Tips to burn off excess energy when lunging not possible... please!!!

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Quartz

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My horse is very fresh at the mo (have posted about this before), but now with this freezing weather its getting worse. My YO rode him yesterday and of course he galloped her around the arena doing the old farting bucking routine. Nothing nasty, he does stop he just has lots of excess energy. She has said I should try to work him twice a day, lunging in the morning and riding the afternoon. I am fine with this and more than happy to do it, but how am I supposed to lunge him when the arena is frozen solid and there is not an indoor one? Any ideas on what I can do to burn the excess energy off? Just to recap he is boxed during the winter, but not during the summer. He cannot go in the fields and only gets an hour out a day in a paddock. Is it worth giving him a calmer before I ride him or is this not really a good alternative? On the plus side she did say she loved riding him and he has loads of potential and was a brilliant jumper.
 
Hi,
The best thing you can do....you may not like this:)..as long as your arena is not too spikey...is walk him in hand around and around.....sort of pretend you are a horse walker! It really does work, half an hour should do it but use a bridle and hard hat to be safe. If you get bored work out some sort of pole work exercise so the horse has to concentrate where his feet are going not on just being speedy.
Good luck:)
Bryndu
 
I don't mind doing whatever it takes!! Would walking him around work then? I am going to give it a go and see what happens. Just watched one of the other threads titled 'got chucked off' and that is basically what my horse does!! The hazards of riding this time of year!!!
 
She rode him in the arena in the afternoon. This is not always possible, but it had defrosed enough for her to run the tractor over first. So, yes sometimes of course it will be possible for me to either lunge him just before I ride him in the afternoon. Sorry hadn't made that very clear had I!!!
 
Can you long rein? You then have much more control over the speed and direction - and also if you do lots of changes of direction it keeps their brain active as well, obviously all at a walk if bad ground.

It is a little bit of a skill to learn and a fizzy horse can be quite a handful until you learn a few tricks, so suggest you try in on good ground after you have ridden till you get the hang of it.

Same idea as walking in hand, but a little bit less hard work for you!!

(PS if you walk in hand, make the horse stop when you stop, walk off when you walk off, etc, just to exercise their brain a bit as well)
 
Dizzy The Blonde Reindeer said:
not sure what you feed but is exercise is hard try cutting hard feed down if not out.
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I do want to change his feed as since moving back to the yard for the winter his has become increasingly more energetic and difficult. The problem is I haven't got the courage to say to my YO I want to change his feed back to what I was giving him when he was in my field for the summer. He was a totally different horse then, calm and didn't spook and just a complete pleasure. Even my father in law who is terrified of horses loved him and rode him once! If I want to give a different feed I am not sure whether I should propose cutting the price of the livery to reflect buying my own feed?
 
i always lunge mine before i get on.

purely as shes a pain in the backside to do up her girth and i do think its loosens them up before we get on

if its defrosted in the afternoon, then 20 mins on the lunge then hop on??
 
sounds like a feed issue is the biggest thing here

other than that are you able to free school??.... i do this to get the bubbles out and my horse is now lunging herself after the obligatory hoolie.
 
I had this problem last winter as the yard I was on then took all out turnout away and we weren't allowed to lunge in the school (stupid rule...). So I had a 5yo who was basically very fresh indeed every time I got on. I had no option other to get on regardless of the fact that it was like getting on an unexploded bomb, not particularly enjoyable I have to say. As he'd been stabled I was spending a long time in walk to warm him up before moving on to trot work...However my instructor said that as long as you keep them very loose and don't actually ask them for anything, you can warm up just as well in trot or canter. So i used to get straight on with it, almost straight into a very very loose canter, 2 point position to keep off his back and we'd go round the school maybe 10 times on each rein like this. It was massively beneficial although we did have a few hairy moments initially, but it settled him down quickly and really improved his canter too, helping him to establish a lovely steady rythym and some natural balance which he had been lacking. You do have to stay off their backs though and ride with a loose rein which is easier said than done, and be able get on them in the first place!
 
Well I think the walking is a good idea if ground allows nothing else, Long reining is good, but if he is prone to kicking out, bucking etc it may not be so great, obviously, and I would only do it if bith you and him are experienced :D

And definatley CUT THAT FEED DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Saw my YO this eve at the school christmas play. I said to her I was concerned that I was not able to exercise him enough with this weather etc in the arena and as a result I would like to cut his morning and eve feed to 1 Litre instead of 1.5. Then give more hay instead. She said NO, I can't believe it, she said it has nothing to do with the feed. I am going to talk to her again on Monday and say that it is the way I want to do it end of.
 
bluehorse said:
I had this problem last winter as the yard I was on then took all out turnout away and we weren't allowed to lunge in the school (stupid rule...). So I had a 5yo who was basically very fresh indeed every time I got on. I had no option other to get on regardless of the fact that it was like getting on an unexploded bomb, not particularly enjoyable I have to say. As he'd been stabled I was spending a long time in walk to warm him up before moving on to trot work...However my instructor said that as long as you keep them very loose and don't actually ask them for anything, you can warm up just as well in trot or canter. So i used to get straight on with it, almost straight into a very very loose canter, 2 point position to keep off his back and we'd go round the school maybe 10 times on each rein like this. It was massively beneficial although we did have a few hairy moments initially, but it settled him down quickly and really improved his canter too, helping him to establish a lovely steady rythym and some natural balance which he had been lacking. You do have to stay off their backs though and ride with a loose rein which is easier said than done, and be able get on them in the first place!
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This is interesting, didn't know you could go straight into canter without it being bad for them. I was actually thinking of cantering him in the two point position around the arena numerous times to wear him out a bit before the lesson starts. However, was going to warm up first, but may give your suggestion a try, thanks.
 
First, cut the feed right down.

Second, when you get on, go straight into canter, this helps take the edge off. The worst thing you can do is insist that they walk when fresh - makes them more uptight!

Canter them until they settle :)
 
I think your safety when riding/you horse's safety when exercised is more important than giving your horse the YOs recommended amount of feed! Is it your own horse? In that case ignore YO!!!!! There are plenty of low energy/sugar feeds available that provide your horse with all necessary vits/mins.
 
He is my own horse, but is on full livery for winter. The problem is she thinks that she must be right as she has more experience. Yes, this is true she does, but on the other hand I know my horse better than she does. I will really put my foot down and cut down feed or change it altogether.
 
Quartz said:
He is my own horse, but is on full livery for winter. The problem is she thinks that she must be right as she has more experience. Yes, this is true she does, but on the other hand I know my horse better than she does. I will really put my foot down and cut down feed or change it altogether.
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Hey, good luck! Very difficult to tell some people, particularly YOs if you want something doing diiferently. You need to hold on to the fact that he is your horse and you make the decisions. If YO is really difficult, are there any other yards in your area you can have a look at? I speak with experience, I moved my horse 2 wks ago from a yard I have been at for 5 years, after facilities and services being really poor for some time. All the best
 
Move... all horses are different some cope being cooped up some just have to move, why not for the horses sanity and your enjoyment and safety move somewhere with more turnout, I know not always easy and all yards have pro's and cons but turnout seems quite an important requirement for your lady. Good luck
 
I did look at moving, but found all the yards round here to be very moody. She is actually pretty nice just a bit difficult as she knows best etc etc. However I have come to a decision over night and now feel much better about it all. I am going to buy the feed he has during the summer at mine it is not a floc but just granules for light to medium work. I will cut the amount down as well to 1 L morn and eve and just ask for him to have more hay. Once he is calmer a few times a week I am thinking of riding him over to mine (only 30 - 40 minute trot) and letting him play in the field for the day and then ride him back again. A bit of a to do but think it will work. Just hoping it won't actually stress him out moving back and forwards all the time. However, if I am going to have to buy my own feed should I suggest I pay less (only 20 euros) or should I just bite the bullet and pay that bit extra for a happier me and calmer horse?
 
I would bite the bullet its not worth the hassle. They are a worry though we all have things that are just not quite right. I do feel for horses in stables 23 hrs a day and personally I dont thing less food in the big scheme of things + calmer is going to make much difference but hope for you it does. What do you mean by moody yards? How do the other horses on the yard behave under the same conditions? Your plan sounds good though but like you say could be a bit of hassle but if you dont have kids etc then maybe the time spent faffing from one place to another could benefit you both if thats the only option:)
 
I would say the other horses there are very fresh as well. For example the girl I usually ride with got bucked off last monday in our dressage lesson and has broken a vertabrae. Anyway just got back from stables where I lunged him, where I got dragged around the arena by a galloping lunatic. A little bit scary.
 
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