Tell me your success stories - feeling deflated

[Amy567]

I've had my ex racer for nearly a year now and we're doing really well! Everything was going swimmingly and a fried said I should aim for BE at the end of the season. He has three super paces and works in an outline, has a lovely, powerful jump, but it just seems that he doesn't enjoy it!

We went XC schooling and he was really good, really felt like we were getting somewhere, so I entered a small hunter trial of 2ft3. The first class was a schooling round, the second class was the actual class - he went much better in this, we only had 4 stops and had to bypass one jump. The thing is, he was stopping because he was distracted by one thing or another (ambulance, spectator, car...) or the fact that he was napping towards the collecting ring (we stopped 10 strides out and planted 3 times! All away from the collecting ring).

I bought him with the aim to event/jump, but it seems that he doesn't enjoy it, he's far better at dressage.
I'm thinking of getting him out dressaging, maybe do a bit of BD next season and then sell him on in order to get a horse that enjoys doing what I enjoy doing.

Have I written him off too soon? Or how can I get over his nappyness when in the ring?

 

[Polos Mum]

Was he nappy when your tried him/ first got him? does he nappy hacking? Do you hack on your own?

If it's just at events with the atmosphere it's something you can work on, if he's a nappy personality then it'll be tough to overcome his general personality.

 

[AmyMay]

Was it his first xc competition?

 

[glamourpuss]

Something to remember about ex-racers is that in their previously did everything in groups. They were never expected to cope with stressful situations on their own.
It can take time....more than when schooling a youngster that hasn't raced IMO

 

[Amy567]

He wasn't nappy when we first got him, it's since his girlfriend was PTS 6 weeks ago. He's done JumpX before and other competitions, like show jumping but it he still stops away from the collecting ring.

 

[Charem]

I think a lot of ex racers struggle with the concept of going out on course by themselves. Can you take him in a pairs class with an older, more experienced horse to follow round the first few times until he gets the idea whilst working at home on going away from other horses? Perhaps take him to a couple xc clinics so you can practice this with other horses on course.

 

[Arniebear]

Dont write him off just yet, it may take him a few rounds of xc to figure out what its all about, ditto the pairs thing my warmblood wasnt happy going xc last yr, took him in a pairs and stuck to smaller courses and by sept last yr he was flying round a 3ft course with ease... Stick with it, im in the same situation with a horse i loan atm he's been xc twice now first time was eliminated by fence 3 due to gawking at god knows what, picked up a lead off the next horse and managed to get him round, just got back from his 2nd xc run where we had a lead pony in the pairs class and whilst i know i would have struggled trying to get him round on my own he jumped all the fences nicely today albeit a few stops but he is learning

 

[Goldenstar]

Get him hunting next season before you give up on him .

 

[Amy567]

I don't have anyone to pair up with. I was just so confident that we could get round, he stopped at silly things - like going down a small hill, yet jumped a palisade double that had a bigger hill between them! One good thing that did come out of it was that I managed to practice our flying changes a bit!

 

[Arniebear]

My warmblood still gawks at all the fences he's not being asked to jump but doesnt bat an eyelid at the ones he's jumping!! Can u not put an ad on a facebook group asking for a pair partner?! im sure there must be someone around willing to help failing that lots of schooling alone and just play it by ear he will eventually figure it out what he like hacking alone?!