(no subject)
Hello all,
The basic background of me and my horse is that after 3 riding lessons I took on a previously abused 17.33hh warmblood gelding who had lost all faith in humans. I got his trust, and although leading from the ground was 100% out of the question and almost always ended with him on his back legs and not on all fours I started doing it confidently and with time he progressed, now he still rears if he is in pain from the physical side effects of his abuse (boney protrusions that may be being operated on but he is on bute now so that helps) and he thinkes that by lunging it will hurt, but apart from that when being turned out or led down to the gate or mounting block he is an angel.
MAY I ADD that he is NOT in any physical pain now, he has been cleared as sound and is re-assessed every 3 weeks, next one is tomorrow actually, and he is just what the vet called a "sour" horse, so he thinks due to his past that things are going to hurt even if they then do not. :-)
ALSO that when he bucks he spooks to the side at "something" and then bucks. So how do I sit the buck when I am too busy trying to sit the spook, I think that is my main issue...I have a lesson tomorrow, and if I can stay on just once thanks to all your advice I'll be very happy haha.
A year on and I would not change him for the world. I walk, trot canter and even jump small jumps on him and for someone who started with him as a novice and he is not a novice horse I am doing a pretty good job.
When I got him he would not enter a school, be led anywhere by anyone or be saddled up. Now due to my own perseverance and knowing I could work it through myself, he will be led by anyone who is confident and not scared, he will be saddled up by anyone without any fuss and enters the school without one foot wrong.
My only issue left now really is that, he used to be and still could be according to the vet in time once his legs are better, a grade a show jumper, so if I do something wrong like bounce up and down too much in trot or have my leg too far back in canter he bucks me off.
Now it's almost been a year since I got him and he has made endless progress and some say he is like a different horse, no more rearing when led, mostly goes into the school ok and he even let me learn to jump on him before he went lame that is. (he is now sound)
One might say he is a good teacher, if you're on the floor you're doing it wrong LOL. But my issue is that I cannot sit a buck. Never. If I manage to sit one, I've lost the stirrups and get unseated on the 2nd.
He is a loving and sensitive horse and would never hurt anyone knowingly, but now that he knows he can get me off by bucking and gets a bit of a break if he does, I'll always forever be bucked off, time after time.
So I NEED to sit them, so I can re-train him to stop bucking.
I know some people say to turn the horse in circles after he bucks to re-inforce you are there to stay and to stop doing that.
But HOW can you see a buck if it comes from behind and in such a quick time how do you manage to stay on? It all happens too fast for me to even pull on the reins!!!
Anyway my question is:
What would you suggest I can do from groundwork and riding to make him see we are not going to cause him pain and re-instate his trust in me as a rider so that it is less likely he will buck etc?
My vet said take his mind off the pressure of schooling where the abuse used to happen and hack out alot, but I have no horsey friends in my area of London and I'm not keen on going out alone until he has settled a little more.
The basic background of me and my horse is that after 3 riding lessons I took on a previously abused 17.33hh warmblood gelding who had lost all faith in humans. I got his trust, and although leading from the ground was 100% out of the question and almost always ended with him on his back legs and not on all fours I started doing it confidently and with time he progressed, now he still rears if he is in pain from the physical side effects of his abuse (boney protrusions that may be being operated on but he is on bute now so that helps) and he thinkes that by lunging it will hurt, but apart from that when being turned out or led down to the gate or mounting block he is an angel.
MAY I ADD that he is NOT in any physical pain now, he has been cleared as sound and is re-assessed every 3 weeks, next one is tomorrow actually, and he is just what the vet called a "sour" horse, so he thinks due to his past that things are going to hurt even if they then do not. :-)
ALSO that when he bucks he spooks to the side at "something" and then bucks. So how do I sit the buck when I am too busy trying to sit the spook, I think that is my main issue...I have a lesson tomorrow, and if I can stay on just once thanks to all your advice I'll be very happy haha.
A year on and I would not change him for the world. I walk, trot canter and even jump small jumps on him and for someone who started with him as a novice and he is not a novice horse I am doing a pretty good job.
When I got him he would not enter a school, be led anywhere by anyone or be saddled up. Now due to my own perseverance and knowing I could work it through myself, he will be led by anyone who is confident and not scared, he will be saddled up by anyone without any fuss and enters the school without one foot wrong.
My only issue left now really is that, he used to be and still could be according to the vet in time once his legs are better, a grade a show jumper, so if I do something wrong like bounce up and down too much in trot or have my leg too far back in canter he bucks me off.
Now it's almost been a year since I got him and he has made endless progress and some say he is like a different horse, no more rearing when led, mostly goes into the school ok and he even let me learn to jump on him before he went lame that is. (he is now sound)
One might say he is a good teacher, if you're on the floor you're doing it wrong LOL. But my issue is that I cannot sit a buck. Never. If I manage to sit one, I've lost the stirrups and get unseated on the 2nd.
He is a loving and sensitive horse and would never hurt anyone knowingly, but now that he knows he can get me off by bucking and gets a bit of a break if he does, I'll always forever be bucked off, time after time.
So I NEED to sit them, so I can re-train him to stop bucking.
I know some people say to turn the horse in circles after he bucks to re-inforce you are there to stay and to stop doing that.
But HOW can you see a buck if it comes from behind and in such a quick time how do you manage to stay on? It all happens too fast for me to even pull on the reins!!!
Anyway my question is:
What would you suggest I can do from groundwork and riding to make him see we are not going to cause him pain and re-instate his trust in me as a rider so that it is less likely he will buck etc?
My vet said take his mind off the pressure of schooling where the abuse used to happen and hack out alot, but I have no horsey friends in my area of London and I'm not keen on going out alone until he has settled a little more.