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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| I recently bought a project horse, He's a 10 year old "blown up" barrel horse. He is high caliber and it was a good price so I bought him. He has anxiety, and a bit of a distrust of humans. When riding he is bracey, and on the muscle. Doesn't like to stand still, and has his head in the air. When I lope him he has his head in the air and has a pounding, ready to take off to run barrels type of gait. There is no relaxed lope whatsoever, he has a good stop, but is like, a freight train ready to roll. The longer/faster you ride the hotter he gets and wants to go more. I've rode him for a week and now it's time for me to make a plan. I'd like advice from people who have dealt with this so I can learn from you instead of finding out the hard way what works and what doesn't. I plan on ordering some B10 after reading another thread. I plan to chiro him, vet him, teeth, etc. but this seems more behavioral to me. TIA | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| I'm also having the same issues with a new purchase I am starting over starting with groundwork in the round pen and lunging using buck brannaman methods too soon to tell. | |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| I had a mare that was hot and only got hotter the longer you rode. So after I realized it, I started getting off before she started getting higher, even if it was only 10 minutes. I always quit her at the back of my pasture and we hand walked home but this was just 20 acre pasture. If we were riding down the road I'd do the same thing. She didn't realize I wanted her to be calmer, she thought I wanted her hot. The lady I bought her from fed her way to much, kept her in a stall unless she was riding her and when she rode her, it was hard and fast. I turned her out in a pasture, no grain and the above routine. She always was hot but she got a lot better. Lots of trail riding and gathering cows. | |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| What is the feeding regimen?
Full vet check done?
Saddle fit?
Just covering those bases. I would move him to a low NSC feed or no grain and free choice hay to start. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 899
Location: Idaho | IowaCanChaser - 2017-10-09 2:59 PM
I recently bought a project horse, He's a 10 year old "blown up" barrel horse. He is high caliber and it was a good price so I bought him. He has anxiety, and a bit of a distrust of humans. When riding he is bracey, and on the muscle. Doesn't like to stand still, and has his head in the air. When I lope him he has his head in the air and has a pounding, ready to take off to run barrels type of gait. There is no relaxed lope whatsoever, he has a good stop, but is like, a freight train ready to roll. The longer/faster you ride the hotter he gets and wants to go more. I've rode him for a week and now it's time for me to make a plan. I'd like advice from people who have dealt with this so I can learn from you instead of finding out the hard way what works and what doesn't. I plan on ordering some B10 after reading another thread. I plan to chiro him, vet him, teeth, etc. but this seems more behavioral to me. TIA
I bought a gelding like this a few years ago. He was blown up, really on the muscle, tense. His anxiety wasn't horrible except sometimes he would literally take off running with you, he wouldn't buck or try to do anything stupid, but he would literally take off then run a bit then slow down and stop. I eventually had to throw a strong bit on him to be able to stop him, and let him know that wasn't acceptable, then once he figured it out he quit doing that.
Mine also had ulcers super bad, which contributed a lot to his anxiety and being tense and on the muscle. When I started to treat him it was like a night and day difference, he was SO relaxed.. almost like he felt 100x better since he was no longer in pain. I would also get a good vet check done on him. If he is blown up, it was either he was ran too much too soon.. or he was in pain and someone kept running him. That was my horse's other problem. He had to be adjusted three times before it stuck and made a difference, his shoes were too small for his feet, teeth needed to be done, had ulcers.. Make sure this horse is comfortable, as he may just associate the pain with running and his anxiety and braceyness may be he is just anticipating the pain.
Lastly, give him some time outside of the arena. I gave mine a year off before I started putting him back on the pattern. Did slow work, trail riding, cows, whatever else besides a barrel pattern. Sounds like this boy needs to slow down and learn to relax.
ETA: Also, I just read the part about you thinking its behavioral. I knew someone who thought their horse had a behavioral problem, similar behaviors. She didn't want her horse to get looked at, was very stuck on the idea. The horse had a old broken coffin bone in her foot, didn't find that out till the next person purchased her and the horse broke it again.
Edited by DashNDustem 2017-10-08 5:54 PM
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 357
| These kinds are my favorite projects as long as they aren’t dangerous. My best advice is to have Patients. Most of the horses I have fixed respond to quiet and light hands. You can not be on their face at all. At a trot I will go in small circles until I feel they relax then will move out around the arena and keep cutting into small circles if I feel they are getting in a hurry. I always do more trotting then cantering.. At the canter I start in a small circle then just keep going bigger the more they relax.. I have found the harder you try to hold them back the faster they go.
Build a trusting relationship on the ground first and reward for small things. However do not little them run the show. You are in charge and they need to know that.
My last project gelding I got just pranced and cantered very fast.Now two years later I can walk, trot and canter with no reins and make him work just off voice commands and leg cues.
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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | IowaCanChaser - 2017-10-08 3:59 PM
I recently bought a project horse, He's a 10 year old "blown up" barrel horse. He is high caliber and it was a good price so I bought him. He has anxiety, and a bit of a distrust of humans. When riding he is bracey, and on the muscle. Doesn't like to stand still, and has his head in the air. When I lope him he has his head in the air and has a pounding, ready to take off to run barrels type of gait. There is no relaxed lope whatsoever, he has a good stop, but is like, a freight train ready to roll. The longer/faster you ride the hotter he gets and wants to go more. I've rode him for a week and now it's time for me to make a plan. I'd like advice from people who have dealt with this so I can learn from you instead of finding out the hard way what works and what doesn't. I plan on ordering some B10 after reading another thread. I plan to chiro him, vet him, teeth, etc. but this seems more behavioral to me. TIA
It could be so many things, but this is how my horse started to act when he had the pelvis injury. Just wouldn't relax when I asked him to lope and got worse the longer we rode. So I gave him shy of 2 yrs off and my next and last ride was a nightmare. He was just a barely controlled runaway. Pain somewhere still so he is a pasture pet. Hopefully yours is something minor but it would be good to look into soreness somewhere. | |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| We bought a very hot horse, not blown up, but a constant struggle to get him to trot or lope relaxed. We worked with our trainer, he spent a lot of time tied by himself, when he was asked to trot or lope, if he got on the muscle she told my daughter to spin him, not harsh, no jerking, he could work harder or he could do as asked, after a few weeks he was a different horse. | |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| The first thing I would do is get a vet check. There could be any problem. Ulcers, EPM, soundness. I know everyone gets tired of hearing this but back to basics. Chances are the horse was never taught.
Not going to mention any names here but a person who has trainers and sells a lot of high dollar barrel horses had one that was basket case. Got in the arena and would just run away. Sent the horse to a person who lives near me. Worked on basics for several months, starting at the beginning. Started walking circles, then trotting, then loping. Flexing, moving of her legs two tracking. Get control of front legs and rear. Everything very slow and relaxed. She took the horse back to owner just to show progress. Owner could not believe the difference. Trainer type person got the horse at the end of July. Think it is still there.
One thing I learned a long time ago, if you can't fix a problem, get someone who can.
Edited by streakysox 2017-10-08 7:43 PM
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 Saint Stacey
| Sometimes you need to find what triggers the switch and avoid it. We had a paint that was fenced way too much for his brain to handle. When you’d start loping towards the corner or straight at a fence, he’d panic and get chargey. I figured it out when he plastered his head hard into the side of the barn and just stood there shaking. I remembered the owner talking about riding with a reining trainer and how much he loved to fence his horses. I didn’t get this horse out of a walk for the first month. If a horse can’t be relaxed at the walk, they sure won’t be relaxed at the jog and lope. You need to teach them that the arena isn’t a scary place where they will be worked to death. I’d start with walking. If he starts getting chargey, circle or two track or something else to engage his brain and get him to think instead of letting that panic switch flip on. Reward the slightest effort. When you start out, if he walks just 5 steps without getting upset, STOP. Get off, pet him and call it a day. You will gain more this way in the long run than you will by continuing to school him. When you stop, I’d get off of him in the middle of the arena (or wherever you are) and lead him back to be untacked. | |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 900
Location: Monticello, AR | Really good advice on here. I will add that I started my fire breathing Dragon on Redmonds Stress Relief...a small little scoop each feeding...and it has helped him tremendously, even riding at home. Rule out any pain issues, and be patient. I have learned so much from my gelding. He probably doesn't know it but he is making me a better horseman! | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 966
Location: Loco,Ok | I get these here fairly regular. The why is they been in a trap for years.Because a horse is an animal of flight. You put them in a situation where they are scared,surprised confused their tendency is to run. You pull. They run harder. You add more headgear for control. You have to take them out of the trap. All they want is to save their life. More you pull they push.You brace up they brace up. If you watch. They never lick their lips,take a breath or drop their head. Trust and Safety is not there. Most of them have hard time catching. Always moving away. When turn them loose in a pen. They want to get away from you. All they want is relief out of the trap. It's a long fight if you don't understand that. | |
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Expert
Posts: 1599
| I have one! Magnesium, Chiro, Pozzi Relax helped her a ton! The more I read, the more I think she is PSSM2 also. Started her on the reccommended PSSM 2 feeding regimen and she's a different horse now. Focused, wants to work, and about ready to enter! She will only ride in snaffles, and will panic in a tie down. So for now I slow work in a square snaffle with draw reins and run in a small twist, | |
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