my 5 yr old is starting to drive me mad...

alsxx

alsxx

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Ok so I know I really shouldn't complain as she has been a saint since she was backed, but that's what's so annoying!!! My 5 year old mare has turned into a right pain in the bum to hack out. She used to be fab, took everything in her stride and would pay attention to me, so I could/would school her as we went along.

Now however she is spooky, she keeps rushing everywhere and just generally won't listen to me at all. Its really starting to frustrate me as she used to be so good, and her schooling is getting better and better, but the 'out of classroom' stuff is getting worse and worse!!

I'm wondering whether its worth trying a calmer (she's not blowing her top stupid just WILL NOT listen to me at all) but I've never had much faith in lotions and potions so opinions on them would be appreciated!! I can't think of anything that could be causing the 'issues', so I'm hoping its just a phase - its just its been going on for about 2 months now and she seems to be getting worse!

I'm feeling totally demoralised by it now (plus this bloody weather doesn't help!)!
 
I am sure it is just a phase!!!! Try a calmer but try not to get to frustraited I feel like you do all the time with my horse. Equiform sell a paste you can use and its not to expensive and from all accounts on what I have heard it really works good luck!!
 
Personally I would ride through it, at 5 yo it's more than likely just a phase to be honest and she's maybe got a new found confidence. I think if your schooling's coming on well then maybe incorporate this into your hacks.

Do things such as half halts, practice leg yielding that sort of thing, just play really. I still do this with my horse now just to keep him listening sometimes.

I have never used any calmers on any of ours, just try riding calmly, firm but calm that's what i would suggest.
 
How long is it since she had a holiday?

My baby pone and I started very gentle and basic work in the school - 3 days a week, 30-45 mins at a time - in mid April. By the end of June she had tuned me out and gone from being so laid back she needed wheels on the back of her head, to being very on her toes and spooky - all in the space of a week.

Discretion being the better part of valour ;-), I took my cue and chucked her into the field for the the summer (? LOL) so that she could empty her head. She's regained that soppy, puppy dog look in her eyes and I'm only slightly (rather than really) dreading getting on board again in the Autumn <g>.

A week or two off might be worth a try before resorting to calmers - who likes riding in crap weather anyway? <g>
 
Well that's what I always have done, I used to be able to do a few halt - walk - trot - halt etc etc transitions and have her listening to me straight away - now she just ignores me and flings her head up, can't leg yield as she is not listening properly in the first place so the best we get is some demented crab impression!!

I'm desperately trying to be calm with her, whilst not taking any rubbish but it keeps escalating into an argument!!

Last night she was foul (may have had something to do with the fact that we got to the end of the drain and it peed down!!) But got to last half mile home and she reverted back to angel-status and went fantastically, we did some lovely shoulder-in in walk on both reins down the drive and she was just lovely. I got off and was like argh your a monster!!
 
Oops drive not drain!!

Yes I am thinking of giving her a holiday, but on the other hand she has such a grass belly I'm not sure it will do her any good...

She last had a couple of weeks off in June, and before that she had about 6 weeks off in march/april which did seem to do her the world of good.

Problem is, its been at the back of my mind to chuck her out for the winter - but it gets very wet where we are and YO likes us to bring in (quite a lot) to save the fields, so that won't really work! It will be a holiday in her stable which imo defeats the whole object!!

Sorry I don't mean to have an answer to everyone's replies - I'm just stumped how to tackle this...
 
I think its a phase, both my yougsters have done it usually about 6 months after initial backing. One suggestion (appologies if ive mis read and your already trying it )would be to not school at all on a hack for a while - just let her walk / trot with just enough contact that she knows you are there, dont ask for any outline at all. Just try it for a few hacks and see if it settles her down.
 
I agree. Provided you have had the usuals checked out (back, teeth tack etc) then it sounds like typical youngster behaviour. They are like sponges in the beginning so you teach them more and more and then when it all starts getting a bit difficult they decide to throw tantrums. I would do as MrStevo suggests - just hack out, on a contact, but dont ask anything except for her to go forward and stop when asked.

I think lateral work is all well and good for short bursts when you are trying to loosen them up and get them on the aids before you hack out. But then on the hack I wouldnt look to "school" and on the way home definitely not - I tend to let them relax on the way home and I classify hacking as fun time for both of us.

Perhaps you could make ridden work a bit more fun for her?In the beginning everything was new and exciting but now she knows everything (or thinks she does) so she has time to look for things to spook at etc. Try mixing up stuff in the school and doing things like trotting poles/small jumps etc if she likes that sort of thing.

My 5 year old was exactly the same and then in 6 months he was an angel again. Then he was horrid for a couple of more months and then back to angel. And now he has had 3 months off work due to injury he is worse than ever! So I would advocate a holiday from schooling but not from work.
 
Thanks for everyone's replies! I will keep her ticking over and let her have some more fun! Need to get a meet card for OSBWK and take her hunting this autumn - that will be a shock to her system!!

I feel bad now for being a boring mummy - but it makes sense as we do lots in our sessions in the school and she seems to really enjoy it as it asks her lots of questions. But hacking is quite predictable I guess...
 
Oh yes, if you are doing alot of schooling already then I wouldn't then try doing more out on hack. I thought you meant she was just being a pain in general and making any excuse to prat about but if it is WHEN you're trying to make her work then i would avoid working her on a hack.

Mine likes to be a pillock when he's feeling especially good and i find to get him to do a bit of brain work stops him pratting about but then i don't do an awful lot of schooling as don't have facilities.

Maybe just go take her for a good blow out run somewhere!

And people are right with the spooking, horses seem to start out fine when they're new to an area cos they're intigued by everything but once they know where they are etc they then notice every little thing and EVERYTHING is then scary!

Horses - who'd 'ave 'em!
laugh.gif
 
If you are going to take her for a blast, then I would suggest that you make sure that she is on the aids before heading out. This shows her that you are the one in control, and even though you are letting her have a run she must still respect you when you ask her to slow down/stop etc. Otherwise I have found with youngsters that the more confidence they have out the less they respect the person on their back and then they think fast hack = play time with people strapped to their backs.

A 5 year old is like having a small child - you have to be firm and set the boundaries but you have to let them have some fun and enjoy their childhood - it cant all be work. But then if it is always play time they can forget about the boundaries you have set, therefore you must always ensure that she is on the aids and listening but dont ask too much else i.e. perfect outline etc. But as soon as she puts a strop in or spooks at something, immediately have her in a shoulder in so she forgets about whatever it is and concentrates on you. Then once safely past you can just ride her normally on a loose contact. If out hacking and you see something potentially spooky, try not to tense (i.e. giving her the signal that there is something scary) and just shoulder in past the object. That way you combine schooling with hacking but you are not constantly schooling and it keeps them guessing and more focussed as they dont know what will be asked of them and when.
 
Lady T - we dont do THAT much schooling - one hour lesson every other weekend and then probably a couple of 30 - 45 min sessions each week, the rest of the time we hack and she is generally ridden 5/6 times a week. What I used to do (used to before she started ignoring me completely!!) would be to do a few transitions to get her tuned in, and then we would generally go along with a light contact, and alternate between walking/trotting in an outline for a few mins and then back to the 'easier' stuff.

CBAnglo - no probs stopping, starting, turning etc - she is literally looking at EVERYTHING, marching (walking so so fast and likely terribly on the forhand too!) along ignoring me. I half halt her, she responds instantly, but then she just marches off again straight away looking at stuff again. The problem is she looks at something and tune's out so when she's like this I cant get any where nr a shoulder-in!

Its so hard explaining all that we do/goes on - I'd be here all year typing!
 
Yeah, mine used to do that as well. Do you always go on the same routes? alone or in company?

I would try slowing her with your seat rather than half halts and make the rythm slow through leg and seat. Make sure you dont tense if she gets faster. If its ridiculous, halt, ask her to soften jaw and accept contact and then move forward at a nice pace. Keep doing that until she realises you set the pace. If she is rushing and on the forehand you will have no chance - think she needs to be reminded who's in charge!

I dont mind them looking at things - hacking should be interesting and fun for them and they should get out and see different things and yes they will spook the first time they see something new (and the second and third - depends on how slow your horse is!) and even more frustrating, they spook at something they have seen 100 times before and suddenly is now scary. It sounds like more of a confidence thing than teenage tantrums - You need to build her confidence out and the way to do that is nice safe hacks that she knows. Keep them slower and go out with something sensible. Has she had a bad experience out recently?

When I first bought my youngster I had no-one to hack out with so had to do it the hard way - out alone. He had never hacked out, and certainly not alone. We had lots of fun with rearing in the middle of the roads, running backwards into roads, ditches etc and in the school he was well behaved until he decided school work was boring and hacking better and we had a reversal - perfect out hacking and a pig in the school. So I only hacked him out for a couple of months, then we had another reversal - perfect in the school and a pig out hacking.

Do what is within your comfort zone and then just ask a little more each time. You dont want to do anythig that might lead to her (or you) losing confidence.
 
I vary the routes that we go on, we never go the same route more than once a week. We normally go out by ourselves - always have done though and she is more confident by herself than in company. When we do go out with someone else she really hangs back and gets quite clingy.

If I lighten my seat she does the same thing - responds then off she goes again.

She's not had any bad experiences at all, and she is more the kind of mare that looks at something she has seen loads of times rather than new things. At the weekend there was a wedding on and by way of directing their guests there were balloons tied all the way down the lane blowing in the wind. They were not scarey but the smallholding wit pygmy goats was terrifying = been past i dont know how many times!!

She puzzles me as she is not at all the type to have a tantrum just becuase but i find it hard to believe its a confidence thing! oh i just don't know!!!
 
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