Over excited bouncing!!

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jsr

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Okay so weeks of getting my lad fit. Then me getting a new lorry so trips out to beach and XC training happening. Followed by 3 days at Somerford Park enjoying lots of lessons and horsey related fun, has resulted in one very over excited hyperactive coblet!! He has a new fun thing of bouncing if I take him..in the fields...on the beach...and now even more fun when we attempt to do some XC practice!! I'm a novice to jumping, been a happy hacker all my life and only started jumping 2 years ago after my 40th and I'm finding this behaviour hard to handle!! I'm now not utterly terrified because I've worked out he's not actually going to go anywhere but it's annoying and painful!

Anyway the last XC lesson at Somerford he was literally Tigger!!! On the spot boings, followed by spins, and resulting in some little rears..which didn't put me in a happy place!!! He's usually the horse I tell people that 'yeah gallop past me he won't follow' or 'it's fine he'll wait his turn' at lessons...but now I've created a real monster and I've got training on 27th at a fabulous XC course BUT it's situated in the mountains and therefore has lots of very large down hill bits and some hard jumps that will involve a concentrated horse and more importantly a secure rider!!

So what can I do to chill out the bounce and to get his mind back to enjoying the job? I tried pushing him forwards during the last lesson but he then napped!!! I think it's the standing around he doesn't like because once I let him do a few jumps in a row he calmed down but obviously if I'm having a training session he can't be allowed to just bog off because he wants to!

Its been suggested to try a herbal calmer but I don't want him to not have enough pop for the jumps.:confused:
 
What feed do you have him on at the moment. Might want to cut it down a little now he is feeling more lively.
Spring grass and being fit, Tigger combo!!!:D
 
He's on Calm & Condition and Alfafa Pellets soaked. He's sugar intolerant so food is difficult, his grazing is appauling the grass is still quiet sparse and terrible quality so he's also getting a large hay net of hay and a small amount of haylage too. He's a cob that is a poor doer which is a pain in the bum so I need to keep him on a quiet a high amount of feed. :rolleyes: Typical of me to get the only poor cob!!
 
Having the same problem with mine! I've started giving him some magnesium, also my instructor suggested a market harbourgh to keep his head down as when its up in the air we have no brakes. Sit quietly, and ive found that keeping him walking / moving helps, i understand your doing a xc training session, but if you could try and keep him walking and relaxed it might help. Also are your reins short & tight? I no its hard but ive been trying to keep mine a little longer ( obviously not when your jumping) but when your waiting your turn, could try giving a slightly longer rein and walking around. Good luck, i hope he behaves himself!
 
Lol!! Exactly what the instructor was telling me..but I tried to relax my hands and honestly on tuesday I was totally not nervous and wasn't giving him signals and as soon as I let the reins drop he bogged off!!!:rolleyes:

He's currently in a Tranz Universal Neue Schule which I have on the bottom ring for jumping, it used to be brilliant for stopping him and controlling but it's not quiet doing it's job! I'm not really wanting to go down the bit changing line, also it's been suggested I try a flash but again that's not something I like to use.
 
jsr, if you dont want to try a flash, have you thought about a 'crank' noseband? have the other boy in this (but with a flash) and a tomb thumb, works fab, as he is very strong, we use this for xc, and a neue schule for sj with a grackle.
 
ellie_e said:
jsr, if you dont want to try a flash, have you thought about a 'crank' noseband? have the other boy in this (but with a flash) and a tomb thumb, works fab, as he is very strong, we use this for xc, and a neue schule for sj with a grackle.
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Oh never heard of crank, will look into that. Flatwork instructor mentioned Tom Thumb too, I think someone on the yard has one I'll give that a try. Thanks.
 
Forwards, forwards forwards all the time. Trotting, circles, serpentinces etc just keep trotting, they will nap at first but you just have to think forwards, concentrate on nice rythm and bend. They will settled quicker each time and usually get to the point where there is no need to get excited from the get go and stand from getting off the lorry, at least this has worked with my horse and others i know who can get overly excited.

Its almost like boring them into settling, you may have to take the pressure off by taking him somewhere and not actually jumping etc just to get the atmosphere.
 
i usually try to ignore it tbh - mine has a boingy moment when he's having a hissy fit so i ignore it and try to sit quietly and continue with what im doing
 
Ask for lateral movements, turn forward momentum to sideways & engage his brain. If you keep saying no, he will play up more. Works with very forward going bouncy arab!
 
Thank you..nice to know I'm not alone as well!! I do like the idea of keeping him moving, hopefully we'll not have people at this session that mind if I go off, unfortunately this week one girls horse was reacting to Kane's madness so she didn't want me to leave because she was afraid her's would bolt to me.

We did have some absolutely stunning side passes and even a little piaffe or two..instructor said we'd take him back to the school and see if we could do that again!! Lol!!
 
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