Lazy Horses

[*Anna*]

I rode a horse today who has a 'i wont work unless I really have to' attitude. She crawled along at a pace that would put a snail to shame and only woke up when my instructor started prancing around with a lunge whip. I don't like using whips although just carrying one made her more active and I had a pretty good lesson. But I want to know for next time (I've got this horse next week)how I wake up a horse that is a bit lazy without kicking it repeatedly and preferably without having to use a whip which is the usual instruction. What I mean is how do I let the horse know when I get on it that I'm not taking any BS without using any kind of bullying or force...

Thanks for any advice in advance!

[joy_6]

I work at a stable, and one of the horses is exactly like the one you just described. She's a four year old TB who is an ex-racehorse. They kicked her, Kris, out of racing because she's so slow! We are training her to be used as a therapeutic riding horse because she is so quiet. Kris is also used for camp with very young kids. They have a hard time keeping her going, and once she stops, they can't get her going. They won't kick her hard enough because they are afraid of hurting her. So, she only moves if I walk over a slap her on the but.

I think that some horses really do need a crop to keep moving. Sometimes, just carrying one will do the trick if you let the horse know that you have one. Eventually, she might get the idea that she needs to move and you won't need the ccccccrop anymore. When I rode Kris, I made sure to keep my leg on her, not squeezing constantly or else she would become desentized to it, but just firm pressure. I paid attention to her speed, and if I felt her begin to slow down I squeezed with my legs. If she still kept slowing down, I immediately gave her a firm kick to keep her going. The trick is keeping her going, not letting her stop and then trying to get her going. Some horses, just like some people, are just plain lazy. And sometimes force and firmness- which is not bullying- is neccessary. Once Kris understood that I wouldn't let her get away with being lazy when I was on her, she stopped acting lazy with me. So try some firmness until your horse gets the idea.

[Nancy]

Good question. I rode western trail for years and thought I was a pretty good rider.I was able to canter and gallop without a problem. Then I decided to take 10 lessons in an enclosed ring on English saddle. I couldn't believe that I could not get some of the school horses to move. One horse would only move if I showed her a crop out of the corner of her eye. Never had to use it. Just showed it to her and she became very cooperative. I wonder just what some of the students did to her!
Another horse was a dream to ride until someone slammed the gate to the ring. It took all I had to stop him.
Another lesson I was put on a horse that was supposed to be a great ride. What I wasn't told was that up until this point he had never been ridden in an inside ring. Everytime he passed the side with mirrors he bucked and bolted.
A real new rider would have had a terrible time on any of the above three. It was good experience for me at the time, however, I think more time should be spent explaining the different personalities and quirks before putting a rider in the saddle.

[*Anna*]

Thanks for the advice so far its really appreciated...

I know what you mean Nancy, I had formal lessons when I was younger for about four years then spent the next eight trail riding and hacking. I have only just started getting back into lessons again so when I get on I just automatically have a loose rein etc and riding school horses always catch me off my guard! That horse probably had me figured out the second I got on her!
But like I said when I had the stick and used it every time she ignored my legs twice she woke up and I wasnt using it at all by the end of the lesson she was doing every thing I asked of her. I think my problem is is that I'm too soft! Next time I'll be firmer from the outset and see if that makes a difference...

[Maisie]

Could it be that the way you ride is disallowing the horse to move forward freely? Over at my school, there's plenty of lazy horses around but they usually snap out of it and do their work if you ride them properly. It doesn't seem much, but the way you ride can have a very big effect on your horse's movement.

Good luck!

[*Anna*]

It is me and my riding in the fact that I'm not firm enough but if you mean position or hands etc then if it was those things then she wouldnt have started moving so well after the instructor gave me the stick and hopefully she would have pointed it out if I was hindering her in any way too. She explained at the end (they always tell you at the end!)of the lesson that the horse worked well when the person on board let her know that they won't take any crap from her at the start - and unfortunately I didnt!

[olympicprincess]

Does this lesson horse ever get a day off? I don't want to use the word "ruined", I like "burnt out". Many lesson horses go through this phase, some do come out of it. Maybe she needs only an expereinced person to ride her for a while and fine tune her. I'm not saying you can't do it, but a more experienced person will have a much easier time. Or maybe she just needs a vacation. If you think she's just testing you, have the instructor warm her up and then you get on and see how she is. Good Luck.

[Maisie]

Well, I was talking about position and hands really, but you do have to get a bit tough with them - I haven't figured out how to bring myself to do that either! :)

Sorry I couldn't help much! I wish you all the best with your riding anyway! :D

[*Anna*]

Thanks Maisie :) Any suggestions welcomed!

Olympic Princess - I don't know the horse very well as I'm just trying out this new place. Yes I should think she was looked after properly - like I said when she realised that she wasn't going to get away with plodding round the school she perked up and was very responsive. My problem is that I want to know how to keep her awake when I first get on her and like somone said below I need to be firmer from the outset and keep her moving so she doesn't start slowing down. When I ride her again at least I'll know what to expect.

[Vet_David]

HI Anna,
The comment about your position on the horse is definitely the one you shoudl concentrate on first - and often I wouldn't trust the instructor to necessarily correct this well. It's really easy to be tense around the upper leg and buttocks without knowing it, and this would constantly impede the horse's motion. About the whip - you've already found that just carrying one will wake the horse up a bit, but you can take this further without needing to use it on the horse. As soon as the horse disobeys the leg aid you should apply it again but hit/ tap the whip against your boot - the sound itself often wakes the horse up even more. It's also important to try to anticipate if the horse is just about to slow or transit down and immediately act to keep it going before it can go slow on you. The horse will also always go much better if you have it well on the bit with a lovely, soft contact - with short reins to keep the horse awake. If your reins are too loose and hence your contact too light the horse will nap!

David

[Wally]

Ask your self one question,

Would you like to spend an hour with someone punching you in the ribs constantly, or would you rather get your bottom pinched once in a while?

If you don't back up your leg with a stick it will make for a dead sided horse that will ignore the leg. Schooling whips used with care and correctly are not bad things.

[*Anna*]

Ok thanks David and Wally I am taking this in...
I have a lesson tommorrow evening so I'll try what people have suggested and I'll let you know how I get on.
:D

[Rebecca]

I often have the same problem as you, and have difficulty getting a particular horse to work for me. I think you're so right that the key is utter consistency and firmness - I used to think that it was harsh to use the whip, but now I understand that it's usually kinder when done appropriately, and that one or two well-timed little flicks after you're first ignored can save everybody involved a lot of effort and grief. On the question of position, if you were worried that you might be impeding the horse, then why not have a lunge lesson? Actually, why not have one anyway if you're fed up with always having to battle the horse over that one thing? You get to totally abdicate responsibility for the horse's movement to the instructor, and just concentrate on what you're doing. I had my first ever lunge lesson last week, and I really enjoyed it, even though I nearly fell over when I dismounted!

Hope you sort it out anyway!

Rebecca

[*Anna*]

Yes thats a good idea... I've never had a lunge lesson before but I think that would help me.