What to do

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malibu211211

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Had a bit of an accident last night
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on Monty. As you probably know he is 6yrs old and is probably a year behind in his schooling. He has trouble with balance and going downhill, normally I get off but I thought I would persevere and try to get him downhill. He refused to move which I should of taken as a hint but I did'nt
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Anyway he reared up and fell backwards onto me, he then struggled to get up and trod on my left leg a few times before he got up.
The good news is my leg is not broken just very badly bruised along with the rest of me
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Where do I go from here?

Please help, do I send him away to be professionally schooled again?

I certainly could not sell him knowing he has done this although I do not think it was his fault
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Mmmmmm, there is absolutely no reason why an uneducated horse can't walk down hill - providing that the rider is able to offer support and stay in balance.

We have a 3 year old being broken in at the moment - and she has walked down a very steep lane from the yard from the fourth day she was sat on.

So, either there is something wrong with him and he finds it painful, or he's being a bugger and taking the preverbial out of you.

How do you actually ride him when going downhill??

So glad that you're both ok.
 
Wow, sounds like you were very lucky not to get seriously hurt.

I agree with anymay- sounds like something is hurting him or he is taking the mick. Quite an extreme reaction to being asked to do something as simple as walking downhill???? How steep is the hill?

I think I would be inclined to see how he behaves with a very experienced rider taking him downhill, if the reaction was similar I'd be calling a vet out.
 
This actually sounds like a saddle fitting problem to me...I had exactly the same with a young TB mare I was riding and that's what it was. As you go downhill your weight probably exacerbates any uneven pressure from the saddle...in my mare's case I found it was bridging...and hollowing slightly to go down hill made it too painful.
So, sorry, but saddler needs to visit you!
You could also try turning him out in hilly fields, or long reining him up and down hills...so he can practice.
Glad you aren't too badly hurt.
S
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Other thing it could be, now I'm waking up
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is hock problems....as they need to flex the hock more to get the hind end under them on steep hills....so could be an early warning of a bit of hock stiffness.
But if it were bad enough to make him rear, I think you would see him unlevel on the flat so I'd check the saddle first.
I knew all those years of being a crash test dummy would come in useful some day
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S
 
If you could ride another horse and lead your chap down a hill that may help to identify any issue. A horse should naturally be able to balance himself without the weight (encumbrance) of a rider, so if he is still struggling there may be a physical cause. Have you checked that he doesn't have any heat in his front feet? Amazing what a bit of pus in the foot can cause!
 
Presumably the horse is fine if you lead downhill? If so then I would look immediately to the saddle and back - SOMETHING must be going on. I have never heard of a horse playing up to that extreme when asked to go downhill, it is VERY odd. Hope you are feeling better soon, and please do get someone out to have a look and let us know the outcome!
 
Thanks for all your replies
He has just had a new saddle as his previous one did not fit.
I am going to get the physio to look at him (she has been away for all of August) as he probably does have some pain from his previous saddle.
It was a really extreme reaction to stand up like that when I was only asking him to walk downhill. He is fine to be led downhill although his feet do fly everywhere
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He does'nt have a nasty bone in his body and from his reaction afterwards I think he has scared himself.
He is going away to be schooled after he has had his back looked at to see if they can work through this downhill problem
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Will keep you posted
 
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