Warm Up issue

Spot On

Spot On

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Well my horse normally brilliant jumps super, in lessons is perfect wins dressage, can be a bit nappy at the start of xc schooling but soon is amazing jumping CCI* fences etc...

But our issue is he was bought as a 4yo on passport (3yo really) who had hunted a season and a bit with the Ward Union here in Ireland. He was difficult at first to do anything no brakes or steering so didn't compete at all really first year or so . Ever since in arm up he gets extremely hot talking off and rodeoing. I have been banned from one place with him. With a calmer in him I can usually get him into the arena where he goes perfectly. It doesn't seem to be fear or pain more excitement.

well after being really good at two WH shows over the winner we decided to bring him eventing (the whole reason I bought him) he was very hot in dressage warm up but went into the test without bucking or taking off. Test went badly not his fault a herd of sheep ran into his arena. Then brought him back out for Showjumping and he exploded spinning everything and as it was a such a small muddy warm up I kept getting in everyone's way so we decided to call it a day and go home.


Just wondering if anyone has any tips we were thinking about selling him however I'd never find as talented, and lovely horse in my price range so have decided to stick with him. Also doesn't matter if warming up for dressage, showjumping, arena eventing, weather its on grass or in arena all ends up the same way.
 
i think you need to box him to friends arenas, and do arena hires, with as many friends as you can and get him used to the warm up environment in a safe way with people who know the situation.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
i think you need to box him to friends arenas, and do arena hires, with as many friends as you can and get him used to the warm up environment in a safe way with people who know the situation.
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We have done that and I was at livery all winter just to try that and he was fairly good. even in warming up for my lessons he gets hot but nothing more last year he was out 3 times a week doing lessons or meeting up with friends and was the same every time :(
 
Spot On said:
our issue is he was bought as a 4yo on passport (3yo really) who had hunted a season and a bit with the Ward Union here in Ireland. He was difficult at first to do anything no brakes or steering so didn't compete at all really first year or so . Ever since in arm up he gets extremely hot talking off and rodeoing. I have been banned from one place with him. With a calmer in him I can usually get him into the arena where he goes perfectly. It doesn't seem to be fear or pain more excitement.
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What is his breeding?
 
Fun Times said:
Have you analysed his feeding? If it were me I would be making sure he has nothing but fibre for a bit.
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This. Have you tried calmers as well? Might be worth even taking him to shows and just walking about the warm up, not actually doing anything then he might get out of the habit of getting all wound up thinking he's about to tear round XC or something.
 
Spot On said:
We haven't a clue he is Appaloosa and is of cob type
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As other have said his feed may need changing. Your description of the horse drew my attention. It isn't normal and the horse is probably uncomfortable and high on adrenaline too.

Our warmblood behaved very oddly once he started training aged 4. Now he is on a low NSC, low starch diet (coolestance copra)with no grain at all. He is himself again. Totally transformed.

The reason he is transformed is because he has a genetic muscle condition PSSM type 2. Apaloosas are commonly afflicted with type 1. Because the condition is rarely recognised the horse gets labeled as naughty, dangerous and so on. They aren't at all if you manage them correctly. Ask your vet for advice
 
Native Pony said:
The reason he is transformed is because he has a genetic muscle condition PSSM type 2. Apaloosas are commonly afflicted with type 1. Because the condition is rarely recognised the horse gets labeled as naughty, dangerous and so on. They aren't at all if you manage them correctly. Ask your vet for advice
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That's very interesting I had a quick google the one thing is marble has never shown any symptoms of pain and when ever he takes off ect. it seems to be out of exuberance and excitement with ears pricked. I have tried some calmers most worked to take the edge off leaving him just hot with no taking off or bucking. He is fed a scoop of happy hoof (as we breed welshies so have loads of lami food) and a scoop of cool and cooked nuts as he lives on fresh air. He is extremely fit atm getting 6 days a week work and on the gallops once a week, this is so he is fit enough to event but maybe I should let him down a little bit?

I know I sound argumentive its just I have tried loads of things. I might bring him to shows and just walk around. That's how we started dressage so he didn't think he was going jumping everytime
 
Thing is, just because the horse doesn't have his ears back that doesn't mean he's not in pain - some horses trick you. One of mine who started acting very oddly under saddle would grind to a halt and start threatening to rear, ears were pricked the whole time, turned out his saddle had started to cause problems. So ears aren't always a good thing to look at ;)

Maybe worth taking him off the nuts, doesn't sound like he needs them to be honest. And yeah, you could have made him too fit! I personally wouldnt be doing the gallops once a week, I wouldnt do much galloping about at all, just keeping things really relaxed and chilled out. Is he doing 1* level?
 
Well we decided to just get him out more so took im xc schooling but only to hack around the fields and walk in and out of water. What a disaster that was I pulled ligaments in my ring finger the day before school but decided to go anyway. Marble was the worst he has been in a year with taking off spooking and then taking 45mins of trotting to relax. But once he did he was quite good went into the water with a bit of kicking then jumped down a step into water :D (he had a bad fall in water a bit ago and hates it now) he went up and down steps like a riding school pony :D.
Then he had two days off due to me being away showing and I when I got on he was mental normally you could give him a week off and he is lovely and lazy to ride but this was over 2 hours of him tanking me around.
But now he seems to be back to normal.
As for why he is so fit its due to him be a big cob I would rather him too fit than not fit enough and getting hurt. He is now on a handful of chaff for dinner only. We have decided not to try event him again for this year as his mind cant take the excitement so now he will do a month of boring dressage comps to make going to other places less exciting.
 
Smokes gets very upset and worried in warm ups if people get close to him or it's very busy. It's like he wants to focus but can't and then he gets even more upset because he can't and he knows he should and then he goes into rodeo pony mode, or just very very tense.

He's slowly calming down and finding it less stressful now and I think it's just been very gentle, low stress repetition where he's never been pushed for more than what is miles within his comfort zone. Al tries hard to keep him away from people too, and he's also really beginning to trust her which helps. But it's a year in and he's only just beginning to settle. It does just take time.

One thing is if he feels like he's going to explode, letting them canter it out often helps a lot. Instead of asking for work, just let them canter until they don't want to anymore... It helped with both our buzzy boys, just lets them sort themselves out. And spending an hour in XC seat as Smokes tears about has done wonders for Al's leg muscles!
 
Marble doesn't mind them being close but I think he just thinks we are off hunting as soon as he is in a group. I do try the let them canter it out but I hate getting in other peoples way in the warm up when he is being a prat.
Lolo yeah trying to get him to settle out warming up for xc schooling (on his own ) 45mins of forward canter helps your legs even made my jumping position better ever since.
He really love to please you but if he cant understand something his has a melt down it took two years of rodeo to get left leg yeild
 
Get him out as much as possible, and to as many different things as you can think of - dressage, lessons, hacking, in hand showing. Try to keep the time there as chilled as possible - arriving an hour early and let him graze in hand? Perhaps if it helps him have someone lead you to begin with until he settles? - and don't rush straight home while he is wound up - let him chill again if you can do so safely. I'd also enter a few things HC so there's no pressure on you, and perhaps do a few intro tests so that you can go straight into the arena without a warm up and then chill out afterwards, to find out if it's the other horses that are the problem or if he just needs longer to relax. Join a riding club and ask if you can take him along in hand to lessons and events as more excuses to get him out somewhere chilled.

I'd keep his feed low, let his fitness drop a bit, and solve the warmup problem before you try for more fitness or exciting things again.

Good luck - I have one who gets excited in the warm up (although less dramatically) and it's no fun at all.
 
Just wonder if it is worth putting the word Appaloosa in your title to get some feedback from people with appys? My friend has a beautifully bred and generally lovely appy mare that is a complete nightmare at shows, napping, rearing, tanking off with her. She's always been pretty much OK at clinics etc. A year ago she bought another horse to show and only hacks the appy now and she is transformed - so much quieter that her novice OH can hack her in the forest on his own. Just wonder if there is something in their 'wiring' that makes competitions overwhelming ?
 
I will change that now.
decided better put a pic in of the brat.
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He's very pretty! Could you try warming up somewhere that you could hack, i.e. go for a hack instead of warming up in the arena? Some places might have roads/bridleways close by that you can use. Not sure if that would work? Probably wouldn't solve the problem though...
 
Another option is asking a local pro to have a sit on him somewhere, and at a comp. It might be that you need to change how you deal with him too, and someone more experienced might be able to say "if he does this, you can prevent it by this". When my sister's little mare was being very difficult she went to a local pro for a week, and the pro was able to both sort some of the issues and explain to Al what tells the mare had and how to ride her in a way that prevented the behaviour.

She still asks this lady to ride her horses because having someone else with more experience get on and use that experience to solve problems. Reinventing the wheel is a massive waste of time!
 
Lolo I think that's what we might do one of my good friends is Ireland top young rider so might throw him up on marble its just with him so busy atm probs wont happen till sept. The hacking would be an option but in Ireland we don't have that much off road hacking and the equestrian centres near me (aka within 2 hours drive) are all on very busy roads.

He knows he is pretty all the girls love him.
 
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