My first horse Welsh X Cob - not as friendly once got him home

My Welshie refuses to move too so I zig-zag him, just knocking him slightly off balance so he has to move or I have someone walk behind with a lunging whip to 'tickle' his heels and he goes forward everytime. It a gentle way to make him move without fighting with him.
 
Having read the other posts I would say allow at least a week to settle in and get to know you.

I own a welsh X mare (now there's a recipe for opinionated) who has been a little horror at times and can still throw the old wobbly. I am not convinced winning every arguement or they have to do everything you say every time is always the way to go with an intelligent horse. As we all know in life you pick your battles - if it really isn't that important at the time (i.e. dangerous) let it go; then try again another day - quite often there is no problem.

I know people won't all agree but feed rewards are a big motivator for horses (welshies are the labrador of the dog world), as is associating "good boy" and a pat as soon as they have done what you want. But they don't have to be given every time (encourages effort on the horses part to earn the reward).

The other invaluable aid I found was the "dually" headcollar - it instills excellent manners on the ground and is a god send for difficult to load horses.

Good luck and try and relax; you'll probably find he relaxes as well.
 
deffo give him more of a chance, he hasnt had time to settle, my boy is welsh x tb and when i bought him he was a calm chilled lovley horse, got him home and he dragged me around had absolutly no respect for me etc.. he settled after about 6 weeks but never fully, he was on a big yard where there was lots going on so i made the desision to move him to a small quite yard and he is a saint now, so so much better, if your having a difficult time i would suggest you feed him a calmer for a little while, i would say just buy i pot of something and then he should be fine. i recommend relax me. good luck hope he gets better :D
 
If you start taking carrots into a field of horses you are going to get mobbed at best, hurt at worst. On a regular basis I would have a livery or riding school client hurt because they decided to take a feed bucket, carrots or similar into a field of horses (usually to catch a horse that didn't want to come in). Especially as the OP sounds like a novice handler, advising to take treats into a field is foolhardy.
 
He really should have been introduced to the others over a fence for safety's sake, but you seem to have got away with it this time ;) Who suggested putting him straight into the field with the others?

I think the key to all of this is to bear in mind that everything is new to him and be prepared, but at the same time to handle him, consistently firmly and fairly and to expect him to behave accordingly in return.

Asking him to lead a bit in the field doesn't sound like too much, although I wouldn't have let him get away with planting. If he does it again, use your voice, make yourself bigger, be as firm as you need to encourage him to keep moving. And then offer a reward as soon as he does as he's told. A "good boy" or a pat should be fine.

Also, I noticed you mentioned "attaching a rope". Is he out in a headcollar? If so, you should make sure it is a field safe one. Turning out in a normal headcollar is very dangerous.

PS - It's probably a good idea to wear a hat and gloves when handling him over the next few days, until you both become more used to each other.
 
Some horses are very sensitive to a change in environment and will become anxious. For instance I bought a mare many years ago that took her 2 years to settle down. Now she is absolutely fine.

You need to get your new horse in a daily routine including riding it each day.

Also make sure that you feed the horse exactly the same feed as it had before.

It is good practice to keep a new horse in isolation from other horses for a good week just in case it has anything (i.e strangles, a cough etc.) It is also good practice to introduce them slowly by initially keeping them in a secure sepeate adjoining paddock to the other horses so that they can get used to each other and not be able to kick each other.
I would also suggest worming the horse before putting it out with others and also having a flue and tetanus jab. Also get it freezemarked on it's shoulder so that if it ever escapes or is stolen it can be easily identified by anyone.

Good luck!
 
I've never had so much great advice on one forum :)

The previous owner suggested to put straight on field as he's a herd animal and would be best back in his natural environment.

Thanks everyone for all the help so far, really appriciate it. Particularly the whip idea!

Went to see him this morning and took the whip, its a soft rubber decathlon whip, with x2 flaps on the end so makes a good sound but is quite gentle

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Found him on the field and today he was in the centre of the herd, mingling with them all.

He had a tiny cut under his eye yesterday from another horse, its hard to notice today - are cobs really this good at healing? Apart from that no cuts/bruises/marks from fights etc, so settling in well in seems.

Roped him up (he has a head collar) and at first he wouldn't budge again, gave him a very gentle tap with the whip on his rear leg and said "walk on" firmly and he started to trot alongside me. He stopped once more in 10 metres and again gave him a gentle tap - he didn't stop again :)

He went all the way to the stables which is quite a walk from the back of the field and I roped him up, and gave him a bucket of carrots while I groomed him.

I took him to the road then where he gave a little pull towards the field I said NO, walk on and he came no problem - I then took him for a 15 minute walk down the local roads and he was good as gold, I was so pleased and happy with him. Wasn't bothered by the few cars which passed, and at junctions stopped immediately when I said "stop".

Went back to the stables for a walk around them and then let him back on the field.

I can't believe how effective the whip was.


heres some pics

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He's a messy eater :p

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The change in him is fantastic :D
 
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thanks :)

I've been there again tonight and took him out even further this time. 30 minute walk alongside me.

Approached a barking dog at a gate which I thought might be an issue but he walked past no problem.

The only time he gets a little skitty now is in the stables grooming area as he's not got his own stable until the 5th, so theres some horses he's not seen before. Its only when I tie him up that he pulls on the rope a bit, but once I get my haynet sorted he should have something to occupy himself.
 
my daughters horse was like a totaly different horse when we first brought him home,to the one we tried out.my daughter was unable to handle/groom him at all for the first 3 wks but he was fine to ride.so i took over the day to day stuff until he settled.it took approx 3mths to get him back to the horse we initialy saw & we have never looked back,he is mr perfect now:D !
just take it slow,firm but fair,one step at a time & i,m sure he will learn to trust you,it takes time to build a partnership.good luck
 
Firstly he is LOVELY!!

Second well done, like I said before it is just a case of making him realise you mean what you say and its fabby that it took so little, some cobs would have taken the mickey big time so I think you have a wonderful chappie there!

Third is you really should be leading on the lanes with a bridle, (hat and gloves, too if you didn't have them on) Even if a Bridle isn't a legal requirement on roads of public places if something went wrong you could be in big trouble legally.

The minor skitting around the stable area is normal and so long as he is not pulling and breaking ties etc I wouldn't worry about that, just do as you are doing on that one and reassure him its ok

Well done!!
 
Well done for gritting your teeth and getting through. If he is insured you won't be able to claim on the insurance if you have not got a bridle on him on the road. Just a warning if you do it again :) Good luck with him!
 
From another Welshie owner.....

Boy, is he a stunner!

They are notorious for being stubborn and they do like to get their own way. Mine still like to test the boundaries from time to time and I've had them over 5 years!

Enjoy him!
 
Another who thinks he is stunning!

Well done on being assertive and taking the leadership. I found that with the Welshies it can take blimmin ages to get their respect, but you really will reap the rewards if you keep it up.
 
Sorry, but I can't help picking up on this again - you said he "has" a headcollar and there are one or two references to "roping him up" when you catch him. Does that mean that he is wearing the headcollar when he is in the field on his own? In the photos, it doesn't look like a special field safe one. It isn't safe to turn a horse out in a standard headcollar because they can easily become caught up (in just about anything) and they do not break. This results in a panicked horse that cannot easily release himself - injuries (or worse) will result. They really can be lethal. If you must leave a headcollar on in the field (is he hard to catch or something?), then make it a field safe one, they will snap under any undue pressure. Of course, this means that they aren't safe for leading with, but you can pop a standard one on over the top as soon as you have caught him.

Also, for safety's sake - when leading on the roads, the horse should wear a bridle, you should be positioned between him and the traffic and you should be wearing a hat and gloves. A schooling whip is also often a good idea - you can use it to signal or to control the horse's quarters.

I'm very sorry if you are very experienced and I'm stating the abosulte obvious to you - I just want you both to be safe!

I'll finish off by saying he looks stunning and that you've done very well to overcome your intitial problems :D
 
Thanks for all continued advice, all more than welcome. I'll wear my gloves, hat and use the bridle next time :) I've just ordered a new snaffle mouth bit as the one I was given isn't 100%.

Its very similar to this


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he responded fantastically when I test rode him with this, i understand these are quite gentle bits? does it mean he has a sensitive mouth?

The roads are extremely quiet around the stable, one car an hour if that, but i guess there is a lot more control with bridle.

Also i've taken his head collar off on the field.

His feet are in excellent condition and he's never wore shoes, not sure if shoe's give more grip?

After seeing him today and grooming him with a hay net to occupy him - being tied up is the only time he's a bit unsettled.

When I took him back to the field two horses were chasing each other round and one of them bucking. He took no notice of them, rolled on his back and put his feet in the air for 10 seconds wriggling about, then rolled on his front and rocked a bit, then stood up and cantered off :confused::) LOL
 
Like the rest of us welshie owners you will be on along learning curve. Just remember to take time over things as time seems to most horsey people is what they haven't got as they seem to expect instant results straight away and animals don't think the same as us or don't come brain dead
 
Sounds like you are progressing well!

A bridle will indeed give you a bit more control, and even if you are only leading out in broad daylight, wearing some hi viz is always good. It gives drivers time to see you and react. That's also why you should walk between him and the traffic - that way there's less chance of him suddenly swinging his bum out onto the road and getting into the path of an oncoming car. You'd be surprised how quickly these things can happen.

A single-jointed snaffle is classed as a fairly mild bit, but beware that some horses don't like the "nutcracker" action. You can alleviate this by using a french link bit, like these:

http://www.google.co.uk/images?hl=e...=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1003&bih=409

Incidentally, did you check that you have ordered the correct size for him? A quick google will show you how to measure if you don't already know.

Do you mind if I ask you how long you've been riding? And do you have an experienced person on hand to help you out? Your first weeks with your new horse will be daunting and it's always good to have someone close by who can offer advice having seen the situation first hand!
 
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