kellybee
Well-Known Member
My appy boy, who's riggy, temperamental, grumpy but a massive character could make a saint swear. He hates being left on his own (screams the place down), is aggressive at feed times, leans over the partitions to bite my shetland just because he can, and is generally a bit of a hooligan. As such, as much as I love him I've never really done anything with him. I've never been scared of him, we just didn't bond and I kind of felt like I'd bought the wrong horse. I had him as a 4yr old and he's pretty much been a field ornament ever since (he's rising eight now). He'd never done road work, and I had no idea when I bought him that he was such a DQ, or that he had SI or that he was used at stud until a few months before I got him. I should have sold him a long time ago but something always stopped me, maybe the fear of not knowing where he'd end up.
BUT... We got the rigginess sorted with Oestraban/rig calm pretty much straight away. Since I moved him from a livery yard where he was turned out alone (others in view) and put him in with my shetland and then later the big lad he's been much less insecure. I've done a bit of hacking with him in company (mainly offroad), and now have him next to a busy builders yard where lorries, arctics, tractors and trucks are in and out all day every day.
These last few weeks after finally deciding I have to knuckle down and do stuff with him, we've been doing groundwork. Instead of barging through the gate and dragging me in for his feed every night he's walked (and sometimes pranced) beside me with bridle on. Today I fastened the reins under the throat latch and let go, and he plodded alongside all the way in. I tacked him up, walked him out on the road with a friend and the shetland and he never batted an eye at the traffic. We walked around the block (albeit only 500yards) to the back fields and did flatwork. He's still as unbalanced as he was when he was four, but he listened, responded amazingly well and finally we walked back to the barn via the road without the shetland, on absolute best behaviour.
I never in a million years thought I'd see the day he behaved so nicely. I've been supplementing him with magnesium the last week or so, and whether that's what's made the difference or just the alone time I have no idea. I don't know if he's grown up, or is feeling more secure, maybe I've earned his respect finally or maybe he was just lacking the magnesium. Whatever the reason, I was so happy this afternoon I could have cried.
I know I'm not the only one who's seen a hooligan showing promise. Anyone else?
BUT... We got the rigginess sorted with Oestraban/rig calm pretty much straight away. Since I moved him from a livery yard where he was turned out alone (others in view) and put him in with my shetland and then later the big lad he's been much less insecure. I've done a bit of hacking with him in company (mainly offroad), and now have him next to a busy builders yard where lorries, arctics, tractors and trucks are in and out all day every day.
These last few weeks after finally deciding I have to knuckle down and do stuff with him, we've been doing groundwork. Instead of barging through the gate and dragging me in for his feed every night he's walked (and sometimes pranced) beside me with bridle on. Today I fastened the reins under the throat latch and let go, and he plodded alongside all the way in. I tacked him up, walked him out on the road with a friend and the shetland and he never batted an eye at the traffic. We walked around the block (albeit only 500yards) to the back fields and did flatwork. He's still as unbalanced as he was when he was four, but he listened, responded amazingly well and finally we walked back to the barn via the road without the shetland, on absolute best behaviour.
I never in a million years thought I'd see the day he behaved so nicely. I've been supplementing him with magnesium the last week or so, and whether that's what's made the difference or just the alone time I have no idea. I don't know if he's grown up, or is feeling more secure, maybe I've earned his respect finally or maybe he was just lacking the magnesium. Whatever the reason, I was so happy this afternoon I could have cried.
I know I'm not the only one who's seen a hooligan showing promise. Anyone else?
Well done on your break through! Onwards and upwards 
I've recently had a break through with my nappy mare and it is an incredible feeling 