rolling when ridden

[joanne1920]

Hi, i know this is like a similar post thats recently been posted, but im hoping you wont say turn him away!

anyway mickey is rising 4 and is a 14hh gypsy cob, he was backed last year and turnt away for the winter and this past month has slowly been coming into work, only walk and trot.
he is coming on well and although not as sharp as i would like off the leg he is progressing well. i have a 30 mins lesson once a week.
During my lesson this morning, going from walk into trot, mickey decides without any warning to try and roll, no stopping a pawing the ground just straight down, this is the 3rd time he has down it, 1st time again walk into trot, and 2 nd time walking him to mounting block... not all today might i add, over several weeks!
instructer says she has never seen a horse just go down like that and without any warning doesnt give much time to kick him on!
she has recommended the following, dont ride him on my own in case he does it again and i dont get off in time (i have to chuck myself off!), to try and hack out once a week and to lunge him over some poles or small jumps to include variety and get him thinking forward and then to have a lesson with him too, each seesion being no more than 30 mins... she seems to think he;s trying differnet ways of evading me and work (very lais back, ploddy type pony) he has never rolled right over or even onto his side, just down so my feet hit sand!
he has had his back looked at, and is due dentist next month...
just wondered if anyone had any ideas? or if they knew of a horse that did it to?
as you can imagine its not doing my confidence much good...
thanks and sorry for the long post

 

[QUICKFIRE]

With him being a gypsy cob, has he got a thick coat ,could the combination of him getting hot and sweaty and the temptation of the sand school and a good roll be too much for him?. Have you got anybody to hack out with to get him going foward a bit more.

 

[joanne1920]

he has got quite a thick coat and he was getting warm when he tried it on, the sand school is also very puddly and he had sandy water drippying from his belly today, so he has an excuse today! yes i wouldnt dare go out on my own, have been invited out on a hack sunday, with 2 others and someone on foot, so ideal x

 

[RLD]

My first pony used to do this. I was having a lesson on her shortly after getting her and she had got a bit sweaty so decided to roll - I jumped off and she clicked that if she rolled I would jump off (and being a nervous 9yo child probably wouldn't be in a hurry to get on again!) As I wasn't experienced or strong enough to stop her from doing it my instructor would have a lunge whip and would just use it behind her if she saw her knees going. Eventually I got stronger in the leg and quicker at reading the signs and was able to ride her forwards. Once she realised I would ride her through it and not just jump off she stopped doing it.

 

[dawnpetenathshir]

My gypsy cob did this to me when we rode on the beach and I really think its because he was hot and itchy and sweaty. We clipped him last winter and the winter before and he hasn't repeated this trick. Give clipping a try and I expect he's moulting as well which will make him itchy.

 

[Orangehorse]

I am afraid he will have to learn that he can't do this just when he thinks he could do with a roll. It is a good way to get rid of the rider when he feels hot! This could soon escalate into a nasty habit.

Since it is so quick you are going to have to be quick to feel any hesitation and send him on, with a growl, or more. Or shrieking "NO" in his ear. Horses don't like being shouted at, so he might take some notice.

 

[vonno]

I have a horse who did this when I first bought her several years ago - no warning, she just got down on the floor without rolling. We found out she had a sore back, and after treatment she stopped doing it.
She has only tried it since on a couple of occasions, once when we tried a new saddle which was a bit too narrow and another when we cinched her too tight. So sounds to me like he is uncomfortable perhaps as mentioned above from being hot.

 

[Bossanova]

It's an extreme form of evasion, I'd have very stern words with him next time....

 

[AmyMay]

I also echo the clipping.

 

[sillygillyhorse]

Years ago my TB x Dales hunter started this habit, always when happened when he was hot and needed clipping. Final straw was at the opening meet when he decide to have a roll after the first gallop. I stepped off him and gave him a very sharp kick in the ribs, he got up pretty quickly and never tried it again though I then did pay more attention to how long his coat was.

Agree with others this is a nasty habit that needs nipping in the bud before he hurts someone or wrecks your saddle.

 

[Fransurrey]

Henry has tried this twice in the past. I would guess that your boy is simply sweaty and has yet to learn that rolling with rider and tack is not the done thing! Henry was sweaty on both times he had a go and I had to be a bit persuasive in getting him up again - the second time we'd been caught in a heavy downpour and I guess his wet coat was itchy! Shame they don't do it on cue - it would make mounting so much easier!

 

[joanne1920]

brilliant thanks, he is moulting quite alot at the mo, and next autumn will clip him as he goes into winter ... didnt bother this year as he was being turnt away... cheeky little b*gger, glad to hear someone also thinks its a from evasion, i was beginning to feel like a cruel mum and leaving him off work again to grow up a bit! x

 

[kerilli]

i think if he doesn't roll over then i'd stay in the saddle and yell at him, and give him a good push on with my legs (or kick if necessary), until he gets up again, then lots of praise. i've heard of horses doing this, it's very naughty if he's using it to evade work. you aren't heavy for him, are you? he is still quite young... not as young as the one in the other post, obv, but not fully mature yet.

 

[joanne1920]

he's quite a stocky medium weight cob and i weigh 9 stone, so hopefully not too big?

 

[kerilli]

no, i'm sure that's fine. sorry to ask such a personal question!

 

[joanne1920]

thats ok! thanks for your help x

 

[archie1]

hi i posted on the 2yr old that rolls. could it be the same thing with the mare do you think? i know everyone said to turn her out but thats not really an option and its important that the horse does not injure the rider who will just go to someone bigger and stronger to 'sort it out'. could a clip solve the problem??

 

[kerilli]

No, the 2yr old is rolling in desperation because it is too weak to be ridden. same symptom perhaps, but a very very different cause.
Please please tell the owner that the horse is too immature to be worked, or ideally get a vet to do so, or someone she might listen to. it is ridiculous to have a 2 yr old doing an hour and 20 minutes in the school, which i think is what you said.
if the 2yr old goes to someone else, hopefully they will know enough to turn her out and wait for her to grow and age... that's all she needs, not sorting out, not clipping.

 

[archie1]

the 2 yr old only spent 1hr30 in the school because all we were trying to get it to do was walk around the school without napping or lying down. it did not sweat up at any time, was not stressed or even tired. although i don't agree with riding at this age this is the situation and i felt that the horse could not be left refusing to do anything. in the US horses are competed at this age so the time spent in the school actually doing anything constructive was 30 mins at walk and a few trots.

 

[enchanted]

I had a 4 yr old pony do this. From walk, trot, and canter! It was like he was jumping but without the jump, and then down he went! There was nothing wrong with him, his back, saddle etc. He did it quite a bit at first and was used purely as an evasion. Lazy pony had enough so threw himself on the floor! He soon learned that he,d get shouted at, hit on the backside and made to get up again, and gave it up as a bad idea. Try being really horrible to him when he does it, lazy ponies often hate being shouted at more than anything, and be over the top with the praise when he does well and he,ll soon grow out of it. Promise you,ll look back and laugh in a year!

 

[KrujaaLass]

My horse did this to me.She was swishin g her tail beforehand and we thought a fly might have caused her to do this

 

[Vicki1986]

when i was a kid i rode a shetland pony that did the same thing in the school - then she did it a few times on dusty tracks out hacking

i was only about 8 so i just used to hop off sharpish and then get back on as i was far too young to wonder why/try to stop her i just thought she was a naughty riding school pony! hope you find a solution as i can imagine at 14hh its a bit more disconcerting!