is the correct stable managment the source to a good horse?

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EJ87

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If u seen my preveious thread today i was askibg for some advice re my mare refusing jumps, napping and basicly playing up. so was talking to a horse trainer today who thinks my problem lyes in the fact that she is roaming 6 acres of ground with about 4 of it in grass and is getting is far to good at the mo and thats why sge dosnt want to work she wants back down to eating her plentiful supply of sweet grass. he has told me to shut the gates of the fields off allowing her just the hard lane to roam and tie a trickle net of hay to the gate in the morn and bring her in and give her another one in eve and to get working her alot more ofter. apparently once she loses a bit of her grass belky she will become alot easy and more willin to work with. is this true im i spoiling her and in turn turning her into a brat??
 
I would disagree that 24/7 turnout gives rise to behaviour probs!! Too much grass however can turn many horses into brats. I would look at her weight and diet rather than restricting movement and company.

I don't think horses need to lead anything other than a charmed life, and I don't think that makes them spoilt! However, a push over owner and lots of treats wouldn't be what I think makes a happy horse so my opinion might be different to some as I think some owners think that by giving a horse everything it wants, never telling it off and feeding lots of treats is the way to a horses heart! You need to be a calm, consistent and confident part of their life. You need them to learn that you are worthy of their trust and that you aren't just their friendly treat dispensing doormat!!
 
Mines turned in to a brat this week :mad: a combination of two weeks off, the spring grass coming through and his new/old field mate who he is madly in love with being out with him. He has now been jailed and is being worked twice a day, when he can handle the grass without going loopy he can go back out in a larger space, until then its soaked hay and a little patch for him.
 
Having read & replied to your previous post I doubt the turnout is the problem, it was clear it was a riding one.
In theory yes, bad management can make a bad horse, if I stabled my daughters pony 24/7 & fed it competition mix, it would be badly behaved & that would be my fault.
From what you've said I'd imagine the solution to your problem is with a good instructor, not tricklenets etc. If anything taking her off the grass will add her trying to picnic to your problems.
 
I aggree that management is a big part of getting the most out every horse.
Too much grass especially at this time of year can cause all sorts of problems so I think that restricting the grazing is certainly worth trying to see if it helps.
You would not want to work full of rich food and the dynamite sugars in grass in spring can cause behavioural changes.
You need to keep an open mind and see how it goes.
 
Having read your previous post it doesnt sound like the grass is your problem. You need to find a good instructor who will take you back to basics and work from there before you start trying to jump.
 
I do agree that there is problems with my riding skills and i dont believe a trickle net is goin to solve my problems but do know myself that 4 acres of grass is too much fir one horse and she does have a big belly on her so think cutting her supply my be a good idea in general and even with her confined to the lane she would still have an acre to play with. so maybe a good instructor and cut down her weight may be my best way forward?
 
From what I can gather from your post OP it sounds like he is telling you that your horse is getting too much rich grass, rather than him saying that your horse having too much freedom to roam. If that is correct then there may be some truth in what he is saying and cutting your horse down on access to the rich grass could well help, combined with more work, schooling and a decent instructor.

Looking at your other thread, I would possible suggest ditch the gag, or put the rein on the snaffle ring instead of second one down. It sounds like your horse is running from the restriction of the bit and firm hand.
 
If she's overweight then yes, restrict her grazing to a smaller area for the benefit of her health, but again, a decent instructor is what you need most.
 
EJ87 said:
I do agree that there is problems with my riding skills and i dont believe a trickle net is goin to solve my problems but do know myself that 4 acres of grass is too much fir one horse and she does have a big belly on her so think cutting her supply my be a good idea in general and even with her confined to the lane she would still have an acre to play with. so maybe a good instructor and cut down her weight may be my best way forward?
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Definatly being fat is no good for horses for lots of reasons . If I am working on with a new horse thats a problem ( I love projects ) and its shall I say challenging it will be turned out in a small bare paddock and given HiFI molasses free and worked until it gets it's brain around what's required .
It goes with out saying you need to remain open to other things all the time badly fittings saddles sore backs sore feet etc etc. but too much food is easily dealt with so deal with that it might be worth putting the horse on magnesium oxide which helps with some horses senestive to grass ( cheapest on eBay).
Get a trainer you like to work with and I hope you will quickly be making progress.
 
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