srness
in
equestrian
Mistakes that need fixing.
So I have a mistake and need some emergency training advice.
I went to Australia for a year to holiday and work and study. I've done all that and my year is slowly coming to a close. In november I fly home.
However, I bought a horse here, that seemed like a good idea at the time. In hind sight I probably shouldn't have. I was basically overcharged and they lied to me about how long he'd been off the track. What can I say, I was ignorant and stupid, it's my first (possibly last) OTTB...
Anyway! He's a lovely horse, good nature, very gentle but I've obviously been slack in my work with him due to time retraints. He's 8 years old off the track for scarcely a year now and when I was working him he had massive ups in his work and even bigger downs where it just seemed like whatever I'd done with him had been competely forgotten and we were back at square one.
I'm still looking to sell him sooner rather than later. I've approached a few people who might be interested in him but I'm hoping to get him a good 'forever' home, as he really deserves it. So I want him a bit more polished up, so to speak, so he won't just be another project horse that ends up being sold around in circles, I would also would want my money back but I know he's not worth what I paid for him even now, so it's not my main priority. I want to see him go to a good home with a good basis to go on with so he'll have a fair chance at being a pleasure or show horse.
He's been out of work for about 3 months now as I was away and I'm about to bring him back into work. But, while I've trained a fair few horses, never any OTTB and I must say he's sort of knocked my confidence, so I'm looking for a bit of feedback to see if I'm taking the right approach here.
The problems (and a ton of questions):
His canter is still dreadful and needs a ton of work, he's a bit tight in the neck and jaw and doesn't always relax and round nicely, especially when he gets worked up. I try to be quiet as can be in my hands but being a racehorse he sometimes need that firm pull to let him know I'm not just holding the reins for the hell of it... Would riding in a rope halter maybe improve him (associating bit/pressure on the bit with racing) or is that a rubbish NH urban legend?
He goes in a loose ring french link now and seems happy enough in it...
I would like some new bright ideas on how to improve his canter work drastically in a short amount of time. It's just a balance and strength issue. He can go fast, he can't go neat. He can do straight lines alright, but corners are a terror. You get the drift...
I've been tossing up the idea of lunging him over canter poles (4 on a 20m circle? Add more as he gets better/make circle smaller) and doing bounce grids at liberty.
Under sadle I'll be working with a square (square made ouf of poles - ride in, transition, ride out, prefferably in a corner to work on his transitions and getting him to 'sit'). General trot poles to make him mind his feet more and of course 'canter - trot trot trot - canter' transitions. Because I've always been told the transition is what improves the canter and cantering along strung out and disjointed obviously won't improve him.
I know laterals are really good but he isn't too great with them yet and his rythm at the trot is a bit off sometimes which makes laterals a bit hard to get right.
Ideas? Opinions? Beter ideas? How often should I lunge him and school him? I was thinking of combining lunging and riding on some days (lunge first shortly and then ride or vice versa) and other days just doing one or the other. I won't be able to get out every day to see him, so he'll have his days off as well of course. I know some trainers school horses twice a day, especially jumpers hwo do dressage in the morning and jumping in the evening... would that be a good idea or would that by rushing things? Are there any really good ground work exercises to do to get his balance up? What about more relaxation?
(beginner rider, that's not me but that's to show how he normally carries his head, he lunges like that too, would side reins or sliding side reins be a good idea or elastics? What would yield the best results do you think? I'm leaning towards sliding side reins myself but am afraid he'll start ducking behind the rein...)
If you read all of that you rock so hard! If you're going to leave a comment I'll love you forever...
I went to Australia for a year to holiday and work and study. I've done all that and my year is slowly coming to a close. In november I fly home.
However, I bought a horse here, that seemed like a good idea at the time. In hind sight I probably shouldn't have. I was basically overcharged and they lied to me about how long he'd been off the track. What can I say, I was ignorant and stupid, it's my first (possibly last) OTTB...
Anyway! He's a lovely horse, good nature, very gentle but I've obviously been slack in my work with him due to time retraints. He's 8 years old off the track for scarcely a year now and when I was working him he had massive ups in his work and even bigger downs where it just seemed like whatever I'd done with him had been competely forgotten and we were back at square one.
I'm still looking to sell him sooner rather than later. I've approached a few people who might be interested in him but I'm hoping to get him a good 'forever' home, as he really deserves it. So I want him a bit more polished up, so to speak, so he won't just be another project horse that ends up being sold around in circles, I would also would want my money back but I know he's not worth what I paid for him even now, so it's not my main priority. I want to see him go to a good home with a good basis to go on with so he'll have a fair chance at being a pleasure or show horse.
He's been out of work for about 3 months now as I was away and I'm about to bring him back into work. But, while I've trained a fair few horses, never any OTTB and I must say he's sort of knocked my confidence, so I'm looking for a bit of feedback to see if I'm taking the right approach here.
The problems (and a ton of questions):
His canter is still dreadful and needs a ton of work, he's a bit tight in the neck and jaw and doesn't always relax and round nicely, especially when he gets worked up. I try to be quiet as can be in my hands but being a racehorse he sometimes need that firm pull to let him know I'm not just holding the reins for the hell of it... Would riding in a rope halter maybe improve him (associating bit/pressure on the bit with racing) or is that a rubbish NH urban legend?
He goes in a loose ring french link now and seems happy enough in it...
I would like some new bright ideas on how to improve his canter work drastically in a short amount of time. It's just a balance and strength issue. He can go fast, he can't go neat. He can do straight lines alright, but corners are a terror. You get the drift...
I've been tossing up the idea of lunging him over canter poles (4 on a 20m circle? Add more as he gets better/make circle smaller) and doing bounce grids at liberty.
Under sadle I'll be working with a square (square made ouf of poles - ride in, transition, ride out, prefferably in a corner to work on his transitions and getting him to 'sit'). General trot poles to make him mind his feet more and of course 'canter - trot trot trot - canter' transitions. Because I've always been told the transition is what improves the canter and cantering along strung out and disjointed obviously won't improve him.
I know laterals are really good but he isn't too great with them yet and his rythm at the trot is a bit off sometimes which makes laterals a bit hard to get right.
Ideas? Opinions? Beter ideas? How often should I lunge him and school him? I was thinking of combining lunging and riding on some days (lunge first shortly and then ride or vice versa) and other days just doing one or the other. I won't be able to get out every day to see him, so he'll have his days off as well of course. I know some trainers school horses twice a day, especially jumpers hwo do dressage in the morning and jumping in the evening... would that be a good idea or would that by rushing things? Are there any really good ground work exercises to do to get his balance up? What about more relaxation?
(beginner rider, that's not me but that's to show how he normally carries his head, he lunges like that too, would side reins or sliding side reins be a good idea or elastics? What would yield the best results do you think? I'm leaning towards sliding side reins myself but am afraid he'll start ducking behind the rein...)
If you read all of that you rock so hard! If you're going to leave a comment I'll love you forever...