Please Help Me!!!

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FunkyFilly28

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Okay, so here's the thing....
My horse that I have had on loan since February is a very capable jumper for what I'm doing (evented up to PN and I'm doing 2ft 6'' at the minute!) but I'm finding that once he's had enough, I can't change his mind. He's fit enough and enjoys the job, but here's what happened at our last 2 events...

Showjumping
Won the 2ft 3'' class after flying over everything
2ft 6'' Novice was eliminated at the double he had jumped in the previous class
2ft 6'' Open was eliminated at only the 3rd fence which he had also jumped!

At 16yrs old he knows a thing or two and uses the excuse of 'ooh that fence could be spooky, I can get away with stopping!' when actually he doesn't find them scary whatsoever.

Yesterday, I took him XC and he was very nappy but I managed to get him over but at the 10th fence he suddenly stopped and ditched me, I got back on and he flew over teh second time. Later on there was a trakener and he came in really positively I was sat up and everything was going well, just about to take off and he slams on the breaks, I fly over the jump and he's stood there looking at me.

There is something quite depressing about falling off again after only getting back on 2 minutes earlier! Anyway got back on and jumped it fine before they realised I'd had 2 falls!

Sorry for this long ramble but I don't know what to do, he just seems to do as much as he wants to do! I'm only 14 and am trying the best I can but even my instructor agrees he's very clever! Also whilst going xc he's quite strong and won't go at the speed I want (fine whilst schooling) and then the next minute he's stopping and being nappy. He's on the second ring of a gag but he likes quite a soft contact and doesn't like being interfered with.

Lots of chocolate if you get this far! Any advice would be greatly appreciated and I can give you any extra info if needed!
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HI Funkyfilly - all chocolate donations gratefully received!

Firstly I'll ask the questions that everyone is bound to ask - have you had his back/tack/teeth checked? He is not a young pony and it is possible that, if he has problems here, they may be worse when he has exerted himself for a while which is why he is fiine for one round but then plays up. Since you have had him, have you changed any of his tack? Also, did he do this with his former rider?
 
What do you do with him apart from competing? I think he may well have had enough of competing, hence fine for first class, then getting stroppy! I would suggest lots of hacking and fun stuff, ride out with friends, go on picnics etc (not the best time of year admittedly
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) and see if he is more willing after a break from competition.
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I had his saddle and back checked recently and his owner had his teeth checked recently. The problem is he only really hacked out with the lady I am loaning him from but evented with the owner previous to that and I am using the same tack as she did when she evented him. He's an absolute sweetheart normally and we don't overcompete - maybe once or twice a month. In between I school him, jump maybe once a week, have a lesson and canter around the field. He generally seems to enjoy being out and about at shows and is a keen jumper. I would hack him out more but there isn't really anyone on the yard to hack out with.

I will send more chocolate your way - thanks for the advice so far!
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Also, the most recent eliminations have been after he had the summer off so were the first competitions back. We only jumped once before each and he was fit and not at all rusty.
 
my old horse was exactly the same, would sometimes jump and sometimes not, even down to jumped it once today but not again. He eventually came up lame in his hind. I think the problem had been there all the time and he tried to do what I ask because he enjoyed it but sometimes it would hurt when he did it maybe landed slightly different but he remember that fence hurt last time. then xc maybe the last fence hurt but then he would try again


Not saying this is what is happening with your lad, just what happened to me and food for thought. The trouble is you won't know for sure until it worsens. I had to retire mine to a happy hacker as lameness was so dam intermittant could not get im to go lame to show the vets
 
This is going to sound wierd, but could it be something you are doing subconsciously that is putting him off?? My mother had an awesome TB that could jump anything, but if you so much as laid a finger on her neck as you were going into something she would slam on the brakes at the last min, no matter how well she was going into it. Took us three years and COUNTLESS falls to figure it out! Not saying that the same thing is causing your boy to stop, but it was amazing that even just one finger on her neck could slam her into a fence and me over the top!
Good luck with sorting things out.
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[ QUOTE ]
This is going to sound wierd, but could it be something you are doing subconsciously that is putting him off??

[/ QUOTE ]

Doing - or not doing - the most likely answer. My best horse ever (in performance terms - he was a right old bu**er though) - was an astounding showjumper. He went right to the top in Oz before being sold to Europe for an Olympic team member - but he would not TOLERATE any hint of a check on the approach to a fence. His attitude was: "You know so much - YOU do it!" He'd stop so hard and so fast that even my trainer (the best professional in Oz in the last 50 years!) would come off - he once landed on his feet on top of a 7'2" wall
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My husband's hunter jumps 5 bar gates out hunting - but hubby can't get him over a 2' showjump! Out hunting Bruno WANTS to jump - if there are no hounds to follow, there's no point!

I would wonder whether - at 16 - he has a low-grade problem in a hoof or a joint that causes twinges when he jumps. He does a bit - then says: ENOUGH!

And of course once you KNOW a horse has a stop, you tend to prepare for it and anticipate it!

Two tests: 1. Get a good jumping rider on him and see if he does it with him/her! If he doesn't, there's your answer. If he does, then try test 2.

2. With your vet's agreement, put him on a course of bute for a week. Work him normally during that week but don't jump him until day 6. If he doesn't stop on day 6, then it's probably a low-grade pain issue.

If he DOES stop after 6 days on bute, it's probably NOT a pain issue but a behavioural one - he just gets bored/tired or whatever and says 'enough'!
 
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