Cold weather naughtiness

[GingerPonyz]

It has gotten cold here all of a sudden, and Ginger has a lot of energy. When I first get on, she is antsy, moving while I am mounting and dancing around, spooking etc. Last winter I lunged her before I rode, but I have since learned that this is a bad idea. Besides, I would like to control her without working off her extra energy first. Any ideas of how I can keep her calm? I have been getting on and immediately trotting her around the arena, doing circles etc to keep her focused and not shying, bolting, and bucking. She usually settles after a bit, but when you first move into a canter she gets worked up again and again you need to take a while to calm her down. Usually she is quite spirited, but in the cold she is just naughty. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can keep her focused, calm, and slower?

[Showjumper]

Going straight into trot, especially in cold weather, isn't a great idea - horses' muscles need time to warm up and stretch before proper work, just like ours do. Why don't you like lungeing before riding? It's a great way to get rid of some of the YeeeHAAAAWWW before getting in the saddle, plus it'll warm the horse up a bit so you can go straight into trot if you're that way inclined when you get on board.

[ggabby]

I find with my horses riding them with a well fited exersise rug helps,just stops them felling the wind on them.

[GingerPonyz]

acctually, my instructor was the one who told me to go straight into a trot, I was wary of that but countless people at my barn and different barns say that lunging most people don't walk all that much and that it doesn't make a difference. Personally, I don't like the idea of going straight into a trot, but Ginger would otherwise be bucking and bolting, which would not be any more help- in my opinion, a quiet trot is a better way to warm up than shying, bucking, and bolting into a gallop every 10 seconds.
I don't want to lunge her before I ride because I would rather learn to work together with her than use a lunge to let her buck around. We also work in a round pen sometimes, and I don't want her to learn that lunging/pen work means bucking around.

[Showjumper]

Have you tried ground-work with her? Check out this site - it'll give you something to think about, as I wasn't a fan of lungeing either until I read it: http://www.kbrhorse.net/pag/train.html scroll down to Basic Training Approaches which is pretty far down the page.

[angel]

when you first start riding keep the weight off her back li have to do this with my younger mare, and also when i first start trotting so the back can come up after about 10 mins she usually settles, jsut try speaking to her as you ride round in a carm voice praising her for being good and in my case and not everyone agrees i say bad or something in a sharp voice if she plays up she listens to me and settles most times.
she could just be a little cold backed to start off and exercise rug is a good idea espically one you can remove whilst still mounting.
once she is warmed up.
try not to take to tight a contact at the begining let her stretch out a little before getting an outline so her muscles have time to stretch. and constantly change direction so she has something to thing about rather than playing up

[FreedomStar]

Well, do you keep her in a stall, or outside? It might be better to blanket her really well and put her outside during the day, so she can work off extra energy. Be sure that if you do put her outside for the day, the paddock or pasture should have a shelter. She'll have time to run around before your ride.

[floppy]

at an old yard i use to ride at my instructor always lunged every horse before i got on to let the horse buck and do whatever silly things they had to do...especially in winter as they were know for being more wound up in winter. he only lunged them quick all tacked up for 5-10mins.

If my horse is being stupid at the beginning of the ride i send her out in tolt straight away.

[Dizzy]

Have you changed her keep? What I mean is, was she on full turnout, and is now stabled, either overnight or fully. Or have you changed what she's getting to eat, or both.

Lesley

[GingerPonyz]

She is getting the same feed, and is always outside with shelter available. If I'm going to trot straight away, I walk her around without getting on a little first. As she is not clipped she is not cold or in need of blanketing. It's not that big of a deal, but I'd like to be able to get on and walk without getting bucked.

[Dizzy]

Oh well that's the easy solution ruled out, apart from maybe has her work load dropped, but her feed has remained the same?

With bucking, the obvious reason is discomfort/pain of some discription, tack fit being the most obvious. maybe she's changed shape and her saddle isn't comfortable. Or maybe she's hurt her back having a yeehay in the field, or a conflict with another horse, or wrong footed herself or slipped. I would definitely have her checked out, by a master saddler and a recomended back person.


Another reason could be, that she isn't being warmed up enough, before she's being asked to work and feels resentful, because it is hard work for her.

In cold weather muscles tense, its the bodies defence mechanism. I work in a shop, where the companies policy is to have the door wide open, the tills are next to the door, there are times when though I don't feel cold, as I have a blow heater behind me, my fingers have problems giving change, because they are cold - the only thing that helps me is movement. So if you think about it, you don't know how your horse feels, she could have felt ok to you, but has been quite tense because of the cold weather. And trot to me, unless its balanced must be the most uncomfortable pace for the horse.

One thing I'm sure of, is horses do things for a reason, and we as owners shouldn't take it personally. Thier only way of displaying discomfort, resentment, misunderstanding is to object, and its up to us to listen and do something about it.

If the bucks are down to feeling good, and high spirits, I'd look at cutting down the feed slightly so the excess feel good factor was eliminated. If your horse needs a little top up, I'd go for slow release belly fill food, like unmollased soaked beet, with succulents, and add vege oil, for extra calories.

Lesley

[taffy]

when i rode a naughty horse i was told to trot him round straight away. but that didnt work so i was told to make him go round as fast as i could make him. I dont know if it was the right thing to do but it worked.

[GingerPonyz]

These bucks are definitely "happy feet" bucks!! I am going to try cutting her feed a bit. Taffy- she tries to act up immediately when I get on, regardless of the pace. I walk her to get her warmed up at the walk a bit, then get on for the trot becuase if I'm doing bending etc exercises it keeps her mind off the bucking. Her tack has been checked; she did this last winter too it is a cold-weather thing.