Ideas to get ex racer to stand still out hacking.

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Cat&Mouse

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I have had my ex racer for 4 weeks he has settled in nicely, not done a lot with him just kept him ticking over. In the field ridden & on the lunge he listens really well & will stand, not for very long though.

Out hacking he just won't listen. I have started when riding away from home getting him to stand for a few seconds then asking him to walk on increasing the time he is stood still slightly each time, this has been working, however on the way home if I ask him to stand even for a second he backs up or tries to spin & generally gets himself into a state, not fun when you are waiting for a car to pass. We seem to have cracked to standing still to mount quite quickly.

I know it is very early days but I have not had to deal with this before so just seeing what ideas people had got. It does not make any difference if I am out alone or with another horse. Oh he is only 6 & quite babyish in some ways. I also I do not have someone available to come with me on the ground, but to be honest I don't think it would help anyway.
 
I would tend to avoid hacking out on own if you are having this problem, if you see a hazard ahead, perhaps you can turn him down a lane or something so he is facing the hazard. When out with another you may be able to ride him with his head close to the rump of the other horse, or just behind the shoulder, have the other horse on the outside, assuming the other horse is well behaved, in an emergency will he stop if the other rider holds him near the bit?
Make sure you have full hi viz kit on!
Racehorse are often relaxed by slipping feet out of stirrups, you could try this on the outward journey, use seat rather than reins, and if he responds to this, then try it on the return journey, but don't make an issue of the whole thing, best to avoid getting in to a situation when cars are passing, drivers are unpredictable creatures.
No hard feed!
I am always prepared to get off if the situation demands it, but often it is safer to stay in the saddle.
 
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The ex racer that ride does exactly the same. But only on the road!

In the field? Fine. In the ring? Fine. Over the park (ahem)? Fine, but can be a bit of an 'i wanna go' bounce. Ask him to stand still on the road and he starts going backwards.

On way out and back, no traffic or lots of traffic. As soon as you get off and stand next to him, or someone else on the ground stands by his head he's fine, he's just a worrier. Hasn't quite figured out that because you're on him, not stood next to him, the cars aren't going to jump up and bite him if he can't see you. The other 2 ex racers that are with him are good as gold and look at him like he's mad!

He's an angel in every other way, but think this is just something he needs to grow out of. They've only had him under 6 months, having last raced a few days before they had him.

Unfortunately he's not mine, as I would have turned him away for 6 months, get some weight on him and used to being a horse, not a racing machine, thn bought him back sowly, treating him like a newly broken youngster.

Just remember he may not have been on the road much before, to go from racing to being a normal riding horse is a BIG change, he's left behind the only life that he knew.
 
Rather than getting in a fight ask him to stand and if he doesn't, take one rein and ask him to walk round on a small tiny circle. The second he gets bored and offers to halt, totally let go of the reins and praise him

If he goes to walk off again before you have asked then repeat.

He'll soon figure out walking in small circles is boring and you'll find yourself doing less and less until it ends up that I he goes to walk off you'll just lift a rein and he'll decide to stand.

This really works but your timing and feel has to be good to throw away the rein when he thinks stop.

If you search on YouTube you'll find some videos of people training a racehorse to stand like this.

The good thing about this is that it redirects his energy with you as a passenger, not having a fight with him.
 
They are very quiet roads we have to go on & I am sticking to bridlepath as much as possible. It does not make any difference if other horse boxes him in he just goes backwards forwards or sidewards wherever the gap is.

hacking him has improved his general attitude & settled him, apart from the standing still issue.

If I avoid hacking how am I to sort this out as it is not really an issue in the field?
 
[deleted user] said:
Rather than getting in a fight ask him to stand and if he doesn't, take one rein and ask him to walk round on a small tiny circle. The second he gets bored and offers to halt, totally let go of the reins and praise him

If he goes to walk off again before you have asked then repeat.

He'll soon figure out walking in small circles is boring and you'll find yourself doing less and less until it ends up that I he goes to walk off you'll just lift a rein and he'll decide to stand.

This really works but your timing and feel has to be good to throw away the rein when he thinks stop.

If you search on YouTube you'll find some videos of people training a racehorse to stand like this.

The good thing about this is that it redirects his energy with you as a passenger, not having a fight with him.
Click to expand...

Brilliant would never have thought of this, yes had already worked out I wouldn't win a fight but I was just turning him away from home & making him walk the other way when he wouldn't stand.

As I said very early days we are only going out for 10/15 mnis at a time & can now ride him on a very loose rein so he is relaxed the rest of the time.
 
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