Issues out hacking

[madsb]

I’ve had my ex racer now almost 11 months. At the start we both hacked out fine together. We were able to go alone with the odd few spooks. Around august time he spooked badly and did a 180 and threw me off and ran off back to the yard bucking. Since then it’s knocked my confidence, we do hack with others but i worry about him bucking/ broncing when cantering. We have a lovely first few canters then he his constantly on edge, wanting to run off constantly and lots more spooky. To try work through this I’ve been long linging him, encouraging him to relax and be less spooky without me leading him infront. He’d been absolutely perfect at this, I was able to push him past his spooks and occasional attempts to turn around and try go home. However my more recent attempts he has refused to go forward no matter how much I ask. He will spin and take off bucking/broncing (whilst i hold on for dear life like i’m attached to a kite). Today I had to walk infront of him to get him to move on again, he then long linged fine once he knew we were on the way home. How can I overcome this? I really want to build both mine and his confidence but i’m finding it so challenging!

 

[SpeedyPony]

Sometimes it's possible that they seem to be going better but are not actually any more confident - they're just doing as they're told but getting progressively more stressed about it.
I missed the initial signs of the sec D getting stressed by being out alone, so she went 'backwards' a bit in her early hacks, but once I'd worked out where it was going wrong I learned to watch for those signs and she learned she didn't have to escalate to silly behaviour to get a moment to think/a bit of re-assurance.
Something I've found with her is that pushing her on will make her boil over, she needs to stop and process. That made quite a change after the old boy who can only settle when his feet are moving! It might be worth trying to let him stop, think and investigate the things he spooks at (where safe), to see if that will perhaps make him more settled?
It's not the establishment view, but I always try and let mine look at what spooks them, that way not only do they learn it's safe, but they also learn that I can be trusted to know what is safe. After a while they'll just flick an ear back to get your take and carry on if you've looked at whatevwe it is and aren't worried. Obviously that only works if you give off a relaxed air about it, if you're worrying about their reaction you're likely to feed their anxieties.
I'd also be inclined at first to take him out with a normal set of reins rather than long reins and try walking just behind his shoulder, so that he's still as much 'in front' as he would be when ridden, but if you need to get to his head you can do so easily.

 

[madsb]

Sometimes it's possible that they seem to be going better but are not actually any more confident - they're just doing as they're told but getting progressively more stressed about it.
I missed the initial signs of the sec D getting stressed by being out alone, so she went 'backwards' a bit in her early hacks, but once I'd worked out where it was going wrong I learned to watch for those signs and she learned she didn't have to escalate to silly behaviour to get a moment to think/a bit of re-assurance.
Something I've found with her is that pushing her on will make her boil over, she needs to stop and process. That made quite a change after the old boy who can only settle when his feet are moving! It might be worth trying to let him stop, think and investigate the things he spooks at (where safe), to see if that will perhaps make him more settled?
It's not the establishment view, but I always try and let mine look at what spooks them, that way not only do they learn it's safe, but they also learn that I can be trusted to know what is safe. After a while they'll just flick an ear back to get your take and carry on if you've looked at whatevwe it is and aren't worried. Obviously that only works if you give off a relaxed air about it, if you're worrying about their reaction you're likely to feed their anxieties.
I'd also be inclined at first to take him out with a normal set of reins rather than long reins and try walking just behind his shoulder, so that he's still as much 'in front' as he would be when ridden, but if you need to get to his head you can do so easily.

Thank you! I normally do let him have a look and sniff when he is genuinely spooking but when he just refuses to move forward i’m not sure if it’s more stubbornness as he’ll do it at the same area each time. He wil just plant his feet then try to turn back to go home. I could be wrong but I might start with my inhand walking again then trying long linging. It’s so hard with work and daylight hours to find time to constantly work on it!

 

[KikiDee]

Thank you! I normally do let him have a look and sniff when he is genuinely spooking but when he just refuses to move forward i’m not sure if it’s more stubbornness as he’ll do it at the same area each time. He wil just plant his feet then try to turn back to go home. I could be wrong but I might start with my inhand walking again then trying long linging. It’s so hard with work and daylight hours to find time to constantly work on it!

I had one that was terrible for napping, he was given to me for free as he only went backwards not forwards! He got better but would be hit and miss, the only time he got really solid to hack was when I was rehabbing him from a tendon injury and we had to hack every single day without fail, building up to 2 hours a day in walk before my vet said to step foot back in an arena. I think it was the pure repetition of it that finally cracked it.

I think I'd take the pressure off yourself while we are in the depths of winter and just do what you feel comfortable with, if that's hacking out with others. And carry on with the long-lining when you get chance. Then make it a spring project when you're not so limited by daylight and the unpredictable weather.

What did work to some effect with mine is that I could feel when he was about to plant as he'd start backing off my leg, and I'd immediately turn him in a tight circle and send him forward again, the trick was to never let him plant his feet as once he did he would just refuse to move forward again. Does he understand lateral work? If so it can also be helpful to leg yield them forward rather than ask them to go straight forward. I also had to ride very forward all the time, if he backed off my leg for a second I would send him forward in trot for a few strides, but I appreciate that's not easy if you're hesitant he may take off broncing.

Current horse will do a dramatic spin and take off with you if he spooks at something, the trick with him is to ride with wide and low hands when he's spooking at something and send him forward with my leg, I quickly learnt that if I 'leave the back door open' he will take the opportunity to go that way, so instead I have to really hold his hand and think 'forwards' all the time past something. He can stop and inspect and have a look and get a reassuring pat, but he is never allowed to turn away.

 

[Red-1]

I think some horses do a little jink and are fine if the rider is relaxed about it. That sounds like how you were at the start of the relationship.

You say you had one big mishap and since then, you have felt nervous. I would gamble that the poor horse was also scared to death to lose the rider and have stirrups banging around whilst he bucked and ran home.

It is understandable that you would both be wary after such an experience.

It may be so that the horse would be more confident if you could return to being less bothered. My horse, H, isn't the bravest. He looks at stuff. If I leave him to it, he may stop to look, he may ask if he can turn round, but if I stay relaxed and let him work it out on a relaxed rein he is generally fine and will stroll on by. My novice boyfriend has been riding him out and generally misses entirely when H is worried, because he is a novice. So, H is worried, he shows it, the rider remains relaxed and H strolls on by.

If H sees something worrisome, and you were to tense up, tighten the rein, be firm about going forward, he would be more jumpy not less. Other horses may feel better with a more dictatorial approach, but he is not.

Of course, you are not a raw novice and so do feel the worry in him. You have come off and so are wary.

I wonder if someone who is experienced and relaxed could hack him out for a while, to get back to the status quo you had at the start? Maybe if he relaxed off again and you saw that, then you could feel more confident to ride him, and stay relaxed yourself?

There are many different types of riders, and he maybe could do with a while with someone who really wouldn't care if he had a jink at something. Someone not attached to the outcome of him having a look. Someone who would continue the conversation as if nothing was happening.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I found when I had an ex-racer that he always did better if he had a blast on a regular basis.

We had a “safe” route at my old yard with a good hill, trot down the road, canter on the safe bridlepath and then loose rein home.

Failing that if the ground was rubbish a good long canter in the school in 2 point always helped.

 

[madsb]

I had one that was terrible for napping, he was given to me for free as he only went backwards not forwards! He got better but would be hit and miss, the only time he got really solid to hack was when I was rehabbing him from a tendon injury and we had to hack every single day without fail, building up to 2 hours a day in walk before my vet said to step foot back in an arena. I think it was the pure repetition of it that finally cracked it.

I think I'd take the pressure off yourself while we are in the depths of winter and just do what you feel comfortable with, if that's hacking out with others. And carry on with the long-lining when you get chance. Then make it a spring project when you're not so limited by daylight and the unpredictable weather.

What did work to some effect with mine is that I could feel when he was about to plant as he'd start backing off my leg, and I'd immediately turn him in a tight circle and send him forward again, the trick was to never let him plant his feet as once he did he would just refuse to move forward again. Does he understand lateral work? If so it can also be helpful to leg yield them forward rather than ask them to go straight forward. I also had to ride very forward all the time, if he backed off my leg for a second I would send him forward in trot for a few strides, but I appreciate that's not easy if you're hesitant he may take off broncing.

Current horse will do a dramatic spin and take off with you if he spooks at something, the trick with him is to ride with wide and low hands when he's spooking at something and send him forward with my leg, I quickly learnt that if I 'leave the back door open' he will take the opportunity to go that way, so instead I have to really hold his hand and think 'forwards' all the time past something. He can stop and inspect and have a look and get a reassuring pat, but he is never allowed to turn away.

Thank you for this! It’s such a rare rare occasion I get to ride out with others and I’m worried he’ll get bored if he spends more time in the arena than outside. We do lots of ground work and he’s brilliant at this. He has just started learning to leg yield, something he’s starting to pick up!
He also does the dramatic spin and take off with me which knocked my confidence massively. Glad to know i’m not the only one dealing with similar situations!

 

[Taliesan]

I have an ex-racer who is very good at putting on a brave face and going past stuff whilst giving the illusion he is totally cool with it all, but what he doesn't do is empty his own stress cup particularly quickly afterwards. He used to march past things and get more and more worried, then it didn't take much for him to have a complete meltdown from what people would describe as, "out of nowhere" or "over nothing".

So what happens is he goes past something, gets a little worried, then with each thing he gets more and more on edge until we end up in sideways racehorse jog and constant pulling. Now, I do walk out in hand rather than ride most of the time, as this helps him to feel safer, but the same stuff would happen under saddle. If anything, under saddle it would be worse as I find it harder not to worry about the 17hh bottle of pop that is about to explode underneath me. On the ground he can do whatever he likes and it doesn't phase me in the slightest. Hence why I do the in hand walking.

What I have found with my boy is that sometimes he needs to stop, look and process what he is seeing and this his hugely helpful. If he is moved on before he has finished processing then this can also cause a meltdown. However, sometimes he needs to move on and stop looking at what he is focusing on because he gets in his own head about it and ends up in this self-fulfilling spiral of worry and stress.

The trick is working out when he needs to look and when he needs to move on. If I ask him to move when he needs to look I cause a meltdown, if I let him look when he needs to move, I cause a meltdown. I am getting better at working out what is what now, but the only way I've learned is by getting it wrong. Unfortunately.

I do use R+ with him when out walking in hand. If he looks at something calmly, processes it and is then OK to move on, he gets his click and treat. I am trying to reinforce that staying calm and reasonable about situations brings rewards. I also think that a lot of his worry is down to insecurity and not feeling confident in his environment. My long term goal is to teach him to understand that being with me is his safe space and to give him confidence in his own decision making (so when he calmly decides it is fine and is rewarded for that) as well as confidence in my decision making (so, I ask him to move when he is staring at something and ending up in a spiral of worry), he moves, he gets a treat and all is well afterwards. What I do have to be careful of though is that he is not masking his fear or worry and pushing through it to get the treats. I am very careful only to reward when his emotions are going in the right direction. (Which also means I need to be mindful of the treats I use, so they don't cause any form of overarousal or stress if he becomes desperate to get them.)

However, if he does get anxious about something, I can then change what I am rewarding to focusing on him emptying his own stress cup. From my experience with ex-racers they are not good at deregulating themselves. Once something has happened they can really hold onto it. So then the goal becomes rewarding him for letting go of his stress and progressing forwards, either physically, mentally or both.

All of this takes so much time and patience though. It is about working out each day whereabouts the edge of his comfort zone is, pushing him out of it a bit and then knowing when to stop so he's had a positive learning experience.

I don't want to be forcing him past something he finds scary because his fear, to him, is completely legitimate. It is striking that fine line between pushing the boundaries a bit, but keeping them within that learning zone. For me, the line I try to walk is, "it is OK, I understand you're scared, lets go through this together and I will support you." Doing it this way takes a long time, but at the end of it I hope to have a horse that is rock solid in pretty much all situations as the first thing they do is look to me for guidance instead of getting ready for fight or flight.

For your horse, I would advise that you need to work out what suits him best. He might need movement, he might need standing still or he might one or the other depending on what the situation is. You might just have to do a process of elimination to work out what gets the best results for him. I would also advise that when you are doing work on the ground you stand in a position that helps him feel safe and is more likely to give you the best results. This might mean you are walking by his shoulder when long lining rather than behind him. I know that with my boy, if I was long lining him from behind he would feel totally abandoned up front - which is not good for a horse that doesn't have confidence in their decision making or dealing with the world around them. I walk out in hand just in a long rope and am at his shoulder most of the time. Sometimes I drop behind, if he wants to go up front on his own for a bit, but other times I lead if he is getting concerned about something and needs me to go first.

I would also suggest that you prioritise the activities where you feel safe and confident. Horses are so perceptive and can pick up on when we are stressed, so it will make it easier for both of you if you put yourself in situations where you know you will be calm and able to confidently handle whatever happens.

 

[humblepie]

I think some horses do a little jink and are fine if the rider is relaxed about it. That sounds like how you were at the start of the relationship.

You say you had one big mishap and since then, you have felt nervous. I would gamble that the poor horse was also scared to death to lose the rider and have stirrups banging around whilst he bicked and ran home.

It is understandable that you would both be wary after such an experience.

It may be so that the horse would be more confident if you could return to being less bothered. My horse, H, isn't the bravest. He looks at stuff. If I leave him to it, he may stop to look, he may ask if he can turn round, but if I stay relaxed and let him work it out on a relaxed rein he is generally fine and will stroll on by. My novice boyfriend has been riding him out and generally misses entirely when H is worried, because he is a novice. So, H is worried, he shows it, the rider remains relaxed and H strolls on by.

If H sees something worrisome, and you were to tense up, tighten the rein, be firm about going forward, he would be more jumpy not less. Other horses may feel better with a more dictatorial approach, but he is not.

Of course, you are not a raw novice and so do feel the worry in him. You have come off and so are wary.

I wonder if someone who is experienced and relaxed could hack him out for a while, to get back to the status quo you had at the start? Maybe if he relaxed off again and you saw that, then you could feel more confident to ride him, and stay relaxed yourself?

There are many different types of riders, and he maybe could do with a while with someone who really wouldn't care if he had a jink at something. Someone not attached to the outcome of him having a look. Someone who would continue the conversation as if nothing was happening.

I think this is very true. I had a crisis of confidence with mine many years ago now, but fortunately a rider had just started working at the yard and started riding him and she was just one of those riders that exudes confidence which then gave him confidence. I’ve mentioned before, and I don’t even know if it’s still a thing but there used to be a Twitter feed called lifeofbean which was a trainer’s daughter riding out on this particular racehorse who had decided to be cheeky streak but she was confident enough just to laugh at him and basically tell him not to be so daft. That is much easier said than done, and of course you have to keep yourself safe. The other thing I would say as others have said above is not put yourself particularly under pressure now - it’s a difficult time of year to be consistent and so just do things that you can to build up his confidence and your confidence in each other.

 

[madsb]

I think some horses do a little jink and are fine if the rider is relaxed about it. That sounds like how you were at the start of the relationship.

You say you had one big mishap and since then, you have felt nervous. I would gamble that the poor horse was also scared to death to lose the rider and have stirrups banging around whilst he bicked and ran home.

It is understandable that you would both be wary after such an experience.

It may be so that the horse would be more confident if you could return to being less bothered. My horse, H, isn't the bravest. He looks at stuff. If I leave him to it, he may stop to look, he may ask if he can turn round, but if I stay relaxed and let him work it out on a relaxed rein he is generally fine and will stroll on by. My novice boyfriend has been riding him out and generally misses entirely when H is worried, because he is a novice. So, H is worried, he shows it, the rider remains relaxed and H strolls on by.

If H sees something worrisome, and you were to tense up, tighten the rein, be firm about going forward, he would be more jumpy not less. Other horses may feel better with a more dictatorial approach, but he is not.

Of course, you are not a raw novice and so do feel the worry in him. You have come off and so are wary.

I wonder if someone who is experienced and relaxed could hack him out for a while, to get back to the status quo you had at the start? Maybe if he relaxed off again and you saw that, then you could feel more confident to ride him, and stay relaxed yourself?

There are many different types of riders, and he maybe could do with a while with someone who really wouldn't care if he had a jink at something. Someone not attached to the outcome of him having a look. Someone who would continue the conversation as if nothing was happening.

Yes I agree! I completely feel like I let him down when I let my nerves get the best of me. I feel awful cause iknow it affects him. My novice partner also got on him, hacked him and was foot perfect. It makes me feel devastated to know I could be making it worse. I have had a few other people ride him in the school for me but not out hacking yet. I sometimes doubt wethwr my confidence is making things worse and he’ll be better off with someone more confident but i’m trying my best to push theough this with him as I adore him

 

[madsb]

I have an ex-racer who is very good at putting on a brave face and going past stuff whilst giving the illusion he is totally cool with it all, but what he doesn't do is empty his own stress cup particularly quickly afterwards. He used to march past things and get more and more worried, then it didn't take much for him to have a complete meltdown from what people would describe as, "out of nowhere" or "over nothing".

So what happens is he goes past something, gets a little worried, then with each thing he gets more and more on edge until we end up in sideways racehorse jog and constant pulling. Now, I do walk out in hand rather than ride most of the time, as this helps him to feel safer, but the same stuff would happen under saddle. If anything, under saddle it would be worse as I find it harder not to worry about the 17hh bottle of pop that is about to explode underneath me. On the ground he can do whatever he likes and it doesn't phase me in the slightest. Hence why I do the in hand walking.

What I have found with my boy is that sometimes he needs to stop, look and process what he is seeing and this his hugely helpful. If he is moved on before he has finished processing then this can also cause a meltdown. However, sometimes he needs to move on and stop looking at what he is focusing on because he gets in his own head about it and ends up in this self-fulfilling spiral of worry and stress.

The trick is working out when he needs to look and when he needs to move on. If I ask him to move when he needs to look I cause a meltdown, if I let him look when he needs to move, I cause a meltdown. I am getting better at working out what is what now, but the only way I've learned is by getting it wrong. Unfortunately.

I do use R+ with him when out walking in hand. If he looks at something calmly, processes it and is then OK to move on, he gets his click and treat. I am trying to reinforce that staying calm and reasonable about situations brings rewards. I also think that a lot of his worry is down to insecurity and not feeling confident in his environment. My long term goal is to teach him to understand that being with me is his safe space and to give him confidence in his own decision making (so when he calmly decides it is fine and is rewarded for that) as well as confidence in my decision making (so, I ask him to move when he is staring at something and ending up in a spiral of worry), he moves, he gets a treat and all is well afterwards. What I do have to be careful of though is that he is not masking his fear or worry and pushing through it to get the treats. I am very careful only to reward when his emotions are going in the right direction. (Which also means I need to be mindful of the treats I use, so they don't cause any form of overarousal or stress if he becomes desperate to get them.)

However, if he does get anxious about something, I can then change what I am rewarding to focusing on him emptying his own stress cup. From my experience with ex-racers they are not good at deregulating themselves. Once something has happened they can really hold onto it. So then the goal becomes rewarding him for letting go of his stress and progressing forwards, either physically, mentally or both.

All of this takes so much time and patience though. It is about working out each day whereabouts the edge of his comfort zone is, pushing him out of it a bit and then knowing when to stop so he's had a positive learning experience.

I don't want to be forcing him past something he finds scary because his fear, to him, is completely legitimate. It is striking that fine line between pushing the boundaries a bit, but keeping them within that learning zone. For me, the line I try to walk is, "it is OK, I understand you're scared, lets go through this together and I will support you." Doing it this way takes a long time, but at the end of it I hope to have a horse that is rock solid in pretty much all situations as the first thing they do is look to me for guidance instead of getting ready for fight or flight.

For your horse, I would advise that you need to work out what suits him best. He might need movement, he might need standing still or he might one or the other depending on what the situation is. You might just have to do a process of elimination to work out what gets the best results for him. I would also advise that when you are doing work on the ground you stand in a position that helps him feel safe and is more likely to give you the best results. This might mean you are walking by his shoulder when long lining rather than behind him. I know that with my boy, if I was long lining him from behind he would feel totally abandoned up front - which is not good for a horse that doesn't have confidence in their decision making or dealing with the world around them. I walk out in hand just in a long rope and am at his shoulder most of the time. Sometimes I drop behind, if he wants to go up front on his own for a bit, but other times I lead if he is getting concerned about something and needs me to go first.

I would also suggest that you prioritise the activities where you feel safe and confident. Horses are so perceptive and can pick up on when we are stressed, so it will make it easier for both of you if you put yourself in situations where you know you will be calm and able to confidently handle whatever happens.

Thank you so much! This was incredibly helpful!

 

[madsb]

I think this is very true. I had a crisis of confidence with mine many years ago now, but fortunately a rider had just started working at the yard and started riding him and she was just one of those riders that exudes confidence which then gave him confidence. I’ve mentioned before, and I don’t even know if it’s still a thing but there used to be a Twitter feed called lifeofbean which was a trainer’s daughter riding out on this particular racehorse who had decided to be cheeky streak but she was confident enough just to laugh at him and basically tell him not to be so daft. That is much easier said than done, and of course you have to keep yourself safe. The other thing I would say as others have said above is not put yourself particularly under pressure now - it’s a difficult time of year to be consistent and so just do things that you can to build up his confidence and your confidence in each other.

Yes i love life of bean! However I do envy her confidence and ability to just crack on with things! I’m hoping because we are still a new partnership to each other that we will eventually build a better and more trusting relationship

 

[smolmaus]

It makes me feel devastated to know I could be making it worse.

Give yourself the same credit you'd give the horse. You also can't help being afraid of something genuinely quite scary. You're an animal too! With the same brain chemicals and self preservation instinct and sometimes very unhelpful coping mechanisms and anxieties

 

[humblepie]

Yes i love life of bean! However I do envy her confidence and ability to just crack on with things! I’m hoping because we are still a new partnership to each other that we will eventually build a better and more trusting relationship

Definitely and yes it takes time.

 

[Sanversera]

Id take him on many inhand walks. Lots and lots,then add in a little long reining. Try to get someone to hack out with you just in walk and trot too for short hacks.

 

[YourValentine]

Do you have a short loop ride you could work on? Just do the same ride in-hand aiming for ridden eventually but try to build his and your confidence by doing the same thing, with the same monsters every day till its no longer scary?
Then once you are both happy and confident with that try branching out?

Helps some horses, others do just get bored of the same route and it doesnt.

 

[KikiDee]

Thank you for this! It’s such a rare rare occasion I get to ride out with others and I’m worried he’ll get bored if he spends more time in the arena than outside. We do lots of ground work and he’s brilliant at this. He has just started learning to leg yield, something he’s starting to pick up!
He also does the dramatic spin and take off with me which knocked my confidence massively. Glad to know i’m not the only one dealing with similar situations!

If he's tense and stressy out hacking then he isn't enjoying it much anyway, so take the pressure off yourself to feel like you 'have' to get him out. Especially over winter! The odd relaxed hack with others will do more to reset his brain to thinking this is a pleasant outing than forcing yourself to get round the block on a joggy, stressy horse. Summer I find they are more chilled out in general, belly full of grass and the sun on their backs, they can think more rationally. If he's an ex-racer his hacking experience will typically have been riding out in a string or hacking down to the gallops, it's all new to him as well, and he may have started off feeling brave but a few things along the way have knocked his confidence and he's changed him mind about how he feels about it - that's fine, it happens, and it's no reflection on you, it's just where you're at right now. It's a different scenario but my horse had never stopped at a jump in his life, then one day I rode him really badly at a spooky filler and just didn't give him the confidence to go, he refused and panicked himself. He then wouldn't go near a filler again for months! We had to start from ground zero with him rebuilding his confidence and I was convinced I had 'ruined' my lovely brave jumper, but we just needed to take a step back and put some foundations back in place again and he's now back to jumping everything happily again. We can't shape every single experience they have and with horses there will always be bumps along the road and a new problem to solve, don't beat yourself up. These phases don’t mean you’ve gone backwards or done anything wrong- they’re simply part of the process of owning and producing a sensitive, intelligent animal. Sometimes the kindest and most productive thing you can do is pause, regroup, and build things back up slowly.

 

[madsb]

Do you have a short loop ride you could work on? Just do the same ride in-hand aiming for ridden eventually but try to build his and your confidence by doing the same thing, with the same monsters every day till its no longer scary?
Then once you are both happy and confident with that try branching out?

Helps some horses, others do just get bored of the same route and it doesnt.

Yes I started off with the same little short route that iknow he was comfortable with. This route has now changed due to farmers adding things around the place so I’m not sure if this has unsettled him as his safe place is no longer ‘safe’. But when he was happy with the same route we did venture to new places and he was good as gold.

 

[madsb]

If he's tense and stressy out hacking then he isn't enjoying it much anyway, so take the pressure off yourself to feel like you 'have' to get him out. Especially over winter! The odd relaxed hack with others will do more to reset his brain to thinking this is a pleasant outing than forcing yourself to get round the block on a joggy, stressy horse. Summer I find they are more chilled out in general, belly full of grass and the sun on their backs, they can think more rationally. If he's an ex-racer his hacking experience will typically have been riding out in a string or hacking down to the gallops, it's all new to him as well, and he may have started off feeling brave but a few things along the way have knocked his confidence and he's changed him mind about how he feels about it - that's fine, it happens, and it's no reflection on you, it's just where you're at right now. It's a different scenario but my horse had never stopped at a jump in his life, then one day I rode him really badly at a spooky filler and just didn't give him the confidence to go, he refused and panicked himself. He then wouldn't go near a filler again for months! We had to start from ground zero with him rebuilding his confidence and I was convinced I had 'ruined' my lovely brave jumper, but we just needed to take a step back and put some foundations back in place again and he's now back to jumping everything happily again. We can't shape every single experience they have and with horses there will always be bumps along the road and a new problem to solve, don't beat yourself up. These phases don’t mean you’ve gone backwards or done anything wrong- they’re simply part of the process of owning and producing a sensitive, intelligent animal. Sometimes the kindest and most productive thing you can do is pause, regroup, and build things back up slowly.

Thank you so much

 

[fredflop]

My first port of call is get back teeth and saddle checked

 

[madsb]

My first port of call is get back teeth and saddle checked

He has the physio regularly and had teeth and saddle done last month