Disasterous show - please help me understand it.

[DITZ]

I have owned my horse for 18mths now, he is 16 yo TB. With an instructor we spent almost all of last year teaching us both to jump. At first he rushed due to lack of confidence but we eventually found the key was to get him to halt before it and then instead of anticipating jumping he anticipated halting which worked a treat. We've done a few local low key shows including 2 training shows in December in which he was perfect.

He has had back problems in Jan which are now sorted so on Saturday I decided to take him back to the place where we did the 2 training shows in December with the intention of entering the clear round twice then seeing if we were up to entering the novice class.

He loaded in his usual crappy way and when we got there I left him in the trailer whilst I went to register. I then walked the course and watched a couple of horses go round and then went to unload him.

When I unloaded him he was really stressed, snorting, prancing about and refusing to stand still. I tacked him up (he was kicking which he doesnt normally do) and then took him into the collecting ring. He was jogging, spooking and completely ignoring all instruction and when I turned to the practice jump he was going sideways and cantering on the spot. I tried to get his attention back by halting before the jump which he was not happy about and then when I tried to take him over it he just flew at it with his head in the air. The jump was set as a small x pole so he could have taken it at a walk but I couldnt even get him to trot into it.

After 20 odd minutes of this I gave up. The minimus was well under way and I just couldnt get him to settle so I decided to call it a day and took him outside to another warm up ring, again with a x pole and tried to get him calmly over that again for another 20 minutes and then went home.

I was so disappointed. I'd co-erced my non horsey OH to come along to watch me too.

I'd really like to understand what could have caused this. Fair enough he hasnt jumped since Dec but surely he couldnt have forgotten everything in such a short time? He has been OK at all other shows with the exception of one in which he was calm in the collecting ring and when we went into the arena he just ballistic rushing round like a lunatic. I managed to get round but it was plain scary.

Help me please someone. I'd really like to enjoy the experience and to be honest I'm just thinking its not worth the agro.:( :(

[DITZ]

BTW I almost cried and I am 32 years old:o

[luv2jump2!!!]

awwwww sorry for the bad day!!
How long was he in the trailer?? Maybe he thought i don't want to st ay in here for 20 extra minutes!!
Wasn't your day was it??

[DITZ]

Thats the only thing I could think of that I did differently you know. I usually take him straight out and let him stand outside but it was so cold and windy I thought it better to leave him inside. I didnt open the doors either - maybe that freaked him out if he could hear other horses (top doors at back were open so he was able to look round though).

[james]

Could be all sorts of things like him being in unfamiliar surroundings, lost of people and other horses being about and he may also have picked up on you being stressed (as at a competition) and started to get stressed himself.

Don't give up after one bad experience. Have you got a n experienced competitor friend you could take with you to act as groom? Having someone to hold things and do the cruddy jobs will help you relax more.

[katieB]

Aw, so sorry it went wrong Ditz, it must have been a real let down. I cant really suggest much but maybe like luv2jump suggested, he got a bit stressed about being in the trailer. You say it was quite windy, maybe the wind was rattling the trailer or blew something against it and it scared him. If he didnt act any differently to normal before you went, this could be the case. Or, depending on the type of horse he is, it could have just been "one of those days" for him?

[DITZ]

thanks for your prompt replies folks, I've been brooding over this all weekend and couldnt wait to get to work to get some help!

james - i wasnt any more nervous than normal to be honest. I always set my sights low specifically for this reason thats why I was only doing the minimus section. He has been to this ground twice before both times he was great.

katieb - is 'one of those days' a valid reason then? Do other people have days like this where their horse just doesnt cooperate? If so what do they do? Do they call it a day and go on or battle thru it?

I am concerned that I have given him the message that if he misbehaves I will take him home??

[Sarah]

hello!

It sounds indeed like it was 'one of those days'. If I'd unloaded my horse and she'd been in a state I think I'd have doenthe following.

Tack up calmly and get on. See how explosive she is. IF she was very explosive I wouldnt' have gone near the collecting ring. I tend to find somewhere quiet and work on flatwork for 30mins (or however long it takes to get your horse calm and listening to you). Only once she was totally totally tune in to you, woudl i go to the collecting ring, do about one cirlce of trot (assuming a quite trot) then one pop over the fence.

If you horse is stressed out (for whatever reason) there is no point in being in teh collecting ring - there are generally lots of stressed horses there, you ahve to think hard about avoiding people who don't understand or follow the collecting ring rules. There is no point in trying to jump a horse that is wound up.

Maybe next time, arive at the show really early - maybe before the otehr horses get there, or at least 90 mins to 2 hrs before your first class so that you ahve time to work in quietly and settle your horse (and yourself), and also to worry the other competitors that your horse is so calm and in tune with you! DOn't even think of doing the warm up fence unless you are both totally chilled out, otherwise he will jsut leap it whcih will not help your nerves at all.

better luck next time. i'd just put this time down to experience.

bye!

[JaniceH]

I think this may be the key:


"He loaded in his usual crappy way and when we got there I left him in the trailer whilst I went to register. I then walked the course and watched a couple of horses go round and then went to unload him.

When I unloaded him he was really stressed, snorting, prancing about and refusing to stand still. I tacked him up (he was kicking which he doesnt normally do) and then took him into the collecting ring. He was jogging, spooking and completely ignoring all instruction"


How often does he get loaded? If he hasnt been loaded for ages and he was anxious loading on Saturday, then he may have been worried most of the journey. I dont know where you are but is was incredibly windy over in Essex all weekend and all the horses in the yard were incredibly spooked, especially when they were in a situation where they could hear the wind but not see it . This could have happened in the trailer? If he normally associates the trailer stopping and immediately being unloaded then being left in may have confused him. So once he did come out he was undestandibly confused and upset. I dont think you have given him the message that if he plays up we can go home, but perhaps working on making the trailer a nice place that doesnt always move will make him associate it with being calm - and calm horse means that when he is ridden after being transported he will listen to you and not be worried that everything will eat him up!

May be I am completely off track but might help. :)

[fair~filly]

I'd put it down to the windy weather too...& excitement about seeing jumps, other horses & people.
Must have been very frustrating for you....but you have one up on me..I can't load my boy without light sedation :( .

If it helps you to hear...I had a day like this on Tues.my lovable old Irish cob ploddy fella, bolted with me on the gallops after feeling the cold wind behind him :eek:

Good luck for next time Ditz

F~Fxxx
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Horses are Us© (http://horse.notlong.com) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[katieB]

I would say having one of those days could be a reason he acted up. Just like you and me, he probably has days where he thinks "hmm, cant be bothered doing much today, ill just have a quiet wander round the field" And then mum comes along, boxes him up and says "right, time for work" Id bet he'd try his best to get out of it! Its not really acceptable behaviour though, especially if like you, it was competetion time. No good getting to a show and him deciding he doesnt feel like it. I think you have to convince him that its not that bad and theres a nice treat waiting for him afterwards. Were you going to compete in a jumping class? If this happens again, I wouldnt worry about entering the class but make sure you do something with him, even the begginers clear round or and in hand class just so he knows he still has to work. As soon as he realises his actions dont get him anywhere, he'll start to realise that once he's done as asked its time for home. Like you said, by taking home after him acting up, you are probably giving him the message thats all he has to do for an early dart :)

[Lovecat]

If it's any consolation, Ditz, every horse in our yard except for the riding school mob were absolutely mental over the whole weekend - the most ploddy cobs were dancing about with their feet in the air just being led back from turnout!

We put it down to the weather and not much riding was done... maybe your boy was affected too?

Sorry you had such a lousy day - btw, I'm 37 and I've been reduced to tears by a horse before now!!

I don't think one isolated incident will put that thought in his head, it sounds like you were there quite a while with him, it wasn't like you took him home the minute he played up.

Hope you're feeling better today:) .

[Yann]

It may have been as simple as that, especially if he's been there and been OK before. If he's a not very good loader it sounds like he's travelling under duress anyway. He just sounds like he was totally stressed out, perhaps being left in the trailer was just too much for him?

I personally think you did the right thing not pushing the issue. He still had to do a bit of work so I don't see you were sending him the wrong message. I doubt he was thinking 'if I mess about I can go home', I don't think horses operate in that way. I'd persevere if I were you, perhaps box him out for some nice hacks too if you possibly can so it all becomes a bit more routine. Taking an experienced buddy sounds a great idea too if you have access to one.

Shows can be heartbreaking at times, you set your heart on having some fun and do lots of preparation and it all falls apart on the day, even we've had it to a minor extent. Nat took Rio in the baby jumping class at the last show in the autumn and had a total nightmare, the jumps were well within their ability but Rio was having none of it. However hard it is at the time (and it can be!) it's best to try and dust yourself down and put it down to experience. Better luck next time, I'm sure it'll work out:)

[Tommy Matterson]

I'm not an expert but.... One of the horses I usually ride (a TBxID) has been banned from hacks because he started to misbehave badly (and dangerously) recently, especially before galloping. He has been stabled most of the winter with only a short periods at a time in the paddocks. He is worked in the school for riding lessons and so has a little bit of hard feed in his diet. His owner reckons that he just has too much pent up energy and when he is turned out in the spring he will burn off some of this energy chasing the other horses around and should revert to his usual, still excitable, but safe self. Has your horse been kept in this winter?

[DITZ]

I think that may be the key too - the fact that I left him in the trailer. He isnt a bad loader per se he just takes the p**s if I try to load him on my own. When I get the YO to tie a lunge line to the back door he goes on no problems. Even non horsey OH managed this on the way back! I think he just knows I cant do it on my own (horse not OH!). He travels well, never sweats up. It was incredibly windy and he doesnt like the wind.

There wasnt any more horses there than he has seen before.

katieb - i had in my mind to enter the clear round once or twice and see how we went from there. I would have been happy to have come home after that I wasnt bothered about competing just having fun. As I see it when you dont have facilities at home these shows are good practice.

My OH videod the whole event. He looked like he needed a good smack when I played it back. Do you think that would have had any effect?

[DITZ]

tommy - yes he has been stabled full time since about oct. The two training shows i did in dec he'd been in all day too. He has been ridden every day of the week last week and has been a perfect gent. I didnt ride at all the week before as I was skiing and therefore didnt go out either but he was fine when i took him out for the first time. He has lived in all his life and doesnt get stressed as you'd imagine he should.

[katieB]

Sounds like you are at the same stage as me then Ditz, thats what im going to do at the next show - enter the clear round and go from there. I would just try again next time and see if he behaves differently :) Fingers crossed for you

[tubby]

Would second Sarah, just work him in away from the others until he settles.Some horses do find a show atmosphere just too exciting,& if Sarah's idea doesn't work it might be a good idea to take him to some shows & just ride around but not compete.I do feel it's the extra pressure of being at a show that makes him forget what to do. Don't get upset about it most of us who have competed have got there on the day to find that are "schooles up & ready for an outing" horse has lost it & forgotten everything we taught it. Cheer up better luck next time:):)

[DITZ]

ah thanks for all your support. I'll take him next saturday to the same place and see what happens. Fingers crossed eh!

Do you think I did the right thing by coming away? Would a better rider thank me have just got on with it?

katieb - yes sounds like we are at the same stage. The last show I went to I entered the clear round section 3 times and only then did I feel confident enough to enter the novice class and escaped with 4 faults. Its too early for me to be serious about competing!

[katieB]

You know your horse best Ditz, if you felt it was best to walk away then you probably did the right thing. I dont think a "better" rider would have kept on arguing with the horse in that situation, youre only putting yourself and the others in the ring in danger. Just have another go on saturday, take your time, get there early, walk him round etc and then if you feel he's calm enough then try the clear round
:)

[james]

Competing often must help so that both you and he get accustomed to travelling, to the atmosphere at a show, all your kit is ready to hand and so on.

As an alternative to leaving early when he is really bad, could you withdraw from the competition, but stay at the venue and ride him about yourself, just so he doesn't get to go early?

[SJ]

I totally empathise with you DITZ we had a show day last week when we'd have been much better staying bed!

Took my 12 yr old daughter's 5 yr old 15hh Irish boy to do his first WH class. Got stuck in an accident traffic jam and were over an hour longer in very slow moving traffic. He was v tucked up and anxious on arrival, then he broke away in the car park and galloped around with his bridle around his knees, lots of kind people came to our assistance. Eventually got daughter on board, collecting ring was very small and full of little M&M ponies bombing around under his feet. He was all over the place and stopped at a tiny cross pole. Daughter was now very tense which didn't help - he's quite a lot of horse for her when he's up tight. Decided to give up and risk taking him into indoor arena. He freaked out big time going in, I had to take his bridle as I thought he might bolt out of the waiting area. Somehow they managed to jump a clear round but hardly stylish. Had to walk him round for 90 mins as he wouldn't stand still or tie up. 22 horses were taken into final showing bit. Thank goodness they didn't ask for group canter. He spooked every time he went past the gallery and got progressively worse. Incredibly he managed to win his height section and come 7th overall. He refused to stand still in the line up and the steward had to lead them out before the lap of honour. The judge was very complimentary and as it was a novice class presumably was relaxed about his antics -just as well. I was just so relieved to get all of us home in one piece. I really shoud be grey by now.

I think in his case the odds were just stacked against him all day -and perhaps we should have taken him straight home like you did, staying longer was risky and certainly didn't make him or his jockey any calmer. Sometimes its much wiser to quit.

Good luck with your boy, I think the advice the others have given is really good, I can't add much except that the only time I left a pony standing in trailer for 30 mins she came out with stress induced colic. I think if the're not accustomed slowly to this it can be very stressful. Remember when it's all going pear shaped you're not alone, I've found people at shows generally very supportive after all it might be them next time having the difficult time.

Sara Jane

PS He also managed to fall up the ramp loading to come home!

[galadriel]

Some days the horse just isn't up for it. Some days you just don't click. Some days, it's the person who just isn't up for it... The second or third show I took my Kat to, she was perfectly behaved, she was wonderful, she was even generous when I goofed, and I just could not keep my seat in the saddle. Still don't really know what the problem was; I think it might have been a combination of slightly slippery breeches and a week that was waaaay too long, but it could just have been that I slept funny the night before. We weren't going to get anywhere, so I got off and scratched.

Horses should get the same allowances that people do ;) Some days we're off; some days they are. To compete successfully you both have to be "on," and you have to cross your fingers and hope ;) I think that part of being a good rider is recognizing when you and the horse aren't on the same wavelength (for whatever reason), and being graceful; don't beat up on yourself if you're "off," and don't smack the horse if it's him. Living creatures can't always be consistent and predictable. Isn't that part of why we ride horses instead of motorcycles? :)

[DITZ]

Yes I think you are all right, SJ I admire your daughters courage - I was just too scared to go any further. I will try again this weekend. I took him to a show last year and we had to hang around for about 2 hours before hand. He was very calm beforehand until we got into the arena and he just freaked out it was all too much for him, we got eliminated at the 4th. I just patted his neck and thanked him for trying. My friend who was watching said that I shouldnt praise him as he had been bad but the truth was he was scared and I could tell that. Last weekend he wasnt scared though he had just got it on him. But your right, smacking wouldnt have achieved anything.

I need to keep some perspective I suppose. I've had a lot of good outings with him and although progress is slow thats more my fault than anything, my ability holds us back not the other way round.

[SJ]

DITZ you were right to pat him. Leave the ring on a positive note if at all possible. After all the horse has tried and will always remember an encouraging pat as well as a beating.

[eml]

I don't know if it helps Ditz but al our Riding school ponies were evel at the weekend. I put it down to limited turnout. fresh grass growing (ie higher protein/carbohydrate intake), wind and just the beginning of spring boshiness. Add this to taking horse out for the first time in a while and I can see why you maybe had these problems,

By the way well done for going home I know it is frustrating but it is often the only fair thing for both you and the horse

[DITZ]

thanks eml and sj I feel better now. Its difficult to know whether you've done the right thing and also whether you've done it for the right reasons (I was chicken!). I could've been braver and hammered round it at 100mph but there wouldnt have been any fun in it anyway so what was the point. I am definitely going to try again at the weekend and also go back next week for their training show too which is excellent.

We WILL get there!