Morale boosting thread for those with new or tricky horses

[bandito]

I thought it would be nice (for me certainly ) to share some of the ups and downs of life with a new or tricky horse. I've had DHorse for 2 weeks - he's our first after years and years of riding school riding and I've managed to fall off twice in that fortnight. He's just jumped sideways at a scary hedge on his brand new hacking route and off I fall. I failed both times to hold on the reins and the darling stood still and waited for me to come and get him. He's a sweetheart but I am realising very quickly that moving a horse across the country and handing him over to a novice rider is going to have a few issues in the first year! On the bright side, he comes to call and stops when you say whoa. We're going to have fun together - but in all honesty, we aren't yet. Is anyone else in the same boat?

If your in Hertfordshire (don't think you are) and you want my physio 's details PM me

Strictly speaking in the UK it is illegal for a physio to see a horse without the knowledge of a vet. I can see why vets and physios would bend this rule in cases of horses that are working unproblematically and need a check up, but I think it would be unwise to rely on the physio to diagnose a problem that hasn't been cleared by the vet first.

It's a very convenient solution that requires you to hand over £1k. I'd be looking for a 2nd opinion. Does his trot sound rhythmic? If so, his balance is ok.

You'd be better off paying £1000 for six weeks of livery at a competition yard, as pp suggested. Going rate in Berkshire for competition livery is £800 per month, so should be same or cheaper your way?

You need to learn to ride your horse.

I used to work for a professional event rider who was very skilled and had the added advantage of being 6'4". He could grind a horse into submission in a month or 6 weeks so they would appear 'fixed' and then it would all unravel over a period of weeks or months when the horse went home. We used him when I was younger to put a bolshy event pony of mine in place, but he would do a one off ride every 8-12 weeks when he would get the pony's bolshy git syndrome back under control. If you hand over a nervy or challenging horse for 4-6 weeks and you aren't involved in the training, you'll just slip straight back into old patterns at home.

Thanks for your thoughts - he had a five stage vetting 4 weeks ago and came through with no trouble at all - in fact the vet said that off the record, she'd love to have him for her own children as he was so laid back and sound! He's been only lightly hacked and lunged in that time and he is very relaxed in the field so I don't know when he could have managed to strain something in the meantime. Ah well, I know that he is green and I do trust the trainer, she is professional and didn't try to push the livery option, just said that he needed reschooling to be able to do what we wanted with him (basic riding/pony club stuff) and the sliding scale went from the livery option to her visiting us to get him to where he needed to be for me to start riding him. My friends are a bit sceptical too - still there's no great rush to decide, it's not that he's unsafe.

Thats interesting Boo - I have been using my lady for years now - was an Osteo (well still is), but in the intervening time I have used her has done additional training to become a physio....so that is maybe how we are in the situation we are in. She's fab though.

Bandito, my horse a wee while ago was intermittently lame - not hopping, I wouldn't even say 10%, just not even, and it wasn't all the time....then she bucked my husband off (It wasn't huge, its wasn't get the F'*k off, in hindsight it was an OUCH and if he was a more balanced rider he would have been fine, but he's not so he came off) so we decided we needed to investigate further - she was just ever so slightly out in her sacra-illieac joint - how she did it, we don't know, but it is sorted now. Now I have her on a regular schedule as advised by the physio, with exercises in between.

How old is he bandito and what kind of work did he do previously? I am trying to find some kind of justification for the trainer's assessment of him.

He's 9 and has previously done a lot of 'pleasure' rides and natural horsemanship stuff for the last year with his previous owner. Before that he was used for hacking only. He likes to jump - you can clearly see him perk up if there are jumps in the school. For fear of sounding like 'that parent', I think he's quite bright and if he's not got open spaces and countryside to occupy him when ridden, he needs stuff to think about in the school or his mind wanders and he stops thinking forwards. But then, I know enough to know that I know very little, if you know what I mean so this could be rubbish! I don't want him for dressage but I would like to get to the point where we can walk/trot/canter happily ridden in the school. I don't mind how long this takes really as long as I can see some progress. I'm not going to send him away because I would like to be part of his (and my) learning. I am disappointed in myself for not being a better rider, but I just have to up my game. Thanks for your help

Neither his age or background justify the idea that he is too weak to go round the arena and he spooks because he loses his balance.

Don't be too hard on yourself. Riding is a life long learning activity, we are all learning.

Best of luck with him, let us know how you get on.

Sounds like a bizarre thing to say, a horse might fall over if they are unbalanced, mine does , but not spook.
At 9 having done fun rides etc, he should be fine to walk trot and canter in a school, albeit a little stiffly if not done much circle work.
I do think she is coming up with a very odd diagnosis.
Why not get some recommendations for someone else to give you a second opinion.
If he isn't used to a school he might be spooking as unsure, or just not like the whole idea of bending etc and be throwing his toys out of the prom.
It would be interesting to find out why the previous owner did natural horsemanship stuff, this is a massive generalisation but it is often something people do when they have a preexsisting problem, eg maybe he was spooky in the school before ?

So, how are things going, new horse people? I am pretty excited because got my second opinion yesterday when I took him to a competition yard and had a lesson on him, then the trainer rode him. He was OK for me but looked amazing and went into an outline for her, cantered on both reins (after having a tiny strop during the first upwards transition, but no worse than the 'spooks' I'd already been through). I couldn't believe it. I actually managed to get a forward trot in the school from him, rather than the up and down shuffle he'd been offering. In her view, he is a bright lad who is doing as little as possible and currently getting away with it because he jumps sideways and I get anxious and don't ask again. So, she will school him one evening a week with me observing for 30 mins for a few weeks and we will also have a weekly lesson - she will ride the first 10 minutes and I'll do the rest of the hour. He needs lots of variety, games, hacking, school work to get him interested but she thinks that there's nothing wrong with him and I have the skill, if not yet the confidence, to make this work. Am so relieved and really hope she's right.

I am so up and down, depending on what is happening with the horse, it must be driving my family up the wall.

That's great news bandito! And again I know exactly where you're at. Great news to hear you can see him being worked by an expert which might help reassure him and you.

We had a brilliant week last week. I felt like we'd had a massive breakthrough. I rode him (he was fab and super calm). Then put him back in his stable and was waiting for the farrier. He was calm and happy as others were in too and obviously tired from the ride. I sat on the stone manger at the back of his stable and was just playing with my phone quietly. He came and stood right next to me, played with the bottle of drink I had and then raised his leg - I just absentmindedly scratched his "armpit" in that velvety spot and he half dozed and yawned. I stop and he raises the other leg - so I decided to do the scratching again and he yawned and just leant into me. It was incredible. Every time I stopped he picked his leg up asking to be scratched and I have never seen him so relaxed with me apart from when I've caught him snoozing in the field.

And we've overcome some hesitating and spookiness too. The nipping when anxious or excited is driving me potty. He is at his worse when I turn him out. Left a shiner on the back of my arm the other day because I had to open a gate that we don't normally. It's dominant behaviour I need to work on.

But I am starting to see some tiny differences. Some signs he knows I'm mum and some that he's generally calming down. He will finally go behind quite happily on hacks after first half or so and I am sitting the spooks when they happen. I actually had a flash last week thinking I will be able to do clear round on him at some point. But until then lots of time together, lots of exercise and patience.

I am finally just nodding and smiling at all the others on my yard. I know him better than everyone now and that seems to matter most for the type of horse he is.

Well done both, isn't it an amazing feeling when it starts coming together? No riding for me still, MRI scan this week and I'm very sore most of the time which is annoying. Dhorse did the inter hunt relay at the Three Counties Show today - he had to contend with the heavy horses trundling past as we unloaded and tacked up, the Kings Troop Musical Ride gun salute (5 very loud bangs) and then the Kings Troop riding past as they worked in! Horse was remarkably cool with that, did a clear in the relay and then went slightly nuts after they'd all done a canter round the ring. He went wild when I tried to take his plaits out and was generally leaping about madly. He was reluctant to load and we must have had about 20 people arms folded all watching us but I stuck to my routine of calm & quiet and refused the help and he went in after about 10 minutes - phew!

He's got a week of no action and then my friend has asked if she can do another event on him so he'll be back to school then! It's strange doing all the prep and clearing up but none of the riding.

I hope yours both continue to work well with you, don't despair though if there are a few hiccups too!

Hope you're out of pain soon frosty that must be so weird not being able to ride yourself.

Sounds like your DHorse did pretty damn well

Bandito, that's great news, well done. This trainer sounds so much more sensible.i think your confidence will go from strength to strength with her onboard ( literally !)
Puppymouse, sounds like you had a good week too , very positive stuff there.
I did dressage with my little cob, only to get beeped after the first circle and find that I had learned a test via Google, that was wrongly labelled and had no idea of the right test. You can but laugh at that point

How's everyone doing? Well I hope, and not being driven to distraction by horse flies. I've just had the results of my MRI, I've torn the medial meniscus cartilage requiring surgery, arggh. There's a 12 week waiting list too which is ages. The GP did say that I could try riding again as long as it was nothing dramatic and to see how it goes so I might hack next week and take it from there.

In the meantime horse is getting grubbier and rounder by the day!

Hi frosty, I'm sorry to hear about your results - good luck with your nothing dramatic hack, I hope you are able to at least get him out a bit. The flies are horrible here at the moment, especially on the sunny mornings where it's been wet overnight (most days).

We've been carrying on with our twice-weekly training and he was very bolshy with the rider on Thursday when she asked for leg yield. I would have got scared and given up but she pushed as far as she felt sensible and he did offer a step or two, getting better as she went on. She says that she'll know quite quickly whether he's for us or not, whether he builds resistance or submissiveness, so I will do my best and if he doesn't suit us, I will sell or loan him to someone who will enjoy him. I feel quite pragmatic about it at the moment and not taking everything as a personal failure because that has been exhausting.

A good thing is we are walking and trotting in the school, which is a step forward from being scared to ride him at all. We will hack twice this weekend to take the pressure off.

How's everyone else doing?

How are we all doing? We are not with our trainer anymore, unfortunately. She and DHorse had a disagreeable lesson and she did not recommend I keep him. Whilst I respect her opinion, I wanted to chill a bit before making any decisions, so took the pressure off and went back to walking hacks and lungeing - up to this week when we cantered out out a hack in an open field and then this evening I jumped him in the school. So I feel that whilst we have not turned a corner, we are getting there and the fact that I was really upset when she recommended that we got rid meant that I am growing fond of him. How's everyone else doing?

That sounds like some positive stuff Bandito. Big change from being scared to ride. Good for you for taking the time to make your own decision.

We're ok ish. My new horse is settling in and trying her luck with some testing behaviour. Handling her from the ground I'm fine. I get nervous whilst on board. She has started napping to the gate when schooling and jogging when hacking. It's not constant, just a bit worrying when it happens. My trainer has advised I stay completely calm and don't get into a fight. Firstly I breathe and take a moment to be clear about what I'm asking. Then I ask again as though she hadn't napped. It's sort of working. I think the problem is me. I worry the horse is too good for me and I won't be able to cope if she tanks off. No cantering in open fields for us yet. My heart would love that feeling but my head is saying no shitting way, we'll die if she so much as trots. X

Sorry been so quiet we've been moving house and then my boy had a horrid accident in the field. He has two big gashes on his right fore. Flaps of skin hanging off n

Aaaargh posted too soon. And he put a crater in his tendon

So we're on at least a month's box rest (three weeks down I think now). And no riding for the foreseeable. Assuming he recovers. He's been very stoic. And actually this has felt like starting again with our relationship. I've had a lot of time to think about my fear, what I want to do, the advice I e had and I went to a brilliant workshop on Saturday that basically validated everything I'd been thinking and worried about.

I realise now I was riding him too soon, expecting too much of him too soon and putting stupid amounts of pressure on both of us. He's no longer anxious, he doesn't nip, he's calm, I can walk him round (on vet's instructions twice a day) without him getting right in my face and jigging. It's made a world of difference.

I was advised by one of his therapists to not ride him over the summer to let him settle and I ignored her. Thought it would be highly weird. But that's exactly what I should have done. Loads of time together on the grounds, walks in hand, hand grazing. And if and when the time comes I will take it slow to get us back up and running again.

Puppymouse what a rollercoaster - do you know how he managed to hurt himself so badly? Ours have been a bit loopy with the warm, wet weather and then it's been so windy we've had lots of horses hooning about and cutting themselves, but nothing like what you're having to deal with. Hopefully it will come right for you both. It sounds like you can enjoys the groundwork - I am still getting very stressed the couple of hours before I ride, but need to get on anyway - it's easier when there are other people about but this is not always possible. He has run away with me once this week when an owl swooped over us on a hack but I held on the neckstrap and stayed on, then after about eight circles, managed to get him back on track and we got home so I was scared to death but pleased that we'd got through it..

God that sounds terrifying Bandito! Well done for staying on. I had a spray of rescue remedy handy for my rides - don't know if it helped!

We're just doing three laps of the arena twice a day in hand. He's good as gold - having nipped at me and twitched etc back before the accident. I can only hope we can build on this. He is the sweetest soppiest boy. No idea what happened in the field. He got tangled in the electric fence and overreached twice quite dramatically. Quite common in racers apparently.

Oh god Puppymouse what a bore for him and you. I suppose at least it gives you the chance to really get to work out what makes him tick without the pressure of feeling you have to ride. I do hope he recovers well for you. Well done Bandito for hanging on, sounds a scary few moments all round.

I'm managing a little riding but only at the walk and tbh it's pretty painful really and I don't feel hugely secure in the saddle but I do want to keep at it just to avoid turning the horse away and getting hugely fat and unfit.

How are you doing. I had to go away for work for a couple of days missed my horse more than my kids. Horse can't speak to me on the phone. I've realised how much my new girl is big part of my life. We've also cracked the napping, very simply I carried a short crop in outside hand. Waved it a bit if she started to nap and brilliant results. No napping. Xxxxxx