Riding a very unpredictable horse?

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GreenEyedMonster

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Hi all,
Ive got a youngster who in the initial few weeks i rode her was as good as gold, any occasional spooking was very slight or only involved a few steps to the side.

We even started jumping and had gone out hacking! Fast forward a few months and after some time off for my exams and she has become very unpredictable! So much so that I actually dread even getting on her!

How do you deal with this?

I am returning home from college tomorrow and no doubt i will have to get on her within the next few days and i am dreading it because she will be totally fine and then BOOM she either runs backwards and broncks or straight up broncks!!

Its very nerve wracking and difficult to stay on! She is alright for the people who broke her in as we sent her away to them whilst i was at school but with me its different! I am a very quiet rider as it is, i have a very light contact and avoid using too much leg because of how my other horse behaves.

It seems the issue is me and she knows she can throw people off now! It brings me almost to tears just thinking about the next time she plays up!

Im almost thinking to wait until she throws me off and then taking to her eith the whip so she learns not to prat about! But i know this isnt right so what can i do?!
Its ruining the way i ride and making me nervous of my other horse who i have owned for four years! I dont mind him rearing or brincking but this mare is just nasty!
 
It may be worth examining what is it about the mare that makes you feel it's worth trying despite her temperament? Is there something you get from her that cannot be fulfilled with your other horses?
 
If you gave her continued and regular work I would think her behaviour would vastly improve :)

I hate working youngsters more than necessary, however if there is any hint of them getting bigger than their boots I up the work, only enough to stop the naughtiness though. I would then back off and see if it had a made a difference.
 
LJR said:
If you gave her continued and regular work I would think her behaviour would vastly improve :)

I hate working youngsters more than necessary, however if there is any hint of them getting bigger than their boots I up the work, only enough to stop the naughtiness though. I would then back off and see if it had a made a difference.
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Someone did say to me that warmbloods are better on a lot of work? Im just nervous to get through the first few days!
 
skint1 said:
It may be worth examining what is it about the mare that makes you feel it's worth trying despite her temperament? Is there something you get from her that cannot be fulfilled with your other horses?
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Well for one my other horse will be retiring soon and she was supposed to be next horse! Shes also a lovely mover so i feel i could do more dressage with her whereas my other horse gets too tense!
 
GreenEyedMonster said:
Im almost thinking to wait until she throws me off and then taking to her eith the whip so she learns not to prat about! But i know this isnt right so what can i do?!
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The trick to staying on a broncing horse is short stirrups and a big handful of mane. Don't sit deep in the saddle either otherwise she's going to ping you out of it and make sure to get your heels right down.

If it's really bad, I find one tap on the bum and a growl as they're doing it shocks them into stopping and gets them moving forward again. If she shoots forward let her - she's just doing what you're telling her to.

Are you occupying her enough when you're riding? Circles, transitions, changing speed within gaits, asking for a bit of backup etc.

Try not to ride too defensively - if your reins are too short or restrictive at all she's only going to feel more inclined to rebel.
 
SpringArising said:
The trick to staying on a broncing horse is short stirrups and a big handful of mane. Don't sit deep in the saddle either otherwise she's going to ping you out of it and make sure to get your heels right down.

If it's really bad, I find one tap on the bum and a growl as they're doing it shocks them into stopping and gets them moving forward again. If she shoots forward let her - she's just doing what you're telling her to.

Are you occupying her enough when you're riding? Circles, transitions, changing speed within gaits, asking for a bit of backup etc.

Try not to ride too defensively - if your reins are too short or restrictive at all she's only going to feel more inclined to rebel.
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Unfortunate we have tried all of this, it isnt like random bucks that might wobble you, she stops and spins and thrashes out bucks! The last time she did all this I did shout at her a lot and it seemed to make her worse (i hit the deck)

We make her weave around jumps and things but it doesnt change her, she really is that unpredictable, when i fell off one time i went into the jump wing! And when she does shoot forwards she launches and bounces like a mustang in a rodeo!

But i will bear in mind what you have said about riding too defensively! I will have to try leaving her be!
 
Consider whether this horse really might not suit you, as the situation is getting worse, and as you say she has now learnt that she can get you off. With some horses, it is very easy for them to maake bad associations with being ridden, and can be very hard to turn them around again once they have made you wary.
You say she isn't a problem for the people that broke her, but is for you. Can you afford to send her back to them to get her started again, then have some lessons with them to find out what you are doing differently?
 
Are you able to tell when she is about to do something? I find as soon as a horse threatens to rear mess about etc spin them in a tight circle and then send them forwards. They can't rear/buck if they are spinning and it breaks the cycle of them knowing they can get rid of you etc.
 
I would take this horse to a decent pro yard and get them to get her back in work for you. Make sure the yard is local enough that you can then start having supervised lessons/riding on her, until such a point that you are more confident to deal with a sharp young horse.

And if it isn't working then sell on sooner rather than later
 
I agree, if you are worried about getting on her, don't do it! I think you need to involve the pros before someone gets hurt. Better safe than sorry!
 
What do you actually do with her when she starts bucking? It sounds like you're jumping... Are you jumping on, trotting her around some jumps and then jumping? What else are you doing? How are you warming up? Do you lunge at all? Do you do any groundwork?

And, of course, have you checked her saddle fits and all the usual suspects there?
 
ihatework said:
I would take this horse to a decent pro yard and get them to get her back in work for you. Make sure the yard is local enough that you can then start having supervised lessons/riding on her, until such a point that you are more confident to deal with a sharp young horse.

And if it isn't working then sell on sooner rather than later
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^This
we all have plans for a horse, we want to buy [or not] a horse of lifetime, it does not always work out. Once you have lost your nerve, which is usually temporary, you probably need to ride other horses, it would probably take a huge step up in your skills to get this horse back under control without input from a good rider and trainer.
 
shortstuff99 said:
Are you able to tell when she is about to do something? I find as soon as a horse threatens to rear mess about etc spin them in a tight circle and then send them forwards. They can't rear/buck if they are spinning and it breaks the cycle of them knowing they can get rid of you etc.
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Hadnt thought of trying to spin her round! I will have to try it!
 
Pigeon said:
I agree, if you are worried about getting on her, don't do it! I think you need to involve the pros before someone gets hurt. Better safe than sorry!
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We did take her to a professional yard, they werent just some random dealers, the man in charge who i wont name out if respect does compete to a high level of show jumping and has a number of youngsters for breaking etc!
They said it was me who was causing the issues!
 
Barnacle said:
What do you actually do with her when she starts bucking? It sounds like you're jumping... Are you jumping on, trotting her around some jumps and then jumping? What else are you doing? How are you warming up? Do you lunge at all? Do you do any groundwork?

And, of course, have you checked her saddle fits and all the usual suspects there?
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I am not jumping her no, i was until she started being funny and from then we have done only flatwork, we dont really do anything complex or new and much of it is just basic three gaits incorporating circles and loops etc.
She is lunged before every ridden session and we do a lot of in hand work!

We are getting her a new saddle soon!
 
If she is fine for the pro's who backed her, and they say you are the issue.. Either send her back to them to be restarted and get them to give you lessons on her once she is going well, or get them to sell her for you. It takes very little effort to ruin a young horse (unintentionally) and a lot of effort/skill to bring a young horse on to reach its potential. I think you already know which path you and she are on so my advice would be to stop right away before you both lose all confidence.
 
GreenEyedMonster said:
We did take her to a professional yard, they werent just some random dealers, the man in charge who i wont name out if respect does compete to a high level of show jumping and has a number of youngsters for breaking etc!
They said it was me who was causing the issues!
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Sorry to be blunt, but perhaps it is if they did not have any problems with her? Could they not help you to work out what you are doing that the horse doesn't like, or could you find someone else who could help you with this? Otherwise, agree with others that it might be best to sell if you don't suit.
 
I'd be wondering just how old she is? My 4 year old can be 'funny' ridden if she has either had a lot of brain work the day before, or has done something (to her) physically demanding. I try to make allowances for this and give her plenty of time to 'soak' in new ideas and to recover from hard work by giving her a day or even two off after anything new or unusual. You mention you are getting a new saddle for her - this also made a big change to my girl - if young their shape can change a lot in a short time. Another thing to consider is her seasons. My young mare is particularly narky for a few days before she is visibly in season. Although I do ride her at this time I make an allowance for the fact that she's not feeling 100%. She still has to do what I ask....but I make sure I only ask easy questions of her! Just a few thoughts.
 
Tbh she sounds awful! All youngsters throw a paddy now and again and you do have to be brave and sit tight occasionally but she definitely sounds at the extreme end!
It doesn't sound like a physical issue as if it was after time off she sould be better not worse. Sounds like it's a behaviour issue and you are both worried and have lost trust in each other.
If she was mine I would get a professional to help me get her going. I would have them bring her back into work and then teach me on her and I'd have her worked 5/6 days per week. I'd give it a few months and if I still didn't trust her or if she was still prone to bouts of nasty behaviour with me I would sell her on to someone more suitable for her temperament.
Good luck!
 
I used to ride a horse that was truly unpredictable, and nasty with it. It's not fun, and you have my sympathies.

You mention that you ride very quietly, light contact. How does the pro ride her? If she's used to being ridden more strongly (not aggressively or anything, just into a stronger contact/more leg iyswim), she might be unsure, get worried, and express that rather explosively.
 
Did the pro use their saddle and girth or yours? I had one that was a funny fit and who was almost unbreakable, I got him after he had been through several yards. The problem was that he had huge square shoulder bones a roach back and was bum high so the saddle moved forward into his shoulder bones and then he went ballistic. He also had a wide spine bone so most saddles were too narrow in the gullet. Found the right saddle and the problem was solved but because of the previous problems you always had to be careful not to mount him until he was calm. A Fairfax girth would have helped too but they didn't have them then. If she does it after or half way through a turn it is an indication that it could be the girth or saddle. It took three saddle fitters to find the problem with mine , plus he was 16.3hh but only took a 16.5" saddle because of the roach back. My experience is that when horses are nasty they are in pain, and aggressive/ explosive behaviour is severe pain, finding the cause is the difficult bit. And NEVER get on a horse that you have any fear of as the behaviour will escalate whatever the cause. It might be worth investigating her bloodlines as some of this behaviour runs in families and a well known showjumper pointed us to what was wrong with mine as he said the bloodline did exactly what he did if there was any pressure on the spine or shoulder bones. So the unbreakable horse ( cheap too) turned into the safest and one of the best bombproof horses I have ever had. The other two saddle fitters said his saddle fitted though which didn't help. I had called them in as I felt it was the saddle but looked at behaviour and got myself hurt finding out it was the saddle. Good luck and don't put yourself at risk.
 
You could try and sort this or you could have a think that this is supposed to be you hobby and fun..this is a fairly extreme reaction so I would be inclined to send back for fe schooling and sale.

If, however, you do decide to keep her, I would look at a regular work schedule with back up and feed. You have not mentioned what feed she is on. As it is summer I would try chucking her out overnight and cutting feed right down. Look carefully at the sugar content as well.
 
I sympathise with you. I really do. My boy was a so and so when he was younger. He would be going perfectly and then just bronc until he got you off on the odd occasion. No real trigger, not every time and no consistency to it what so ever. He was 5 when he did all of this, and then it just stopped when he was about 7. He's now 16 and has bronced 3 times in 9 years since and it's normally when he's full of himself because of good grass! Get yourself an RS-Tor and a body protector. If nothing else to make you feel safe. Get some lessons on your old horse for confidence and some on your new girl when you're feeling brave. Sometimes you have to be a firmer rider if everything's checked and it's all ok. Literally don't give them a chance to play about, no longer than about 6 strides without asking for a transition or a circle or some baby lateral work. Keep them thinking and keep your leg on!

It's so hard, and it does affect you. If you don't feel you can cope with it, I'd maybe ask the people that started her to sell her for you.

There's no point keeping a horse that you dread riding. That just sucks the fun out of it all! Let us know how you get on. x
 
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