New Rider/New Horse

[Jo Haworth]

Help! I have just bought a new Horse, he is a six year old 3/4 Arab/welsh cross, who has only been broken for a about 9 months. I was told that he was a suitable ride for a novice, and that was what I needed, as I have not really been riding for over ten years. I am not entirely sure he is suitable for a novice as, he has thrown me off twice now, by either rearing up a bit then sitting sown or by bucking his back legs. He refuses to move up my drive from his paddock, and getting him to trot is impossible. The lady I bought him off is coming to visit twice weekly to try to sought him out, and she cannot believe his behaviour, as she says he was not like this at her stable. Is it my fault, is he picking up on my lack of confidence, or does he need more schooling? He was originally from a bad home and when the lady I got him off bought him, he had sores all over from is rug and halter, she could not even touch him for three months, but has brought him on, and shooled him to this point. He does not like to be in the field with other horses either, as he tries to bite them, he nibbles at people as well. Also he is 14,2, quite sturdy and I weigh 12 stone, am I too heavy for him, could that be the problem? How do I find a good instructer? Sorry the message is so long, but I need lots of help!

[Mossy]

Where to start? If this reply sounds a little blunt I apologise in advance but I am trying to think my way through this. You say you were told he was a suitable ride for a novice but the previous owner had many problems with him. Given his age and breeding those statements do not go together. My initial thought was that the owner was trying to get rid of him and did not much care how, but as she is coming to help you sort him out that does not seem right either. Anyway regardless of history what is the best way forward?

1 Is he physically OK? No pain anywhere and does his tack fit properly, esp saddle. it may be worth getting a specialist horse vet and saddle fitter out to check.

2 How does he react to being tacked up. An objection may indicate previous harsh treatment or poorly fitting tack

3 Does he lead OK and groom OK. You say he bites. It sounds as though he was never taught his basic manners, either amongst other horses or humans. Either that or he has learnt that attack is the best form of defence.

Realistically how novice are you, as you may be out of your depth and I would not like to see you or the horse get badly hurt? I am six months ahead of you with a young Welsh TB x so have some understanding of the problem. Are you willing to go right back to the beginning with him,and start again from scratch. You could be in for a very long, demanding, frustrating job.

If you are in a position to do so I would advise getting Mike Peace, a non confrontational equine behaviourist, or similar to look at her. Heather Moffat can put you in touch. Kelly Marks' office will give advice over the phone, if there is nobody vagely local. What you do not want is a heavy handed instructor to 'discipline' him.

You may be a little on the heavy side but it should not be a problem. An older 14.1 Welsh carries my husband happily, though not for long it's true. A young horse will play on an inexperienced rider but what you are experiencing sounds way more than that.

Whatever you do do not blame yourself. You are by no means the only person to find themselves in this or a similar position, and you wil find lots of 'experts' only too willing to say " You should have done this, " or " Not done that" Sorry if I have not been much help but here are no quick fixes. If there were I would be riding my youngster now not walking her round the lanes.

[olympicprincess]

I agree. Even if this lady CAN ride him, it doesn't mean he is the right horse for you at this time.

I have been working with a spoiled horse who has never been taught the basics. We have had our little battles, but we're fine now. With his novice rider- it's a completely different horse. He's not for her right now, he knows he can get away with everything with her.

Really check his tack, if he's becoming sore from it, he will not behave for you. If you think he's sore from something besides tack, give him some rest. Also, give him some time off if you think his little brain has just had too much lately. Time off can be on of the best things for horses.

Work on ground manners. They are so valuable! Good Luck.

[Sarah]

hello!

The above two postings are very good advice!

I would add to it that you say your horse will not move away from his paddock and that he doesn't like to be out with other horses. Are you therefore keeping him by himself in a field? It sounds to me like his behavior could well be partly due to napping back to his field. Would it be possible to slowly introduce him to other equines over a period of a month or so? This may well help him feel more secure then be a more confident horse.

Even if you decide to sell him, it would still be worth sorting out his behavioral problems as much as you can, if only just to make him sellable. I totally agree with Mossy that you should give Mike Peace a call, he is running a clinic for horses like yours on 19/20 August, there might still be a place on one. You can find his phone number on his website, http://www.thinkequus.com

Good luck!

[Edited by Sarah on 9th Aug 2000 at 12:14 PM]

[Jo Haworth]

Thank you for your prompt replies! He is fine to be tacked up, although a little reluctant with his bit, but if you do not force the issue and be gentle, he will accept it. He then almost goes to sleep, while you fasten the rest of it. Saddle wise, he is quite fat, and also breathes out when you try to fasten the girth, but you can, I then tighten it up later. He does not have any shoes on, and has not ever had any, he is fine having his front feet trimmed but not his back. The lady I bought him off is happy to be there when the farrier comes to trim his feet. When it comes to taking his tack off, he is fine with the saddle, but very funny with the bit, I have to hold behind his ears, and he is not happy at all. He is happy to be groomed, and will always let you stroke his face, and ears when he comes to greet you at the gate.

As to my riding, I was taught to ride at about age 7, and continued until I was about 15 years old, I never competed and only really hacked out at the local stables. It has been over 10 years since I sat on a horse, but I was always a confident rider, and have fallen off many times before.

I do not want to sell him! He is a lovely horse and speaks to you if you call his name and comes to the gate to say hello every time. I know he needs a lot of work, but I truely believe he will be an excellent horse, there is just something about him. Can somebody give me the telephone number for Mike Peace, I could not get to his site from the address given. I agree, that forcing the issue and being harsh with Marci, will not work. I just want him to have a happy life, and for us both to get the most out of it.

The lady that sold him to me is a friend of a friend, I live in Aberdeenshire, and although I have not lived here long, I do not believe that she would sell him to me, to get rid of him. She was crying when the unloaded him into my paddock, and came up the next day to see if he had settled in. She has other horse and did not have the time Marci needed. When I went to see him small children were riding him, in the yard, she was leading him, but I presumed if she would put kids on him he was ok?! Anyway, thanks for your help so far, I have ordered lots of books and am determined to make Marci the horse I know he can be! (foolish optimism?)

[Sarah]

hello!

Sorry, it is a .com, not a .co.uk site! I have editted my post above so the link is now working.

The phone number for Mike Peace is this +44 (0)1865 842806. he is really friendly and helpful, i hope he can help you! The only prob is tha he is based in Oxford which is quite a way from you, but maybe he will be int he area soon or can help you over the phone. Tell him you heard about him from New Rider.

bye!

[Edited by Sarah on 9th Aug 2000 at 12:16 PM]

[Mossy]

He sounds basically a nice character,just very misunderstood. If you can cope with a long haul ahead of you there is not reason why you should sell him. It will be hard work, but once you form that bond it wil be all the sweeter for waiting. Can you ask around and hear of an instructor by word of mouth. BHS qualified does not necessarily mean empathic and understanding.

Is there any chance of you having lessons on a school horse to get yourself up to speed whilst you are doing ground work with Marci?

The change in behaviour sounds like pain. Did his tack come with him or is it new to him? A visit from the vet would not do any harm and would eliminate any physical problems.

Good luck, you are not alone and will get a lot of support from this site. Keep us posted.

[Jo Haworth]

Thank you for your support. I thought I may post something on the site to ask if there are any Heather Moffett followers/instructers in the Aberdeenshire/Moray area to come and help me. I have bought the book, and another by Richard Maxwell on "Understanding Your Horse". His tack came with him, he has just changed from a plastic bit to a metal snaffel, and he does seem to spend a lot of time chewing this, and I just sense he does not like it. I am thinking of changing it to a pelham bit, and see if he prefers that. Anyway, I will let you know how it all goes, and thanks again, you will no doubt be hearing from me!

[Jo Haworth]

Just an update on Marci. I have contacted a lady who lives nearby, and Marci, is off to her to be schooled for two/three weeks, she has a Monty Roberts certificate, and is a close follower of Heather, and Richard Maxwell etc. I intend to go up there to ride him a couple of times a week so she can help me as well, and also I am taking lessons on other horses in the meantime, the first one being tomorrow! When he comes back, I intend to get someone to come in once a fortnight to give a lesson.

Anyway, thanks for you suggestions, and hopefully things will get better.

[Mossy]

Congratulations. It sounds as though things are coming together. Hope all contiues well.

[Jo]

Hi

There's no point in dwelling on the negatives - although the lady who sold you the horse seems certainly in the wrong. Arab/Welsh crosses can be sharp at the best of times! I bought a Welsh cob after riding for only 8 weeks and if not for the support of the riding centre I learn at, she would have ended up a problem horse. So, I'm not preaching at you - I did something very similar myself!

The advice you ahve received so far is sopt on - DO get firm with her on the ground. My mare refused to lift her off-fore when I tried to pick her feet out. I was full of concern and would have got the vet in!!! Well, my instructor just walked up to her, dealt with her firmly and magic! The foot flew up and I had no problems after that. They test you all the time.

The napping and rearing and bucking are all signs that she is pushing her luck - don't let her win. Few horses actually welcome a solo hack and need to be ridden very confidently to avoid napping. To be fair to the horse, why not let hwer settle in and feel secure before taking her away from her new environment? Do you have an area you can ride her in?

I would certainly get outside help to bring her on - at 6 she is young and has probably not been trained that well. If you can afford to get someone in to school her and you, too, go for it!

As for weight, the height of the horse is irrelevant but the measurement of the cannon bone is vital. You may well be heavy for the horse. A bone measurement of less than 8 inches is not a weight carrying potential. If the previous rider was light, it could be part of your problem. I know a hefvayweight cob who bucks his heavy owner off at will.

Good luck - with PMA (positive mental attitude!) you can beat it, but have good support.

[Jo Haworth]

Just to let all those know who offered me advice on my horse Markie, that all has turned out well. I sent him away to a lady called Heidi Buck, who lives in Inverness and has a Monty Roberts certificate. He has been there for three weeks, and what a difference! I can hardly tell he is the same horse. I went up to ride him yesterday, before he came back to my house and he was almost like one of the school, ponies I ride in my lessons. He walked he trotted, he cantered. He does not bite anymore, and is very happy with other horses. I have in fact just got a little Shetland pony, named "Asti" to keep him company and he was there when Markie came back. They seem to be getting along famously. I am feeling so much more confident since my ride yesterday, and am looking forward to riding him in my field tomorrow. Thanks again for everyones help, I will continue with my lessons and my instructer is going to visit me at home to teach me on Markie as well, so hopefully we can go from strengh to strength!

[Mossy]

Well done and congratulations

[Sonia]

I'm really pleased it's all working out for you. Could you tell me, how did you find your Monty Roberts trainer, how long did your horse spend away and (being cheeky here) how much did it cost?

I have had my horse 3 weeks and she's young (5) and bucked me off last night big time. I hope we can solve it with help from my instructor - but if we can't then I'd like to know what my options are.

Many thanks
Sonia

[Jo Haworth]

Hi Sonia


I know the feeling of being bucked off, that was Markie only a few short weeks ago! I found Heidi, advertised in the Scots Ads, a paper up here. She was very reasonable, £75 a week all in. He was there for three weeks, she also got an equine dentist to do his teeth, which I forgot to mention in my last statement, which was also a great help. I don't really know how you would find someone in your area. Heidi said there was only 16 places when she studied for her certificate in Oxfordshire, so maybe give the training college a call, I can't remeber the name, but I will try to find out for you.

Anyway, best of luck!

[Sonia]

Thanks Jo
I'd really appreciate either Heidi's phone no or the colleges so I can see if there is anyone near me. What certificate did she study for ?

Sonia