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Post by jen1 on Dec 21, 2006 14:43:21 GMT 1
i suppose its where he is at . atm ,to be honest there isnt any reason apart from time ,that he needs to stay like that, if i can turn a "dangerous horse "thats never seen anything into a pussy cat, then im sure with time and patience and plenty of ground work he will come right. good luck,
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Post by Ryan&Dizzy on Dec 21, 2006 14:43:50 GMT 1
hummmm oh dear! my horse used to bolt at things when we first got him. i got loads of people telling me that he was too big for me and that i needed to stick loads of fancy gadgets on to keep him undercontrol. im sooo glad i didnt listen to any of them!
if i were you ild get yourself a few lessons with a good instructor that can work throught this with you its amazing how tweaking your postion and the way you ride even if its just a little bit will help you control him better.
i no its hard to explain but when he bolts what do you do to try and stop him? ei...turns, 'pulling', steering in to brick walls (not that ive ever done that with Otto lol!)
are there any places you know well and know he doesnt mind? when i first got Otto i tried to stick to the hacks that i didnt think 'oooo but theres that scary bit' (hope that makes sense) this made me ride more positivly because i dont care how much you try you cant act brave if you actully are scared and if the horse is scared too it wont ebd nicely.
do you do any ground work with him. ie leading him out on hacks etc? if hes only been back for 2 weeks than he is probably still very much like 'who on earth are you' and 'where am i?'
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Post by nervouswreck on Dec 21, 2006 16:53:39 GMT 1
Mine can do this a bit in winter. I put it down to lack of turnout and if the weather has been cat then lack of exercise. Only the other week she stopped and was looking at something that I hadn't seen and suddenly spun round and set off. I try to turn her back round somehow. The thing she had run away from was believe it or not a long tractor tyre mark on the grass. She hadn't had any turnout for over a week. She hardly does this in summer but we do have the odd moment. I found last year that when traffic was coming I was really tightening my reins and giving her reason to think that something scary was coming and then she played up. Good Luck.
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xxx
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Post by xxx on Dec 21, 2006 17:04:17 GMT 1
I wouldn't have a twisted snaffle in anything, this may sound like your giving up but I would not be hacking on the roads if my horse was regularly bolting, think of other road users as well. The only other thing is if you're out in company would he be better behaved if led by the other rider? (although only with a very short rope so if he does break free there's no danger of him tripping on it.)
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HeatherL*
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Post by HeatherL* on Dec 21, 2006 20:17:26 GMT 1
sarah, as you've only been riding him again for a couple of weeks and he's been out on loan for so long I guess your still getting to know each other again. So perhaps he's not confident that you can keep him safe yet. You say he's happy with someone walking along side or on a bicycle, I guess he can see them and feels more confident with a lead. I don't think that's strange, it makes perfect sense, when you are on him he can't see you. You say if he naps then you give him a tap with the whip, but if he is napping because he is genuinely scared then maybe using the whip is just adding to his fear?
If I was you I would do plenty of groundwork building up to walking over tarpaulins and spookbusting him to help him feel a bit braver and a bit more confident in you. How about walking him out in hand until he gains a bit in confidence. Perhaps you could hop on for 5 or 10 minutes and then walk alongside him if you feel his anxiety level rise. I don't like lunging but you've explained why longlining isn't an option so how about a bit of lunge work and then just a very short hack out, building it up a little as he gets more confident.
I think Jen1 is right when she says this is just where he is at, at the moment. Maybe given time to settle in and get to know you again he will feel more confident.
Good luck with it all, hope things go well for you.
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maliksparky
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Mu'Tazz Malik EJS, 3 1/2 months old :)
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Post by maliksparky on Dec 21, 2006 21:39:19 GMT 1
Hi, I really feel for you, because like you said "I am not a nervous rider, but I am turning into one " I do agree that some lessons's would be of some help to you. You say that he has a very high head carriage, getting him working from behind instead of carrying his head high and working infront would give you more control than any bit. Get him in the school as often as possible, even if it is lunging, you can vary the work i.e trotting pole's, lunging but using the whole school etc. When you have him working in an outline and listening to you more in the school he will listen more when out hacking. Let us all know how you get on and what has worked for you. Good luck and keep your chin up!!!
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Post by lynnyhamps on Dec 21, 2006 21:47:47 GMT 1
My boys very strong, and although has never really bolted with me, is very strong!! Any pressure on his mouth, he pulls away from me. I have had to start using my weight much more and have reduced the harshness of his bit. I now use just a hanging cheek french link snaffle - the poll action really works! I have since ridden him in a Dually headcollar (my confidence was up on the first day of that), only in the school admitedly, but showed now signs of ignoring me!!
Your boy does sound stronger, but the only way to find the solution is trial and error!!
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Post by sulasmum on Dec 21, 2006 22:23:48 GMT 1
My friend used to ride her arab x tb in a Waterford and he went really nicely in it, and it stopped him leaning all the time. In my personal opinion the best place for a twisted snaffle is in a dustbin.
Some good suggestions offered above. Perhaps an RA might be helpful
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Post by jen1 on Dec 21, 2006 22:39:16 GMT 1
just a little story, maybe an eg, if id have taken SAM out after only a little time out with my herd i guess he would have freaked, he spent about 6 months on the farm and lucky for me we were having tipper wagons coming everyday with harcore, telehandlers, you name it the big traffic was there next to were they grazed, and were we spent most of out time spook busting, gaining respect and programing his Brain to think about how to behave to work, or play time we called, it, he bonded to my other horse, and then the rd work came easy for him because we began at the bottom, and worked our way up, and i mean that literally, i spent hours just walking out to the field just hanging with im, rubbing him head to toe and then walking away and leaving him in peace, in time he came to me for his massage/bonding and i was then his pair bond in a way, so no matter what i did with him, regardless of "if he never done it before" he took it all with ease, even long reining down the rd,which is next to the motorway, which by the way is very very busy, you need to step back and think more laterally of how to over come the little thing, which in turn are usually the main things, as in trust ect, riding to me is the icing on the cake, but you still need the right recipe for the actual cake, and the cake is made up of many things, that will eventually be an end product, if that makes any sense at all,lol
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HeatherL*
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Post by HeatherL* on Dec 21, 2006 23:49:45 GMT 1
Makes perfect sense to me Jen, lucky Sam x
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Post by janetgeorge on Dec 22, 2006 0:47:10 GMT 1
sarah, as you've only been riding him again for a couple of weeks and he's been out on loan for so long I guess your still getting to know each other again. So perhaps he's not confident that you can keep him safe yet. I'd agree 100% - this is a frightened horse - and it's more than him not being confident his rider can keep him safe. Sarah said: Sarah's perfectly reasonable concern about traffic is transferring to the horse. A lot of people think that if a horse knows you're scared he'll take advantage. I don't believe that - although there MAY be exceptions. The horse knows you're afraid and is afraid of whatever it is you're scared of (he doesn't know it may be him!). After all, you are his 'leader' and if it scares you it must be terrifying!! So he runs! Yes, sarah needs to build up trust with this horse - so he can take confidence from her. She needs to avoid situations that worry her for now if at all possible. And if there are scarey situations, sing like mad!! Singing stops you tensing up and transferring your fear to the horse. Laughing does too - but it's hard to laugh outloud repeatedly when you're waiting for the world to end. I always sing non-stop when backing a youngster, or schooling a horse that I think may buck. I have a repertoire of songs for every occasion - and I've got a lousy voice - but the horses don't seem to mind.
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xxx
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Post by xxx on Dec 22, 2006 0:54:08 GMT 1
lol jen, we had diggers and etc. building our house for a year outside our stables, and the useless one STILL is afraid of trailers, lorries etc! What is he like with stationary cars OP? But honestly, please don't hack him out on roads until you are confident you have in some way addressed the issue, we would hate for you to have an accident!
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Post by jen1 on Dec 22, 2006 2:29:16 GMT 1
lucky sam is now diane duke and jubes, hubbies, and yes he is a very lucky boy,thankyou ;D, i
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sarah
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Post by sarah on Dec 22, 2006 9:59:05 GMT 1
Thanks for all the information and help guys, I am feeling a little bit more confident now. The reason he has a high head carriage is because he's a Hackney Welsh X!
Going to try to ride on Sunday morning, when it's quiet (before the Church goers start ringing those bells!).
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Post by rosemaryhannah on Dec 22, 2006 11:24:06 GMT 1
The answer is that this pony is not ready to be ridden on the road. What you need to do is to walk him out in hand till he has seen all the sights and calmed down. Otherwise you are teaching him bad habits, and how to blt and how to be scared. Lead him out in hand, in an ordinary head collar or in a control head collar. Let him look at everything, talk to him, sing to him, enjoy being with him. Walk for miles. Stick to riding in the school. But also get his saddle checked - that will give him a too high head carriage.
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