Reassurance and advice needed with youngster

[michellev123]

Me again....

Oscar is 3 in april. He is very well behaved in everday tasks (leading in and out of stable and field, standing, feet picked out etc) He is also now very good with farrier (dispite a wobbly start!)

The problem i am having is he walks so so fast when out on a walk! He gets really excited. (I take him out in his dually.) He power walks so fast i cannot keep up. When I whoa him he stops (after encouragement) but then has a tantrum!! He will fidget and try rub his head on me then if he gets really stressed (by the end of the walk) he will do mini leaps (not unmanagable)

Now I have tried going out alone, with company (In front and behind) And it makes no difference. I have tried taking him in the arena and around the yard and doing lots of stoping and starting and he is fine (still power walks but stops easier.)

However as soon as i get out he is off again!!!

I feel it is excitment more than naughtness as he is usually very good (all be it a cheeky 2 year old!)

I wondered if it is just a case of wait and see if he grows out of it or what advice do people have for me!?

He is bitted but I would rather not lead him out on it if possible.

Any tips or reassurance welcome! Is getting me down cause i really want to start long reining him soon, but am reluctant to do it until he slows down and starts listening!!


So much for my first chilled out easy to back youngster!!!

Thanks x

 

[Kenzo]

Well it's only natural that they will find it all rather exciting but just keep on with your ground work and keep leading him out (even if it's just down the drive and a little bit up the road and back) and make him do as his told, you have to be strict with them but don't let the behaviour worry or intimidate you, keep safely at his side, wear some gloves, some good foot ware, chances are he’ll settle and it won’t become a problem but you must make him understand in his daily handling and routine that is a space around you where he should cross and this should be applied when leading him out.

However if you are struggling to hold him and he keeps pulling and a sharp jab on his head collar/halter and you shouting at him doesn't work then he's not listening to you, ok so this sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how well a horse will listen and will learn to behave if there FULL attention is on you right from the start, if not, you’re wasting your time and you will only loose the argument, after all it’s not about strength, it’s about respect.

He needs to be in tune with you before you even get out of the yard gate, because the more you pull the more he'll pull and that is the situation you need to avoid getting into in the first place and yes I agree you shouldn't need to bit him up to take him out, he should walk at your side on a shoe string if musts be, no point him learning to pull through his mouth as well, after all you want his mouth to remain pretty much untouched and to remain light and sensitive just for riding.

I would take a schooling whip with you, there is nothing wrong with giving them a clip over the shoulder (to shock him…not to beat them with before anyone jumps on me) to remind them that you are there, before they even start to get ahead of your shoulder, also I find turning them round and sudden changes of direction helps so they are not anticipating where you are going it also helps to think about what you are doing, where their feet are, not just about powering forward.

If you nip things in the bud straight away and think about how you do things, how you ask him and be consistent at all times he’ll learn very quickly.

 

[AmyMay]

I assume this is walking him off the farm - so possibly on the roads, bridle ways etc??

If this is the case you must put him in a bridle with a bit. I actually think it's incredibly dangerous not to - for an older horse, let alone a youngster. That way you can start to get some control back, and teach him to lead properly and respectfully.

Do you long rein him???

 

[ladyt25]

A lady who helped me with my youngster when I first got him (he is 20 mths now) would tell you a lot of this behaviour comes from the horse being unbalanced so, working on improving his balance will help stop him rushing.

You need to first practice the leading on home ground (the yard, school etc), no need for a particularly large area. You can use a control type headcollar or bridle plus have a schooling whip.

Firstly ask him to stand with you facing him, ensure he is not frightened of the whip - if he does shy/flinch aware then desensitise him a bit by calmly stroking it on his shoulders etc. Then softly tap him on his side (where you would use your leg) with the schooling whip. Intensify the 'tapping' until he walk forwards a few paces (immediately stop tapping his side as he walks forwards). Do not though walk him in a long straight line, just ask for a few steps and turn him then make him stand again. When he does walk do not allow him to speed on. Do this a few times alternating the side you tap him on. He will pretty quickly learn from the light tap this means move forwards - never use the whip to punish or hit, it is merely an aid. If at any point he flinches away, again just make him know it is not somethingn to be scared of by stroking it over him.

Once he has succesfully grasped this then introduce teaching him to move back and then to 'park' (ie stand still). To back him back up, again have him facing you and using the whip again, lightly tap him on one of his front legs (above the knee, on the muscular bit basically), again intensify the tapping until he steps back (you can also apply some pressure on the nose to help them - i would aks for maybe two steps or so. Stop the tapping once he moves his leg back. Then i would do the asking for forward etc again and then when you ask for him to move back, once he has backed into a nice sort of square halt then just stand there with him (facing him) If he moves forwards then ask for back again - he will eventually understand what aids mean move forwards and when he is expected to stand.

It all sounds a bit complicated when written down but the lady did this on my youngster (he was about 16 mths at the time) and you could see him really having to think about what he was doing, She spent a good 30-45 mins with us (not all work on him, some chatting!) but by the end he had cottoned on to what he was supposed to do and we had him 'parked' pretty successfully as he was happy to stand there on a loose leadrope and 'chat' with us. Normally he is a fidget and bites when he can (she said the biting was caused by him getting unbalanced too).

I used the same techniques when out leading on the roads with him and it helps to slow him down and walk nicely beside me and generally listen. He has also improved walking down the hills we have to go out on as he now is not trying to run away (getting on his forehand) an is better at listening to me as I slow him down so he can walk down the hill properly.