom/tack up etc. Today we went out for a hack and when I brought him back he stood long enough for me to get his tack off then just reared and bucked, reared and bucked and swung from side to side. He wants to go back to the field as soon as he thinks he is done for the day! He did not used to be like this (I've had him 19 months) so I'm finding it frustrating. I tend to ignore the behaviour and reward him for standing still and he does not get to go back to the field while he is prancing about. Is this just an age/stage thing he is going through? Is there anything more I can do to train him out of it? Thanks in advance

 

[AdorableAlice]

Your cob is being rude, in my hands he would be on the receiving end of a blue pipe. However, most will not agree with that and I would recommend you get some help before you get hurt.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Ask someone experienced to help you for a week, I have never hit a horse with a blue pipe, but if you let it go further he will become dangerous.
Do not ever give him treats, ever. no need to reward him, he needs to learn discipline. You need to stop any fluffy bunny - ness.

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

I do not ignore bad behaviour like that, although I agree with rewarding good behaviour. Assuming your cob knows the command for standing still, then ignoring the 'stand' command would result in discipline from me, not being left to have a tantrum until it is ready to stop. This kind of strop could be dangerous.

In my experience this type of behaviour is a phase, an experiment to see if playing up will achieve the desired result. I totally agree that your chap should not get back to the field until he leads nicely. I have been known to return the horse to where it started if it attempts bad behaviour during the journey between field and stable. I try never to reward bad behaviour it just reinforces that behaviour.

As AdorableAlice says, if you think the behaviour is more than you can cope with, get some help. Wear your hat! Buy or borrow a chain if necessary, but above all, be resolute.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Typical clever cob behaviour really, which many of us will have experienced at some point.

The last two I bought both had the same attitude - I'm off, please yourself if you want to come with me.

The reality is a horse that has not been correctly halter broken, so many are not, and the horse has no manners and does not give a hoot who it knocks over or stands on and so many people think this is normal behaviour and put up with it.

The Op's horse would be tied up and left to tantrum, being such a smart cob he will soon give up when he realises no one is pandering to him.

 

[respectedpony driver]

Not so adorable then!!!!!

Your cob is being rude, in my hands he would be on the receiving end of a blue pipe. However, most will not agree with that and I would recommend you get some help before you get hurt.

 

[Mince Pie]

Not so adorable then!!!!!

No but a bloody knowledgeable and experienced horsewoman!

 

[Olliepoppy]

Thanks for opinions. He used to stand good as gold and there is no bad behaviour once hes being led to the field he's as good as gold. Maybe I'm wrong for treating him when he's doing right but I don't think hitting him is the answer either.

 

[Shay]

As a long term cob owner I would tend to agree this is likely to be rude cob. But it is worth having a think - has something upset him or frightened him so that he can't or won't tie up? Could he have pulled back and hurt himself and now start to panic about being tied up? The flip side to this is has he learned that if he pulls back something breaks and he can get free? If any of this rings a possible bell what about an Idolo soft tie? He can pull back pretty much as far as he likes and still not get free -but also not hurt himself.

Or could he just be very hungry? (most cobs are driven by their stomach's!) Would a haynet help?

I'm not a fan of hitting horses generally -although I absolutely accept it has its place correctly used. But your lad needs his manners back and needs them quickly before someone gets hurt.

 

[Cortez]

Thanks for opinions. He used to stand good as gold and there is no bad behaviour once hes being led to the field he's as good as gold. Maybe I'm wrong for treating him when he's doing right but I don't think hitting him is the answer either.

Why not? It's probably how he was trained to behave in the first place, and it is certainly what will make him behave himself now. Rearing and kicking ARE NOT ALLOWED from a half ton animal and one swift whack at the right time will teach him what's what.

 

[Fun Times]

Afraid I am another in the blue pipe camp. In my experience, horses take the pi$$ in increments and if you don't nip this in the bud pronto it will escalate.

 

[Olliepoppy]

Why not? It's probably how he was trained to behave in the first place, and it is certainly what will make him behave himself now. Rearing and kicking ARE NOT ALLOWED from a half ton animal and one swift whack at the right time will teach him what's what.

Ok so where would you hit him and what would be 'the right time'? Its not something that sits well with me but if that's what it takes to stop the behaviour then I'll give it a go (as most people seem to agree it's the best course of action) but I want to get it right

 

[AdorableAlice]

Not so adorable then!!!!!

Oh, I don't know, she looks pretty adorable to me. Rear them right, be fair and consistent at all times and you will never ever have to get tough with a horse. However, if you do have to get tough with a horse, make sure you do it quickly, you do it hard and you get the reason and the timing absolutely correct.

Very sadly for the horse, many of us buy badly reared and handled horses and reap the not so pleasant rewards. Think about it, 650kg for the average cob, swings his rear end and smacks you up the wall. Why did he do that ?, because he has been allowed to ignore his handler and their space. It is not rocket science to teach any horse manners, it should be done from birth and maintained throughout the life of the horse.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Ok so where would you hit him and what would be 'the right time'? Its not something that sits well with me but if that's what it takes to stop the behaviour then I'll give it a go (as most people seem to agree it's the best course of action) but I want to get it right

Not need to hit him. If I understand what you are saying, the cob is tied up and having a tantrum to be let go and returned to his field ?

I would just leave him tied up (safely of course and within reach) and let him get over himself.

 

[EQUIDAE]

Any horse that reared at, or kicked out at me would get the blue pipe treatment too. One short sharp smack and they will never try it again. I don't advocate beating the horse but this behaviour is dangerous and needs nipping in the bud before you get hurt.

I would also leave him tied up and let him get over himself - sometimes trying to calm them can make the behaviour worse.

Just to give you an idea of how polite a horse can be when handled firmly but fairly take a look at my boy - sec D stallion who has been in for 3 days and stabled next door to a mare...

http://www.4shared.com/video/rCb7BqsTce/MOV_0262.html

 

[ester]

I don't imagine you have ever had to get tough with Alice cob AA. The other two, now .

OP tie him to something fixed and leave him to his tantrum, he only gets untied when he stands.

 

[Olliepoppy]

Any horse that reared at, or kicked out at me would get the blue pipe treatment too. One short sharp smack and they will never try it again. I don't advocate beating the horse but this behaviour is dangerous and needs nipping in the bud before you get hurt.

I would also leave him tied up and let him get over himself - sometimes trying to calm them can make the behaviour worse.

Just to give you an idea of how polite a horse can be when handled firmly but fairly take a look at my boy - sec D stallion who has been in for 3 days and stabled next door to a mare...

http://www.4shared.com/video/rCb7BqsTce/MOV_0262.html

Impressive video my boy's manners are generally quite good, never pushes out of the stable, backs up and waits before getting his wee feed (torture for him as he's food daft!) leads politely etc

 

[Magnetic Sparrow]

It's great that you are only having issues with this one area, but nip the problem in the bud now and I think your boy will be the better for it. I am certain that consistent boundaries rigorously applied makes a happier and safer horse. The blue pipe or whatever is never used in anger and always applied at the minimum to achieve the necessary control. Cobs with no manners are scary and dangerous and it's good that the basics are in place for your chap - you just need to maintain them.

People say to me that I am so lucky that all my horses have been so well-mannered. It ain't luck, I take a lot of trouble to make sure that we understand each other.

 

[EQUIDAE]

I would like to add at this point that blue pipe is mentioned as it makes a great noise, not because it hurts lots. It does hurt, but it's not like hitting them with a broom handle, and hurts less than a crop - I know because I tried it on myself first...

 

[Olliepoppy]

So what exactly is blue pipe??

 

[EQUIDAE]

So what exactly is blue pipe??

It's what they use for water piping on the yard - yards usually have some lying around

 

[Princess16]

Have read with this with interest.

I have one question when tying up a horse that tries to pull back what then? I had a situation once when my pony was tied to post and got spooked by a motorbike backfiring as it drove by, my pony pulled back, eyes wide and I must say it was scary. Luckily I was nearby so could release him with quick release knot but what would have happened if he had been left as has been suggested here?

Hope OP you manage to sort this behaviour. Agree it must be nipped in the bud although I am not a fan of hitting a horse other than a slap on nose which has to be at the exact precise time of him being rude.

 

[Fun Times]

OP, blue pipe is more formally known as alkathene.

 

[EQUIDAE]

A

I have one question when tying up a horse that tries to pull back what then? I had a situation once when my pony was tied to post and got spooked by a motorbike backfiring as it drove by, my pony pulled back, eyes wide and I must say it was scary. Luckily I was nearby so could release him with quick release knot but what would have happened if he had been left as has been suggested here?

Hope OP you manage to sort this behaviour. Agree it must be nipped in the bud although I am not a fan of hitting a horse other than a slap on nose which has to be at the exact precise time of him being rude.

Totally different situation between a scared horse and one having a tantrum.

I would use blue pipe but I would NEVER slap a horse on the nose - that's how you make a horse worse, or create a head shy horse. A slap on the shoulder or on the chest is far less likely to escalate things.

 

[Cortez]

Horses that pull back because they are frightened/panic: they are pulling back because they don't know how else to escape the scary situation. IF you know what you are doing, you can tap the horse on the bottom and send him forwards thus releasing the pressure. If the tie breaks at that point (as will happen with a baling twine tie), the horse learns to continue pulling until it gets free, thus reinforcing the pulling back behaviour. I've never understood the reasoning behind tying horses up with twine; I'd rather teach them to tie properly.

 

[Princess16]

Horses that pull back because they are frightened/panic: they are pulling back because they don't know how else to escape the scary situation. IF you know what you are doing, you can tap the horse on the bottom and send him forwards thus releasing the pressure. If the tie breaks at that point (as will happen with a baling twine tie), the horse learns to continue pulling until it gets free, thus reinforcing the pulling back behaviour. I've never understood the reasoning behind tying horses up with twine; I'd rather teach them to tie properly.

Thank you for that info.

 

[Dry Rot]

Horses that pull back because they are frightened/panic: they are pulling back because they don't know how else to escape the scary situation. IF you know what you are doing, you can tap the horse on the bottom and send him forwards thus releasing the pressure. If the tie breaks at that point (as will happen with a baling twine tie), the horse learns to continue pulling until it gets free, thus reinforcing the pulling back behaviour. I've never understood the reasoning behind tying horses up with twine; I'd rather teach them to tie properly.

Excellent advice and perfect logic. Another who can't understand why so many tie with twine.

If a problem arises, training is setting up the scene to prompt the same bhaviour, but being prepared for it and applying counter measures so the horse realises that it won't work.

We use a rope halter, 30 foot of slippery yachting rope, and a firm turning post. A couple of turns of the rope around the post and you can control the pressure on the rope, if they pull back, with one hand. There is no abrupt stop and no danger. Horse learns that it is not stronger than you after all. I've never had to use alkathene and don't intend to.

 

[Damnation]

Your cob is being rude, in my hands he would be on the receiving end of a blue pipe. However, most will not agree with that and I would recommend you get some help before you get hurt.

Couldn't agree more, when this behaviour manifests, they are far too big an animal to be messing about flinging their legs about when they fancy. They spend the guts of 20+ hours a day doing what they want so when you want to faff and fiddle, you want to faff and fiddle and he has to learn that.

Would you rather give him a slap and tell him to pack it in, or you or someone else gets kicked? I know which I would prefer. Other behaviours can be taken with a more gentle approach, over time etc. But a temper tantrum like this that could injure someone? Unacceptable. Totally.

My last mare was very opinionated like this, rearing in my face was a personal favourate. She got some choice slaps and some stern words. In the end I had a mare who didn't fear me, she respected me, was good to handle and knew where her boundries were. I wasn't beating her up by any stretch of the imagination, I was reprimanding DANGEROUS behaviour.

OP - My advice would be to get help from someone experienced, wear a hat, and make sure noone, human or horse is stood hear him when tied up until the equilibrium is restored.

 

[Fiona]

Cobs can really test the boundaries

My horse of a lifetime (welsh cob) was an opinionated so and so when he first arrived, would nap/rear when he didn't want to do something, and was a nightmare to lead (just charging off when he felt like it)..

He became fab because among other things my 16st rugby playing YO hacked him out for me once only, got after him (including an extremely well timed whack on his poll when he reared) and re taught his leading manners.

Tough love at the start meant he stayed with me for 20 years after this, and rarely put a foot wrong.

Nip the bad behavior in the bud OP soon as you can, best of luck...

Fiona

 

[Olliepoppy]

Got someone coming out to my little darling at the weekend to help, fingers crossed! Thanks everyone for your opinions