Sharp/quirky horses

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vikkiandmonica

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I was just wondering how everyone copes with their sharp horses?

Wings is a sharp horse, admittedly not as sharp as some, but can flip out big time. Like, I had a lesson on his a couple of months ago, just working on our canter, had done about three 20m circles fine, and then he decided to bugger off up the arena and take off with me, to the point I had to sit it out and wait for him to chill. He did it a couple more times, just asking him to circle in canter, before he settled and listened to me (and I did give him a bit of a telling off).

This happened again today in my lesson, where we were doing some shoulder it, all was fine, and then he decided to have a tantrum and throws his head about and generally just being a bugger. Once he'd settled, we popped over a couple of jumps in trot fine, tried in canter, first few jumps were fine, then he locked his jaw and tanked off with me, to the point I had to run him into a fence to stop. Again, I gave him a bit of a kick to tell him to get a grip, and we started doing some jumps from walk and trot to let his brain calm down.

He can also be funny on hacks, like, he'll be fine one minute, then something will catch his eye and he'll spin and bugger off the other way. Once I've stopped him and walked him back the right way, he's fine. Yes, he might spook at a couple of things, but not badly. He can also get very excited and bunny hop/rear and generally, just blows his brain! It is literally like a switch goes off in his brain and he is completely gone, and you just can't get through to him.

Now, he produces some very nice flatwork and is a mint jumper (has a really powerful pop on him and is very scopey), and he'll go out and win shows, so it's not like I'm going to sell him if he carries on being sharp, but I was just wondering what sharp things your horses do and how you cope with them?

Thanks :D
 
Bruce is a total gentleman, and I would feel safe putting my granny on him. But, when I ride, I do push him. And because he's been schooled to such a high level - he has a LOT of buttons to push.

For instance, the other day when I was schooling, just to finish off as a last movement and get him using his shoulders more, I asked for passage across the short side of the school. Que massive irate hissy fit. Complete with faux spanish walk, ground pawing, stomping, squealing, mini rears and on-the-spot bucks. Bruce then got himself into such a stress he would only go backwards/sideways and wouldn't even walk in a straight line.

Eventually, after a good half hour of calming him down and getting him going low, deep and round (which is how he naturally holds himself), I asked and he did it straight away!!

Silly quirky sod! But I cope with it because he's not malicious at all and he's prrrrrrrettyyyyy :)
 
Rossi can be difficult, it takes him a while to realize that I'm the one in the saddle, and I get to dictate what we do. If I ask him for things 'too soon' we get either hollow through the back, evading like crazy or similar to you he'll lock is jaw and decide to bomb off and ignore me.

Honestly, I indulge him a little, I know people reading this will think I'm crazy but showing him that I won't get off - I'll just act like normal and ask again as soon as he's a bit calmer - works better than using force to bend him to my will.

It sound like your doing the right thing to me, not letting him win, I live in hope that Rossi will one day learn not to be such a fool :cool:
 
Thanks you two :D

nikkimariet - Wings can be like that, and he sometimes reduces himself to shaking and getting incredibly tense, and it feels like riding a bomb that will explode at any minute!!

Candence -I too have that hope of Wings, that he'll grow out of it and stop being an idiot, but I'm not holding out much hope that he'll improve masses :p
 
One of my mares who is out on loan at the mo doing BSJA is vvv quirky/sharp etc. She has that switch that just goes,she is better now (rising 8) but when she was 4/5 she was a total nightmare,many pro riders told me the only thing for her would be a bullet! She would spin 360, bolt ,stop dead and spin 360,dropped the shoulder in a sec,took off with you,stop dead,spin. In the school she would throw you against the side of the arena with you on her,once she even threw herself on the floor with me on her :-O! Generally very quirky and def a ride for someone with a sticky bum,she is only 14.2/15hh holsteiner x tb/nf,so pony brain,speed of tb and jump of a holsteiner! She is fine in a school now if jumps are in there,if there isn't she is still a pain so she is doing pure sj now. She is a point and shoot and v quick so is doing well with current young rider,has had her off but her mum said it's good for her daughters seat! I want to do dr etc as well hence why i've decided in april when loan is up she will go on the market. Love her to bits and my god has she taught me to stick on! learnt a lot from her (have been put off getting another mare again!) and will always have fond memories! i do look back at what she used to do to me and really it was no fun what i had to put up with but finally she is maturing well and proving herself,i always knew she could be a good un and go v far so pleased in the end i prooved myself right.

I've just bought a anglo arab 5 yr old,he is more like a 3 yr old,seen or done nothing in 5 yrs! sat and rotted in a field until last Aug/sept when backed,his owner is petrified of him and wouldn't even trot him up for me when i viewed him! he has bucked her off twice badly and now he thinks it's a good game,when you get on him he lets you get your feet in the stirrups and then he just broncs for england,he does settle if you ride him through it and has had physio etc out and all ok and purely down to being v green,cheeky and taking the mick. Hoping i can cure it,he is v quick and does spook but i think a lot of it is being so so baby so with work i'm hoping he's going to be a cracker,he has good breeding and paces so fingers crossed.
 
I stay calm and cool and try to not react when the pony is going omg and leaping around the place. Its funny, he is actually teaching me to be calm and cool when i never was before but I know someone has to be and its not going to be him!
 
I share your frustration! I have just had to accept that I cannot have it all (i.e. a good comp horse that is bombproof- they are like gold dust!!) So I have learned to cope and work with my mare when she is having one of her 'off' days! I have found that I simply need to sit quietly and ignore her spoilt toddler behavior whilst also being firm with my leg and hands (if I let her have the rein completely in those moments she would stand on her back legs for the duration!) So for me being patient but firm normally works and then we can resume the initial activity! I think most of it is knowing your horse 100% and inside out (I have had my mare 2years and only now is it starting to work!) as you need to know exactly what buttons to press etc.

I think you sound like you are doing a great job and the behavior doesn't scare you- as you said, the competition results etc kind of make it worth it... :)
 
Toby's sharpness is slightly different. He's never naughty (I can count on one hand the times he's actually been naughty and intentionally not done as he's been asked simply because he doesn't want to) but he can be awfully silly.

He's got a very low 'startle threshhold' and jumps at the slightlest thing: a cough is enough to make him jump :rolleyes: . It can make thinks like tightening the girth (i.e swinging your leg forwards over the flap) potentially dangerous as he leaps forwards and then panicsat you loosing your balance.

He rarely spooks properly but he constantly startles at everything: leaves, road marking, shadows, his own tail :rolleyes: . He never does anything apart for tensing and poss bending away, but he's always feels ready to run if it attacks. My friend hates riding him as she says he feels like a coiled spring, just ready to explode :o I don't even notice it now tho.

The only way to deal with him is to ignore the majority of it and reassure him if he get genuinely frightened. Reacting or telling him off just makes him far more anxious and panicy.
 
I quite like a bit of sharpness, Dylan could be a bit flaky at times.

My usual technique was just to sit tight and ignore him when he was bouncing about, try not to tense up and he usually settled down. In the arena I'd do lots of walk-halt and walk-trot transitions to get his focus back if he had a "moment". And I avoided fields on hacks, because they completely flipped his lid!
 
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