Lazy dressage horse?

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mireiaroman

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Hello, I'm writting this hoping that I'll find some answers. ☺

I own a 13 yo Grand Prix gelding and I've been riding him since September 2015.

He has always been lazy and really hard to get in front of my leg (especially in the warm up) but he would always get more active later in our trainings or in certain exercices like tempi changes.

He went lame on July 2016 and now he's fully recovered. I've been riding him progressively for the past 2 months and we've also been working on getting his back muscles stronger and now he's prepared to start training again.

The problem is that now he's extremely lazy, dull and numb to my legs and he won't move fowards no matter what I do. Spurs and crops do not work (and I don't want to be too harsh with them either).

He's always been lazy but now it's another whole new level. It feels like he does not want to work. I've checked saddle fitting, the vet has checked him again, I have checked him myself again (I'm studying Equine veterinary technician) but everything is ok.

Does anyone have any advice on how to make him active and sensitive again? I feel useless when I'm riding him and it's very frustrating. :( I can't see how are we going to compete again.

Thank you!!
 
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He does sound school sour. The usual answer for that is to turn away for a few weeks and come back to hacking only' but he has already been turned away for 4 or 5 months.

It might help to keep to hacking and other fun things only for 5 or 6 weeks and see if that helps. Work on getting him to move away quickly from a single leg aid - don't nag him with the leg or try to back it up with whip or spurs. Hopefully that will make a difference for him.

Several things about this post are a bit confusing though. 13 is young for an established Grand Prix horse - although OP doesn't say he is established. But I would not expect a horse trained to that level to be lazy in the school or in any way unresponsive to the aids. Nor do I really expect a rider at that level to come to us for advice (perhaps that's my misapprehension!) I wonder if something has happened to him in his past which has led to this?
 
Are you absolutely certain his feet/legs are comfortable now? Mine was like that and turned out he had very uncomfortable feet which subsequently developed into laminitis. He is also pigeon toes so hacking wasn't an option for us but as others say, maybe that would brighten his outlook, especially in company. Or maybe a bute trial? Is he more willing on softer or harder surfaces, worse with the concussion on the roads etc?
 
It is an odd one, i had a lesson on a GP school master and it was quite the opposite, so responsive to aids that he'd do something I didn't even know id asked we ended up in a right mess. What fies yout trainer say?
I'm tempted to think either he's still in pain and not fixed, or he could be deficient in something. Are you sure you are actually pressing the right buttons or he's completely soured. Either way I'd be keeping him out the school for now, get checked out properly again and then do lots of hacking, farm rides, forest rides, walk on beach.
 
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Thank you for your response. :)

I wouldn't expect a horse with that level of training to be unresponsive to leg aids either. He used to be sensitive before (lazy in the beginning but really active later after the warm up). So that's why I'm confused.

There are some videos on the internet of him being ridden by his old owner at shows and he used to move off light aids too.

By the way my level of riding is not any close to Grand Prix (I WISH). I compete in Juniors and train a little bit above that level at home.

Maybe he is school sour and finds it hard to start working again now that he is out of shape and unfit. That's the only reason I can think of.
 
It happened the same to me when I first got him. I remember asking for canter and getting passage all the time. 😅

My trainer tells me to ask with a light leg aid and then back it up with the whip if there isn't an inmediate response. Also to hack him out to keep working on his muscles and get him fitter.

I'd think he's sour and out of shape over sore or still in pain, I've had him checked last week again just in case.

I think I'll try to hack out as much as possible and get back into the arena when he's fitter. Thank you!
 
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The only issue feet related he has had is thrush two months ago. It rained so much here in Spain the field where he gets turned out got really muddy.
I'll keep searching just in case!! Thank you! :)
 
If he's fine out hacking it does sound like he's sour. Could you incorporate some pole work or even little jumps into your schooling regime?

Or just do what I do and only school on hacks and at shows/lessons away from home :p I started due to surface eroding in arena and then stuck to it as lazy horse goes much better, it keeps his mind in the game.

Another problem might be that now he is GP he isn't learning new movements, just being drilled on things (he thinks) he's mastered. You could start teaching some new things, even if you have to steal from other disciplines.
 
Sounds like you might need to spice up his work in the school, as in adding pole work, as said above. Something to keep him interested and make him want to work again. Ever heard of Horse Physio? Look it up on facebook, they have some great exercises!
 
I feel your pain! I bought a schoolmaster established at Adv med who was very capable of doing the work but who was, sadly, completely school sour. He was lovely to hack, was jumped from time to time which he enjoyed but in the school he was a completely different horse. I blamed myself but ridden by professionals he was really not much better. I struggled on for over 5 years, got slightly better work out of him but the bottom line was he just didn't want to do it. He'd done several years with a well known para rider and competed internationally but he'd been kept tuned up by an able bodied professional. I just think he'd had enough so he's now very happy indeed in a lovely long term home where he hacks in the most beautiful countryside, does the odd prelim test and pops the odd jump just for fun. I now have a horse that wants to do the job and it's bliss!
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Just read this again and thought this is probably not what you want to hear but my advice would be try everything suggested but if he doesn't improve and there's no physical reason for his laziness, cut your losses because it can become soul destroying. Good luck!
 
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I'd sack off riding in the school and just school whilst out hacking.

If you jump, I'd maybe go into the arena and do some jumps and take him out for clear rounds, let him know that sometimes exciting things to happen in the arena and it isn't just all dressage.

Maybe even set up some random obsticles like cones to weave around, raised trotting poles in funky shapes, or tarp to go over and make life a bit more interesting.

Try incorporating some faster hacking and do some schooling out on hacks before a competition?

I know a girl (amazing rider) who's pony was a very well bred, talented and well trained eventer, but if she rode her in the same place or did the same thing two days on the trot the mare just went completely sour. The girl said it was a nightmare trying to plan her week's riding as she'd do one day schooling in a field, the next day jumping in the arena, the day after a slow hack, the day after she'd school in an arena, the day after she'd go on a fast hack and so on - just to keep the horse's attention.

As a P.s, it is always worth getting the vet again just to ensure there really is no physical reason he won't go forewards, one way would be to try him on Bute and see if there is an improvement.
 
Is there anything he does, schoolwork wise, that he really enjoys? My old boy (competed PSG, trained to GP at home) doesn't really do any formal schooling any more - he knows it all, and doesn't need to be reminded. We mostly hack (and do quite a lot of stretching, suppling work and lateral work whilst hacking) and occasionally go in the school just to play around with the stuff he really enjoys - changes, piaffe and passage. I never spend more than 15 minutes in the school, and always hack first so he's well loosened up.
 
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