Restarting schooling on an older horse

[ZoeCharlotte]

Posted in competing and training but I thought it was worth sticking here too for a range of opinions!

In my many efforts to find a horse to share after my lovely ex share ruptured her tendon, I've come across a friend of a friend who is happy for me to ride his horse. The horse in question is 12, and the guy who owns it only hacks, although it has done schooling and jumping in the past but not for a year or so. He said he did a brief session of asking for long and low in walk and trot in preparation for me coming to see the horse on Wednesday and mentioned that after about 15 or 20 minutes the horse started to do little half rears and tried to bolt a couple of times. The guy then threw in the towel and said that he just needs a bit of work.

So my question is, what do I do? I'm definitely going to keep the work varied, with lots of hacking interspersed with schooling, but how do I do this without the horse getting frustrated and going vertical on me? I assume short sessions, but I'm worried he'll just get impatient earlier and learn that p*ssing around equals back in field.

Just to clarify, friend who referred me to him has hacked out the horse alone in the past when the guy is on holiday and says it's lovely and largely unspooky, but has never schooled him so couldn't comment on this area. I'm not looking to do tons of schooling but I'd love to make a little difference to the way he goes by letting him work properly rather than pottering around up and down hills.

 

[pipper]

Maybe see if there is a local instructor who will come out and help you get going. He/she can then see the pony being ridden and advise you of your best way forward.
Failing that - 12 isn't old BTW - start with 5 mins of walk on both reins for a couple of days then build up until you are doing 15 mins of walk. Then introduce some trot work and gradually build that up, then canter. You could always hack for 10 mins to cool down afterwards. Once you have built up fitness in the school you can then ask for some circles and start your schooling. Remember to warm up and cool down sufficiently,
Good luck and enjoy.
Ps - as for the misbehaving - start by looking at the feed and turn out and most importantly get the saddle checked - it doesn't cost too much and could save you a lot of heartache if that is the problem, also teeth, back, feet ect.....

 

[TandD]

you dont know 'how' the guy schooled it..... it may have been in such a way that the horse disliked it e.g. a gadet that should not be put on a horse that is only comming back into work.
horse also isnt muscled for schooling work - and without muscle even 20mins of long and low across the top line can hurt!
do short bursts... 5mins, then break, 5mins then another break! etc

 

[Dolcé]

you dont know 'how' the guy schooled it..... it may have been in such a way that the horse disliked it e.g. a gadet that should not be put on a horse that is only comming back into work.
horse also isnt muscled for schooling work - and without muscle even 20mins of long and low across the top line can hurt!
do short bursts... 5mins, then break, 5mins then another break! etc

This, and remember you can do quite a bit of schooling whilst hacking, just to get the horse back into holding himself correctly, which will make schooling in an arena easier for him.

 

[w1bbler]

My mare was 13 when I bought her, never been schooled - only had 2 paces, jog & gallop. Schooling was "interesting" for a while! First attempts at cantering circles was more like wall of death!. 3 years later we can canter figures of 8 in an outline, working nicely from behind & have a good established walk & trot, so no 12 is not old to start (unless your aiming at high level dressage)
This horse may well have misbehaved being asked too much too quick - need to remember older horses muscles may take longer to retrain & if forced too quick it may have hurt.