Lack of work ethic, willingness... what is it?

[sittingxpretty]

Hey all, I've posted here once in an introductory post back in March or so. I own two horses. This post is about my ASB, Wiki, who was literally only saddle broke when I got him.  I got him in September 2009 and started taking lessons the following December when I realized I couldn't "train" him on my own. I'm pretty intermediate with green

Comments

[morgieporgie]

Honestly? It sounds like he's in pain. Especially if he's getting "pissy" at the trot as well, and it's been getting worse. Call your vet, let her know what's going on. Have her check him over, check how his saddle fits, ect.

Have you tried riding him bareback? Maybe try that and see if he's any better, how he reacts to your aides. Maybe try riding him out in the field, or on a trail. If it is a work ethic issue, he'll probably react better if you're not doing anything. Try doing that a couple rides in a row... just have fun! That is, of course, if the vet says it's not a pain issue. :)

[young_modern]

have you tried lunging him with and without a saddle to see if he responds any differently?

my first guesses would be 1] soreness that can be worked out with massage/chiropracty, or 2] a leg/hoof problem that hurts with the extra weight of a rider. honestly, what he's doing sounds similar to a horse i knew who ended up having a bowed tendon when the owners just thought he was being moody about working. maybe it'd be best to hold off on riding him again until he gets a thorough vet checkup.

[pythia]

Other than a vet check up, like mentioned above, do you ever take him out hacking or trail riding? If he only ever canters in the ring, he might just be associating it with all work and no fun.
Maybe give him a week or so off from any schooling work, just fool around and have fun. Might change his mindset a little and give him a break from constant work. :)

[sittingxpretty]

He can be very skittish... and I live in the middle of nowhere on flat land, so no trails or anything. I think he might kill me if we went on trails, sooo, I'll probably just hop on bareback in his pasture or something. :) Or (attempt to) teach him tricks or something like that!

[sm923]

I agree with both the above posters. A)There does seem to be a pain issue-or what started as a pain issue and has now escalated into just plain bad behavior. B)To see if it is saddle fit or bridle fit, lunge him and ask him to canter. if he exhibits the same behavior, he's either sore somewhere on his body or it is an attitude thing. I'd also have someone else ride him. I know you say you're consistent in your riding but honestly, we ALL ride slightly differently every time we get on unless we're a top pro. So have someone else ride him and see if they get the same response. If they don't, you know it's a "you" issue and not a "horse" issue. You need to basically rule out everything that could be wrong, one at a time, until you pin point it. But from what you say, it could be anything: tooth pain, back pain, leg pain, poor bridle/saddle fit, rider error, etc.

[glenatron]

With the physical issues mentioned above clear ( and saddle fit would be my first expectation of a rpoblem here - if in doubt or if you have recently had it checked ok, maybe you could hire a Port Lewis pad just to confirm ) one thing that sometimes happens to get that slightly grumpy thing going into transitions is that the rider is just asking more than the horse needs. When you're a bit tuned in to each other you can usually get by with very refined cues- thinking about a change, counting the rhythm of a different gait in your head, the slightest brush of your legs. Sometimes if you offer more cue than you need that can make a horse feel a bit resentful. As a general rule it's worth always working with the question "can I get the same outcome with half the cue next time?" in your mind. The answer isn't always a yes, but keeping that idea is a great way to build refinement and keep developing and experimenting as a rider.

[quietann]

Agree on the asking too hard possibility. Feronia's super-sensitive in upward transitions and she will pin her ears and get mad if she's asked too "loudly." (But I do carry a whip and give her a tap if she's being pissy Just Because; she has an appalling lazy streak.)

(all the above refers to memories of riding Feronia, because I'm not, and won't be for a while...)

[sittingxpretty]

I've wondered if I'm asking too much as well. My horse is very sensitive and while I tried keeping my hands, legs and seat still, but even if I ask for the canter with a kiss, he still pins his ears back. I don't know if he hates the sound or what since he associates it with a canter... because even if I ever so lightly push him into a canter with my body, he overreacts.

[quietann]

Hm. "Kisses" aren't allowed in dressage but I've found a lot of horses will swivel their ears back when one kisses, and some seem annoyed by it.

Feronia's canter cue is/was a gentle sweep back with the outside leg and NOTHING else, or she tends to buck in the depart. Before she went lame, I was working on walk-to-canter with her and using a voice aid "can-TER" since she was not used to cantering from a walk. But she got it right away, and liked the transition from a walk better than the transition from a trot.