Young Horse.

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gemmagallagher

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My friend and i have the chance of buying a beautiful young welsh cob (She is 4). She is owned and bred by the owner of the yard where my friend keeps her current horse. My friend and i ride this mare at least twice a week and we are the only ones to ride her since she was broken (sometime last year i think). She has been going lovely for us, although we've had spooky moments, she has accepted us as her riders very well. She was shod at the weekend and is a little more lively (I think her feet were a bit sore before because she really picked her way through the field carefully before being shod). I rode her the other night and i could tell she was more lively as soon as i sat on her but i thought i give her chance to settle a bit and carried on the ride. I rode her out of the field and up on to some common land nearby (We have been there a few times together) and she seemed lively but fine. Once we have got a bit further this mare spun round and tried to charge off back home. I sat deep in my saddle and tried to remain calm and turned her in a circle to slow her and then walked her back to my friend (who was waiting on her very quiet cob and who has been out on every ride with this mare to get her confidence up). That was ok, she seemed to settle a bit and we carried on walking across the common. After a mile or so, she did this again and i repeated my previous actions. All was going well but i could feel her becoming tense underneath me and so after about 15 minutes i decided to end our ride on a positive note.
I just cant understand the change in her, she has just came out of season and i know she was bit moody last week but i thought she had settled.
I suppose i just need a bit of advice as to what kinds of things we should be doing on our rides because i want her to have the best start and she is a lovely affectionate thing who i think is starting to trust me and my friend alot more (She is so funny, she tries to follow me through silly little gaps when i walk away from her).
I dont think she likes her bit at all, she has an eggbutt snaffle with is a horrible chunky thing and she has been trying to get her tongue over it (She was very strong when i tried to turn her in a circle when she ran off) and she leans her head slightly at times to play with it. I dont want to put a flash on her without good reason and i'd like to keep her in a snaffle. Does anyone have any suggestions as to a nice bit which she will be more willing to accept?
The owner has agreed to keep her until i pass my driving test (When i'll be able to afford and see her more) and has also said that my friend and i can consider her ours (with no bills) until we decide to buy her, we will be her only riders. This is a fantastic opportunity for me and my friend but i want to make sure she is "The One" as i have this strange feeling that she is. I really dont think she was trying to chuck me off i think she is just finding her feet a little and was seeing how far she could push me.
Any advice, views, warnings etc gratefully recieved and if i can work out how to do it, i'll post a pic of her at some point.
Many thanks in advance!!!
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Firstly, she sounds sweet and ur very lucky
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It's hard to give any advice without seeing her but regarding bits I would definitely put her in a loose-ring and a thinner mouth piece, plus if she's in a single-link try a french-link and visa versa. A french link with a revolving lozenge is a really nice bit and my horses soften beautifully in them. If she has 'steering' probs then you could try a cheek snaffle or a fulmar - I use these for all my babies when I first break them in. May be worth trying a happy mouth too, which will help keep her mouth moist and encourage her to soften.
It sounds like she's in a cavesson noseband? If she tries to put her tongue over the bit and can be a little strong then I would definitely put her in a flash or a grackle. If she opens her mouth then a flash is good and if she crosses her jaw then a grackle is good. Both are worth trying. I sometimes find a horse goes COMPLETELY differently when I change the noseband, more so sometimes than when I change the bit!
With the sudden change it could be down to a lot of reasons, she could just be getting fitter, she could be getting a bit of spring grass, she could be getting bored if you've done that ride several times, could just be an 'off' day.
Let us know how you get on and what you decide to do! Gd luck!
 
Oops forget to mention the bridle she has doesnt have a noseband!! We will be changing this though, either gonna use a spare noseband in tack room or buy her a lovely new bridle i've seen in robinsons catalogue. I think she has got a bit fitter tbh, a few people have said we've been doing well with her and that she's looking better. Thanks for the help!
Oooooh any idea's on fittening her up, so far we do loads of work on sloping land (Good old wales) and lots of trotting. She has a bit of a belly but i've noticed her neck by her withers has gotten a slightly cresty look to it.
 
As she is young you may want to have some lessons with an instructor, that would give you some bits to work on with her and give you things to practise when out hacking to keep her mind busy, will also be a good start to her schooling. Youngsters have a tendency to lean on the forehand given the opportunity and that will give her a big strong neck and a lot more power, so make sure you are asking her to keep her weight more back on her hocks whick you can do by taking your upper body slightly behind verticle. That will also give you more time to deal with her if she decides to charge. At this age it is really important that they don't learn they are stronger than you and weight works better than hands as you won't give her anything to fight against. Hope that makes sense
 
I don't think her being shod and her behaviour is a coincidence! I tried Ty bare foot and he was quite foot sore for 4 weeks. In the end i thought I was being cruel so put shoes on again. First time out he went mad and bucked me off in the field. Never done that before or since!

I think some horses can't control the fact that things are feeling good for them and react by going loopy.....funny how Ty's never done this since! He's napped occasionally but never bronched me off again.

Def get a good instructor though - hope everything works out! x
 
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