Riding under Sedaline?!

[ellie_e]

Ooh I just remembered a little tip, after warming up don't sit on your horse outside the competition arena while waiting. I find that is the point the horse plants his feet and says, 'I'm not going in there!'. Keep moving around and get someone to have a word with a steward so you can just ride straight from collecting ring into the competition without having to hang around.

Thanks for this, have tried something similar but there's always people hanging around the entrance- which really doesn't help, if the door was completely clear we would of perhaps had more success. Trying to get him to canter through without spinning around is a must- he previous trick when we first bought him was to whip around, fast! Doesn't do it as much these days- prefers being on two legs!

 

[tankgirl1]

Please bear with me on this post...it may seem like I am attacking you but I am not, I promise...I fully empathise with your situation, but I would like to ask you to take a step back and see things for what they are, not what you may think they are.

To compare any horse or any injury or illness with another is something that should never be done if you have your horses best interests at heart. You can't say you "get" something and then come straight back with an example of how another horse has done something. That other horse does not have your horses issue, it has its own issue and the two, whilst similar medically, could be completely different as perceived by the individual horse. You can have two horses that have to have an eye removed. One may go on to compete in the Olympics, the other may be completely unable to adjust and cope and need to be PTS. Neither should be compared to the other.

Be honest with yourself Ellie. Have you ever had someone at home have a cold or throat infection and be ill....only for you to get the same bug a week later. That person thinks you should be able to do x,y or z because they could, but you know you've got it worse and you know you can't do those things. One size does not fit all...we are not clones and neither are our horses.

Not having an eye at all may even be better....how can perception change when there is no input at all. At the moment, your horses perception could be based on how the cataract is affecting him day to day or hour to hour. It can be determined by light and dark, it can be determined by the humidity level dictating how moist the eye is and how able to function it is. Take away the constant changing of perception due to outside stimulus like light and moisture and things could settle down.

Am I advising you to have your horses eye removed? No. I am just saying when do you stop? You're considering sedation to get the horse to compete. Would you consider removal of an eye to do the same? If the answer is no, which I really hope it would be, then maybe just accept that this horses lot in life is to have fun at home on his good days and be left to just be happy doing nothing on his bad days.

As for the warm up. It is perfectly understandable that he was comfortable in the warm up. No stress, just working away with other things going on, nice and relaxed. Steward comes over, then you get ready to go to the ring...whether you are aware of it or not, your heart rate will rise in anticipation and he will, after the time you have been doing this, realise where you are about to go. Why should he wait until you get there if it's perceived by him to be a bad day. He'll just want to stay in his little warm up comfort zone.

As I said, I am not having a go. I can see that you are wanting to be more understanding but I can't shake the feeling that you just want it to work. You want to be able to compete and you want to do it on this horse. Just because you want it though doesn't mean it is going to be possible. Every time you put him in this situation, you are causing him distress. Do you want that? Is that what horse ownership is about for you?

He isn't telling you he can't do it. He's just telling you he can't do it on certain days or at certain times. No competition should be more important than the welfare of your horse. I just don't think anyone has the right to make an animal do something it doesn't want to do for such materialistic gain. It's not stress for the sake of saving his life or getting him into a safe place or out of danger. It is not stress for the sake of ensuring safety. It is stress so that you can go around a course of jumps at a competition. Really think about that and decide if you can be happy with putting your horse through that stress just for your own whim.

I haven't yet read through the whole thread. I got to here, and just had to say well said GG, great advice for the OP x


And yes we need a like button - it really helps sort the wheat from the chaff on MSE, I am sure it would do the same here

 

[mandwhy]

This might be a daft suggestion and I'm sure it won't be your cup of tea, but have you done any showing? In hand might be the least stressful way of getting him into some sort of ring and getting out with little effort as long as you can handle him in that situation, and if doing ridden showing he would mostly have other horses around or in the ring with him?

Good luck, I hope you can work through it

 

[ellie_e]

This might be a daft suggestion and I'm sure it won't be your cup of tea, but have you done any showing? In hand might be the least stressful way of getting him into some sort of ring and getting out with little effort as long as you can handle him in that situation, and if doing ridden showing he would mostly have other horses around or in the ring with him?

Good luck, I hope you can work through it

I've never done any showing, but he has pretty bad scars on hind leg always thought the had to be clean limbed???

 

[Ponytrecca]

Suggest you have a consultation with a Society of Equine Behaviour Consultant. They are qualified and insured and should be able to diagnose the root cause of the problem and suggest a retraining programme if appropriate. Good luck.

 

[Llanali]

I've never done any showing, but he has pretty bad scars on hind leg always thought the had to be clean limbed???

Might need to be clean limbed to win but not to participate for experience... And at local level it's not that important...

 

[khalswitz]

Might need to be clean limbed to win but not to participate for experience... And at local level it's not that important...

This!! I do in hand with my exracer who is daft as a brush at comps, just to give him the experience. He never wins due to scars but its Ery good for him! I now pop on for a ridden class after inhand and he's much more settled having been out and done a class first. Could be an idea?

 

[ellie_e]

This!! I do in hand with my exracer who is daft as a brush at comps, just to give him the experience. He never wins due to scars but its Ery good for him! I now pop on for a ridden class after inhand and he's much more settled having been out and done a class first. Could be an idea?

Yes- any things worth a go, what do I have to do?? What's the turnout? What class do I enter? Complete showing newbie!

 

[SparkleB]

Sorry if this has been said before, lost track of what has and hasn't been suggested, have you tried taking another horse into the ring with you? Pick a friendly venue and ask if you can have another horse in there just 'warming up' around you, this may take the pressure off and allow the both of you to relax because now doubt the minute you get into the ring you tense up waiting for the explosion!
Like everyone else, competing under sedalin just seem irresponsible and selfish. Why should the horse compete if he quite obviously doenst want to jusdt because he has talent!?

Why not just allow a break from everything and go back to nice relaxing hacks with company and also try just walking out in hand so that you are alone but you're safer.

 

[Llanali]

Yes- any things worth a go, what do I have to do?? What's the turnout? What class do I enter? Complete showing newbie!

Find a local show and look for something like "best condition" or anything else with no breed or type requirements.

For in hand, trousers for you, pref in an opposite colour to his legs, shirt and tie, hacking jacket weathe dependent, hat, gloves and jod boots. snaffle bridle for him, plait mane and plait or pull tail, nice and clean and tidy.

 

[MagicMelon]

Now I don’t need telling about dope testing rules etc, I’m well aware that you shouldn’t ride on it, but I’m looking for those with experiences with it.

Well hopefully nobody here HAS experience of competing on it since as you state, its against rules to do so. Annoying as your horses problem is (and trust me, I have had one in the past who did exactly the same thing in the ring - would nap/rear like mad), EVERYONE has some sort of problem area with their horse so if everyone doped them up to compete, well it wouldn't be terribly fair now would it. I personally think you're mental for even considering it and your trainer shouldn't be training anyone with suggestions like this. If the trainer is so great then ask them to ride your horse in the ring and see how they get on. Otherwise, if you do choose to compete on it then I hope someone on here knows who you are and BS are encouraged to blood test your horse and you're banned before you cause a serious injury to your horse.

With regard to the problem. Apart from ruling out you being the issue by getting someone else to try you competing your horse and if you've tried everything else, TBH I'd consider selling. As I said, I had a horse who had talent to burn - he'd jump ANYTHING at ANY height in lessons and at home, but for some reason put him in the ring and 10% of the time he'd be wonderful but 90% of the time he'd nap at the start and rear like mad or he'd jump a few fences then grind to a halt and start rearing again - once he started, that'd be it and you couldn't get him going again. I had a pro try him in the ring and he reared her off so I ruled out that it was me causing it. After 5 years of trying everything (different trainers, getting back/saddle etc. done, trying various legal calmers), I realised my horse simply did not enjoy competing in SJ (or XC) so I sold him to a hacking home where he was happier and I got a horse who loved to jump.

 

[ellie_e]

Well hopefully nobody here HAS experience of competing on it since as you state, its against rules to do so. Annoying as your horses problem is (and trust me, I have had one in the past who did exactly the same thing in the ring - would nap/rear like mad), EVERYONE has some sort of problem area with their horse so if everyone doped them up to compete, well it wouldn't be terribly fair now would it. I personally think you're mental for even considering it and your trainer shouldn't be training anyone with suggestions like this. If the trainer is so great then ask them to ride your horse in the ring and see how they get on. Otherwise, if you do choose to compete on it then I hope someone on here knows who you are and BS are encouraged to blood test your horse and you're banned before you cause a serious injury to your horse.

With regard to the problem. Apart from ruling out you being the issue by getting someone else to try you competing your horse and if you've tried everything else, TBH I'd consider selling. As I said, I had a horse who had talent to burn - he'd jump ANYTHING at ANY height in lessons and at home, but for some reason put him in the ring and 10% of the time he'd be wonderful but 90% of the time he'd nap at the start and rear like mad or he'd jump a few fences then grind to a halt and start rearing again - once he started, that'd be it and you couldn't get him going again. I had a pro try him in the ring and he reared her off so I ruled out that it was me causing it. After 5 years of trying everything (different trainers, getting back/saddle etc. done, trying various legal calmers), I realised my horse simply did not enjoy competing in SJ (or XC) so I sold him to a hacking home where he was happier and I got a horse who loved to jump.

please refer to previous posts where I state horse will not be for sale, due to various different factors, and he does not enjoy hacking.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think showing is a great idea to try to get though this .
I am remembering though a friends homebred who had bad explosive moments it had cataracts ,have I got that right did you say earlier in the thread the horse had an issue with its eyes in which case I would be inclined to think that's whats at the bottom of it.

 

[TarrSteps]

Been there, done that, Gs.

 

[MagicMelon]

please refer to previous posts where I state horse will not be for sale, due to various different factors, and he does not enjoy hacking.

Ok, then try a different disipline. Haven't you already done that? Try dressage, showing, XC, whatever you can think of and see what your horse does in those situations then take it from there. If its PURELY SJ that its doing it, Id be inclined to think that its stale and sick of the sight of show jumps. Have you given this horse time off work?

 

[ellie_e]

Ok, then try a different disipline. Haven't you already done that? Try dressage, showing, XC, whatever you can think of and see what your horse does in those situations then take it from there. If its PURELY SJ that its doing it, Id be inclined to think that its stale and sick of the sight of show jumps. Have you given this horse time off work?

We've swapped to DR and he was fine- now started to do it again