Will he be lazy forever?

kerrieberry2

kerrieberry2

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My 3yr old has become rather lazy/stubborn, when he doesn't want to do something/ doesn't understand he will just plant himself! I'm not going to complain because this time 9 months ago, hes reaction to not understanding was to rear up vertical, so this is a better reaction!

but I wondered, has anyone else had a horse that is hard to get started that isn't dead to the leg when they do finally ride them?
 
Yes me - and 12 years later still working on getting him on front of the leg! I found (eventually lol) the key is to have him thinking forward - in other words, every time he dies on me, I tell him (not ask ;) to upward transition. And after every exercise, lateral work etc, off we go into trot. And resist the urge to nag with your legs, the leg becomes meaningless if you do, even without realising it in the urge to go forward. I start every schooling session with some halt/walk/halt transitions and demand instant obedience to my leg, backed up by a tap with a whip if his response isn't immediate.
Maybe you could do some halt/walk transitions, thinking of nothing else other than obedience to your leg, so that moving off from the leg becomes a conditioned response and he doesn't make a conscious decision to go or not to go.
 
I have youngster who had no idea what leg even meant and anything he didnt understand he stopped and planted. I used lots of verbal encouragement and small tap with whip if he didnt go forward from leg within 2 weeks he had actually progressed and I dont need whip . The other method was whip whop or slap reins over the neck and
again loads of praise.
 
Ditch all school work for a while and hack out pref with a friend. Make it all about going forwards. If you get to a sticky bit get off and walk with him for a while then get back on. Just keep going forwards and don't get into a fight or use a whip. This was the advice I was given by a very experienced instructor and it worked like a dream with my youngster.
 
Hack out, and keep it fun and fairly short. Also never lose sight of the fact that he is very young, and you may be asking just a bit to much of him either mentally or physically. My four year old has spent his summer hacking out (we also don't have a school or a flat field), but he still has to work some of the time whilst hacking, the longest we've been out for was a couple of hours, nearly all walk though.
 
He's only 3.....give him a chance. He could be tired, mentally stressed, aching muscles anything!! Horse 3 = human 9!!! Would you expect a 9 year old child to do a days work? Of course not!! Also look at the aids you are using - do you start lighter than you expect him to respond to? Increase intensity and then release the instant he responds? Or do you nag him to keep going? Do you allow him to make mistakes and then simply ask again as light as possible? Another consideration is what condition is he in? Fat and sassy or a bit light? How does his gear fit? Make sure you are not making assumptions that everything is ok - check everything, even basics!! Failing all else giving him a month or two off works wonders often!! Good luck!! As an afterthought - check out Dr. Debs Ranger article....google it!!
 
Sounds to me like your youngster is unbalanced. He is probably unbalanced without a rider and then with the added weight he doesn't want to move understandably; it would feel very strange to him. I would go back to some inhand groundwork using a good trainer to guide me. Just remember he is only 3. My 3 year old is still playing in the paddock, having only done a minimal amount of bit and inhand work until next spring.

It is quite a common thing for a youngster to be seemingly 'lazy' only to start being extremely forward once they have become balanced and stronger.
 
Agree with Alice and Pinkyboots...he is very young. Also, if he was rearing 9 months ago and is still only three...by my reckoning he sounds well overdue for a bit of time off. If he was mine it would be the whole winter!
 
I sent my horse off to be professionally broken. They basically gave up, they couldn't get more than a few strides of trot out if him. They had broken horses in for me before and did a wonderful job, so this was a surprise. When I took him back I was exhausted trying to get him to walk a lap of the arena. I could put a complete beginner on him as I knew he wouldn't move.

I sent him off to get hacked out with young TB's (I'm on my own so couldn't get a lead off anyone) and he came home moving forward a little more but still feeling stuffy and backward thinking. I started jumping him which felt awful as I practically had to carry him to the jump and over it. Then one day he suddenly "got it". Literally overnight he became keen and forward going. The jumping put a but of fizz into him when he started to enjoy it. Now he is forward thinking and very responsive. You would never believe it was the same horse and you wouldn't dream of putting a beginner on him.
 
My old mare was like this as a four year old, the summer she was backed. But I think it was just getting used to carrying a rider. She was exhausting and I very nearly gave up as there was no pleasure in riding her. But I didn't and by the time she was six she was very forward and eager to do anything (though she regressed to lazy when broken to harness, not her forte) and stayed like that till the day she died at 28. A total star and a pleasure to own....apart from the occasional blip!
 
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