The Ozzy Diaries

motherof2beasts! said:
I think your doing a great job and just keep doing what your doing . As you say he’s not taken back to the field when he’s doing this , so hasn’t actually avoided work just gone around it a different way.

I know most posters mean well , but some are very patronising, ignore. You have done a great things for Ozzie.

And as for the biting , for goodness sake it was once , anticipating treats , no blood shed
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I agree that people do mean well and genuinely want to help. It's one of those things where it could be any number of causes - and so it's just a matter of finding out what works.

I was watching a video of Michael Peace working with a really nappy horse, but it was so unlike Ozzy... for that horse, it was a combination of genuine fear with 'I don't want to do this.' Michael said that the horse was probably a long-standing napper who could easily intimidate a rider. I could see that the horse was always praised for doing the right thing, but when I compared it to Ozzy, who is so compliant apart from moving from the track to the lane, there wasn't really a great deal I could take from it.

He does seem to have stopped biting the other horses! Ozzy has quickly learnt that there is no need to be aggressive about hay.
 
Nancykitt said:
This is on the list - basically making it so that moving forward is the most comfortable option and planting is the least comfortable.

He can certainly move beautifully when he wants to. We've just put a new bale under the haybell and one of my jobs is to keep the horses away from it until it's ready for them. I do this with a water pistol and it turns into a game where they turn and trot off, then sneak back again. At one point they all did a sort of synchronised canter and it was quite the thing to behold - Ozzy's canter especially!
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Ha!
Your husband could always shoot him in the backside with a jet of water when you need to walk on - problem solved!
 
ihatework said:
There is all sorts of advice here, and plenty to try out.

One other thing to add to the list is to sit it out (be warned, keep the day clear!)

Face him the way you want to go. Keep him facing that way, he’ll likely try to turn and/or go backwards.

Keep you leg lightly on. Every couple of minutes ask him to go. Any forward attempt is praised. Stay completely emotionally neutral!

It can take a very long time over a number of days, but there is one that sticks in my mind that this was very effective on. He was a smart cookie that one.
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I think it was Heather Moffat who did that and wrote about in enlightened equitation, the book about 40 years ago.
 
ihatework said:
There is all sorts of advice here, and plenty to try out.

One other thing to add to the list is to sit it out (be warned, keep the day clear!)

Face him the way you want to go. Keep him facing that way, he’ll likely try to turn and/or go backwards.

Keep you leg lightly on. Every couple of minutes ask him to go. Any forward attempt is praised. Stay completely emotionally neutral!

It can take a very long time over a number of days, but there is one that sticks in my mind that this was very effective on. He was a smart cookie that one.
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I used this method many years ago when riding someones horse. It took two and a half hours to go two metres up the road. He then gave in and never napped with me again.
 
tristars said:
It's well known that horses bought when a bit low, hawked round the sales, etc when they start to put on weight and feel good, start to test the boundaries
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This is Ozzy. He does all sorts of testing, mostly small things.
One day he would happily take his bit, the next day he wouldn’t, the next day he would. Same with stepping away from the head collar some days - but yesterday he stuck his head over the fence near the gate & had his head collar on. Life is never boring with the rose gold cob!
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Have you had saddler out ? My last pony used to plant when a bit uncomfortable.
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Years ago we had lovely saddles made for AJ & Snoopy (with Flair) but the saddler had to come out quite frequently because they changed shape like crazy, especially Snoopy. Where we live now there is nobody within 100 + miles radius that could fit a a flair saddle. Within a few months of moving, both horses were clearly not comfortable & we actually stopped riding while we investigated various solutions.
In the end we moved to TCS and it’s been an absolute gamechanger. The difference from day 1 was remarkable- I don’t think AJ has ever moved so freely. We use TCS seats so it feels more like a trad setup, but we’ve also sorted out bespoke padding for them. We have a physio who comes over (not very frequently but better than nothing) and she was really impressed with the horses’ backs.
Ozzy has a TCS with seat, sheepskin half pad and a thin-ish cloth underneath. When he’s not planting he looks and feels very happy in it!

ETA: even when he is planting he doesn’t look unhappy. He just looks relaxed and fixed to the ground.
 
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Sounds like your doing all the right things. Just going to throw in my own experience -
I have a young and very green cob x draught of some type.(Unknown breeding). His history is unknown.
He can be a bit of a planter, and went through a stage of not moving away from the mounting block. He has also planted leading to and from the field, and will currently do it occasionally when hacking alone. The thing I do with him (and previous nappy horses) is to get his front feet moving, however I can.
This usually involves 'pulling' him from side to side so that he has to take a step to rebalance. This helps get his feet moving and moving past the stage of being stuck.
In a similar way you can pull him onto a small circle - I'm not so keen on this for hacking as can be hard to get back to the right direction. But works well in the school.
So it's a case of when he plants, give him a second to check he is calm and not frightened of anything. Ask with leg, then start moving from side to side to unstick the front legs. If he steps forward, reward and remove the pressure.
Repeat if needed.
I usually find two or three of these side to sides, and he just walks on, as it's the easy option.
Obviously this is when he is just planting, and not scared. For those times, he is allowed to stop and look until he is happy with the situation before being asked to walk on.
I will also tap my whip on boot as an extra incentive if needed.
I couple of people have said to me about two schooling whips to drive him forward, but I'm happy with what we are doing. It may take a little longer then 'bullying' him, but he will be a better horse for it in the long run.
 
Spotherisk said:
Can the other two be ridden and led, so there’s no other horse at home? Even if Ozzy doesn’t follow, it will show that he’s not napping towards a horse at home.
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This is on the list too! One of us will lead Snoopy and AJ (they can both be rather fond of the grass verges so it may be no mean feat) and see what Ozzy is like.

If definitely doesn't help that whichever horse is left in the field sticks their head over the fence close to where Ozzy is planting!
 
Nancykitt said:
This is on the list too! One of us will lead Snoopy and AJ (they can both be rather fond of the grass verges so it may be no mean feat) and see what Ozzy is like.

If definitely doesn't help that whichever horse is left in the field sticks their head over the fence close to where Ozzy is planting!
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If you have a roller and side reins it will make like easier stopping the snacking.
 
BREAKING NEWS!

Ozzy was ridden down the track and all the way down the lane (and back!)

The aim of today was to get Ozzy down the track without his rider dismounting. We just wanted him to walk past the gate and up the track to the junction with the lane.
OH had a schooling whip and another (shorter) whip, one in each hand. Ozzy was good at the block as usual, walked about three steps and planted.
OH put leg on and 'waved' the whips simultaneously so Ozzy could see them. He took one step. Got praised.
After that it didn't work so well. I (on the ground) waved my own crop around at waist height and he took a few more steps.
I then moved quite quickly towards Ozzy's rear, still carrying my crop but not doing anything with it. He walked and carried on walking!
I got on AJ, Ozzy carried on walking, got to the junction, turned onto the lane and walked all the way!
At one stage he stopped for a few seconds - OH waved the whips and he walked on.

This totally exceeded our expectations!
When Ozzy got back he got a big fuss. It seemed to be the 'triple whippy' approach that persuaded him - and none of the whips were actually used to hit him.

As OH said, there's a chance it might not work next time, but today is a big milestone in breaking a negative pattern.

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Jasmine2023 said:
Ah great news Nancy. It shows he will do these things so even if he plants again next time you know you have got him to move previously so he is likely to do so again. He's definately making you all work hard ;)
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We do learn a lot from Ozzy! But he is in everyone's good books today. I work with a great headteacher whose motto is 'Try your best, no excuses' and talks about being '10% braver.' Perhaps Ozzy has had a coaching session with him!
 
Nancykitt said:
BREAKING NEWS!

Ozzy was ridden down the track and all the way down the lane (and back!)

The aim of today was to get Ozzy down the track without his rider dismounting. We just wanted him to walk past the gate and up the track to the junction with the lane.
OH had a schooling whip and another (shorter) whip, one in each hand. Ozzy was good at the block as usual, walked about three steps and planted.
OH put leg on and 'waved' the whips simultaneously so Ozzy could see them. He took one step. Got praised.
After that it didn't work so well. I (on the ground) waved my own crop around at waist height and he took a few more steps.
I then moved quite quickly towards Ozzy's rear, still carrying my crop but not doing anything with it. He walked and carried on walking!
I got on AJ, Ozzy carried on walking, got to the junction, turned onto the lane and walked all the way!
At one stage he stopped for a few seconds - OH waved the whips and he walked on.

This totally exceeded our expectations!
When Ozzy got back he got a big fuss. It seemed to be the 'triple whippy' approach that persuaded him - and none of the whips were actually used to hit him.

As OH said, there's a chance it might not work next time, but today is a big milestone in breaking a negative pattern.

View attachment 165426
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Brilliant!
Now expect it of him next time, positive, forward, we are absolutely doing this - and you’re under sail!
Well done.
 
Nancykitt said:
BREAKING NEWS!

Ozzy was ridden down the track and all the way down the lane (and back!)

The aim of today was to get Ozzy down the track without his rider dismounting. We just wanted him to walk past the gate and up the track to the junction with the lane.
OH had a schooling whip and another (shorter) whip, one in each hand. Ozzy was good at the block as usual, walked about three steps and planted.
OH put leg on and 'waved' the whips simultaneously so Ozzy could see them. He took one step. Got praised.
After that it didn't work so well. I (on the ground) waved my own crop around at waist height and he took a few more steps.
I then moved quite quickly towards Ozzy's rear, still carrying my crop but not doing anything with it. He walked and carried on walking!
I got on AJ, Ozzy carried on walking, got to the junction, turned onto the lane and walked all the way!
At one stage he stopped for a few seconds - OH waved the whips and he walked on.

This totally exceeded our expectations!
When Ozzy got back he got a big fuss. It seemed to be the 'triple whippy' approach that persuaded him - and none of the whips were actually used to hit him.

As OH said, there's a chance it might not work next time, but today is a big milestone in breaking a negative pattern.

View attachment 165426
Click to expand...
Great news ,

He may test you but now you know you can all do it , you’ll all be more confident.
 
Nancykitt said:
BREAKING NEWS!

Ozzy was ridden down the track and all the way down the lane (and back!)

The aim of today was to get Ozzy down the track without his rider dismounting. We just wanted him to walk past the gate and up the track to the junction with the lane.
OH had a schooling whip and another (shorter) whip, one in each hand. Ozzy was good at the block as usual, walked about three steps and planted.
OH put leg on and 'waved' the whips simultaneously so Ozzy could see them. He took one step. Got praised.
After that it didn't work so well. I (on the ground) waved my own crop around at waist height and he took a few more steps.
I then moved quite quickly towards Ozzy's rear, still carrying my crop but not doing anything with it. He walked and carried on walking!
I got on AJ, Ozzy carried on walking, got to the junction, turned onto the lane and walked all the way!
At one stage he stopped for a few seconds - OH waved the whips and he walked on.

This totally exceeded our expectations!
When Ozzy got back he got a big fuss. It seemed to be the 'triple whippy' approach that persuaded him - and none of the whips were actually used to hit him.

As OH said, there's a chance it might not work next time, but today is a big milestone in breaking a negative pattern.

View attachment 165426
Click to expand...
brilliant news. You must be thrilled. Couple more days and he will have forgotten all about stopping. :D:D
 
September 3rd

Ozzy ventures out!

Ozzy will now move off from the mounting block happily and will walk to the lane without napping.
We've been taking him for really short hacks just to build confidence. Occasionally he will nap for a minute or so but it's easy to persuade him to move on.

Today we took him out with Snoopy. Apart from a tiny bit of napping just before we turned onto the road, he was really good.
When we got out on to the road, I went in front on Snoopy. Ozzy was so good we ended up going further than we'd planned; we went on a little circular route which involved going over the bridge across the river and then along the road at the side of the sea loch. He was not in the least bit bothered by cars, vans, rattling trailers or the huge recycling bins in the village.
He doesn't actually spook at anything - he will sometimes have a good look and then take a step to the side as he's going forward, but that's about it. And most of the time he is steady and calm.
Did a little bit of trotting on the lane too!
We are SO pleased with him today! He got a huge fuss when we got home.
He's obviously still taking things in - he had a poo three times - but no spinning, spooking, running etc. He can be a brave little cob when he wants to be!

Last week he started to object to having his bridle on - specifically, he wouldn't take the bit. Although he seemed fine with his bit (NS turtle top eggbut) when out on the ride, we wondered if it was actually uncomfortable for him. So today we swapped to AJ's trans angled link baucher. He 'messed' with it a little more than the turtle top - he was possibly trying to get his tongue over it - but overall he seemed fine. We've decided to see how he is next time we put his bridle on. But if anyone has experience of this, we're always pleased to hear any of your views!

Apologies for the horrendous blurry photo, I was looking backwards while trying to steer a slightly impatient big cob at the time...

1756900370088.png
 
Nancykitt said:
September 3rd

Ozzy ventures out!

Ozzy will now move off from the mounting block happily and will walk to the lane without napping.
We've been taking him for really short hacks just to build confidence. Occasionally he will nap for a minute or so but it's easy to persuade him to move on.

Today we took him out with Snoopy. Apart from a tiny bit of napping just before we turned onto the road, he was really good.
When we got out on to the road, I went in front on Snoopy. Ozzy was so good we ended up going further than we'd planned; we went on a little circular route which involved going over the bridge across the river and then along the road at the side of the sea loch. He was not in the least bit bothered by cars, vans, rattling trailers or the huge recycling bins in the village.
He doesn't actually spook at anything - he will sometimes have a good look and then take a step to the side as he's going forward, but that's about it. And most of the time he is steady and calm.
Did a little bit of trotting on the lane too!
We are SO pleased with him today! He got a huge fuss when we got home.
He's obviously still taking things in - he had a poo three times - but no spinning, spooking, running etc. He can be a brave little cob when he wants to be!

Last week he started to object to having his bridle on - specifically, he wouldn't take the bit. Although he seemed fine with his bit (NS turtle top eggbut) when out on the ride, we wondered if it was actually uncomfortable for him. So today we swapped to AJ's trans angled link baucher. He 'messed' with it a little more than the turtle top - he was possibly trying to get his tongue over it - but overall he seemed fine. We've decided to see how he is next time we put his bridle on. But if anyone has experience of this, we're always pleased to hear any of your views!

Apologies for the horrendous blurry photo, I was looking backwards while trying to steer a slightly impatient big cob at the time...

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really lovely update. Glad it is working out for all of you :D:D
 
I love this update! Makes me more excited about my own future with my cob!

My girl was getting a bit tetchy about having her bridle put on a few days ago but I think that was her testing the boundaries, which is something she does regularly. I just persevered and kept asking her to accept the bit without forcing it onto her, and rewarded her once she took it. Since then, she hasn’t had a problem with it. Hopefully it’s something as simple as that for you!

It wouldn’t surprise me if it was, because he’s probably feeling confident and content, so he might be asking “but do I reeeeally have to work?”
 
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