What the heck was he doing? What should I do!?

CassTheCob

CassTheCob

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Hello everyone, today I rode my 6 year old green cob gelding for the first time in 5 months today (had to sell his old saddle for a better fitting one and we we're left tack-less for a while). He was absolutely fine when I was tacking him up etc, when I got there he cantered up to me, had his Haynet when I was grooming him, was absolutely fine with me putting his saddle and bridle on, once I got on him, I just had him stand still for a minute or two whilst I just let him know it was okay and just let the fact I was riding him again sink in. So I asked him to walk on, and he did and he was fine for about 5 steps, when he did a strange mini bucking type thing and got quite strong as if he was going to trot a few times. A friend was filming, and when I watched it back he was swishing his tail, then picking up one of his hind legs quite high as if he was kicking a fly on his stomach (looked like he was trying to buck but couldnt because he was only walking...?). Eventually he double barrelled me so I just got off. All we were doing was walking in a circle. He basically was acting as if he just thought "Nah, I can't be bothered with this, why should I listen to what she wants me to do? I'll just muck about then!". All his tack fits fine, I don't think it's a back problem as he's been quite happy galloping around the paddocks, bucking almost vertically, been rolling and stretching just fine. When I was riding him regularly last year he did the occasional buck in canter, and then maybe a couple in trot or walk if he was a bit fizzy but very rarely. It can't be because I'm to heavy for him, he's a 13.1hh heavy weight cob and I'm only about 6stone. Don't think it's string halt as he's never ever done this before and he was fine once I'd untacked him and put him in the paddocks again. What does everyone else think? What should I do? I was just going to tack him up and lunge him tomorrow, see how he is. Does anyone else have any experience with something like this? Was he just being silly? Thanks!
 
Was your saddle properly fitted?
Did you have his back checked to see if any damage had been done?
5 months is a long time to leave him, has he been worked at all during this period?
What girth did you use, is it new/ caught his skin?
Any history of ulcers?

Would check back / saddle etc before you get on again.
 
He had done a little bit of work, I'd sat on him tackless a few times over his time off as well. Girth is new yes, but don't think it had caught his skin. He has no history of ulcers. New saddle is 1,000,000 times a better fit than his last saddle which didn't really fit that well due to him changing shape. Hasn't had his back checked as ever really needed it. Saddle hasn't been fitted by a saddle fitter as all the saddle fitters we've had have all just tried to flog theirs to us regardless of their fit really. I did check his saddle fit well before I got on him though (I did a lot of research on how to make sure your saddle fits and what to watch out for).
When I was catching him in the paddock he was playing a few games though so my guess was that he just decided he could be bothered to be ridden!
 
Maybe you should look at your management of him.
If he goes "nah not today!" and you go "ok!"...then he's bound to play up because he knows he gets to stop doing whatever you asked him to do!

My gelding gets abit narked occasionally when I ask him to do something difficult (to him, like bending on his stiff side) and bucks, but you have to ride them through it so they learn that misbehaving doesn't get them out of it.
 
Just googled about stomach ulcers in horses to refresh my memory, and he hasn't showed any of the signs, and he's not in a situation that would put him at risk of ulcers to be completely honest.
 
Thanks FlyingCircus! :) I would have ridden him through it but I think I was just a bit panicky because I hadn't ridden him in a while! I'll lunge him tomorrow, if he's not acting up I'll probably get back on him! :)
 
You said that his old saddle didn't fit and he's never had his back done because he doesn't need it?

If he's had an ill fitting saddle he definitely needs his back checked.
 
Should reiterate that depending on how long you've had him, you'll probably be able to tell the difference between an "i'm hurting" buck and a "this is hard, I don't like it" buck.

Go with your gut. If things don't improve (though from what you're saying, I suspect they will), then start looking into different avenues such as his back etc.
 
The only signs mine shows of having pain is to slam the anchors on and refuse to go forward. He does it if his saddle is even slightly off fit wise. It can look perfect but if he doesnt think so, then he doesnt move! Definitely get a back and saddle check and take it from there. Might be worth treating for mites as well, as it does sound like he might have had a itch or pain on his belly?
 
I'm a bit stumped to be honest as even when he had his saddle that didn't fit very well he never showed signs of pain and he's never shown signs of back pain. I will look into getting his back checked though!
(My mind has literally gone blank 😐! What would someone that checks horses backs be called? It's on the tip of my tongue but I literally can't remember!)
 
If he's very green and not been ridden for 5 months I'd be totally going back to basics before starting riding him again. Treat him as if he's unbroken and work through all the stages and make sure he's remembered his lessons before getting on him.
 
We had an instructor before and we just got to a point where he was a bit beyond what he could learn from her! :) Has been having some respect issues recently (Barging, a bit agressive with food, deciding wether he's going to do as he's told etc) and since he's a big strong cob it's harder for me only being 5ft to be more assertive with him, so I thought that might have contributed to and/or caused today's 'shenanigans' so was going to try a clinic with one of our local-ish natural horsemanship trainers see if that would help, as I think it'd definitely help bring him on!
 
CassTheCob said:
We had an instructor before and we just got to a point where he was a bit beyond what he could learn from her! :) Has been having some respect issues recently (Barging, a bit agressive with food, deciding wether he's going to do as he's told etc) and since he's a big strong cob it's harder for me only being 5ft to be more assertive with him, so I thought that might have contributed to and/or caused today's 'shenanigans' so was going to try a clinic with one of our local-ish natural horsemanship trainers see if that would help, as I think it'd definitely help bring him on!
Click to expand...

This happens sometimes, you/the horse outgrow the instructor and you have to start looking for another :) Been through that a few times myself.
 
I class mine as very green. He walk, trot, canters, pops a small jump and hacks out and doesnt bat an eyelid at big lorries or tractors etc. But he is very green! He does all of that in a very green way, and while he is spot on when he is in his comfort zone, he wouldnt be if he was pushed out of that, which yours might have been?
 
You might not think so, but he might have done? You got on him after a big gap and he was fine, then wasnt very quickly. Mine is rock steady and always appears to be happy with anything, but if you watch him very carefully you can see sometimes hes not 100% happy, and the only signs are very minor. Either way, something went wrong and you need to figure out what that was. Lovely genuine horses dont object for no reason, its either physical discomfort, which is the most likely, or failing that, it was being outside of his comfort zone
 
It just seemed like he couldn't be bothered with what I was asking him to do, like he did a few days a go. I put his head collar on him to walk him around the paddocks a few days ago, and he just planted him self, ignored me, rolled, then rubbed his head on me... :/
 
It sounds like you're letting him make the rules OP...no wonder you're struggling.

I have a slightly older but still very much green cob whom I've had for 2 years now. When I got him he was bargy and rude which I think came from having very little asked of him before I bought him. With consistent handling he is a saint 99% of the time. He also used to plant in the field but soon got bored of that when I started bringing a lunge or schooling whip with me to bring in. If he planted I'd swish the whip around so it'd make a whooshing noise and if that didn't work I'd unclip him and use the whip to drive him forward and trot until I said otherwise. These days he sees me and leads himself in, walking alongside me until we reach the gate and he stops to wait for his headcollar to be put on.

With my boy he needs boundaries and if no one puts those boundaries in place he makes his own rules.

As for the bucking. I can always tell if it's being done out of naughtiness or if it's a "I'm not quite right" buck and react accordingly. There's no way I'd end the session if it was the former as some of our best work has been done once he's thrown his toys out of the pram.

My first thought when I read your post was that he could have been bitten by something and was reacting to that. But after hearing he's never had his back checked, despite having previously had an ill-fitting saddle I'd say getting a Physio out to give him a once over wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
 
I'm sorry OP you sound totally out of your depth and with rather poor help. I'd suggest you join Pony Club or Riding Club to get access to instructors who can help and to get information on who are the decent saddle fitters / back people / instructors in your area.

You've taken a green horse, given it five months off, self-fitted a saddle, just hopped on, met some resistance and given up. That's really not doing your horse any favours :(

It might help people trying to help you if you put the video up, but my guess is it's that old adage 'green on green makes black and blue.'
 
jemima*askin said:
I'm sorry OP you sound totally out of your depth and with rather poor help. I'd suggest you join Pony Club or Riding Club to get access to instructors who can help and to get information on who are the decent saddle fitters / back people / instructors in your area.

You've taken a green horse, given it five months off, self-fitted a saddle, just hopped on, met some resistance and given up. That's really not doing your horse any favours :(

It might help people trying to help you if you put the video up, but my guess is it's that old adage 'green on green makes black and blue.'
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I agree
OP the fact you have put a saddle on a youngster after a 5 month break and not expected any resistance screams out that you need some experienced help.
 
Have you had the new saddle tree checked. I also always use a girth sleeve and check the saddle cloth is a good fit. I agree saddle fitters aren't usually very good you need a couple of weeks of riding in a saddle to know it's good for you both.
 
This really does sound like a classic case of green-horse-novice-owner-itis to me.

The cure is usually to employ and experienced instructor to help you with both the ground & ridden work
 
jemima*askin said:
I'm sorry OP you sound totally out of your depth and with rather poor help. I'd suggest you join Pony Club or Riding Club to get access to instructors who can help and to get information on who are the decent saddle fitters / back people / instructors in your area.

You've taken a green horse, given it five months off, self-fitted a saddle, just hopped on, met some resistance and given up. That's really not doing your horse any favours :(

It might help people trying to help you if you put the video up, but my guess is it's that old adage 'green on green makes black and blue.'
Click to expand...
I agree
My 5 yr old has done a heck of a lot and not had more than 3 weeks off at any one time. He has shown successfully at county level and capable of a good novice test but I still class him as green
Even after 3 weeks off (he had been broken for 6 months) I had to go back and reback him. Now if he has a week off he normaly throws a tantrum the first time I ride, and is duely told to get over himself!

OP get yourself a good instructor, get your horse a good Physio and then get a saddle fitter to check your saddle!

I've had horses for over 25 yrs, I was taught how to fit a saddle by an extremely good master saddler and most of the time I get it right when fitting saddles but I still have it checked by a proper saddle fitter! YouTube tutorials simply do not cut the mustard when it comes to the finer points of saddle fitting and infact a lot of them are put together by novices who want to seem knowledgable!
 
the fact that you said he was tail swishing and kicking at his belly sounds like something wasn't right.

it doesnt matter if you checked the fit of the saddle yourself- saddle fitters go through years of training and experience and im sure they know a lot more than you (and most of us on here!!) so you need to get it checked.

His back also would need checking if you've had an ill fitting saddle on him before, and if he's had 5 months off- doesn't matter if he's not shown any signs of pain- tail swishing and belly kicking and bucking are defo signs of pain!!

tbh if a horse has had 5 months off i would not just jump straight back on them- 5 months is a long time, you need to be long reining, lunging etc
 
green horse hasnt been ridden for 5 months? Just having a bit of a buck. Nothing to worry about.
I just love the way this forum goes over board wit ulcers, saddle fit etc. its like saying a sore throat is cancer. It is sometimes but it usually isnt.
 
So you had a saddle that didn't fit, didn't get his back checked and then bought a saddle that you fitted yourself? How do you know his back is okay if it hasn't been checked, and how do you know the saddle fits if it hasn't been properly fitted? I would get both of these things sorted then do some lunging/long lining/ground work with him before you get back on.
 
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