Lusitano

[Mindyminx]

Hi guys, I have a 9 year old Lusitano gelding who came to me late last summer. To cut to the chase, he's sadly been in the hands of someone who although has his best interests at heart, was not sufficiently equipped to deal with training him. As a result he's developed some bad habits, but the way he moves when I ride him and his utter gorgeous-ness has guaranteed a place in my heart and my home.

So, I'm looking for some advice from anyone who has had experience with this amazing breed. He is quite different from anything I've owned before, and I want to get it right for both of us.

He's generally very well behaved, he's just been "allowed" to get away with certain things like.....

1. raising his head to the roof to avoid being bridled, more so bitted. I have successfully overcame this issue by persistance, a height enhancer (a box) and endless amounts of time.
2. barging over the top of me to exit his stable; this particularly horrible trait has been rectified with a Monty Roberts halter, which he does respect, and lots of praise when he doesn't barge.
3. dragging me off to my lush lawn on way to his stable (again, only if I dare to try and bring him in with the help of the MR halter).

He rides well, leans slightly into the hands but I am currently only riding him in a 'Happy Mouth' straight bar snaffle, as I fear he'd been overbitted at some point in his life so am trying to instill kindness and happy thoughts around what's placed in his mouth. So with this in mind, am looking for a next step bit for him.

Is there any Lusitano aficionados out there who can give me advice on these magnificent animals?

Thank you x : )

 

[Michen]

I have worked with Lusitanos on a stud farm in Portugal.

Highly intelligent and sensitive. Did yours come from Portugal? We had several that had been extremely badly started and their unpredictability made them actually quite dangerous. One in particularly ended up being sent to England to be a demo horse for natural horsemanship, I have no idea what happened to him in the end.

 

[Mindyminx]

I have worked with Lusitanos on a stud farm in Portugal.

Highly intelligent and sensitive. Did yours come from Portugal? We had several that had been extremely badly started and their unpredictability made them actually quite dangerous. One in particularly ended up being sent to England to be a demo horse for natural horsemanship, I have no idea what happened to him in the end.

Hello! No, he was bred in this country and although has a Lusitano passport; he's classed as part-bred (x KWPN). Yes, he could be potentially very dangerous, I absolutely wouldn't let an inexperience horseman/woman near him. I do know some of his history, and sadly in the early stages is where the damage was done. Although backed by a very experienced lady, he had been at the mercy of a not-so experienced owner who just had the wrong horse.

 

[Sags_Deer]

I have a PRE so v similar
First of all what a lovely job you seem to be doing.
Iberians are super intelligent, they will give you their heart when they form a bond with you.
Take your time, give your horse lots of varied things including ground work. They love a job to do.
As for a next bit try the NS starter or team up bit, its a question of hiring and seeing what he suits and likes etc.