retraining standardbred ride and drive

[Lainee]

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We have a retired standardbred gelding who is going 12 years on, he raced from a 2 year old to a 10 year old and was a successful racehorse. We have had him for nearly 12 months and our plan is to drive him in horse driving trials. He has a lovely temperament and when he is good he is very good in harness but sometimes gets over excited and bang goes those back legs, kicking out and when one is sitting in a jogger they come a bit too close to comfort. We are in the process of building a bigger buggy which will be safer in that respect. He is broken to saddle but hasnt done much under saddle, when I have took him down to the sand arena, I lunge him trot walk etc and settle him down and have even successfully lunged him with my daughter on him but when you actually get on his back he plods along and trying to get him to trot is a feat in itself, I carry a crop and even tapping him on the neck its a success just to get him to trot a complete circle and then he stops dead......... I thought if I could give him some schooling and discipline under saddle it would help in the jogger as well but he acts like "what are you doing to me woman....... I don't know about this". I have even put the markers out and lunged him around the markers to give him the idea and then you get on his back ....... same result...... any ideas would be truely appreciated.
I want to have more control before we take him in harness to any training days in the horse driving trials and I know when he gets there it will be a different story as he will be full of himself. When we first had him he would go silly when we took him away from his paddock buddy but he is getting alot better with that now and has settled down alot in the respect, so he is settling in alot of things its just with this kicking in the jogger has really knocked my confidence in wanting to get in behind him so thought if I did more in the riding it may help the other. I know it will take alot of time and effort and patience, with him being 12 is it possible for him to learn all this new way of thinking......... I have already posted this on the horse training site but thought I would post it both places so anyone who knows about driving my be able to advise me. :confused:

[charliejonny]

patience is the key work, i have a standardbred ex pacer,7 year old mare who as you describe when good is brill but can sometimes like to use her back legs a wee to much,we lunge now 2-3 times a week which at last we are starting to see the benefits.
we had her over 12months ago so its taken us about 10 months to get her to where we are today,again like your boy trotting was a battle,my girl trots gorgeous on the lunge but when ridden she goes back to pace (we are used to it now) but it took a long time to get her to trot on the lunge,now we are working on her canter which is very slowly coming on but with standardbreds esp those who used to race it can take time but the reward at the end is amazing and well worth it.
good luck and keep me posted,we rarley get any threads about standardbreds so this is great.

ps you should have no real probs training a 12 year old.:D

[Lainee]

Thank you for your reply, yes as I said in my email my main aim at the moment is getting him to do more than one complete circle and not come to a screeching holt and back to a walk so small goals I guess. We took him out in the jogger the other day I was riding my other horse who is also a standardbred and my daughter and husband were in the buggy, a heap of harley motorbike riders came past and oh my gosh he let fly with his back legs, my husband said the highest he's ever done and only that my daughter was sitting back he may have got her........ thats the trouble with this jogger its way too close after that incident we did a fair ride and he settled down very well and was no problem but its knowing that he can do this. My husband is in the process of building a new buggy which will be way better as will be alot safer, the one we are using is an old training trotting gig which we have built a seat on and goes beautifully balanced behind him but the way he is not the safest mode of transport, so yes not keen to get back in behind him. The fellah who owned him all his racing life said just tell him off but even if we give him a sharp flick with the whip which I think he probably needs as a reprimand and he would behave its all very well if he can reach you. And of course one has the onlookers that say he will be right (brother in wheelchair that can't get in behind him.....:eek:)
So therefore think well I will do more work with him under saddle and in the arena, not that I really know what I am doing as even though we have always had horses my main riding growing up was on a cattle farm rounding up stock so all this schooling is new to me too. But I am determined and we will get there I am sure, so just looking for people in the same position to give me advice etc and like you say its hard to get feedback, have tried a number of sites.
We have had him for nearly 12 months and my other old fellah who is 20 going on 4 I think, he doesn't act his age I have had him for 2 years I found he learnt to canter and even trot alot better with the lunge although now he has the other horse beside him he will revert back to pace and try and race him........... not good for an old girl myself of 50 who struggle with confidence issues......... so as you can see all good fun here in australia...
Will keep posted and thanks again.

[pengapenga]

Hi Lainee:)

Nice to see another STB owner on the board:)

It takes time and paitence to retrain a STB. Trotting and Pacing use a different set of muscles, so if your STB is a pacer he finds it hard to trot because those muscles are under developed. Trotting poles in a circle will help him re-build those trotting musles, STB cannot pace over obstacles or uphill. Place two sets of three trotting poles on your lunging circle these will make him pick up his feet and trot thus using those long forgotten muscles, it takes time because these muscles need to rebuild. The also have a stronger side, as do all horses, but STB in particular favour one side so it is important to build up the weaker side. Under saddle mix up circle work with figure of eights and S bends this will help them be more flexable and again help build up that weaker side.

I also do carrot stretches with mine, this does help them to be more flexiable as well as stretching out those crinks:D

I am not sure why he kicks out when in the jogger, perhaps it is a reaction to something. None of my STB are kickers thankfully:) but two of them who raced are terrified of the whip:( so I have done some desensitising to the whip with them.

Other than that they are lovely loyal horses who don't deserve the bad rap that they often get:)

Here is a link that may interest you:)
http://www.horseproblems.com.au/retraining_the_pacer.htm

[Wally]

I'd be working him inharness if that's where you want to go in the end, Yes riding him will help him but if the problem is in harness thans where you need to fix it.

You'll need to start scholing him in the vehicle he's going to be doing the trials in, if it's anything like over here it will need to be a four wheeler of a set weight with about 3 folk up top, so the vehicle will handle totally differently to a sulky type 2 wheeler.

Generally these 4 wheelers will set you up out of harms way should he bounce.

For HDT he will need to keep calm and listening, so just get him used to driving forwards in a smooth controlled manner, the folk who win are the folk like George Bowman here, who is cool as a cucumber, and his horses look as though they are hacking around, accuracy and control, are the answer, not balls out speed.

[jayze]

i had a STB - she had never been raced so never learnt how to pace, but she always had balance problems with a rider on board. her trot was AMAZING, but she just couldnt canter. Didnt help that i was a young inexperienced rider at the time, but it was very frustrating. She had a heart of gold tho and I miss her so so much. The people who have her now think shes lovely and are really enjoying her, so that makes me happier at least :) And they are going to get her in foal so my baby is going to have a baby of her own :)

[Lainee]

Well today I put my markers out and lunged him trotting in both directions, and then found a pole and put down as a trotting pole and was quite impressed how he pick his feet up in trotting over it and I can see how it makes him also get focossed on what he is doing. I will dig around and see if I can find another couple of poles for doing this. Pengapenga do you drive your standardbreds or just ride them? He seems to kick out in the jogger when something really excites him, he will start dancing and jumping around and then whammy watch out with his back feet but soon settles down.
He is not phased by the whip at all, I have more trouble with my old boy that I ride when he sees my husband with the whip in his hand when he is in the jogger my old boy freeks out I think he has had bad moments in the past with the whip, but the standardbred I am driving does not bother with the whip at all.
Wally, when we get the new buggy ready I will feel alot safer to be driving him but with the old one, he is so close with those back feet he put the wind up me :eek: a bit in taking him out in it as where we live we have to go out on the road to drive him, if I had a big arena or paddock at home I would drive him around cones etc but no such luck so thats why I thought I would do a bit under saddle with him to give him some discipline and schooling till we get the new buggy ready.
So thanks for all your input keep it coming I will need it.

[pengapenga]

Pengapenga do you drive your standardbreds or just ride them? He seems to kick out in the jogger when something really excites him, he will start dancing and jumping around and then whammy watch out with his back feet but soon settles down.
He is not phased by the whip at all, I have more trouble with my old boy that I ride when he sees my husband with the whip in his hand when he is in the jogger my old boy freeks out I think he has had bad moments in the past with the whip, but the standardbred I am driving does not bother with the whip at all.


Two are ridden STB, one is retired due to injury which is a bummer as he is stunning undersaddle, he wins in open company:) (he is actually not mine rather one that is spelled at my place)

I have a gorgeous STB mare that I would like to use for driving. I am quite keen to try this:) At the moment she is shown in-hand and is a paddock ornament:)

Sadly some STB trainers are shocking with their training methods:( My mare is testament to this, she lost the plot whilst racing:eek:

Good luck with your boy, I am sure with time he will settle down and come good:)