New horse, help/advice needed!

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dulargy10

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Hi everyone,

I have recently bought a 10yr old KPWN who has done mainly SJ. He is 16.3hh and a bit bigger to what I am used to. He has won about £900 and I think he has done up to about 1.20m. I bought him after losing my eventer and I always knew building a new partnership would be very hard however I do adore him and am keen to build my trust with him and vice versa.

He is not overly forward or off my leg which is quite frustrating not to mention tiring but given I have lost a lot of confidence, I figured I would prefer that to something too fizzy or forward for me. The main problem I am having is when I try to get him to trot over ground poles, he tends to run off after the last pole and it is taking me a while to stop him. He has run off with me a few times both in flatwork and also when I attempted to jump a cross pole in the school. In terms of the flatwork, I'm not quite sure why he did it but I think it was because he broke out of canter and when I asked for canter again, I can only assume he panicked and ran off with me! I am now using a neckstrap which has helped but it is not helping my confidence at all as I am now a bit scared to chase him when he is not going forward in case he tanks off with me!

I genuinely do not think he has a bad bone in his body as he doesn't buck when he runs off with me but sometimes when he does eventually stop, he will do a bouncy rear on the spot but nothing that would make me come off him?

I am getting his teeth checked soon (although when I bought him he had his teeth checked in Jan 2011) and I am waiting on a new saddle for him so have been using a jumping saddle in the interim which I have been told is a reasonable fit so I have ruled out pain as a cause.

I guess I am just looking for some advice in case I am doing something wrong. I do have lessons so will keep on with these but I just wondered if anyone else had come across a similar problem and if so, what you have done to try and solve it?

Thanks in advance!

Katie
 
If he's mainly SJed, what bit was he ridden in for SJ/flatwork, and are you still using this? Some SJ horses can be extremely strong when you even suggest jumping - even those that are slow on the flat. It takes a combination of seat and stronger bit to have that feather-light control that you need. Some SJers also school on the flat in a stronger bit or in a snaffle with draw reins. Before worrying too much, I'd find out what they rode him in at his last home. Obviously he'll need a bit of reschooling if he was ridden in a pelham on the flat, but at least you'll have a safer starting point!
 
Hi

Thanks for your replies. He was ridden in a snaffle bit so I have kept him on that. I have him in a happy mouth revolver bit at the moment. My trainer suggested that I use that bit however this was before the running off started although I had a lesson with another trainer last week and she saw him run off and felt the happy mouth was okay for him?

Katie
 
An exercise my trainer uses as mine is inclined to pi** off - is to ask for halt a few strides after landing...sit back say whoa at same time and ask for halt in straight line...when they do halt pat and walk on. You can then turn round and come back over the fence the other way and repeat. It works for me as mare only takes the P a few times then complies when we do this exercise. They start to anticipate the halt and start to wait for you and become a bit more polite.
 
Ditto! I've been having exactly the same problems! Have you had his back checked?

I have recently bought a horse, similar in that he is a warmblood showjumper who has done a fair bit. He tended to shoot off after landing and fly buck, regardless of how big it was. I did the same exercise as Nosey has suggested, but this didn't work: he'd anticipate, head would go up and he'd kind of do a leap and rear as he pulled up (nothing too scary though). Incidentally he was in a gag with his previous rider, but I found him light enough in the mouth for a snaffle, he needed spurs and he wasn't exactly quick off the leg, except on landing when he would shoot off and it would take at least ten strides to come back to a working canter.

The flatwork on this horse is super and as his approach was lovely and calm, and the jump itself was nice, I wondered whether he must be in some pain to change so suddenly after the jump, and so I had his back checked last week. Sure enough it transpires that there is muscle damage in the saddle area where it seems apparently someone landed heavily quite a long time ago. My horse hadn't jumped for a year when I bought him, and he'd lost muscle tone. I've been working on his topline, and the back man advised me to continue with this, working in a long, low outline to develop his back muscle, hacking and lunging in a pessoa. It does kind of make sense with this horse. Had yours been off for any time before you'd bought him?

I would suggest that you have his back checked as well as teeth just to rule out anything hurting. Good luck.
 
Hi

Thanks for the replies! I did have his back checked and the lady/physio said it was a little sore but nothing awful and he should be okay now. He was in work when I bought him so don't think he was jumping lots but certainly not doing nothing? He was sold to me via a reputable dealer (have been recommended to them so know background etc) so he wasn't with his original owner but I did get to speak to the owner before I bought him.

I am hoping the more work I do with in the saddle and on the ground, the better he will get and in the meantime I will stick with my lessons and will try halting after jumping. The main issue I have is I'm losing my nerve to jump because he does this so guess I will just need to take a few brave pills before I attempt it again :)

thanks again

Katie
 
Hi there

I am so pleased that he is not hurting, as far as you can tell. I took my horse in the ring for the first time on Saturday. It was a 1m open, which I was terrified about, despite having been jumping to 1.30 two years ago. I just didn't know whether he would shoot off and fly buck after every jump, and whether I would stay on.

For what it is worth, having had exactly the same problem as you at home, at a show this horse was completely different. He was settled and didn't bog off with me once. That I uncovered another problem, is a different story though! Have you taken your horse to do a clear round yet? You may find that he is a bit cheeky at home but when he is at a show, he is much more focused.

I know it is difficult, I have jumped my horse over tiny jumps at home as I was so bothered by him tearing off with me, and was too scared to even try a double. My legs were like jelly when I got on to warm up, and I really didn't think I could do it again, but he was such a little dude.

It may be that your horse doesn't need jumping much at home, and will always take the proverbial as he knows his job and that this is not a competition, but at shows is much more settled. Good luck, I hope that you are able to crack it.
 
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