Mad Horse HELP ME PLEASE !!!! ?????????!

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Carrieandolaf

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Hi ,
I am 12 years old and I own a connemara that is 14.2hh , he is dun and only 4 years old !!! He may be young but he has a lot of potential . I jump him 2ft 9 and he always clears but this week he has trotted towards tiny jumps , refuses then jumps really high then gallops around the arena lots of times !!! It is getting very annoying and out of control, as he is now doing it whilst I'm out on hacks !!! He is on calmer and chaff and pony nuts do you have any suggestions on what I can give him to eat or ways I should train him that are very safe and easy !!!! I ride him under instruction and I am told when he bombs to loosen my reins and sit on my bottom what can I do ???? Please help ?????:mad::mad::mad:
 
How long have you been riding OP? How long have you had this pony and how long have you been riding under instruction(I'm presuming that your instructor is qualified?)?
If this is only a recent change, I would firstly look at the horse's back and teeth and make sure it's tack fits correctly. At such a young age they are still growing and it may be the case that his saddle no longer fits and is hurting him.
How much work is he in? He probably doesn't need much feed at all, so after any physical issues have been checked, I would be cutting down his feed. Is he on an actual calmer or just a feed like 'calm and condition' ?
I also wouldn't be hacking him out in open areas until you get to the bottom of the problem as it is dangerous, both for yourself and others.
Is there is no physical issues, ask your instructor or another more experienced jockey to sit up on him to feel what is happening. It might simply be the case of him taking the p**s with you and he may behave under a more experienced rider.
 
So has he only turned 4 this year or will he turn 5 this year?

If only just 4, how long has he been broken for?

Horses don't do stuff like that just to annoy you, it is most likely either a pain reaction or a loss of confidence on his part (which could be quite likely if he is still only just 4 - that's very much a baby and at that age they need help with their confidence).

Really you need someone with experience of youngsters to see you and the horse together to help advise you. There are too many variables to try and give you proper help over the internet..... Is there someone you could go to for help?
 
I think there are several things to check which may or may not be related to this.
Teeth, these need to be rasped once a year, they change a fair bit when very young.
Bridle, is it nipping him, does the bit suit him, an experienced instructor will check for you.
Back, the saddle needs to be checked to see if it fits, his shape will change over a year and with work.
Back, it is possible he has some pain, a vet can tell you if it is likely.

Bad habits, this may be due to pain or to naughtiness, but you must stop it So after he vet has a look you need to discuss this with a qualified instructor. It is good of an experienced person to help you, but an instructor knows how to explain things and can help you develop his schooling. He is young, you are young and you will benefit from regular weekly lessons
Personally I am not sure if you understand the bit about easing the reins and sitting down, this is what we do when pony is about to stop, but not when he is tanking off, just the opposite really.
It is very easy to fall in to the trap of doing the same thing over and over, which is like getting the same lesson at school day after day, make sure you don't do too much jumping, and mix it with flatwork. There is a book 101 exercises for jumping [includes 25 flat exercises] which is great for training .
Pony sounds a great jumper, but don;t sicken him and don't teach him exercises at his max height. The height of the jump is not actually very relevant, it is the correct technique which he and you need to learn together. Great to jump 2ft 9 every so often but don't fall in to the trap of thinking too much about height, he needs to learn technique, how to approach from trot and canter, do doubles and triples, verticals and spreads, which is quite advanced, you start with the basics and build from there.
If you have transport you might to join a Riding Club, there are lots of activities and mini competition.
But first get the vet to check pony [he may need his jabs anyway], and progress from there.
 
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chahala said:
On what planet should a 12 year old be jumping 2'9 on a four year old!! Especially a dun one.
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I think lots of us did that type of thing in the distant past, a group of us were given free rein on a whole yard-not an adult in sight and new horses and ponies arrived all the time, the new ones were from sales and with unknown histories, so usually someone elses cast offs (for a reason) or unbacked. we got on rode and jumped. 2 foals even arrived one day a colt and a filly and you know non of us or them died. I agree it was not ideal but it is how we learnt. I then we on to work at a very well run riding school livery yard, it was like a different world.

OP who is teaching you and how long have you had the pony?
 
chahala said:
On what planet should a 12 year old be jumping 2'9 on a four year old!! Especially a dun one.
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Presumably there is a "responsible adult" somewhere in the picture, that is the person who needs to take on board that all sorts of musculo-skeletal problems can be caused by doing this, not to mention behavioural ones caused by discomfort and pain. Get that person to come and read the replies OP, so long as they are open and prepared to accept criticism and learn. Meanwhile let him be a youngster and enjoy his life, hacking and having fun and chilling in the field. He is far too young for serious work.
 
t , but he turns 5 this year he was broke when he was 2 in Ireland which is really young ?!!!! I have only had him for a month thnx x
 
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Poor thing, that is far too young, despite what racehorses trainers do (their horses are kept like kings and only have short careers). Dr Deb Bennet published a paper in which she says that growth plates in the spine do not close and become fully mature until the animal is at least 5 1/2 years old (mares) and 6 months more for geldings. You may very well have done all sorts of damage expecting a pony this young to carry a rider over a jump where the spine is extended more than just flat work (and the limbs are barely mature enough to take the pressure of landing)- give him at least a few months in the field to recover and then you may just have a talented pony for the rest of his life.
 
Stop jumping the pony. Concentrate on hacking, schooling including pole work and ground work. Once you can dictate speed and direction successfully over a course of poles on the floor you can start to introduce some small fences and build both of your confidence back up.
Change your instructor. There are plenty of people who have qualifications and still have no idea what they are doing. I've got my BHS stage 3, been riding since I was 4, owned horses for 20 + years, backed and produced youngsters, worked as a groom and competed successfully in a number of disciplines and I have an MSc in Equine Science but I am still no where near the point that I would take money off someone for teaching them. Anyone who is encouraging you to jump this pony is not the person you need help from.
Once you've done all of that if you are still having problems have your saddle checked and a vet to check the pony. If you post your location someone on here will recommend good local instructors, saddle fitters and vets.
 
JillA said:
Poor thing, that is far too young, despite what racehorses trainers do (their horses are kept like kings and only have short careers). Dr Deb Bennet published a paper in which she says that growth plates in the spine do not close and become fully mature until the animal is at least 5 1/2 years old (mares) and 6 months more for geldings. You may very well have done all sorts of damage expecting a pony this young to carry a rider over a jump where the spine is extended more than just flat work (and the limbs are barely mature enough to take the pressure of landing)- give him at least a few months in the field to recover and then you may just have a talented pony for the rest of his life.
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I called out the vet and she said that nothing is wrong with him it's just naughtiness because he knows I'm young my instructor cantered on him and he was fine she also done cross poles and he done them very nicely 😊
 
OK, it seems you have had him a very short time but have had a lot of lessons, how long do these lessons take by the way, I assume they are only 30-40 minutes including ten minutes warm up and ten minutes cool down. The pony was presumably OK when you bought him home. Perhaps he got out of hand before these lessons started?
If not I would be asking for another instructor, sorry but if half the time you ride him you are under instruction there is no way pony should start behaving like this. Nor should you be jumping 2ft 9 inches
I think you probably need to go back to basics with your lessons as you are a bit confused at the moment. If he jumps for someone else but not for you, then stop jumping for up to three months, but keep going with lessons till you have learned to "school" the pony, do it properly, and that is a skill you will have forever. At the moment pony is a bit too much for you, so you need to change things. He was not born knowing how to behave, but like a small child he will quickly pick up bad habits, you are not the first person to get this problem but that makes no difference, you absolutely must turn his behaviour round.
Smacking him and / or bursting in to tears [both temper tantrums] is no good, you need to learn how to handle him.
What is his daily routine, and what food does he get?
 
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Bonkers2 said:
OK, it seems you have had him a very short time but have had a lot of lessons, how long do these lessons take by the way, I assume they are only 30-40 minutes including ten minutes warm up and ten minutes cool down. The pony was presumably OK when you bought him home. Perhaps he got out of hand before these lessons started?
If not I would be asking for another instructor, sorry but if half the time you ride him you are under instruction there is no way pony should start behaving like this. Nor should you be jumping 2ft 9 inches
I think you probably need to go back to basics with your lessons as you are a bit confused at the moment. If he jumps for someone else but not for you, then stop jumping for up to three months, but keep going with lessons till you have learned to "school" the pony, do it properly, and that is a skill you will have forever. At the moment pony is a bit too much for you, so you need to change things. He was not born knowing how to behave, but like a small child he will quickly pick up bad habits, you are not the first person to get this problem but that makes no difference, you absolutely must turn his behaviour round.
Smacking him and / or bursting in to tears [both temper tantrums] is no good, you need to learn how to handle him.
What is his daily routine, and what food does he get?
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Don't worry I don't smack him , he gets :
Pony nuts
Garlic chaff
Calmer
And pink powder since he has a slight foot problem
 
OP I noticed you started another thread about wanting to pony race and you said your pony was very fast, by any chance have you been galloping him for fun? He may now think this is the norm.
 
Practise small jumps and don't over jump him. When you come into a jump keep him as straight as possible and don't expect him to jump keep your legs on the whole way also if he does jump big try not to catch him in the mouth so he doesn't get a yank in the teeth for jumping even if it's twice the size he needs to jump! Good luck Connemaras are the best!! X
 
amaia said:
Practise small jumps and don't over jump him. When you come into a jump keep him as straight as possible and don't expect him to jump keep your legs on the whole way also if he does jump big try not to catch him in the mouth so he doesn't get a yank in the teeth for jumping even if it's twice the size he needs to jump! Good luck Connemaras are the best!! X
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This with bells on if you think he's going to jump big have a neck strap or a good chunk of mane at the ready. I think your doing the right thing with having an instructor. X
 
Thnx everyone for the help Olaf is good now it turns out there was a break out of the horses at the yard and he heard them in the distance thnx xx
 
Nevertheless, don't wreck this pony, if you want to become a jockey you have to learn horsemanship, you were not really clear about what you are doing with him, surely you know enough to know when he can hear a few excited ponies in the distance. I have never known anyone have 3 / 4 lessons per week with an instructor, even allowing for your age, you need a reality check:), it is a lot easier to ruin a pony than it is to improve it and if you want to be taken seriously as a jockey you have to be reliable and sensible in addition to being able to stay on board.
 
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