Vibes for me... Am about to get nasty and violent :(

Seriously though, at my local stud, if they need to lead some of the larger more boistrous stallions for any distance they put side reins on. Not saying that is practical for QB but possibly it could help break a habit if all else fails.
 
Is everyone remembering to reward their horses? Horses are a conscript in our riding endevours. I regularly tell mine good boy or give him a pat for doing everyday stuff well, positive reinforcement works a lot better than negative.

Also the default question should always be whats wrong? Not my horse is being naughty I must nip it in the bud. Horses have to express themselves so we know something isn't right, unfortunatly sometimes owners don't listen until the horse screams (bucks, bites etc)
 
maccachic said:
Is everyone remembering to reward their horses? Horses are a conscript in our riding endevours. I regularly tell mine good boy or give him a pat for doing everyday stuff well, positive reinforcement works a lot better than negative.

Also the default question should always be whats wrong? Not my horse is being naughty I must nip it in the bud. Horses have to express themselves so we know something isn't right, unfortunatly sometimes owners don't listen until the horse screams (bucks, bites etc)
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Or is big, bolshy and needs to be put into their space before becoming dangerous. Granted and thank heavens there are not many like that, but horses like this do exist.
 
Any good youngstock handler shouldn't have to take the crop to any young horse, that is pure bad training. You need to get a new trainer, I suggest boundaries, and probably tbh turning him away as my guess is he's full of energy and needs to chill his head. I am no softy but if you even have to go near a chiffney with a pet horse ( as opposed to e.g a racing tb who no one is interested in putting handling work into) you need to look at yourself as a handler
 
I may be the only one to pioint this out but without fail you get bored, frustrated horses when they are being turned out in solitary, normally inp addocks of less than an acre with nothing 'interesting' in them, just a flat grass paddock (short grass normally). As for going bonkers if brought in not first-why is your youngster so stressed all the time? Because he's young and livin in solitary isn't good for him.
 
And last thing-if you're wanting to 'pick a fight' when the yard isn't busy it's because you are ashamed of what you are doing, because it is wrong.
 
Turn him out in company, overnight if possible sounds like his got far too much energy and just needs to live like a baby horse, his still very young to be worked everyday, so many people want to rush there young horses and some just cant cope mentally or physically.
 
Luci07 said:
Or is big, bolshy and needs to be put into their space before becoming dangerous. Granted and thank heavens there are not many like that, but horses like this do exist.
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We bought a Welsh D who was incredibly bolshy, he would barge through you, rear, because he could. If you left him in the stable he would have his front feet on the stable door, which is 4'6 high! He would barge around the stable leaning against the walls so hard they would move, it was a wooden stable. His default setting was having to be very very hard, always lead in a be nice halter and, having to carry a hard stick, not to beat him because he was the sort who would have switched off, but to poke him in the chest or shoulder to get him to move away from you. He was an absolute nightmare.
Oh, and we did praise him when he was good.
FWIW, QB's yard does have individual turnout but the paddocks are next door to each other so horses can touch etc. horse is not shoved away in solitary.
 
It also pays to remember that unless you have owned your horse for its whole life it is quite possible that it is only well mannered now because at sometime in the past someone has given it a telling off.
I am not condoning beating up horses but half a tonne of bolshy youngster is no joke and for some respect is not taught by giving it a little tickle on the chest and a carrot.
 
Horses in single turnout paddocks aren't getting the same interaction with others as they would if turned out with company. Some deal with this better than others.
Question is - what do you do with a young horse exhibiting these sort of behaviours? Do you wonder about the cause and look to deal with that? Or decide they are just being "bad" and beat them up a bit for it. I think what several posters are saying here is that it's very possible that this horse isn't being "inconsiderate" or "stroppy" but is simply responding to the environment in which it's kept.
(I tend to have the opposite by the way - horses that came to me lacking manners and that are now so good that people tell me how "lucky" I am. Sigh.)
 
Horses live in the present. A horse that got a beating at a previous home for exhibiting 'bad' behavior, will more than likely do it at a new home.
The bolshy horse, is normally one which needs a higher level of skill to train and manage. Or of course, you could just beat it up.
 
jrp204 said:
FWIW, QB's yard does have individual turnout but the paddocks are next door to each other so horses can touch etc. horse is not shoved away in solitary.
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This is not the same as being turned out in company. I would go as far to say that most yards with individual turnout have other horses in eyeshot/touch of each other, but that dioes not allow for proper interaction does it? The horses cannot play/ chase/ follow/ bite and groom each other.
 
Single turnoutMy very calm sensibe Wlhcb has had the very odd day of single turnout due to different crcumstances.So long as he is within sight/sound of aother horse he copes pefectly well BUT I don't think he really likes it.He likes his friends.On the other hand we have a mare that a to have singl turnout as she has fought wit every other single horse tried out with her.
 
My WB who was on 9 months turnaway/rehab was turned out alone. This was a very conscious and deliberate decision on my part. He had been badly ridden abused and suffered chronic pain for years and the mental scars were very evident and he was not a nice horse (quite understandably) to have around.
I firstly did not want to subject him onto my other horses and secondly I did not want to risk my health with having to bring the other horses in and out of the paddocks with him loose in the herd, as he was so aggressive to people.

Come the spring/summer he has changed dramatically and is mentally in a great place now. Infact he became so uber friendly with me, he would prevent me from depooing his field, because he wanted strokes and scratches and interaction. He was clearly yearning company. I turned my youngster out with him and well they are having a ball - it was just what he needed.

So I do think there are times when individual turnout is called for, but I do not believe it has a place for youngstock, unless they are injured.
 
I would never EVER recommend chucking out a poorly mannered youngster overnight with a new horse. That is just the way to end up with bad injuries. The ones that go at night do so when the YO knows they are happy together. Both mine have worked their way through various combinations and finally we put them in together. 1 overly playful youngster ( not nasty, just full on ) and one old mare who has very strong likes and dislikes. I have seen poorly behaved babies who are quite clearly either terrified or just really don't know. They are relatively easy to sort out as just need patience and boundaries. BUT seriously, if you get a large horse, that has learnt its own strength you really do have a problem and you need to sort it out. Pronto.
 
YasandCrystal said:
My WB who was on 9 months turnaway/rehab was turned out alone. This was a very conscious and deliberate decision on my part. He had been badly ridden abused and suffered chronic pain for years and the mental scars were very evident and he was not a nice horse (quite understandably) to have around.
I firstly did not want to subject him onto my other horses and secondly I did not want to risk my health with having to bring the other horses in and out of the paddocks with him loose in the herd, as he was so aggressive to people.

Come the spring/summer he has changed dramatically and is mentally in a great place now. Infact he became so uber friendly with me, he would prevent me from depooing his field, because he wanted strokes and scratches and interaction. He was clearly yearning company. I turned my youngster out with him and well they are having a ball - it was just what he needed.

So I do think there are times when individual turnout is called for, but I do not believe it has a place for youngstock, unless they are injured.
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I absolutely agree. I can quite understand why you did it.

Like everything, there is always an exception to what people would consider the right way to manage things.
 
Luci07 said:
I would never EVER recommend chucking out a poorly mannered youngster overnight with a new horse. That is just the way to end up with bad injuries. The ones that go at night do so when the YO knows they are happy together. Both mine have worked their way through various combinations and finally we put them in together. 1 overly playful youngster ( not nasty, just full on ) and one old mare who has very strong likes and dislikes. I have seen poorly behaved babies who are quite clearly either terrified or just really don't know. They are relatively easy to sort out as just need patience and boundaries. BUT seriously, if you get a large horse, that has learnt its own strength you really do have a problem and you need to sort it out. Pronto.
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Have I missed something? Nobody is advocating turning any horse out overnight with a new horse? (I keep re-reading to see if I've missed this). People are suggesting that QB's horse might benefit from being turned out in company. Hopefully most people would have the sense to manage the introductions properly.
 
Pinkvboots said:
Turn him out in company, overnight if possible sounds like his got far too much energy and just needs to live like a baby horse, his still very young to be worked everyday, so many people want to rush there young horses and some just cant cope mentally or physically.
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Tinypony I think it was the above post that sparked the overnight turnout comment :)
 
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