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Veteran
Posts: 113
| OldSchoolCowgirl - 2015-04-15 2:47 PM
Thanks everyone for all of the replies.
This horse is 10 years old.
Honestly, I didn't post this question because my daughter is a whiner - she is very grateful for what she has. I wanted to see if anyone had some solutions as she is very confused. Some people say "just suck it up and let him do it or get him a buddy if he's a 1D horse," and some people say "do not go there and be an enabler or you will regret it forever." So we wanted to get some additional opinions from people who have been in the same situation.
The problem we have with a mini is that this horse is on irrigated pasture a decent amount of time and we have heard that minis cannot be on rich pasture all that much. We didn't want to make the problem worse by having the horse go to pasture if the mini can't, and we don't want the horse to have to stay off the pasture just because the mini can't be on it. Unfortunately we don't have a dry lot right next to the pasture so they can at least be next to each other.
Anyone else?
I wouldn't get a mini, might as well have another barrel horse to haul along if you are going to take a "buddy" for him. Everyone wants their horses out on pasture, but honestly my horses work so much better when they are lotted up. When they are out on grass all they want to do is be out on grass, their heads aren't in the game. They can go out and chill in the pasture when I am not hauling them, but other then that I need them to be focused on their job. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
 
Location: MD | I have one. He is a weaver. He is terribly insecure. Horrible if left at the trailer by himself, etc... He's a beast in the arena, so I deal with it. There are times that I will let him have his temper tantrums at the trailer and suck it up. At bigger shows, I might cater to him a bit more in order to keep him at his mental best. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, or says. I'm the only one who HAS to deal with him. |
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Veteran
Posts: 120
| Itsme - 2015-04-14 7:12 AM
This was my laugh for the day...bahahahahaahaha LOVED IT!!!!! |
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 Crazy Doggy Mommy
Posts: 1419
Location: Where Governor's make the liscense plates | Honestly that horse would be spending a lot of time being tied away from other horses if it were mine. If he gets so distraught that he's dangerous and just hollering I personally wouldn't feel safe with my child dealing with it. I would make time being with other horses difficult and being away easy for them. Imo |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | FirstFirewater - 2015-04-15 4:53 PM
Honestly that horse would be spending a lot of time being tied away from other horses if it were mine. If he gets so distraught that he's dangerous and just hollering I personally wouldn't feel safe with my child dealing with it. I would make time being with other horses difficult and being away easy for them. Imo
and you would have a completely fried, worthless critter on your hands awful quick like... |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | grinandbareit - 2015-04-15 9:47 AM My suggestion is to trade your daughter's horse for a friend's well mannered 4d horse. (Don't tell her it's only temporary. Sometimes we don't appreciate what we have until it's gone. :) Good luck!
Exactly.... for this reason.
How can you remedy something like this? It is making my daughter crazy and having an insecure horse like this is one of her pet peeves.
I'm going to be blunt.... your daughter doesn't deserve a 1D horse if she already has a pet peeve about horses that are insecure. Sorry, but she doesn't. She needs to become a horseman first.
When I was her age, I would have given my eye teeth for a decent horse and would have loved every single minute of working through issues. Tough times are what builds character. If she's winning, even if it's on a horse with some issues, she's not going to learn anything.
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | If I had a horse like this I would be putting him in a pen by himself, no grass/turnout, and giving him to 2-a- day workouts until he got over his issue. |
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| I have had Tremendous results with a magnesium supplement by Performance Equine for my mare. She came to me with a LOT of issues including zero self confidence, high anxiety, being herd bound, very very nervous, weaving & stall walking, terrified of everything. This horse was given to me "with issues", so I sorta figured I was in for a project. I seriously would give the Performance Equine websight a look, their products have turned my mare's life around. She's sane, has focus, has a great desire to work & please, and even though she still has her moments of pawing or getting impatient at a race, she's turned into a great partner :) |
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
Location: Broxton, Ga | WrapSnap - 2015-04-14 6:38 PM
FirstFirewater - 2015-04-15 4:53 PM
Honestly that horse would be spending a lot of time being tied away from other horses if it were mine. If he gets so distraught that he's dangerous and just hollering I personally wouldn't feel safe with my child dealing with it. I would make time being with other horses difficult and being away easy for them. Imo
and you would have a completely fried, worthless critter on your hands awful quick like...
Agree if it's their personality you can tie to a tree all day and it will not change a thing. At least that's what I've found.
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | hammer_time - 2015-04-15 8:55 PM
If I had a horse like this I would be putting him in a pen by himself, no grass/turnout, and giving him to 2-a- day workouts until he got over his issue.
Hope you've got a crap ton of money to spend on Gastro Guard and vet bills when the ulcers and isolation cause him to crash through the pen in the midst of his crazy colic episode!
The fact of the matter is, these horses are not for most people. They darn sure aren't going to work for you if you are a control freak, have a short fuse, or lack patience. They are not for those who think of their horses and riding as peaceful therapy. It has been my experience though, that if you treat them as the individuals that they are, many of them channel that energy into being amazingly hard working athletes. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| I believe thats why we have so many 3d horses running, people nit pick at everything and try to make horses place their feet here or there, turn with this or that style, make a horse act a certain way, basically take all the horses natural abilities away from them.
Do you know why most of the best horses have quirks? Because the trainers and riders allow them to be horses and use their natural abilities to perform at their best. Basically treating them like a individual instead of a cookie cutter horse.
Just my opinion from the outside looking in.... |
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 Expert
Posts: 1482
Location: on my horse | I used to have a really competitive, really herd bound gelding. He wasn't 1D consistently, but he was at the top of my riding ability at the time and was winning me money so I put up with his weirdnesses. My priorities changed and I eventually sold him.
My advice to you and your daughter is not to get him a buddy but to keep managing his behavior like you have been, he sounds like he hauls alone fine and hopefully his confidence running when he's alone will pick up. If not and her priority is to win and go down the road then I would consider a buddy.
The rest of my advice is for you guys to look at your priorities, is winning and being very competitive the top of you guys' priority list? If so then it sounds like this horse isn't dangerous and that you guys are managing him properly and his insecurities are just a part of his personality, which is what makes him the athlete that he is. If your priority is to go out and have fun and this horse is driving you both nuts let him go to somebody who won't be bothered by his insecurities as long as he keeps being competitive at their level.
If you go about working on removing his insecurities he may improve and stay consistent as a competitor or he may get less insecure and also less competitive. It's a fine line to walk, and like a lot of other posters said consistent handling is key.
If he was mine, at this stage in my life if I didn't fear for my safety I would keep him and be happy to cater to his weirdnesses. |
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The Resident Destroyer of Liberal Logic
Location: PNW | WrapSnap - 2015-04-15 9:12 PM
hammer_time - 2015-04-15 8:55 PM
If I had a horse like this I would be putting him in a pen by himself, no grass/turnout, and giving him to 2-a- day workouts until he got over his issue.
Hope you've got a crap ton of money to spend on Gastro Guard and vet bills when the ulcers and isolation cause him to crash through the pen in the midst of his crazy colic episode!
The fact of the matter is, these horses are not for most people. They darn sure aren't going to work for you if you are a control freak, have a short fuse, or lack patience. They are not for those who think of their horses and riding as peaceful therapy. It has been my experience though, that if you treat them as the individuals that they are, many of them channel that energy into being amazingly hard working athletes.
This x 1million.
The good ones are quirky. They aren't for everybody. |
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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
Location: MD | I think that what some don't seem to realize is that this isn't a behavior issue, it's a personality issue. They are not buddy sour. They are not herd bound. They have separation anxiety. The thought that taking a horse like this and penning it off somewhere by itself, or leaving it tied somewhere that it could not see other horses and letting it sort itself out would work is crazy. To think that you could work them all multiple times a day and make them too tired for this sort of behavior is brutal. To me, that would be like smacking a paranoid schizophrenic every time you walk by them in order to "desensitize" them and make them not be paranoid. |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | smh on alot of responses here..!!
agree with Andy (wrap).and these type horses you cant have ego trips.. and power trips.. . 
Edited by Bibliafarm 2015-04-16 1:19 AM
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Location: midwest mama | WrapSnap - 2015-04-16 1:00 AM
I think that what some don't seem to realize is that this isn't a behavior issue, it's a personality issue. They are not buddy sour. They are not herd bound. They have separation anxiety. The thought that taking a horse like this and penning it off somewhere by itself, or leaving it tied somewhere that it could not see other horses and letting it sort itself out would work is crazy. To think that you could work them all multiple times a day and make them too tired for this sort of behavior is brutal. To me, that would be like smacking a paranoid schizophrenic every time you walk by them in order to "desensitize" them and make them not be paranoid.
THIS!!!! ^^^^
The insecurity issue with this horse is definitely a personality issue, not a behavior issue. He has the sweetest personality in the world and tries to please as much as he possibly can. The separation anxiety is something that he really cannot help, so I honestly do not think that it can be "trained" out of him.
I should have clarified that my daughter is an adult, and she is not spoiled in the least. She actually was a top rider and then took 15 years off to raise her family and is just getting back into barrel racing again. I think she is more sensitive to this horse's issue because at this time she herself doesn't have the confidence she used to.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| We nipped this in the butt real quick with the mare I race. She was stupid when we first got her, but about 4 come to jesus meetings about it and she straightened up. We only have to have the annual reminder now, but that's a mare for you, always pushing buttons.
Honestly, It drives me CRAZY when my horses talk at all when I'm on them, and they get a swift jerk and kick for it even now. If he paws when the other horse leave the trailer, hobble him. Jerk on him if he talks. As long as you are consistant with punishments and swift with rewards when he doesn't do it, then he will learn quick what is and isn't ok. My gelding gets hobbled front and back feet at the few races I take him to, plus tied up in the stall, he is a wall climber though. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| My boy has separation anxiety issues. When he was at the track they moved him to the end of the barn row and insolated him from even seeing outside or other horses, compounding his issues. He fretted so badly he lost weight. Thankfully his owner cared enough to bring him home. I've owned him for 4 yrs and he still has it although he is MUCH better. He HATED being stalled and would bite and kick when it was feeding time. I kicked his a$$ out of the barn and fed him in the pasture with a mare. He still would still stand and kick at nothing, charge the fence if the other horses came near his bowl. It is just him. I now have him in a stall/run at night , turnout during day and he will still bite at other horses or kick when other horses walk by but ONLY WHEN ITS FEEDING TIME. He pulls back from the trailer but only the trailer which means I have to babysit him at barrel races. My point he's a 1d horse and will do whatever I ask when I ask in the pen. He has no alley issues and he knows he can trust me! He is quirky about some stuff but I it's just him. I've really spent alot of time learning what makes him tick and I don't try to "fix" him. I work for his breeder and he has ALWAYS been this way, even as a baby he would kick out his right leg at feeding for no reason, like he has tourette in his leg. |
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 Saint Stacey
| After reading all these replies, I am very thankful we ended up with our little Vegas horse because most of you would have blown her mind. Instead she has a home were she has other horses to be with and her very own mini pony to haul with. She isn't forced into solitary confinement to "make" her behave and "get over it". She is kept as happy as possible. Guess that explains why she loves her job and continues to keep working and winning. Vegas fretes if she's left alone. If a person is with her, she's fine. But if you leave her all alone she worries and will wash out. Hence why we got her a pony. He hauls with her and is stalled with her on the road. He keeps her calm and happy. I find it ironic that the people advocating a Tough Love type of approach are the ones posting for help when their horse stops working. That comment wasn't aimed at anyone in particular, but if the shoe fits....
Edited by SKM 2015-04-16 7:28 AM
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | I am with wrap snap and hammer. This horse needs to be out on all day trail rides and tied up by himself. A horse that is worked and trained and groomed up tied to a trailer has no time to be an idiot. |
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