New horse! In pain or testing me????

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Littlemissmerlin

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Hi every one.
i have recently bought my first horse (well second but that was many many years ago) after searching for a genuine horse since march, I have a found my self a lovely 13 yrs old warmblood (well that's what he was sold to me as) he is a lovely, gentle chap. I rode him 3 times before buying him. Lovely family we bought him from. He hacked out in company and alone like a dream. If anything a little ploddy but will do my confidence the work of good. And he is quite unfit.
So week 1. Settled in lovely. Great manners. Likes his new pal ( mini Shetland) rode him out alone on day 3. And have been spending lots of time grooming and walking him around the farm (I live on a farm, so don't have any other horsey people around like a livery yard) so trying to start building a bond.
Week 2. Been hacking out lovely. Quite unfit. And hacking around me is hilly. So he is getting a good work out, but I am conscious of not pushing him too far. Then all of a sudden he has starting to refuse to walk out from farm. 2 hacks now and he's backing up. I'm firm and encouraging but he had none of it, a few taps with whip resulted in bunny hops and I dont want to beat him up. So I have got off and walked him in then back on again. He is then ok. But still not forward like before and if we stop for traffic (which he is so brave with) he feels resistant to move on agian. Like he is going to nap! As I'm hacking alone he can feel intimidating but I'm trying to do my best of faking confidence.
I am having his teeth and feet done to eliminate pain so I see if he is testing me. I want to nip this in the bud so we can get on and have fun. Do horses always try it on? Testing new owner? How did you deal with it? Any tips and advice would be great as I'm sure there is more naughtyness to come with him.
Sorry to go on. Wanted to paint full picture. Thanks :-)
 
I think he is napping because he is lacking confidence. He is unsettled due to new home and surroundings, everything he knew has gone. he needs to feel confidence and reassurance coming from you and eventually he will start to trust you and the napping will stop. Ride him forwards and talk to him, tell him he is a good boy etc. if he feels like he is about to go up, stop, reassure him, pat him, tell him it's ok, once he starts to settle then ask again. When he eventually walks out then give loads of praise. It won't take long for him to get the message.
 
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If the family you bought him from are near enough, I think I'd ask his previous owner to come and ride him and give their opinion as to whether it is pain or something else. Of course he could just be testing the boundaries to see what you will do. I know you said he rode well alone but was he used to always hacking alone, or did he sometimes go out in company? perhaps that is part of the problem, if he has realised tht you will always be hacking alone. Maybe you could ride and lead the Shettie occasionally.
 
They are close and I have contacted them. I hope that they might come over at the weekend. He was ridden out alone before. But I know he hasn't done much in the last year due to owner being poorly.
 
Sounds like he could be testing you. It's a lot of change in a short space of time and you need to build his confidence up.

I recently bought a yearling and for the first week was a good as good to lead and then suddenly started planting. I gave him the chance to have a good look around his surroundings but after a few times he was just taking the pee! Having people to help me lead him was a god send as well as borrowing a livery's dually. After a week of consistent handling he's been fine. If you've done all the right checks with saddle, back, etc, keep persisting so you can nip this in the bud.
 
Is it normal for a new horse to be on 'best' behaviour for a few weeks. Then try it on? I know he hasn't been that bad so far. But just would like any advice on how to nip it in the bud and for him to trust me. He such a lovely, laid back chap. Don't want to ruin him
 
His back has been checked. I did have a vetting. But having teeth done due to him being a cribber. And for piece of mind. I think he could also go better in a different bit. I am trying to the right things. I think with time and effort he will learn to trust me. Any other ways to encourage bonding?
 
Yes it is very normal for this to happen and im sure if you look back on here you wil see hundreds of threads asking advise or trying to send horses back because of this.

You just need to he firm but fair, with plenty of praise and consistency. He is looking to you to be his leader and give him boundaries. He is unsure at the moment and is reacting in the only way he knows how
 
It is normal for them to be well behaved for a week or two then once they feel settled they can test the boundaries, this can be for different reasons, sometimes they feel they need to test the rider but it is nearly always due to lack of confidence, the first week or so they feel unsure so are happy to let you be in charge but if they sense a lack of conviction this leads to a gradual loss of confidence and they try the easy option, not going forward.
Unless the horse is in pain or discomfort, which you can address don't forget to get the saddle looked at as that may not fit if he has changed shape due to lack of work recently, you can build up confidence by taking him back a step don't try to go too far, always do a circuit, if you can find someone to meet and ride in company that will really help, maybe just spend some time riding in a field to established some basic manners and gain his trust in you, a few lessons may be a good idea to get you both on track.
 
sounds like he is testing, I was going to ask... is he in the same tack? ie did you buy the saddle or have a new one fitted? Did you have him vetted (5 stage).

I would actually consider taking him out with the mini on a leadrope, he will then have company, to build up his confidence, I would also get a chiro out to give him the once over... take it from there.
 
Sounds like the 'honeymoon' period is over and he's testing your leadership. Are you having some lessons at all? It could help.
Nip it in the bud, he must understand that he needs to trust you and that you are the leader. (This doesn't mean beating him up, only being assertive with little things like getting him to move out of your space etc. A lot of this leadership is maintained on the ground while you lead, groom and interact with him).
Good luck
 
I had a pony on loan, he was a perfect gent for a week, then out hacking one day he refused to go past a certain point. A quick check to see if he was spooking at something, no. It took me half an hour to get him past it, he had two other tries elsewhere on that hack, but nowhere near as bad. When I spoke to his owner she said she always took him home when he did that. After that the only problem I had with him was getting him past pigs, never cured that one.
 
This sounds normal. I think he is testing the boundaries as some horses have been known to do.
Do not feel defeated if you have to get off him and lead. I some times used to lead the horse half of the hack then ride the other half. If you want to build a bond I sometimes go into my horses field and ready a book, or talk to him, groom him, feed carrots etc. I would also bring him in groom him then turn him out. Just so he understands that when he sees you he is not always going to get ridden. Best of luck I am sure he will settle down soon.
 
Thank you every one for all the great advice. I'm going to get his tack checked as I need to eliminate every thing that could cause pain. I think Im looking for reassurance that I'm not the only one that has problems when settling in a new horse. And as I'm a trying to do the best I can. Some times it's a little disheartening. I know deep down he is only testing the water and I need to be firm and confident. Also building a bond will take time. I just want him to like me and his new home. As I'm at home and not at a yard it's not having the extra support that I would imagine others get at a yard. Fingers crossed after a few months we will get there :-)
 
Sounds like he's having a bit of a nap. However it's worth baring in mind that if his workload has increased he could be feeling a little stiff and sore. I'm assuming your saddle has been professionally fitted, but it would be worth checking his back to eliminate any signs of discomfort.

As for the planting - just sit it out. Don't use your stick or get off.

You may also want to review his food to ensure he's getting enough energy.
 
Yep honeymoon periods over. When he refuses to go anywhere try turning him in a circle then as he moves try sending him in the direction you want to go. Keep doing this and (the hard part now) keep your patience, just keep your leg on and make sure your not pulling on your reins. Even if he takes one step forward let him know hs's a good lad by a little rub with your fingers no need to over do it with big pats etc. Talk to him too saying "walk on" over and over n when he does "good boy".As for not getting off if he starts going up, i'd get off, walk him on for a bit then get back on and try again. Good luck and dont forget to stick it out.
 
Hopefully this time next week. He will have new shoes, teeth done and tack checked. His saddle was made to measure last year. But horses change shape a lot. So will defo get this checked. I'm going to do ground work and lunging over the next few days as I want to get these things checked before I ride out again. It will take time and I'm happy to put in the time. The next worry is moving him in the next paddock. Which is full of lush, sweet grass that has been grown for hay for cattle. He is in the old paddock at the mo from 7pm through to 3pm, then in stable with hay until 7pm then out again at night. Just to get him off the grass. I'm thinking about doing track grazing around edge of field to encourage movement and still restrict grazing. He has 2 small feeds a day (hifi light, nuts and super flex supp) he has lost a bit of weight :-)
 
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