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  Independent Cuss
Posts: 3978
    
Location: Dearing, GA | I have a gelding who will be 6 next month. He is smart as a whip and has a fabulous work ethic, but he has to be worked every other day at minimum in order to keep him from bucking. I'm having a very hard time motivating myself to even lunge him, much less climb on, while it's so cold out. I go after work to the place where I board him every other day to feed, and I have access to a smaller indoor arena with lights right there at the barn, but still nothing. I love this horse and his potential but what can I do to kick my butt in gear? The weather is fighting a really good case for why I shouldn't ride, even though I can. |
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 Underestimated Underdog
Posts: 3971
Location: Minnesota | Do you have a friend that could go with you or a friend that boards there as well that could work her horse with you? |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3978
Location: Dearing, GA | Ctrygirl14 - 2014-02-13 10:54 AM
Do you have a friend that could go with you or a friend that boards there as well that could work her horse with you?
I have several but our schedules are all different so typically no one else is out there while I am. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I think once the weather starts warming up and dont do any more yo-yo'ing on us and stays at a warmer tem and the days get longer I bet you will feel more motivated.  |
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | Get the majority of sugars/starches out of his diet. See if that helps. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| You remember the girl that whips your butt at every competition? She IS riding! |
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | Itsme - 2014-02-13 11:33 AM You remember the girl that whips your butt at every competition? She IS riding!
Every time I walk in and sit on the couch, I think of this.... It doesn't always work, but it at least makes me feel bad... LOL. |
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 Queen Boobie 2
Posts: 7521
| ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-02-13 11:38 AM Itsme - 2014-02-13 11:33 AM You remember the girl that whips your butt at every competition? She IS riding! Every time I walk in and sit on the couch, I think of this.... It doesn't always work, but it at least makes me feel bad... LOL.
Me too!
It's finally warming up here, and I can tell the days are about 45 minutes longer, so I am hoping I will find my motivation! |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3978
Location: Dearing, GA | ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-02-13 11:38 AM
Itsme - 2014-02-13 11:33 AM You remember the girl that whips your butt at every competition? She IS riding!
Every time I walk in and sit on the couch, I think of this.... It doesn't always work, but it at least makes me feel bad... LOL.
That's a good point! The hardest part is that I'm still patterning my horse and I really hate the process but I can't afford to send him off. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | My now 10 year old mare was the same way...from the time I got her as an unstarted 3 year old till she was 4.5 I couldn't let her go more than 2 days without being ridden or she would more than likely buck and buck to put you off of her not the woohoo this is fun buck. Super talented, super smart, just bi-polar. Every 10 strides she would seemingly switch from the nicest horse I'd ever been on to the craziest. Frustrating. Spent a year and a half of going home at my lunch hour,even when it rained or was 110+ and get a ride in,even if it was only 15-20 minutes long, it was better than the inevitable grab her azz and buck. She finally gave it up at about 5...or hopefully she has, LOL!!! I'm 49 in a few days and cannot afford to hit the ground like I did when I first started her.
Not wanting or needing to hit the ground was about the only motivation this girl needed to slicker up and ride in the rain or sweat it out to the oldies in the heat. Like I said, for her even a 15 minute ride helped. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:14 PM My now 10 year old mare was the same way...from the time I got her as an unstarted 3 year old till she was 4.5 I couldn't let her go more than 2 days without being ridden or she would more than likely buck and buck to put you off of her not the woohoo this is fun buck. Super talented, super smart, just bi-polar. Every 10 strides she would seemingly switch from the nicest horse I'd ever been on to the craziest. Frustrating. Spent a year and a half of going home at my lunch hour,even when it rained or was 110+ and get a ride in,even if it was only 15-20 minutes long, it was better than the inevitable grab her azz and buck. She finally gave it up at about 5...or hopefully she has, LOL!!! I'm 49 in a few days and cannot afford to hit the ground like I did when I first started her. Not wanting or needing to hit the ground was about the only motivation this girl needed to slicker up and ride in the rain or sweat it out to the oldies in the heat. Like I said, for her even a 15 minute ride helped.
Well I guess may be there is hope. I got bucked off from one just like it 4 weeks ago. We have been batteling for years and she finally got me good. I just started riding my "friendly" horses again yesterday as I still hurt. I will get back on her when it gets warmer and I'm in well enough shape. So frustrating. Glad yours turned around. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | What if you just did a lot of ground work until it's nicer? Like a bunch of Clinton Amderson stuff, lunging, doing the c-lunging or whatever....until it warms up a little. I would also take all the sugar out of his diet, or at least quit graining him for now. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | GoMistyGo - 2014-02-14 10:23 AM
run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:14 PM My now 10 year old mare was the same way...from the time I got her as an unstarted 3 year old till she was 4.5 I couldn't let her go more than 2 days without being ridden or she would more than likely buck and buck to put you off of her not the woohoo this is fun buck. Super talented, super smart, just bi-polar. Every 10 strides she would seemingly switch from the nicest horse I'd ever been on to the craziest. Frustrating. Spent a year and a half of going home at my lunch hour,even when it rained or was 110+ and get a ride in,even if it was only 15-20 minutes long, it was better than the inevitable grab her azz and buck. She finally gave it up at about 5...or hopefully she has, LOL!!! I'm 49 in a few days and cannot afford to hit the ground like I did when I first started her. Not wanting or needing to hit the ground was about the only motivation this girl needed to slicker up and ride in the rain or sweat it out to the oldies in the heat. Like I said, for her even a 15 minute ride helped.
Well I guess may be there is hope. I got bucked off from one just like it 4 weeks ago. We have been batteling for years and she finally got me good. I just started riding my "friendly" horses again yesterday as I still hurt. I will get back on her when it gets warmer and I'm in well enough shape. So frustrating. Glad yours turned around.
I took her to an Ed Wright clinic when she was still known to buck when she had had enough or got frustrated or scared. Ed always asks something like "tell me where your at with this horse, so I gave him the abbreviated version of her ADHD/Bi-polar ways and I remember he clapped his hands together and rubbed them and said "oh good, we are gonna have some fun!!!" I'm thinking "Are you getting on her???" LOL!!! Probably the biggest help he gave me on the bucking issue was if she in anyway squirreled around to counter arc her sharply and aggressively changing making sure to change the direction and not always gong say to the left. Helped hold her hip on the ground so she couldn't buck but she had to move her feet in a direction and use herself and engage her brain to do so. Worked amazingly well, haven't hit the ground off her since then and I still use the counter arc on her when she gets a little wild in the warm up pen. Tends to center her a bit. |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3978
Location: Dearing, GA | run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:57 PM
GoMistyGo - 2014-02-14 10:23 AM
run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:14 PM My now 10 year old mare was the same way...from the time I got her as an unstarted 3 year old till she was 4.5 I couldn't let her go more than 2 days without being ridden or she would more than likely buck and buck to put you off of her not the woohoo this is fun buck. Super talented, super smart, just bi-polar. Every 10 strides she would seemingly switch from the nicest horse I'd ever been on to the craziest. Frustrating. Spent a year and a half of going home at my lunch hour,even when it rained or was 110+ and get a ride in,even if it was only 15-20 minutes long, it was better than the inevitable grab her azz and buck. She finally gave it up at about 5...or hopefully she has, LOL!!! I'm 49 in a few days and cannot afford to hit the ground like I did when I first started her. Not wanting or needing to hit the ground was about the only motivation this girl needed to slicker up and ride in the rain or sweat it out to the oldies in the heat. Like I said, for her even a 15 minute ride helped.
Well I guess may be there is hope. I got bucked off from one just like it 4 weeks ago. We have been batteling for years and she finally got me good. I just started riding my "friendly" horses again yesterday as I still hurt. I will get back on her when it gets warmer and I'm in well enough shape. So frustrating. Glad yours turned around.
I took her to an Ed Wright clinic when she was still known to buck when she had had enough or got frustrated or scared. Ed always asks something like "tell me where your at with this horse, so I gave him the abbreviated version of her ADHD/Bi-polar ways and I remember he clapped his hands together and rubbed them and said "oh good, we are gonna have some fun!!!" I'm thinking "Are you getting on her???" LOL!!! Probably the biggest help he gave me on the bucking issue was if she in anyway squirreled around to counter arc her sharply and aggressively changing making sure to change the direction and not always gong say to the left. Helped hold her hip on the ground so she couldn't buck but she had to move her feet in a direction and use herself and engage her brain to do so. Worked amazingly well, haven't hit the ground off her since then and I still use the counter arc on her when she gets a little wild in the warm up pen. Tends to center her a bit.
Ok We own the same horse. I'm going to try the counter arc exercise. Typically I'm forced to keep him so collected going into a lope that I've had people ask me if I rode dressage. Once he settles I can give him his head a lot more but I don't trust him not to try something. I hate having a horse that I have to do that with but I just have a feeling about my gelding. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | My motivation came back after I got rid of the horse I wasn't motivated to ride!
I had a horse who had all of the talent in the world but that I just didn't trust and I had zero motivation to ride. I think that subconsiously I knew this wasn't going to work even though I kept making excuses for him. I traded him off for a less talented, bigger hearted and more fun to ride horse. Instantly, my motivation was back! Lesson learned for me. |
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Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:57 PM GoMistyGo - 2014-02-14 10:23 AM run n rate - 2014-02-13 12:14 PM My now 10 year old mare was the same way...from the time I got her as an unstarted 3 year old till she was 4.5 I couldn't let her go more than 2 days without being ridden or she would more than likely buck and buck to put you off of her not the woohoo this is fun buck. Super talented, super smart, just bi-polar. Every 10 strides she would seemingly switch from the nicest horse I'd ever been on to the craziest. Frustrating. Spent a year and a half of going home at my lunch hour,even when it rained or was 110+ and get a ride in,even if it was only 15-20 minutes long, it was better than the inevitable grab her azz and buck. She finally gave it up at about 5...or hopefully she has, LOL!!! I'm 49 in a few days and cannot afford to hit the ground like I did when I first started her. Not wanting or needing to hit the ground was about the only motivation this girl needed to slicker up and ride in the rain or sweat it out to the oldies in the heat. Like I said, for her even a 15 minute ride helped. Well I guess may be there is hope. I got bucked off from one just like it 4 weeks ago. We have been batteling for years and she finally got me good. I just started riding my "friendly" horses again yesterday as I still hurt. I will get back on her when it gets warmer and I'm in well enough shape. So frustrating. Glad yours turned around. I took her to an Ed Wright clinic when she was still known to buck when she had had enough or got frustrated or scared. Ed always asks something like "tell me where your at with this horse, so I gave him the abbreviated version of her ADHD/Bi-polar ways and I remember he clapped his hands together and rubbed them and said "oh good, we are gonna have some fun!!!" I'm thinking "Are you getting on her???" LOL!!! Probably the biggest help he gave me on the bucking issue was if she in anyway squirreled around to counter arc her sharply and aggressively changing making sure to change the direction and not always gong say to the left. Helped hold her hip on the ground so she couldn't buck but she had to move her feet in a direction and use herself and engage her brain to do so. Worked amazingly well, haven't hit the ground off her since then and I still use the counter arc on her when she gets a little wild in the warm up pen. Tends to center her a bit.
Lol - I took mine to an Ed clinic a couple of years ago. He actually got on her quite a bit and they were leaping through the air and crashing into things.... Ed seemed to have a blast, I was so embarrassed and worried that my horse would be the one to hurt Uncle Ed.....
My mare can be fine for weeks and then pulls crap when you least expect it. And just when you have enough confidence for it to be fun. |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | I wasn't letting Ed anywhere near her then, he had just had his hip replacement surgery...I would have gotten lynched by a mob for sure.  |
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| My motivation came from me going to college and not getting to be able to ride every day. Now I'm riding any second that I can (im still in college)! You never realize what you have and how much you love it until it's taken away! |
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Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | That's true, one of the time I got bucked off this little toot of mine back in the day I had been whining about riding because it was 110+. Got bucked off and then whined because I couldn't ride...that lasted a week and I had to crawl on, it was even hotter, LOL!!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I am lacking the motivation as well. This is the coldest winter I have ever experienced so all of mine has disappeared!! Once the weather breaks I will go back to riding everyday but until then I'm sure my horses would rather stay in and be lazy as well! |
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 IMA No Hair Style Gal
Posts: 2594
| I so wished we lived closer together. I would love to ride with you!
I am chomping at the bit to ride consistently. I have managed it all winter until the end of this month. The past two weeks I rode once. I am miserable.
My main guy is getting swam at least-so he doesn't loose any conditioning.
The more horses I ride- and the more I am in the saddle the happier I am! Although...I am not winning yet...hopefully one day soon. |
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Independent Cuss
Posts: 3978
Location: Dearing, GA | magic gunsmoke - 2014-02-13 7:22 PM
I so wished we lived closer together. I would love to ride with you!
I am chomping at the bit to ride consistently. I have managed it all winter until the end of this month. The past two weeks I rode once. I am miserable.
My main guy is getting swam at least-so he doesn't loose any conditioning.
The more horses I ride- and the more I am in the saddle the happier I am! Although...I am not winning yet...hopefully one day soon.
Yeah at least your horse is being swam! My horse is just eating and is busy not developing muscle haha. I have some vacation time to use soon... where in KY are you? |
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Regular
Posts: 62
| My goodness I WANT to ride. I haven't ridden since Nov and that was only to sort some cattle. Its been so nasty here. We had a huge snow storm so 2 FEET of snow everywhere. 3 days later most of melted away so now all we have is soupy icky MUD. No covered area to at least get on a horse so I remember how to ride! lol |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | The reason my young ones got the winter off is because if I can't ride them consistently, there's no point. I don't have a place to go when it's raining or ice on the ground or 20 degrees with a 350 mph wind. Usually it's not as bad as it's been this year, but I haven't ridden anything except my gelding since November. Hopefully, that will be changing soon. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
Location: Jersey Girl | Warmer weather and daylight. I completely lose my motivation once the time changes. |
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I Need a Xanax!
Posts: 2774
| Esther - 2014-02-13 1:13 PM
My motivation came back after I got rid of the horse I wasn't motivated to ride!
I had a horse who had all of the talent in the world but that I just didn't trust and I had zero motivation to ride. I think that subconsiously I knew this wasn't going to work even though I kept making excuses for him. I traded him off for a less talented, bigger hearted and more fun to ride horse. Instantly, my motivation was back! Lesson learned for me.
^^^This is your answer.  |
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 Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | Esther - 2014-02-13 1:13 PM My motivation came back after I got rid of the horse I wasn't motivated to ride!
I had a horse who had all of the talent in the world but that I just didn't trust and I had zero motivation to ride. I think that subconsiously I knew this wasn't going to work even though I kept making excuses for him. I traded him off for a less talented, bigger hearted and more fun to ride horse. Instantly, my motivation was back! Lesson learned for me.
GREAT answer, Ethel!!! This does make a huge difference when you are riding something you look forward to saddling up. I'm sooooo looking forward to being able to ride consistently. Got a new saddle and get to test it out this weekend and cannot wait! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Try mixing up your riding. I was getting bored and didnt want to ride that much, so I looked up different exercises for barrel horses and reining horses. I found some new exercises and tried them out. Now I cant wait to get home and ride! Challenging your mind and your horse makes it fun again. Plus you would be surprised where your weaknesses are with new routines. |
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Motivation to ride