Training troubles

M

Mehefin

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28 November 2011
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thehorsewebsite.gotpetsonline.com
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum, so I'm looking forward to finding out what it's like and how it works! This is my first post.

I have a 5-year-old Welsh Cob cross Arab/TB gelding called Mo. I have had him since he was 9 months old and broke him myself. He was very easy to break, loved all the attention that came from the experience, and was a wonderful pony to ride. Up until he was about 4 years old, he has been perfectly behaved. About that time I fell off him whilst jumping and cracked two ribs, meaning I couldn't ride him for 6 weeks. After that time I rode him again and we got on fine, but he became very 'spooky' (he'd always been prone to shying but it seemed to escalate). This has since progressed to rearing (which I have now dealt with) and reversing at high speed down the road - I know it sounds ridiculous but he now canters backwards. I have contacted nuerous people, including a conventional horse trainer, a natural horsemanship trainer, Mo has been rebroken, he has had two weeks up at another training yard where he didn't put a foot wrong and behaved extremely well. I have even had the vet out to do blood tests to make sure he isn't a rig (he isn't) and the back man to make sure everything is at it should be (which it is). His saddle and bridle have both been checked by a professional saddler, and been fitted correctly to him. His teeth are all up to date, and he is ridden in a rubber bar bit as he is very light in the mouth.
I find that my main problem wih him is that he holds his head so high that I cannot do anything with him - he won't concentrate when his head is in the sky, so it is impossible for me to correct any naughtiness or bad behaviour with his head in this position. I use a Pessoa when lunging to strengthen his back muscles and have just started using a Market Harborough (at recommendation from my instructor) when riding to encourage a lower head position.
I have tried everything I can think of and the problem of reversing is getting worse - he will now go backwards for up to half a mile (literally) and I cannot stop or turn him. I tried reversing him into a bank at the side of the road but he just went up it. Nobody else I know has encountered anything like this before and has no solutions. Can anyone on here please offer any advice? I'm desperate! Thank you. :)
 
If he behaved well at the training yard, I am sorry to say, it must be the way you ride. I also think 2 weeks being re-broken is probably not long enough to establish a proper way of going. I don't know why your trainer has recommended a market harborough for such a young and confused horse. Really a MH is meant for horses who get strong and pull, it is a gadget that means they just pull against themselves. Using it as a method to force his head into an outline will only confuse him and make him more likely to back off and go backwards. I would suggest you find another trainer and have regular lessons in the safe environment of a school before you try going out hacking, your pony sounds very confused.
 
Hi
Does he do it when he's with other horses? Can you hack with someone to take the lead? Can someone walk on foot with you?
Does he do it with other riders- not trying to be mean but maybe you lost confidence after your fall & he's picking up on that.
If he went well at the trainers yard can the trainer give you some lessons on him?
Kx
 
The reversing is napping.....

As for the rest, I agree if he went well at the training yard, you're going to need to look at your own abilities.....

Get yourself a good trainer - perhaps the one that re-broke your horse???
 
I agree with the above , a market harborough has no place at this stage and he needs to get his confidence in a safe area.

You say he is very light in the mouth, I would suggest that he is either so light that you have no contact, thus giving him no support through your hands or that he may be getting his tongue over the bit which is then causing his running away, this will not be helped by gadgets just correct riding and getting him relaxed through his neck and mouth.

Get help from a trainer that will ride him and go back to basics.
 
Thanks everyone.
Just to clarify I rebroke him myself, over a period of about 6 months.
The reversing is napping, and he does it more when other horses are there - he will reverse into them, forcing them out of the way (he never kicks, thank goodness!). He is fine when someone is on foot, I can take him anywhere.
He does the same thing when my trainer took him out, and she has been breaking and schooling horses professionally for 20 years. I have had several lessons on him with my instructor (who is also a professional horse trainer) and he goes fine when he is up there, at her yard. The problem is definetely when out hacking - I can ride him in the school ok, except that his head is way up in the clouds!
I've used both a running and standing martingale on him - neither had any effect at all. After a long period of work he will lower his head for up to 10 minutes at a time, but he has been ridden for almost 3 years, so I am surprised he has such a problem with this.
When riding, I am able to take a reasonable contact with him - his contact is not so light that I can't touch his mouth!
I thought to start with it must be that I'd lost confidence (I have, but on other horses, not Mo) and that's what he was picking up on, but I'm not convinced as he only behaves like this when hacking out. Is he showing off? Is he just napping for the sake of it? Is he bored? He's a very intelligent horse, so I wondered if this might be part of the problem...
Keep your advice coming, it's very helpful!
 
Your horse is 5 and he has been ridden for 3 years ? Is your maths correct or do you really mean you broke him at 2 and have been riding him since then ?

I don't know if this is a troll post, or you are being serious ?
 
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