Azbo
Well-Known Member
My rising 7 year old nearly 17hh gelding, he is selles francais/ Anglo Arab/ British warmblood cross (I'm 5'9)displays a number of 'stallion like' behaviour. As far as the eye can see, he has no balls and when I bought him last year from his breeder, I was informed that he was gelded relatively quickly as the plan had been to keep him at home where they also keep his dad. He was sold as he grew too big for his 5'3 owner and she was suffering with very poor health.
Initially things have gone well, he settled into his field very quickly and got on well with his three gelding field pals. Sadly as the clocks changed and winter began to descend, one of these field pals was moved to a different field with the owners other pony and the other two passed away within days of each other due to un-rectifiable physical issues and colic. No other horse has been out with him apart from briefly, a mare, whom he loved and whom showed him how much fun could be had with the human when you gallop around bucking rearing and generally acting like a loon, she was removed pretty swiftly after she refused to be caught for several days.
Handling him leading from the field became gradually harder and harder for a time, just getting a head collar on proved to be game of tag, he will constantly nip at me on the lead rein, he can plant his feet and refuse to move. I have used a dually with this but its such a battle to get a head collar on, I've taken to leaving a field safe head collar on him. Trying to get a head collar on him can quite quickly deteriorate into him pawing the ground and rearing up at me, too which I send him away to try and establish who's in charge, which usually involves him galloping around me doing 'wall of death' bucking leaping and farting. Eventually he will stop and I can catch him. The last time I left him for half an hour and then went and got him. Since then, he's actually been ok, although he does still nip. (he gets no food from my hand except very occasionally when I do carrot stretches) the nipping is almost like a compulsion and do think this is a lot to do with him currently not having any horses with him, which has lead him to believe he's more important in his 'herd' that he actually is. Thankfully he is getting his old pal back this weekend (pony is prone to laminitis and the horse isn't, so we shall see how this pans out.
The latest upset happened last night, I lead him in from the field, he was fine, just a bit of nipping as ever. We passed a pony mare on the way, who gave him a shrill hello as we passed. Then tied him up, up wind from where the mare is grazed. He became very agitated and kept trying to spin round and break free form his tie up. Eventually I put him his stable where he became even more agitated, box walking and leaping of the ground, rushing at the stable door and snorting. I then found out that the pony has just come into season. After some time of waiting for him to calm down a bit I decided before I got on and rode him, I should stick him on the lunge first, they have a separate lunge pen where I keep him, I lead him up, in just a head collar and lunge line, He planted refused to go near the lunge pen which had the gate across, reared up at me (I was wearing a skull cap)then tried to run off. sadly for him, I anchored myself, so he couldn't get away, he doesn't tend to try and pull more than the resistance will allow, he then proceeded to leap and lunge about several feel away from me, trying to get down to the pony. eventually I got some help to get him into the lunge pen where he motor biked round it (cutting up the underneath membrane, I'm not very popular right now). Once he had calmed down a bit I got him listening to me, tacked him up and rode in the school.
I've now been asked not to use the lunge pen, we cant let them loose in the school or lunge in there already, which means I don't have any options for him letting off steam, before I ride. Suffice to say, he current situation, isn't fantastic. Therefore I wondered if any one has any experience with any of these behaviours, what did you did in order to manage the situation and any suggestions on training or things I can try welcome.
I'm working on the assumption he isn't a true rig, however if behaviour persist, I will get him tested.
Thanks for reading this
Initially things have gone well, he settled into his field very quickly and got on well with his three gelding field pals. Sadly as the clocks changed and winter began to descend, one of these field pals was moved to a different field with the owners other pony and the other two passed away within days of each other due to un-rectifiable physical issues and colic. No other horse has been out with him apart from briefly, a mare, whom he loved and whom showed him how much fun could be had with the human when you gallop around bucking rearing and generally acting like a loon, she was removed pretty swiftly after she refused to be caught for several days.
Handling him leading from the field became gradually harder and harder for a time, just getting a head collar on proved to be game of tag, he will constantly nip at me on the lead rein, he can plant his feet and refuse to move. I have used a dually with this but its such a battle to get a head collar on, I've taken to leaving a field safe head collar on him. Trying to get a head collar on him can quite quickly deteriorate into him pawing the ground and rearing up at me, too which I send him away to try and establish who's in charge, which usually involves him galloping around me doing 'wall of death' bucking leaping and farting. Eventually he will stop and I can catch him. The last time I left him for half an hour and then went and got him. Since then, he's actually been ok, although he does still nip. (he gets no food from my hand except very occasionally when I do carrot stretches) the nipping is almost like a compulsion and do think this is a lot to do with him currently not having any horses with him, which has lead him to believe he's more important in his 'herd' that he actually is. Thankfully he is getting his old pal back this weekend (pony is prone to laminitis and the horse isn't, so we shall see how this pans out.
The latest upset happened last night, I lead him in from the field, he was fine, just a bit of nipping as ever. We passed a pony mare on the way, who gave him a shrill hello as we passed. Then tied him up, up wind from where the mare is grazed. He became very agitated and kept trying to spin round and break free form his tie up. Eventually I put him his stable where he became even more agitated, box walking and leaping of the ground, rushing at the stable door and snorting. I then found out that the pony has just come into season. After some time of waiting for him to calm down a bit I decided before I got on and rode him, I should stick him on the lunge first, they have a separate lunge pen where I keep him, I lead him up, in just a head collar and lunge line, He planted refused to go near the lunge pen which had the gate across, reared up at me (I was wearing a skull cap)then tried to run off. sadly for him, I anchored myself, so he couldn't get away, he doesn't tend to try and pull more than the resistance will allow, he then proceeded to leap and lunge about several feel away from me, trying to get down to the pony. eventually I got some help to get him into the lunge pen where he motor biked round it (cutting up the underneath membrane, I'm not very popular right now). Once he had calmed down a bit I got him listening to me, tacked him up and rode in the school.
I've now been asked not to use the lunge pen, we cant let them loose in the school or lunge in there already, which means I don't have any options for him letting off steam, before I ride. Suffice to say, he current situation, isn't fantastic. Therefore I wondered if any one has any experience with any of these behaviours, what did you did in order to manage the situation and any suggestions on training or things I can try welcome.
I'm working on the assumption he isn't a true rig, however if behaviour persist, I will get him tested.
Thanks for reading this
thats sad, and could quite possible have impacted on his behavior, a horse coming from one environment to another - new owner, new yard, new horses, then losing his mates... he could well be feeling a little bit insecure. I really wouldn't worry about the mare. Having worked with stallions around mares, there is no reason they should not have impeccable manners under such circumstances, it sounds more to me like he is feeling a little lonely and as I said, insecure with all the comings and goings. My boy when he lost Ebony was so fragile, hated being in the field alone, attacked company, only wanted me around... jumped out of the exercise paddock... truth be told, all he wanted was to be safe in his stable. He was due to be backed so he went about a month later to another yard for this purpose and moved to a new yard when he came back to me... he has been a different horse since then, but the loss of ebony changed him overnight. I think that the first thing is to stabilise his field environment with a companion. and perhaps look at some supplement - something calming - In this case I would not necesarily go for a traditional magnesium calmer, but something herbal. I would also look at working his brain as much as working him physically... A few minutes of brainwork can calm as well as a 2 hr fast hack -if not more! It would also give you a chance to really work on the manners and also you could train him to stop biting. I used clicker training with ben when he was too young for work but too boisterous... I had never tried it before but it really is so effective and pretty fun, it can teach and instill manners in a few very short lessons. There is a lot of info online about it and I read clicker training for colts, which is a quick and easy read, there is also a lot to watch on youtube. Reading above, clicker training, herbs... gosh it makes me sound a bit alternative 
but in general I am not, I do feel that this could help you though and the beauty of clicker training expecially is that its all about them learning to control themselves. One of the very first lessons they learn is that mugging your handler will never get you anywhere, being polite and respectful and doing what is asked will get rewarded, i found it incredibly effective.
As I said, before the Beast I had never tried CT, I haven't used it for years with him, but the lessons that I taught him with that method still stick with him today, in many ways I think I should have done it more... a few short sessions with him and I managed to change his behaviour to the point where four years later, he sees a treat in my hand and instead of mugging me, he turns his head away from me, knowing he must respect my space and only gets it when I say... It really impressed me how effective it was, but also the thinking and problem solving completely chills them out - for them its such hard work! 