Discussion: horse in training lays down

[elise]

Just thought this was an interesting discussion topic. A friend of mine is working on two green 7 year olds. The've got their transitions up and down on the lunge, they've been sacked out and backed, and have worked a tiny bit while wearing a bit.

The other day she was out long lining the gelding while I was doing my dressage lesson. She yelled over, "look what I did!" My trainer and I look over and the horse is laying down on the ground, flat on his side.

She had been asking him to turn, he turned the wrong way, she kept the tension figuring he'd eventually move in the right direction and she could reward him for it, and instead he gave up and layed down.

Of the two horses she's working with, the gelding is the one that thinks and thinks and thinks before he tries something. I suppose he just couldn't figure out what it was she wanted and finally just gave up.

Besides being kind of funny to see, I thought it was an interesting discussion topic.

[lisae]

I don't think he gave up, I think he decided that's what she wanted. Then when she called you to show you the horse, he probably thought he got it right! :)

[elise]

I think he actually didn't know what she wanted. I had heard of other horses laying down when they just can't figure it out.

I'm pretty sure the horse wouldn't think that yelling across the pasture was his reward for laying down. After he got back up she did keep working with him and he was fine with the same cues so I don't think he had thought she wanted him to lay down.

Though maybe she'll teach him to lay down on command at some point!

[fishiz3434]

A 7 yr old o was scooling last year did the same thing cept not to her side just down...i didn't know why cos i had been asking her to just trot on a 20metre and go over some trotting poles in each corner and she had done this b4 but she kept jumping over two at a time even though they were spaced for a horse and she'd a pony so i got her really slow to go over and she just stopped and went down...my couch said she didn't understand and just gave up...she also didn't realise it was rude to lydown when she was being riden so i got back on and walked her over them..she still rushed and when she went down again later instead of getting off my couch yelled kick her up so i did..i know it's bad for their back but she hasn't done it again too often( i dont always see her now but she's done it once or twice with my friend) she just kept trying to rush and not giveup---> it's really weird!