mushting
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Apoligies in advance for the long post!
Me and my friend bought a horse together to share financial and work load.
We met and rode a ISH 8yr old gelding who was very quiet donkey ish but not ploddy willing to work in school.
I rode him a few times hacking following others and in school on my own my friend Mike rode him with me leading him (it was a very windy wet day!) He was very quiet seemed willing to work I walked trotted and cantered him in th eschool we just walked out on the hack.
Weve had him a month now and since weve had him his behaviour has somewhat changed weve realised that we were over feeding him for the work we do.
When I ride him in the school I walk and trot Mike just walks him on hacks we just walk.
Im an experienced but lacking confidence rider and Mike is pretty novice.
We were feeding him 2 handfulls of speedi beat, 1/2 scoop chaff 1/2 scoop alfa a oil and half scoop pony nuts plus adlib hay and he is out in his field 8-4 and stabled at night.
His main difference is taking him out and bringing him back from the field sometimes he rears (full rears) or he may just sort of do a jump this seems to happen when were not walking fast enough and he gets frustrated?
Out on a hack on our own he seems tence I cant relax and Im glad to get back if I ask him to stand still to let a car pass or if I need to adjust my stirrups etc he paces he does a mini rear and spins i dont give him the option to run but if I wasnt concentrating I wouldnt put it past him when he spins I immeadiatly turn him back the way were going if that makes sence.
In the school hes fine for me I have no problems at all. With Mike however he has twice now gone from walk to trot to canter very quickly when Mikes just asking to walk the first time I put myself in front of Fin (horse) to stop him and the 2nd time I wasnt there but Mike was able to bring him back down to a walk.
The thing is I dont know what to do we cut his food right down to 1/2 scoop chaff and tiny amount of pony nuts twice day plus the adlib hay and grazing and he then got a leg infection so weve not been able to ride him to tell what hes like although he has done a jump to the field a few days ago but not reared also before he hurt his leg my friend cantered him in the school and he bucked (again not really a buck it was friend end went up and then back end a bit like a jump)
He does a headshake thing where he raises his head and nods it up and down we were aware of this when we bought him he used to have an ulcer in his mouth and the headshake thing is apprantly from remebered pain. We think he may of bucked because we use a standing martingale on him and because he couldnt get his head up we think he went back instead!
Any other ideas is this him or is it a food related problem we dont want to send him back we are on good terms with the previous owners and they are coming out to ride him when his leg is better but hes not the horse weve bought and they are schocked to hear what hes been behaving like.
If you have survivde reading all that then thankyou!
Me and my friend bought a horse together to share financial and work load.
We met and rode a ISH 8yr old gelding who was very quiet donkey ish but not ploddy willing to work in school.
I rode him a few times hacking following others and in school on my own my friend Mike rode him with me leading him (it was a very windy wet day!) He was very quiet seemed willing to work I walked trotted and cantered him in th eschool we just walked out on the hack.
Weve had him a month now and since weve had him his behaviour has somewhat changed weve realised that we were over feeding him for the work we do.
When I ride him in the school I walk and trot Mike just walks him on hacks we just walk.
Im an experienced but lacking confidence rider and Mike is pretty novice.
We were feeding him 2 handfulls of speedi beat, 1/2 scoop chaff 1/2 scoop alfa a oil and half scoop pony nuts plus adlib hay and he is out in his field 8-4 and stabled at night.
His main difference is taking him out and bringing him back from the field sometimes he rears (full rears) or he may just sort of do a jump this seems to happen when were not walking fast enough and he gets frustrated?
Out on a hack on our own he seems tence I cant relax and Im glad to get back if I ask him to stand still to let a car pass or if I need to adjust my stirrups etc he paces he does a mini rear and spins i dont give him the option to run but if I wasnt concentrating I wouldnt put it past him when he spins I immeadiatly turn him back the way were going if that makes sence.
In the school hes fine for me I have no problems at all. With Mike however he has twice now gone from walk to trot to canter very quickly when Mikes just asking to walk the first time I put myself in front of Fin (horse) to stop him and the 2nd time I wasnt there but Mike was able to bring him back down to a walk.
The thing is I dont know what to do we cut his food right down to 1/2 scoop chaff and tiny amount of pony nuts twice day plus the adlib hay and grazing and he then got a leg infection so weve not been able to ride him to tell what hes like although he has done a jump to the field a few days ago but not reared also before he hurt his leg my friend cantered him in the school and he bucked (again not really a buck it was friend end went up and then back end a bit like a jump)
He does a headshake thing where he raises his head and nods it up and down we were aware of this when we bought him he used to have an ulcer in his mouth and the headshake thing is apprantly from remebered pain. We think he may of bucked because we use a standing martingale on him and because he couldnt get his head up we think he went back instead!
Any other ideas is this him or is it a food related problem we dont want to send him back we are on good terms with the previous owners and they are coming out to ride him when his leg is better but hes not the horse weve bought and they are schocked to hear what hes been behaving like.
If you have survivde reading all that then thankyou!
