Please help, extremely whip shy horse!

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EmmaR

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Hello :)

I don’t post very often but some of you may remember me posting about my stressy thoroughbred who was diagnosed with stomach ulcers and I was also thinking of selling him.
Well I still have him bless his heart and he isn’t going anywhere! :p

Sorry this isn’t strictly CR either but new lounge scares me and you are all so knowledgeable! :D

Well I have started having weekly lessons and we are really starting to get somewhere now, but it has also come to light that although I thought he was a very forward horse he isn’t! I spent so much time holding him back and worried he was going to pee off with me I wasn’t pushing him forward and asking for proper work so since being made to really push him forwards he is very lazy and dead to my leg he just curls up behind the bridle and refuses to go forwards just goes higher in the air! (Doesn’t rear just leaps!)
Now on a normal horse I would carry a schooling whip and when he ignores my leg aids give him a little tap behind to remind him to go forwards but I cant even carry a whip with him if my hand even moves the slightest bit when I have one he goes mental and is extremely sharp he straight away thinks I am going to beat him which isn’t the case! (I never have but he is an ex racer)

I ride in spurs, just the metal ones with the roller ball but these don’t do much either!
I could also do with a small stick when jumping because he sometimes gets so carried away with himself he doesn’t always pick up properly so would like one to be on hand so I could give him a small tap on the shoulder just to remind him to pick up!

So does anyone have any ideas on how to de sensitise an extremely whip shy horse? Or any other ideas for that matter! Sorry its so long :rolleyes:

Thanks so much for any help I have left over birthday cake on offer and skittles!
 
ill have the skittles please!!

my TB was like this (still is lazy but now used to the whip)

all i did was have people wafting whips about for a while when i rode and i did loads of lunging with small whips getting to bigger whips and i use to put them next to him when i groomed him and eventually touch him with them and eventually i got to a very small jumping whip riding and only ever so slight touched him with it on his shoulder and when he responded with out buggering off he got a big pat and the whip went away... and did this for months i can no use a nice long schooling whip :)

i also fine the small metal childs spurs really help my horse go forwards although no i mainly use them for lateral work....

maybe lenghten your stirrups a whole to btw when you have spurs on as you might not be touching the right place... i found this when i first started using them :)
 
but for now if you want to send him forward untill your master the whip or spurs option just develop really strong legs i had to and he works nicley and forward now but can still be very dead to the leg some times... and you need to get him thinking forward so do loads of transistions like walk to canter halt to trot and lots of short bursts of canter... try hacking and schooling there ussually much more forward on hacks :)
 
How sensitive is sensitive? Probably sounds a silly question!!!

My current horse was highly reactive/sensitive to the whip when I first got him, didn't do anything awful, you could just about carry one, but if it moved or touched him he flew across the arena! I don't know if yours is similar or worse.

TBH mine has been relatively easy to fix with just a bit of time/patience. Just the usual gradual common sense de-sensitisation.

On the ground, get to the point whereby you can run short whip over entire body with a relaxed manner

Then get to the point where you can run/hold the short whip on parts of body while riding

Gradually you can add a long whip

Then get to the stage where they can take a tiny tap etc. etc.

Things I would say is that when you are doing the desenitising while on board try and keep the whip on their body even if they try and panick/run - removing it reinforces the behaviour

I spent probably 2-3 months randomly tapping my horse in various places when schooling & hacking!!! We went through a stage whereby he had accepted I held and used the whip from my right hand. But then still reacted if I switched hands!

nearly 18 months on I can ride with long & short whips and and can confidently give a flick up without thinking about it or getting an over reaction.
 
Thanks for your reply! :) glad i'm not the only one!

Forgot to add he is absolutely fine with a lunging whip I literally have to chase him with it on the lunge as he is super lazy and doesnt care! He also doesn't care about them when on the ground its only if i'm holding one whilst on him!

Thanks for the tip with the spurs and lengthening my stirrups will try that.

He is super forward on a hack its only in the school as he hates it in the school, he loves his jumping a bit too much but can even then curl behind the bridle and its really hard to get a compromise between forwards and leaping in the air!
 
Thanks ihatework as mentioned in my previous reply wasnt quick enough before you replied! He is fine with whips on the ground its only when i'm on him!

I'm talking super sensitive he will spin bronc and generally get himself in a massive tizz to the extent he nearly falls on top of me, he is just genuinely very scared bless him.

Will start with a very small whip and try holding it against him as you said, will just take time i think!

Thanks again for your reply!
 
i know exactly where you comming from!!

sadly mine is the same in the school i do find the spurs help but i dont like wearing them all the time...

i also found that adding poles randomly on the ground anc trot and canter poles helped him in being more forward (as he loves to jump to!!)

also take him for a fast canter or gallop round your school before starting proper schooling think makes my tb fizz up and work much nice with a bit of fighting 1st to steady him up lol!

as for the whip thing onboard have a helper on ground some your horse trusts too and get them to start by passing it to you and if he doesnt react massive pat and give the whip back keep doing it then progress to walking around with it touching him constantly with it but not hitting with it and keep doing that :)
 
oh also to add mine likes to be kept interested so i do lots of flying changes if you that far in your schooling... and we have loads of cones about and we go around those and we do loads of walk to canter transitions... we also have a riding partner who rides along side us and in front somtimes to help keep him thinking forward :)
 
You need to move the horse forwards by 'chasing' it. This initially involves getting the horse to trot by shouting, kicking or smacking it with a whip or any other means to make it trot. It doesn't matter where the horses head is, or if he rushes off into a canter in surprise (if he does don't chastise him) as any forwards movement is brilliant. Just make sure you give with your hands. The next time you ask for trot do the same. By the fourth or fifth time the horse will be moving forwards from walk to trot relatively quickly. Eventually you will be able to cut the response time down so the horse will immediately response to your aids with the lightest of touches. This is using horse pychology to your advantage in the same way as making your horse rein back past something he won't go past forwards.

And I will have the birthday cake AND PARTY BAG!! :) :)
 
Thank you Marley and Danni you have given me lots to think about and try!

He is weird because he's lazy and really difficult to get in front of the leg but at the same time can be a hot headed little so and so and just leaps around all over the place so its so difficult to get him forwards but without him loosing it!
He's also learnt a new little trick to get out of it by head banging it drives me mad!

He's to clever and is always finding new ways to get out of work unless were jumping thats all he wants to do lol
 
Thanks Applecart what you're saying makes sense someone did mention before to really chase him and any reaction is better than no reaction even if he does rush off.

I think I was so worried about him running off with me that I was riding him near enough backwards lol.
Will make sure i'm not fussing where his head is too much as well.
Thanks for your help!
Birthday cake is all yours and I'm sure i can russle up a party bag! Got plenty of left over champagne too!!
 
EmmaR said:
He is fine with whips on the ground its only when i'm on him!
Click to expand...

Sounds like mine - couldn't give a toss what you do to him on the floor or on the lunge - but on board he's constantly keeping his eye on it, shooting about if it moves, and heaven forbid I dare to use it!

I can carry a short whip with him for jumping, and I know you can get middling sort of length schooling whips - I had one before but my old pony chewed it in half - might be worth a try with one like that, then holding it that bit further down, and gradually lengthening it?

Or have you tried not using any leg at all, asking for forwards, and if he doesn't respond giving a proper pony club kick, then legs away as soon as he goes forward? Backs off again, nudge - if no response, pony club kick again. Obviously don't do it with spurs on :p This worked quite well on my idle horse earlier, even if the other liveries probably wondered what on earth had arrived at their yard (we are fairly new there :o)
 
Haha BronsonNutter he sounds exactly the same he really couldn't care less what you do to him on the ground he's so laid back but a complete looney when you hold one on him!

Thanks there definitely worth a try! will make sure I dont have spurs on when i try the pony club kicking that could end badly lol.

I would like to be able to carry a whip because if i'm out in the middle of a cross country course and get into a spot of trouble at least i have something with me to help!!
 
Could try the rope thanks knowing him he probably wouldn't care because he knows its not a whip lol.

PaddyMonty Didn't go back to my old yard I'm currently at a friends!
Me to glad i stuck with him, I bought him a new saddle as well after that appalling bates!!
 
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