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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
 
| Is there hope for a 13yr old that wants to go go go all the time? I bought this 13yr old in January. He hasn't been on the pattern since at least 2012.
When I bought him he didn't know how to walk or do anything on a loose rein. The first thing I did was pulled the tiedown and million dollar bit off and put him in a snaffle. Taught him to give laterally to the bit then moved up to working on vertical flexion at a walk. Got that down and we started trotting. This horse did not know how to trot a straight line or move on a loose rein. Either he would try to take off and I would one rein stop him or he would trot in small circles. In the first week you could see the light bulb come on and him go oh so it’s ok to just trot? No ones pulling on my face? So now we can trot on a loose rein and trot slow and relaxed. When he starts getting faster than I want all it takes is picking him up and one rein stop him and he will relax.
So we move up to a lope. Well what I would hope would be a lope. No its more of a balls to the walls, 90-nothing. Head up in the air runaway! He can kind of do a slower lope in circle but straightaway’s are all or nothing. No softening. Nada.
So here is my question…. How the heck do I get him to slow down and think? It’s almost like he is panicking.
I had his teeth done when I bought him, I am giving him u-guard and its helping. I have the chiropractor coming this week to check him just in case he’s hurting. Some days he is a relaxed horse and others it’s like he’s having flashbacks to whatever happened to him and I can’t get him to THINK!
Any ideas? Tips? He’s a loving horse but when the switch flips you have to back up and let him come back to you. I’ve never had one this reactive or sensitive before. I found out he was starved at one point. And at another point he was just hauled, ran then tied back up. So most likely blown up. I’ve not taken him around a barrel. I have pushed cows, carried flags, and just rode him. Whenever there’s an empty spot in my trailer he’s in it
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 Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
 
Location: Sperry, OK | everytime he speeds up faster than you want, just pull him into a circle. Have him do several small circles until he slows back down, let him go in the straight line again. when he speeds up pull him into the circles again. eventually he should figure out what speed you want him and that it's easier to lope slow in a straight line than to "work" in circles. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| That's what I do. Thanks! |
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Tough Patooty
Posts: 2615
Location: Sperry, OK | It may take him a while and he may turn 5000 circles in each direction, but I have seen it work. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
 
Location: ND | It sounds like you're on the right track. I'd just keep doing what you are, but plan on it taking some time. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| Im in NO hurry. I bought him as a project when my good horse got hurt. Now my young mare has really stepped up her game so I can take my time with him while I have her running better and better. |
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 Member
Posts: 31
Location: Florida | I'm in the same situation with a 12 yr old mare. Was told she was starved & abused in past, poor thing has scars everywhere. She was rehabbed and doing well, then sold and I was told was ran 24/7 again, tied up straight after a run etc. All I know is when I got her she was absolutely psycho blown up... But after 6 months of patience she is a different horse. We can walk around on a loose rein (NO more tie down) and trot collected. Can walk, and SLOW work the patterns and she's actually THINKING. Can stand at alleyway without causing a scene lol. Still working on loping circles ughh, our last hurdle, it is a 90 to nothing still like you said. But I think there's hope for all of them! It definitely sounds like you are on the right track. |
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 Friendly horse swapper
Posts: 4122
Location: Buffalo, TX | To make him think you have to get control of his feet...you do that by changing direction a lot and staying calm with your hands......don't blindly just circle, circle, circle.....circles are only good if you roll into a fence from either direction during the circle and then change direction and go the other way and keep doing that again and again....I'll lope a circle into the fence, then as I move away from it, I turn around and go the other way and roll back into the fence and lope out another circle and move down the fence to a different area so I'm not always in the same spot......The how to is all explained in the Clinton Anderson/Sherry Cervi DVD's, and this really works wonders on chargy or aggressive horses......you can also set up little logs or cavaletti that he has to cross during his circling along the fence...that will make him have to think about the speed and placement of his feet..... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Sounds like your on the right track. I had a mare like that. She was blown up and unfortunately it was by me....at least I knew what I did so I knew what triggered her and where to start. We spent a long time doing pretty much what your doing. Took about 6 months until our first race back and we only exhibitioned and slowly came back. She is now a horse I enjoy riding and she knows she can chill out while I'm on her instead of acting like an idiot. I wish you the best! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | I had a horse like this, and when I pulled her in a circle she would just zone out and try to run off in the circle. Everybody kept telling me to just let her work herself down, but I promise, she would've died. More than once, I tried to wait her out, and finally stopped because I thought I'd killed her.
What I wound up doing to keep her from hurting herself is instead of 1-rein stop and then circles was, every time she would take off, stop, back, roll back, figure 8, roll back, spiral, back etc etc etc all in a row, mixed up. Backed a lot of circles around the barrels. Stopped her ALOT at random all through the pattern because she would rate at the barrel eventually, but climb on the backside, so anywhere at all she wanted to run, we stopped and started doing drills. By changing directions so much and changing drills so much in a row, she HAD to think. When her head came down and her feet slowed down, I would just let her head straight and let her walk off and wait. As soon as she sped up, it started again.
Another reason I like this better than just circles is she couldn't swing her butt, and getting on her rear and working was harder for her.
Banamine every time I did this just so she wouldn't be sore, because I knew by the time we were done, we would both be sore... |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | jojammer - 2014-04-03 11:41 AM
I had a horse like this, and when I pulled her in a circle she would just zone out and try to run off in the circle. Everybody kept telling me to just let her work herself down, but I promise, she would've died. More than once, I tried to wait her out, and finally stopped because I thought I'd killed her.
What I wound up doing to keep her from hurting herself is instead of 1-rein stop and then circles was, every time she would take off, stop, back, roll back, figure 8, roll back, spiral, back etc etc etc all in a row, mixed up. Backed a lot of circles around the barrels. Stopped her ALOT at random all through the pattern because she would rate at the barrel eventually, but climb on the backside, so anywhere at all she wanted to run, we stopped and started doing drills. By changing directions so much and changing drills so much in a row, she HAD to think. When her head came down and her feet slowed down, I would just let her head straight and let her walk off and wait. As soon as she sped up, it started again.
Another reason I like this better than just circles is she couldn't swing her butt, and getting on her rear and working was harder for her.
Banamine every time I did this just so she wouldn't be sore, because I knew by the time we were done, we would both be sore...
I do this also - rather than circles.
lol I'm sore and exhausted just reading this post. |
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| ACEINTHEHOLE - 2014-03-31 1:25 PM
everytime he speeds up faster than you want, just pull him into a circle. Have him do several small circles until he slows back down, let him go in the straight line again. when he speeds up pull him into the circles again. eventually he should figure out what speed you want him and that it's easier to lope slow in a straight line than to "work" in circles.
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At the same time ... give him an exaggerated sit down with your weight in the saddle with feet pushed forward and then do the one reined stop .... this will give him the barrel cue to rate/slow down while you are fixing his speed ...
You need to put his tie down back on and gradually loosen it to where he just bumps his nose to keep him in control and a lot of horses use this loose tie down to balance as they make their turns .... |
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Veteran
Posts: 231
Location: Nashvegas | Chris Cox has really good exercises for horses like him. He makes them work in straight lines and when they get fast or panicky he switches directions. So, for this horse I would start cantering in a straight line then a couple of strides in turn and go the other way, mess him up keep doing it until he decides that he needs to wait on you. It will take time, sounds like he needs some confidence boosting and so far you are doing that wonderfully it sounds but I know you know it takes time. Good Luck!! |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | Someone once told me that if they run off with you, even out in the "pasture", they can be sore. I know one of mine kept running off with me, was hotter than snot, I could not slow this guy down for the life of me. Turned out he had sore stifles and hocks. I had him injected and 5 days later he was a perfect gentleman. We could lope for miles on a loose rein and he'd just hang his head.
Not sure this is your deal, but keep it in the back of your mind. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| I'll take one into one of our worked up fields. Ill ask for lope and when they take off ill bump and put a little weight in my seat, say easy. I'll just keep bumping them(maybe asking a little more firmly each time) and sitting until they slow up, I don't touch they're face unless i'm asking for them to rate. I'll break them down like that all the way to a walk. Traveling in a straight line. pick up a lope and then start asking them to rate again. Some horses are worse than others and take awhile to register what im asking, in that case as soon as I get a response and broke down to a walk the first time I stop. the next day we'll do it again and i'll ask for more, maybe go through it 2-3 times, by the third or fourth time you'll pick your hand up and slightly sit and they're putting the brakes on. That first time might take 15 minutes before they respond, but in deep ground they will respond. Once we have that control back at a lope ill then start teaching him to drive into my hands, I can then control his speed. It'll be rocky at first because they'll want to break down to a trot and your legs will get sore from squeezing, but eventually they'll put it all together. |
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