Three PROBLEMS

[Sefroniaau]

1. When i lounge my horse he will go around a few times but then he turns him bum to me and rears. He just seames compleataly comfused by the whole lunging situation I dont have a lunge ring so i just lunge him in a 10acre paddock. He was fine when i got him but he is just getting worse and worse. I asume it is somthing i am doing but I dont know.

2. When i ask him to go into the canter he go's realy fast (he is not and exracehorse). If i lean back and pull the rains a little he falls back into a trot. he just dose not seam to have a slow canter it's either bolt or trot. when i first got him i also had this problem in the trot but i have now fixed it.

3. Also when i ask him to canter he only canters on his left rein. i have tryed troting him in a strainght line and then turning sharply while asking for the canter but he just falls on to the left leg(he can do a very tight circle in a counter canter). I know he can do a canter on the right rain because half the time i ask for a canter on the left rein he takes up the right rein. but if i try to turn him is a circle going to the right once he has got that leg he just dose a flying chage back to the left leg.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[ponyvet]

Sounds like you need to do some basic ground work with him. he sounds quite green, regardelss of his age, so I suggest you take him right back to the beginning.

About the lungeing, you may have a problem if you are trying to lunge him in the paddock he lives in. Then you are confusing his space. It's his bedroom not his workroom and some horses don't cope well with being ridden or worked in their field.

Do you know if he's ever been lunged properly? horses aren't born knowing how and maybe he needs a bit of education? take it slow and gentle with him. Get someone else to help if you can too, by leading him round, changing the rein and leading him the other way. Only do it a few times and stop before he starts messing about. Then he'll figure out what you're asking and get used to the idea. After a while he'll be happy to go around by himself. Make sure you don't try and lunge him for too long either or hell simply get bored.

As for his ridden behaviour you probably need to do lots of gentle work on the flat. Wlaking and trotting mainly. Get him used to concentrating on what you want in those paces before you start trying to get him to do anything more complicated.

[smartie]

This horse is either in pain, very green or a combination of both. Even so, with him being so green, you should not be even contemplating canter work. You sould work on basic skills, walk and potentially trot. If you do not have these basics you are not going to get a canter out of your horse.

When he rears, is it on the one rein, and is it the rein that he refuses to canter on the correct lead. If so sounds like you may have some sort of back problem, if he finds it difficult to maintain the correct lead and rars when you lunge him he could be in a lot of pain.

It could be back or muscular. I would suggest you get the vet out to have a look at the horse, and also have a look at his saddle, it just may be that it does not fit, and causing a muscle issue , and he will be compensating for the affect.

[Sefroniaau]

When i first got him i got the vet out and he said that his back is fine. I have also gad out an equine massager who said he is fine. We had the saddle fitted by the saddler only a few months ago so that should be ok. He has a very good trot and walk. And when my instructor gets on she can get him to go on the right leg.

[ponyvet]

I really don't think it sounds like pain at all. Just naughtiness, or green or both! ;)

Pretend he's never done anything at all before and start from scratch. It'll take time, but I really think he just needs some balancing work and time taking to get him to concentrate.

[Sefroniaau]

Thanks for everyones help.
He is starting to improve.

[Dizzy]

What do lunge him in? By that I mean is he off the head collar, the bit or aa lunge cavesson?

Lesley

[Sefroniaau]

I lunge him of a head collar and sometimes a lunge caverson. in a paddock.