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| Need some opinions on what to do with a colt that is super nervous any time you try to lope him. He has about 4 months on him now and is very soft and relaxed at a walk and trot but from day one he has been a basket case any time you attempt to ask him to lope. I've had him to the vet, treated him for Ulcers, had chiro and teeth done to eliminate any potential physical issues and am running out of ideas to try on his back to get him to relax. Tried several weeks of one rein stops and lots of transitions with absolutely no change, tried riding him down and letting himself slow down on his own, tried roll backs and redirecting his feet, and nothing seems to help. He is otherwise very quiet and easy to work with so I can't understand what is going on with him. Any suggestions? |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
   
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | What kind of feed is he on and what is his turnout schedule like? Sometimes those two things can make a huge difference.
Repetition can calm som, while some horses need to be kept guessing what you're going to ask for next so they dont have too much time on their hands.
Also, look at the teneness in your own body. I have had some Colts speed up from me just tensing up a little bit. The more nervous they are, the more tense we are, which in turn causes them to be even more nervous. So often we don't realize how much tightness we have in our bodies even though we're not necessarily squeezing.
Ponying seems to help with riding issues too. They seem to learn a lot being around an older calmer horse.
Another thing to remember is that horses will speed up when they're not balanced. It's kind of like us feeling as though we're going to fall - they feel the same way and it makes them unsure and they speed up trying to correct that feeling. Lots of up and down transitions will help with that. Lots of lunging in different size circles too. Later on surcingle work.
Taking an all day trail ride helps settle one a little more too.
Spending a lot of time sitting still so that they can look forward to stopping helps settle one a little more too. They start looking for any excuse to slow down and they settle a little more too.
Look at calcium/phosphorous ratios too..
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I agree with checking food and exercise regime.
I also agree with the horsemanship part, what is your body doing, are you relaxed, are you constantly asking him to do something, are you picking at his face all the time, what are your legs doing, are you riding with spurs, are your spurs hitting him in the guts every time he moves?
Also if he only has 4 months on him, if those months were intense, it takes them time to wind down.
I had one who had 18 months before I got her, it took me 4 months of winter riding to get her relaxed and calm. I did absolutely nothing else but legging up for 2 miles, I walked trotted and loped, no circles, no collection, just rode on a loose rein. After she settled down, I started reinforcing all the buttons |
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| He is turned out in a small pasture and gets good quality hay, I have kept the grain to a minimum. I have been riding him 4-5 times a week and have done everything from basic trail riding to working buffalo with him. He only gets stressed at a lope and is that way no matter the situation. He walks out relaxed on a loose rein or if you ask him to collect and same at a trot. I also thought that maybe I was the issue so I took him to a good friend of mine who trains reining horses and he had the same issue. We are both stumped now... |
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 Go For It!
Location: Texas |
Just give him time, he'll figure it out. Have you tried loping in a round pen with him?
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Colts just dont have that muscle tone for the lope. the fitter he gets the better the response will be. You can change the cinch and saddle pad and see if that makes a difference. If you have a long dirt road or pasture that goes on for miles kick up into a lope and relax for the ride let him get used to your weight he'll figure it out. |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | how old is he?
he may not be strong enough to hold a lope . They will speed up to balance theirself.
edited to spellcheck
Edited by Bibliafarm 2015-04-06 10:02 PM
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| Thanks everyone, I will give him some more time and hope he gets it figured :) |
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