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harleycharlie

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Hi all need help
Basically I lost all my confidence on horse that was miss sold to me unfortunately we didn't bond and I sold him n bought a in my eyes stunning 14h x Welsh gelding his advert was confidence builder steady but loves to jump and again miss sold when I contracted the selling her reply well I don't think I should say on here :eek:

This pony is not steady I need help what bits are best to use? Is there a calmer that's good for when I take him shows? He just sees a fence and goes side wards to it :eek:.

Also he has no canter just gallop :(

Please help I miss my schooling, showing and popping a few clear rounds I need to steady him down he lunges like a dream but as soon as u r on his back he's fizzed up please help
 
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Can I suggest that before you start switching bits and trying supplements that you go back to basics and have a few lessons with a decent instructor? If you lack confidence that will transmit itself to the pony and you can end up with additional problems.
 
In my experience you can end up trying a variety of bits before you find one the horse accepts and gives you better control, so your instructor may have other suggestions. The evasion the pony uses will help select the appropriate bit: as Spacefaer says it's tough to make suggestions without seeing you.

A useful exercise in my opinion is to school in an area where jumps are erected, but don't use them. The objective is to have the horse listening to you, so lots of transitions and rein changes/circles/figures to establish control and ensure the horse is accustomed to listening to you before attempting to leave the ground again.
 
Hanging cheek snaffles don't work. All that happens when you take up a contact is the cheek pieces go baggy. Dont canter at all. Take things v steady and everything you do you need to set yourself up to succeed I.e simple achievable goals. So just walk. It'd amazing what you can do in walk and this gait is terribly overlooked Do literally millions of transitions incl halt to walk and variations within the pace. Lots and lots of circles, serpentines, leg yield from 5m line back onto the track, spiralling in and leg yield back out. Don't trot perhaps for a week. Then introduce trot slowly than eventually a few strides of canter. There's no hurry. Be patient and you'll get there
 
In my view, whilst a different bit might help a little, if a half ton animal isn't listening/buggering off, the metal in it's mouth isn't going to fix this. Sounds like a wider issue around riding and confidence, and his way of going - lots of help, lessons, take it slow, back to basic, even if it's walk work for a while. I think the bit is a perceived short cut but I don't think it's the longer term fix. Are you sure it's not a pain reaction e.g. saddle fit?
 
There are a lot of horses out there that are not what they are described to be. But it also takes time to build a new partnership and I wonder if you might be expecting more of the horse than he can give? Did you have an instructor come and assess the horse before you bought? How was he then?

You don't say how long you've had him - but it can take months before he settles fully. I've known some partnerships take over a year to settle. Almost everything goes through the "new pony horrors" stage at some point in the first 6 months or so and they get absolutely horrible for a time as they figure out what they can get way with. I don't know if that is where you are at the moment? And it is all more complicated when you are nervous as that just feeds back to the horse who behaves worse and so on in a loop.

Before looking at sharper bits and effectively drugging him it might be worth going back to basics a bit. If you haven't already done the usual tack/back/teeth checks then get that done so you know he isn't in pain anywhere. The perhaps see if you can get a natural horsemanship type instructor to work with you as a pair and start to build your confidence in each other? Not the one beginning with P which is just a money making scheme, but something more like intelligent horsemanship. Even if you just spend time on groundwork establishing trust in each other it will do you both the world of good.

Don't beat yourself up about it. Everyone has periods of lost confidence (if they haven't yet - they will. That's horses!) And most people will have over horsed themselves - or at least thought they had - at some point. Take a deep breath, give yourself (and him!) a Hug and move forward positively. Don't race to get to the competing bit. You'll get there better for taking the time now.
 
If you are not confident enough to work with this pony and get him listening to you then I'm afraid this issue is only going to get worse. My suggestion? Get an instructor who is also a capable and confident rider, and have them both ride/school the horse for you once a week or so, and then have them give you a lesson, showing you how to apply what they've been doing. It teaches the pony he has to listen, and helps you to apply the same aids.

I myself am going through a similar issue with my new horse who is trying to nap with me out hacking. While I could school it out of him myself, I have no interest - I spend too much money on my hobby already to not enjoy it, and that's what professionals are for. I have my instructor hack him for me now, and when I hack Him she shows me what to do to get his number before he even begins to nap.
 
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