Rockman
...
I want to introduce my Thoroughbred and ask for quite a bit of advice please! I know I have probably made a lot of mistakes, so please highlight them to me so I can learn from them but not too harsh! Sorry if this is really long to read but I just want to give the overall picture of what we have done this past year so that I know where to go next.
Rocky is a dark bay, 16.3hh, gelding. I bought Rocky last year on 27th November 2012 he was 13 on 27th May 2013. He raced until he was 10 and then hunted for 2 years. When I got him he had been sent to a horrible end and had 3/4 weeks left before being put down, because he was no longer needed. Needless to say I jumped in without properly thinking. I have been riding horses for 16 years and know all about the problems that an OTTB will present.
When I got him he was extremely nervous, I was unable to brush his face and when brushing his body he flinched every stroke. I left him in his stable for a week just getting to know him and trying to let him settle down. When I rode him he was perfect it was like he was bombproof, for the first week at least! After this week of riding he decided to show his true colours, he did not want to go anywhere on his own. He didn't want to go for a ride on his own and he didn't want to be out of sight of the other horses, I know this is typical OTTB behaviour as they are not used to being on their own at any point so I wasn't surprised. I tried to persevere through the behaviour and he just got worse. I then moved yards in April 2013, this seemed to settle him a lot as the yard is much more structured and everything is done at set times. I have now got Rocky a lot more settled and can stroke his face with only the odd flinch and he is starting to show some affection, shouting to me and nuzzling me while I am in the stable.
I have been trying to form as much of a bond with him as possible, brushing, going for walks, sitting in his stable, lots of ground work. I spent a few months just lunging him to get him used to what I was asking of him and for me to get used to his ways, this went really well. He has his 5 minutes of bucking and rearing and running round like a lunatic and then understands that its time to get some work done. He is now a lot better to lunge and will even do transitions such as walk to canter while focusing on me completely.
Out on a hack he used to buck and rear all the way down the lanes, he would constantly try to head for home and be looking for things to spook at, I learnt to sit to this and let him have his moment and once he had calmed down I calmly walked him past whatever had made him have that reaction. He is starting to get better at hacking out and will even go alone now, he is not completely safe and will still attempt to kick out at any loud cars and bucks and rears every now and again but I think some of it is just excitement as it seems to be when he realises he is on the way home. If anyone has any other ideas about why he does this please let me know!
In the school he is extremely well behaved, he doesn't buck or rear while riding him apart from if he gets frustrated about what you're asking him to do and he doesn't understand then he will throw his tantrum! However it is extremely rare for him to show this behaviour while in the school. My main problem now is that he is extremely stiff on the right rein and will not pick up the correct lead in canter. I have tried pole work and exercises to try and get him supple but now I'm stuck as he doesn't seem to want to do it. On the lunge he changes his lead quite a lot on both reins and seems balanced both ways. I have tried to stop this by teaching him to change on command which he now does but he still does it when not asked to. But when I'm riding he doesn't want to do it at all, I have tried to ask him on a corner, ask him on the bend, over exaggerate my movements and ask him to change once in canter and none work he just gets faster and faster.
When being led Rocky has the perfect manners in both the stable and whilst out walking. However he is very stubborn, he will not move back when asked to, he just pushes back against me or moves to the side. Also I put him in the field the other day and stood with him as he is still a bit nervy when alone, all of a sudden he looked at me and galloped straight towards me, he then stood up and reared in my face while pawing out over the top of me! I had nothing to fend him away with and had no choice but to jump over the gate to move away from him otherwise he would have come down on top of me, I have no idea why he did that so if anyone does then please help me with what I should do to stop it again! He is also extremely scared of the dark (sounds ridiculous I know) but in the dark he puts his head up as high as he can and acts extremely silly which is really dangerous!
I do feel like I've made a lot of progress with him but he's still testing me and pushing the boundaries and I'm starting to think that its all my fault and that I must be doing something incredibly wrong.
I have recently been able to make contact with his first owner and race trainer which has been really exciting! She is shocked and devastated to find out how Rocky is now and what he must have been through to make him this way! She had him for 10 years and does not recognise any of the behaviour, in fact was nearly in tears as I told her because of what has made him like this!
Please offer any advice you can no matter how small you think it may be!
Thankyou, Jess
Rocky is a dark bay, 16.3hh, gelding. I bought Rocky last year on 27th November 2012 he was 13 on 27th May 2013. He raced until he was 10 and then hunted for 2 years. When I got him he had been sent to a horrible end and had 3/4 weeks left before being put down, because he was no longer needed. Needless to say I jumped in without properly thinking. I have been riding horses for 16 years and know all about the problems that an OTTB will present.
When I got him he was extremely nervous, I was unable to brush his face and when brushing his body he flinched every stroke. I left him in his stable for a week just getting to know him and trying to let him settle down. When I rode him he was perfect it was like he was bombproof, for the first week at least! After this week of riding he decided to show his true colours, he did not want to go anywhere on his own. He didn't want to go for a ride on his own and he didn't want to be out of sight of the other horses, I know this is typical OTTB behaviour as they are not used to being on their own at any point so I wasn't surprised. I tried to persevere through the behaviour and he just got worse. I then moved yards in April 2013, this seemed to settle him a lot as the yard is much more structured and everything is done at set times. I have now got Rocky a lot more settled and can stroke his face with only the odd flinch and he is starting to show some affection, shouting to me and nuzzling me while I am in the stable.
I have been trying to form as much of a bond with him as possible, brushing, going for walks, sitting in his stable, lots of ground work. I spent a few months just lunging him to get him used to what I was asking of him and for me to get used to his ways, this went really well. He has his 5 minutes of bucking and rearing and running round like a lunatic and then understands that its time to get some work done. He is now a lot better to lunge and will even do transitions such as walk to canter while focusing on me completely.
Out on a hack he used to buck and rear all the way down the lanes, he would constantly try to head for home and be looking for things to spook at, I learnt to sit to this and let him have his moment and once he had calmed down I calmly walked him past whatever had made him have that reaction. He is starting to get better at hacking out and will even go alone now, he is not completely safe and will still attempt to kick out at any loud cars and bucks and rears every now and again but I think some of it is just excitement as it seems to be when he realises he is on the way home. If anyone has any other ideas about why he does this please let me know!
In the school he is extremely well behaved, he doesn't buck or rear while riding him apart from if he gets frustrated about what you're asking him to do and he doesn't understand then he will throw his tantrum! However it is extremely rare for him to show this behaviour while in the school. My main problem now is that he is extremely stiff on the right rein and will not pick up the correct lead in canter. I have tried pole work and exercises to try and get him supple but now I'm stuck as he doesn't seem to want to do it. On the lunge he changes his lead quite a lot on both reins and seems balanced both ways. I have tried to stop this by teaching him to change on command which he now does but he still does it when not asked to. But when I'm riding he doesn't want to do it at all, I have tried to ask him on a corner, ask him on the bend, over exaggerate my movements and ask him to change once in canter and none work he just gets faster and faster.
When being led Rocky has the perfect manners in both the stable and whilst out walking. However he is very stubborn, he will not move back when asked to, he just pushes back against me or moves to the side. Also I put him in the field the other day and stood with him as he is still a bit nervy when alone, all of a sudden he looked at me and galloped straight towards me, he then stood up and reared in my face while pawing out over the top of me! I had nothing to fend him away with and had no choice but to jump over the gate to move away from him otherwise he would have come down on top of me, I have no idea why he did that so if anyone does then please help me with what I should do to stop it again! He is also extremely scared of the dark (sounds ridiculous I know) but in the dark he puts his head up as high as he can and acts extremely silly which is really dangerous!
I do feel like I've made a lot of progress with him but he's still testing me and pushing the boundaries and I'm starting to think that its all my fault and that I must be doing something incredibly wrong.
I have recently been able to make contact with his first owner and race trainer which has been really exciting! She is shocked and devastated to find out how Rocky is now and what he must have been through to make him this way! She had him for 10 years and does not recognise any of the behaviour, in fact was nearly in tears as I told her because of what has made him like this!
Please offer any advice you can no matter how small you think it may be!
Thankyou, Jess
