new horse :) advice please..

Im pretty certaim is not the saddle. If you saw him you may think differently so il try to take a video of him and post it online. Saddle and back will be checked asap.
He is the same when lunging with/without tack.. He just seems to settle better whilst being lunged(i think maybe because hes not worrying about a rider).

Its almost like he cant contain himself and he just wants to go and because your saying no he tenses
 
I had a pony similar when i was about 10 - well i still have her but shes retired! she was the same and very tense, ears in my face and rushing when asked to trot. There was nothing physically wrong with her, she came right in the end. She was very sensitive to any movement, i had to learn to sit very still on her at first and be extra sensitive with my legs. Had to squeeze when i halted so she didnt relate a squeeze to going faster.......can't remember what else i had to do! x she was always a fast pony and would never be a pony suited for any child but she was brilliant, she's still fab now and still just as speedy and shes 22!! x
 
Lcharles- he sounds exactly like that. Definitely part of him improving will be me learning to ride to suit him.

Anyone have any ideas to stop him tensing and relax? Accept the leg more? Its almost like he could do with going for a good gallop and just being allowed to go forward!
 
My BSJA mare was very similar when I first got her. Gave her an MOT, sorted out her pain issues, sore mouth, decent farriery, muscle wastage due to badly fitted saddle etc,etc. She was a worrier by nature, so established a regular routine which helped her settle.
Initially, I needed two people to hold on to her when I got in the saddle, then they let go and she ran. Fast. I had to sit there very quietly,use my seat to encourage her to slow down, leave her mouth alone and let her zoom around the school until she realised I wasn't going to haul her head in. Once she worked out this new way of riding, she calmed down and relaxed. Took a few sessions for her to trust me and realise riding was pain free now, back, saddle and mouth didn't hurt anymore.
I've found a McTimoney practitioner really made a difference, as she had not been working correctly her poll and pelvis were slightly out of alignment.
 
Thankyou very much horserider. Did you literally just let her run until she stopped?
How did you yourself manage to just sit there and let her do that as i find it very hard to just drop the reins when he speeds up.

He had back and teeth done april but they will be done again asap
 
SarahRicoh said:
Thankyou very much horserider. Did you literally just let her run until she stopped?
How did you yourself manage to just sit there and let her do that as i find it very hard to just drop the reins when he speeds up.

He had back and teeth done april but they will be done again asap
Click to expand...

Took a few laps while she motorbiked her way round, but for some strange reason, I trusted her not to lose the plot. Without that gut feeling about her, I probably wouldn't have been so happy to do so. She was just a very genuine mare whose generous nature had been abused.

You could try a neck strap to control the speed and act as a comfort blanket.

Just keep safe and only do what you are comfortable with, its early days for you both. Sometimes taking it slowly and giving them time to settle, works better than pushing yourself and the horse.


Good luck.
 
Have you rode him and had someone lunge you on him? x Maybe you could hold onto a neck strap, let him have his reins and trot around whilst on the lunge so someone else has control........if his trot is really bouncy like my mares was he could be hard to stay on if your not used to it though x

Put a video up tomorrow if you can? x
 
Firstly, you have him on loan don't you? therefore the Month's trial is pretty irrellevant. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not feel you have to 'test' this horse fully during the month's trial. That would be just stupid and asking for an accident. If you are unsure, ask for an extension to the trial or just agree that should anything go wrong you will return him with a month's notice or whatever is agreed in your load agreement. I think at this stage you should just be looking for the smallest improvements in his ridden work. - completing one transition in a relaxed manner is an example!

He sounds like an incredibly insecure guy who is going to need a LOT of reassurance that everything is ok. I think you have started off on the right foot. Take things VERY slowly. Practice transition after transition after transition. walk halt walk halt walk halt walk halt. Really think about what you are asking him and how HE feels / reacts. ONLY MOVE TO WALK TROT TRANSITIONS ONCE HE IS FULLY RELAXED AND ACCEPTING OF YOUR AIDS IN WALK / HALT.

I would strongly sugest that you get teeth, back and saddle looked at. April is a long time ago and you don't know the expertise of the person who carried out these checks. Also consider the action of the bit you are chosing to use. Maybe it is this that he is trying to evade - ask your equine dentist about the shape of his mouth and to recomend a mouthpiece that might suit him. it might be that a simple full cheek french link snaffle with keepers might exert just enough poll pressure not to be uncomfortable but help a little with control... I don't know, having not seen his mouth.

Good Luck!
 
Using the neckstrap to slow him down is a good suggestion. This always worked well on my son's pony when she got tense. As soon as her head came up and she started trotting faster and faster he would drop the rein contact and use leg aids and the neck strap to slow her down. Without the pressure in her mouth she had nothing to "set" against and would gradually relax. It takes a bit of a leap of faith, but try it!
 
I'm absolutely with CBFan here. Don't let ANYONE, not even your instructor rush you and this horse. You could pay a very high price otherwise. When I first bought my mare she was a loon and I spent3 weeks just working her loose. When I finally did get on we did nothing but walk and halt transitions for another 4 weeks. She is very sensitive and always anticipated like mad, then got in a strop if I said not yet thanks. Once we moved up to trot, it was always in circles of various sizes and only for short bursts - she liked to get into a mad overdrive trot which was difficult to ride on and was faster than many horses' canters. Straight lines were absolutely out. Believe me, there is plenty you can do in slow paces. Take the opportunity to teach him turn on the forehand if he doesn't know it, but I wouldn't do rein back yet. Get him voice-controlled, its worth its weight in gold. Plan your sessions and stick to them, but have a plan B if he is having a bad day.
 
Sounds very much like my boy, although he's an exracer so quite typical of them. He was very sensitive to the leg, rein contact, well actually....everything!! He used to rush (still does if given the chance!!), you have to constantly "ride" him!!! I didn't tie him down with any gadgets as he just fought more. Just a simple cavesson bridle and a loose ring french link. Was quite a scary prospect, but works! Lots of sqeezing of the reins, half halts and transitions. Keep him moving, lots of turns, change of rein etc. Just keeping him thinking and not giving him a chance to tank off!! Sitting nice and deep helps and keep the rising slow. Also if you can relax your shoulders and keep your arms elastic feeling and not tense. Widening your hands out also helps. The main thing is to try and relax, I put my ipod on loud in my pocket and sing away! Now my boy (taken a lot of time and patience) accepts the leg, rein contact etc. He still rushes, given half the chance but after years of racing, he'll always be a racehorse first!!
I'm sure you'll suddenly click with your new boy! Good luck x
 
Fatpiggy makes some very good points. Re planning you sessions and plenty to do in walk and halt.

Can I also sugest that you keep sessions short and sweet - 20 minutes should be fine but half an hour absolute max.

I am in the process of riding my 4 year old away at the moment and am covering old ground in order to get him a bit more 'off my leg' - I have the opposite problem to you by the sounds of it! So I am working on my upward transitions rather than the downward ones but the principle is the same. Today I spent about 10 minutes doing walk trot transitions every 10 metres or so round the school and he learnt that if he didn't go off a squeeze, he got a tap with the schooling whip. by the end I wasn't having to use my whip. that was just 10 minutes. I'm sure I will have to go over that again next time but hopefully the need for the whip will become less and less.

I am also helping someone on my yard with a mare who sounds similar to yours. I did some work with her on the lunge - just in walk and trot but I did transition after transition after transition and the transformation in her attitude in just 20 minutes was marked. She learnt that everything wasn't such a big deal and the only way to achieve that is repetition.

Also make sure you let go of his mouth when you get a halt - it is so important that he learns that when he does stop it is pleasant for him!

Try and think of different exercises you can do to break up the session. maybe some large figures of eight or serpentines in walk. MAYBE you place one pole randomly in the school (maybe somewhere line the centre line) and if and when he is going quietly just 'happen' to ask him to step over it. If you feel like he is tensing up on the aproach to it, ask for a halt well in advance, and another if necesary.
 
Thanks guys. Dont worry we wont rush him. His owners already said i can extend trial.. Hes on loan with view to buy btw. I need to try everything to see how he reacts but we wont move on to the next thing til hes happy.

He was much much much better today!! :) did 5/10 mins lunging to get him relaxing and listening to my voice. Then spent a long time in walk practicing halting using my body,lots of different things like circles serpentines etc. Then i thought id put some poles out even if he did rush i was planning on making him walk over them til he was calm.
He was good as gold and seemed to be enjoying himself so i carried on and when he settled i did little trots (sitting trot) and then back to halt then a litle trot over poles then back to walk immediately.
He was so good and really relaxed :) at end he even walked on a long rein without rushing off.

So next question.. It seems to be the rising trot that is the problem. It seems to upset him even if im conpletely balanced he seems tense yet sitting he relaxes slightly. Any ideas why this could be and how i can get him used to it?
 
Cbfan- i hate the gadgets etc too but until we are more used to each other theyre staying on however dont worry they will come off asap.
When he arrived he was in a tomthumb which both me and him hated so he got put in a hanging cheek snaffle which we are both happier in. Later on he'll move to a simple snaffle and we'll see how he goes.
Back teeth etc will all be checked
 
Lots of steady circles. You concnetrate on riding the circle shape, ignore what he is doing under you, just concentrate on riding a steady circle. don't too much walk-winds them up sometimes, a brisk trot to get the brain thinking.
You can also lunge before you ride, just think about hands soft, allowing him forward.
 
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