Lazy horse?

He looks lovely, nothing like as bad as I expected from the op. I had one like this, didn't take too long to turn him around as long as I was consistent. He just needs to know you mean business from the start so even before I get on I'd make him march in from the field, to start with I needed a longer lead rope or a whip I could swish to get him walking smartly but it soon became the norm that I didn't have to drag him everywhere.

Then the same when I got on, if I slopped along going large at walk and then tried to work he said I'd really rather not whereas being insistent from the first step from the mounting block that we were working I had a completely different horse. You've had some really good advice already about first asking nicely and then insisting, from there it's just about retraining your expectations of him, you shouldn't have to nag and he should do as asked the first time immediately and not in his own time. The hardest part is keeping yourself disciplined and not falling back into old habits, if you do a transition that isn't to your standards redo it, don't just accept it.
 
I really sympathise with you, from your video I can see myself with my Highland.
As others have said:
If I get on half alert and nicey nice and ask him, and ask him and ask him and ask him... we get NOWHERE and I come off feeling terrible and not enjoying riding.

If I get on and front the word go I'm strict, I ask nicely if there's no response he gets the nippy end of a schooling whip- constant transitions until he gets the point "today we ain't taking half arsed nonsense". I tend to feel like a terrible owner the first 5 minutes as it consists of a good few stings from a schooling whip, but by the end I come off feeling like I have accomplished something and have enjoyed riding.


But it is sooooooooooo difficult to keep yourself disciplined. And that's my downfall, and that's why I still have a very backward thinking horse!
 
mule - Thank. I do love him. Yeah he has always been more lively in fields and on a hack can be nearly tripping with how slow he walks but as soon as we got off the drive and out of the yard, he perks up. If my leg doesn't work, the whip usually does but he can stop after a few strides again.

DabDab - Yeah I do tend to stick to the same things, will work on lots of transitions.Think that is probably the main reason, being so inconsistent with him.

scats - Thank you. Deginitely is, will work on that. Have done a little halt - trot lately and is actually suprisingly good. When I put him into walk, he does tend to walk so slow that he is nearly tripping over.

SEL - He has been the same since I bought him as a yearling.He is turned out 24/7 on grass. In about 5 days a week for some hay for an hour.In overnight 1 day a week and has 1 treat after work (gingernut biscuit) only occassionally.Yeah I have to have a bit of a plastic bag at the end of a lunge whip for him to move forward enough.

redapple - The bit at 4:10 where he goes into walk by himself and takes a while to listen to my leg to go back into trot, he can actually do that quite alot during one riding session (never ridden more than 20-30 minutes) if that...There was a time where he would hardly go around half the school in trot without stopping.Yeah will work on paces, transitions etc yeah the bit at 4:20 he can do quite often. The past 5 rides or so he has actually been not too bad at stopping when he wants. Still not very willing to canter in the school but work on his trotting/transitions/getting him more responsive etc and just ask for canter in fields until he is more ready for it in the school.A video would be great. He does tend to trip in the school (think I put 1 or 2 of the times in the video) Will try post a video of me attempting to get him into canter in the school (I tend to be over the place trying to sit and ask so could be the reason but not too sure) Thank you he really is.Had young kids who have only ever been on him and only a couple times trot and jump him by themselves.Would make a great kids pony for sure.

amymay - Yeah I do tend to do that.Need to find some schooling exercise ideas.

JFTD - Yeah will be working on being consistent with that.Thank you. Going to try a couple of week of regular and consistent work and definitely if no change will see about looking further into it.I have had him since he was a yearling
Otherwise - Yeah he definitely hasn't had consistency, can ride him one day then leave him for weeks/months and ride again but trying to work him at least 4 days every week and be consistent with everything I ask of him.

Lintel - Think that is his problem, I am too soft. Had a trainer ride him and she got on at him quick with a whip as soon as he attempted to not listen when asked to go into trot and he shot into and everytime after, cantering round the school until he was asked to stop.I feel terrible having to kick/whip which put me off riding him alot but now going to be consistent with it and hopefully will get him listening to the lightest aid in time.
 
I just rode Mr lazy tonight actually! Might have to think of a new name though as he's starting to speed up!

Just one thing, which I know a few others have also said, but links to your feeling guilty kicking and using the whip. The point is if you're consistent i doubt it'll take long at all and then you've saved years of kicking and using the whip because you were consistent for a couple of weeks. Worst case - You might have to use the whip every transition at first but then it might only be the first few of each ride and then rarely (but expect the same speed of response from every single transition, it's easy to fall backwards). And then I'm sure you and cob will enjoy riding much more. I also don't use a lot of force behind it either, it's enough to be a clear 'oy get going' but it wouldn't leave a mark, make a noise or hurt me if I hit my own leg (which I somehow manage to do). He won't be the most naturally forward going horse ever but it will help.

It's interesting that an instructor got such a quick turn around, helps that you have seen that he can do it! It sounds silly but sometimes if I'm having a problem or bad 'bag of potatoes' riding day I pretend that I'm actually a top level rider doing a demo or something and it seems to help. Could you pretend you've never ridden your cob before and that you're an instructor that's been sent to get him moving forwards - i know it sounds rediculous but you never know might help!
 
Will definitely try that one next time see if it helps.Yeah when he tried to not do something she would give have a few taps with crop and really meant it so he shot forward straight away, actually cantered round the school lots with her.

This is a video of me trying to get him to canter (I do find it hard to sit steady in the saddle and try to push him on so well aware I could be stopping him from going forward with my banging about on him) any tips on how to fix this and how to get him forward? Probably just the same advice given to get a trot? and do more than a couple strides? also some videos with him trotting in the school and at the end a video of me jumping him...I always do the same thing on him when jumping any ideas how to fix that?? I am not in a rush to jump him but want to know what im doing wrong...I never really had much lessons (only once a week for a while 10 years ago) so Im pretty much self taught and only had about 5 lessons lately but when jumping other horses at another yard on lessons I dont do what Im doing in the video on my own horse.
 
Some nice trot sections in that clip, he's taking you forwards nicely. He's got a nice canter too!

So in terms of getting him into canter it looks very similar to the trot in that he looks like he knows you're asking but doesn't quite go straight away. Also it is hard to sit when they run into canter and running into the canter is also a very common problem. I usually find the two resolve together - if the transition is sharper it becomes easier to ride the transition. You'll probably have to put up with a bit of uncomfy sitting trot until you've worked on it a bit.

There's tons of things and exercises you can do to help and different people and horses like different methods. Some examples - asking over a pole, leg yield outwards on a circle and then ask, learning walk to canter can also help with some horses who rush, using a small jump, even something simple like a countdown technique like 1,2,3, canter can be all it takes for some. Also if you think up instead of faster, that shift in your riding can really help them pop into it. His transition currently isn't actually too bad (it might feel it!) and he moves well so he should pick it up quickly.

If I'm struggling with the canter transition with a lazier horse I actually prefer to perfect the canter transition out on hacks and then transfer into a school. It just helps to have a bit more of that natural forwardness and often if a horse is unbalanced I can do more transitions on a straight line or big looping circles than I can in a school if I'm having to rebalance lots. You want to get to a place where it's 'just canter' like it's 'just walk'. The canter isn't a pace that you do have to do one of per ride on each rein, you can use it exactly like the trot. So transitions, pace changes, circles. It can just be a couple of strides if that's what YOU want, you need to ask him to come back down. A book like 101 schooling exercises might have something useful in it - mines at the yard but I can check.

The other thing, but it's the same as with your trot, don't let him fall out of the canter and stop like he does in the video. Remember he should still be moving forwards after a downward transition! It's just a bad habit and a bit of a pet peeve!

Jumping wise, your position in canter is a little armchair like and I think this is contributing you you being behind the movement. I am however more experienced on the flat than I am as a jumper so somebody else may know better! He has a lovely jump on him though!

Some lessons with a good instructor would be invaluable. There's a reason why the pros still have them! Everyone can improve and develop and with a green horse it will be so helpful. Id pay more for a really good instructor less often than a not so good instructor more often.

Sorry for the super long post!
 
Just to add from the videos I don't think there is a reason why you can't be cantering and working on the canter in the school. And as I said before it should help get him going. But if you find it very frustrating/difficult or just want to vary things then teaching the needed obedience on a hack could work for you guys.
 
Thank you. His canter does feel really nice apart from the jump into, always think he is bucking. Yeah I was thinking of trying in a field with more canter and hopefully will be better in the school in time. He does fall out of it but because he doesn't listen to my leg or whip when I ask him to go back into canter I'm just hoping that the more I do it (even if it is a short time) he will get better with it?
 
Lessons with a good instructor is an excellent idea! Eyes on the ground can make a world of difference and a good RI will help you to find different ways of approaching things.
 
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