very sweet gentle tb but wot to do with him?????

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juevans

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any suggestions i have a 7yr old 3/4 tb gelding very sweet and gentle until you get on his back and he dont want it at all!!!! he just leaves the floor with all four feet had some friends try him today and we now think he as been beaten they did maange to get on and walk slowly round menage dont want to bore everyone but if it turns out i cant ride him was wonderin what else i could do with him could he drive? or show in hand he is very flaoty on lunge just dont want him just standin in stable for rest of his life
 
This is sad and maybe a long story , how long have you had him ,have you had his back ,saddle , teeth checked .Maybe you could send him for schooling.I don't think driving will be suitable and I don't know what you could show him in,
Sorry hope this has a happy ending
 
Hi, I wonder if he has recently been retired from racing? If so it may take a while for him to accept 'normal' saddle & rider.
In any case I would
A, make sure he thoughly accepts saddle & stirrups, lunge him in it at walk trot & canter (don't run the stirrups up) When he is working quietly like this (no bucking) then..
B, have someone hold him whilst you stand along side his saddle area with your arm over his saddle, gently stroke his opposite side, if he is ok with this tap (not hard) on his sides whilst your helper reassures him. He will probably get anxious at this point - if he does then keep doing it until he doesn't take any notice. Make sure your helper is scratching his neck or whatever he enjoys.
C, when he is totally confident with this then you can try putting some weight into the stirrup, just pull a little on the stirrup - don't put your feet in yet.
D, next i would have some one give me a leg up so that I am leaning over his back - again he probably won't thank you for this so keep trying until he accepts it with ease. (food might help persuade him)
E, next comes mounting - when you can lean over his back and wriggle about with out issue you should be able to sit on him - do this quietly - keep your legs out of his sides - sroke his neck and then get off!
F, when he is ok with this you should get him used to having you legs squeezing his sides. other-wise the first time he spooks you will tense up and he will throw you off!

I am assuming though that he has been broken in or at least lunged & long reined? If not I would suggest you find a good professional to start him for you.

Also be very care-full if you hope to drive him, again I would get some one with alot of driving experiance to train him.

sorry if this seems patronizing but a terrified TB galloping down the road with a cart on tow isn't that funny
 
am goin to try long reining as he needs to learn to go forward but not on the lunge as he can do that happily all day
 
If he is happy to lunge but bad under saddle then I think you seriously have to consider whether there is a physical cause for his problems. Call a decent vet in and get a proper investigation done and get his saddle checked by a reputable saddler.
 
no he asnt raced at all he as been through a few dealers yards and auctions around the north west as iv traced his past and he couldnt be backed proffesionals had tried so was sold on net as companion got into wrong hands "dealers" etc and resulted in him being past about this asnt reflected on his nature at all which im very surprised about i bought him a few weeks ago from a dealer ,,,,didnt kno at the time told me complete pack of lies about his past stupidly i didnt try him out as it was rainin windy and he had bad case of mud rash...no excuse i kno but he was so chilled and laid back anyway so now i have him and cant sell him on for obvious reasons and the companion thing is a no go so thats why i thort id ask on here for ideas as i dont particularly want to keep him as a big expensive pet
 
had a back person look at his back nothing down his spine just very tight and tense on right side of his rump and that side dips down more than other in walk not noticeable in trot etc not sure if this was him compensatin for his bad mud rash ,,,,which as nearly gone now anway he can roll fully over from one side to other in menage and field no probs so back woman was very surprised wen she saw him do this waving his legs in air not the sign of horse with back problem
 
IMO send it to a professional who specialises in breaking, schooling and problem horses. I fannied about with an unridable horse for months and its soul-destroying, before sending it away for intensive re-hab. Also agree with others that you need to get all the physical checks done if you've not already had them.
 
Sorry, just read another of your posts. Are you in the North West? I am and if you like I can PM you details of the bloke who got my horse back working, after two others tried and failed. He's awesome with seriously difficult horses.
 
yes kvs am in north west and wot did the guy manage to do with yours? if you could pm me his details that would be great thanks just trying to save him from the meat man really coz i kno he was nearly there at one time
 
My horse would panic and bolt when mounted or would sometimes wait until you ask her for the first canter and then just bugger off plunging through the air like something possessed. She has a lovely temperament but has been seriously screwed up somewhere along the line. Jonathan rode her through the bolting until she acceped him and started to have confidence in him. He has found a way to avoid it happening - although its not exactly a miracle cure, more of a compromise we can work with. He has taught me how to react when she starts to run away. He helped my confidence, which was really knocked by this mare, enough to get us out doing dressage and unaffilliated showjumping within a month. He also does alot of breaking in youngsters. I can't recommend him enough, he's brilliant.
 
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