rearing up on walks ?

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staceyn

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My two yearlings are normally well behaved on walks but today they were both bunny hopping on the spot trying to bolt rearing u. Not big but very unusual for them one was setting the other off. Could it be frank getting coltish, excited cause they haven't been on a walk for a few weeks or just one of those days ?. They need to get over it but they are in headcollars would a dually help ? It doesn't bother me but it needs to be nipped in the bud . One is 17months other is 16months
 
Why do they need to be taken for walks? They are babies for goodness sakes. Let them play in the field and just BE babies!
Mine get caught, brought in, fed, feet picked and turfed back out. Thats it.
Does however sound like its time for Frank to meet the vet and his castration tools.....
 
They get taken on a 5min walk to fresh grass to get a look at traffic and too see things once or twice a month, the field has hardly any grass that's why its more of a treat for them rather then trying to train them.
 
Oops phone messed up. I have had c look to see if he has decended but there is still only one and he is definitely coltish at the moment so feel a bit stuck with what to do plus they need to get used to everything for showing
 
staceyn said:
They get taken on a 5min walk to fresh grass to get a look at traffic and too see things once or twice a month, the field has hardly any grass that's why its more of a treat for them rather then trying to train them.
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Thats why they are playing up then, excited about getting some grass inside their bellies.
 
be positive said:
Thats why they are playing up then, excited about getting some grass inside their bellies.
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They never used too though its the first time they have ever behaved like that and for them that was bad they are normally excited but never both having a fit lol! must be something in the air, at the end of the walk i let them graze in hand on the grass verges near the yard.
Its ashame there is no quite lanes or dirt tracks but have to use whats there.

They used too love their walks but frank was setting off eddie acting like a 17hh stallion snorting prancing around could he have smelt the mares over the bridge maybe :S
 
Agree with be positive & amymay. Probably have started it now cos the grass is now worse in the field at this time of year.
 
In answer to the query yes I think a Dually headcollar would be a good option for safety (unlike the other rope halters it is a lot thicker and softer and so wont dig in in a nasty way), they are also very well made so no danger of any seams going!

They are useful anyway eg for loading issues etc and I use a full size black one on my 17hh and 14.2 so quite flexible in sizing as noseband adjusts not just throatlash.

I would also carry a short cane, not to use as a whip but just as a 'message' (or to eg push face over if they start to try and nip etc.
 
Lachlandmarcus thanks ! I know one will fit frank but Eddie is still in foal headcollars he is only 8hh lol ! Will buy one and see cause when they went on their natural horsemanship day they used them and they acted like angels
 
Might be a contributory factor - the grass can get a sudden flush of growth this time of year which is very high in sugar. Maybe they are like children at the cinema who have had too much sugar and are running riot!

I can't offer much help with the horses but the children can be dealt with by sticking out your foot as they go past ;) (that's a joke, mostly).
 
Duallys aren't any softer or kinder than other halters. An old fashioned rope halter is the mildest control halter. And more than sufficient for a tiny pony foal. Duallys are more like a stallion chain. If a dually is what you decide to use, fine, but don't do so believing its mild, its not. Tbh, at 8hh there's nothing it can do that can't be dealt with without resorting to control gadgets.
 
It's not the 8hh one I worry about its the fell cause he is only going to get bigger stronger he is only 12hh now but he will make full up 14hh the way he going and he is the stockier type. Just wanted to know what other people would do if it was there horse.
 
I'd solve the cause of the behavior, rather than the symptoms. Which in this case sound like too little grazing. And being young, I wouldn't expect them to have manners that are 100% in any situation where they are excited yet. Therefore until old enough to have manners that hold no matter what, I would avoid stressful/exciting situations. Once the grazing situations solved, I'd then walk without the handgrazing. And if leading nicely was the purpose of walking out, I'd do it one at a time at first so that one can't set the other off.
 
littlelegs said:
I'd solve the cause of the behavior, rather than the symptoms. Which in this case sound like too little grazing. And being young, I wouldn't expect them to have manners that are 100% in any situation where they are excited yet. Therefore until old enough to have manners that hold no matter what, I would avoid stressful/exciting situations. Once the grazing situations solved, I'd then walk without the handgrazing. And if leading nicely was the purpose of walking out, I'd do it one at a time at first so that one can't set the other off.
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Yep agree.
 
Yes I agree with that they do get excited when together on walks, with regards to the grazing nothing can be done I have a private yard with 2acres there is no other land near by and can't transport to any either they are stabled at night with hay and get fed twice a day with youngstock supplement they. Also have licks in the field
 
I haven't started putting any out yet I will do though if you think that will help , I was waiting to get the field shelter built and put hay in there so it didn't get wet but its going to be a few weeks yet.would you put out a large round bale or just squares ?
 
I'd stick ad lib hay out each day. On a thread about 'using tub trugs' for hay, there was a fab idea where someone was using a converted wheelie bin as a feeder.
 
staceyn said:
I haven't started putting any out yet I will do though if you think that will help , I was waiting to get the field shelter built and put hay in there so it didn't get wet but its going to be a few weeks yet.would you put out a large round bale or just squares ?
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I would put out handfulls for them. 2 horses = 3 or 4 handfulls.
 
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