Temper Tantrums in horses......do they have them?????

[joey_olop]

Hi All

Having yet more problems with Blackie-Im seriously considering taking up rodeo riding at this rate-touch wood he hasnt dumped me but its not funny anymore now

I would just like to add that he has been given a clean bill of health from a phsio, chrio, 2 vets, a saddler & a dentist-phew!!!!

I have been told by the physio that I need to get Blackie working properly from behind in canter as he never has judging by the way he canters.

Each night Im out in the menege trying to get him to work from behind rather than on his forehand & soemtimes he gets it, sometimes he doesnt.

When he doesnt is when Im getting the problems, he will just go mad & go into bronching mode BIG time!! These bucks are not for the faint hearted & I have nearly gone over the menege fence

I am putting it down to pure temper tantrums in that he doesnt understand/doesnt want to work in this new way & the bronching is him trying to tell me to p**** off!

Has anybody got any advice as to how I can teach him to work from behind in canter without confusing him & making him want to bronc.

I also lunge him twice a week in a pessoa to try to help him, he doesnt do this on the lunge.

ETA He is 7 years old this year.

Thanks all

[Joyscarer]

Oh blimey I really feel for you.

What has most helped my mare with working through from behind is doing some schooling work out hacking on hills. She enjoys hacking and is more forward going so impulsion isn't a problem and she sees it more as fun.

Is that an option for you?

[xloopylozzax]

yes they do have temper tantrums- i once had the same as you with my blackie! i wanted a nice canter where she was working, she wanted to go for a gallop around this field, i said no, she bronced (really bronced, front feet up handstands spinning dropping her head etc) and it was safest for me to dismount so i did, it was obvious she wasnt going to stop until i got off.

got back on (she didnt even bloody run off ) and went for a canter nice as anything

as for improving the canter after years of hacking canters in straight ines she was terrible on circles i fixed it by been nasty really- forcing her round on circles (25m down to 15m at that stage) and making her slow down and sit on her hocks more otherwise she would have fallen over.

get a few strides of nice canter, pat then back into trot then canter again- gives them a chance to rebalance and sort their legs out and they dont go flat.

walk to canter is brilliant.

make sure hes working well in trot before you canter- if the trots rubbish the canter has no chance!

half halts

square corners (build up from walk, trot then in canter)

it is more than likely just using muscles hes not used to- make sure you have times where he just stretches aswell and relaxes and he warms up really really well- not just a few circles of walk and trot before going into the proper work- practise suppling exercises (serpentines, spiralling circles, boxes (square corners) leg yielding shoulder in etc) in walk, then trot then introduce them in canter when you can do them well.

good luck- it only took me a couple of months to get her going right again on circles in canter!

[joey_olop]

Thank you both for your replies-some really good tips in there thank you

Joyscarer-I tend not to canter on hacks as he gets a bit un-predictable but we have plenty of hills to work on so I may just see how he goes walking & trotting & then progress to a bit of canter work.

Thanks guys xxx

[jaydevon]

they deffinatley have tantrums, some of snappers when schooling are spetacular.. her favorite is to do a amount of leaping.. shes comes off all fours and continues until it gets boring. ive seen her do it someone, the girl asked for a flying change, oh she flying changed... about 6 foot in the air!

ive not cured her, but i know how to aviod them.. schooling bores her, so if im having a lesson etc where it will be intence, i put a couple of poles out, and when i feel her starting to resist i put her on a loose rein and let her canter and pop the poles, she loves it, and freshens up and will then work.

unfortunatley i also think half the cure is to ride them through it, get angry and make it not worth hassle, or if you know hes going to do it at a certain point, find away to distract him.. like the poles..

[xloopylozzax]

to show difference we can now do nice 10m ones! it was feb 08 when i started working on it, we had some crap days but then they just do it and you wonder what the fuss was about

[MrKia+Me]

Kia has them all the time

He had one at our last lesson as he wasnt wanting to do what me and RI were wanting him to do.

They can range from solo buck to full out buccking across the arena and rears

Hate it when he does it but they are not uncontrollable. Just irritating lol!!!

Nikki xxx

[bitsnpieces]

Defo have tantrums!!!! Me and one of the girls at the yard call our two Kevin and Perry because of these!

I would say start introducing poles etc - I'm guessing he is having a paddy because he doesn't understand that what he is doing (being a little lazy) is wrong so doesn't get why you are on his case, the use of canter poles wil make him pick up without realising it and make it all a bit fun! use different arrangement of poles everytime you school to keep him sharp but soon enough a picked up canter will become the norm to him, think of it as you are trying to develop the pace, not change it.

Hope that helps!

[kayleigh26]

Sounds like a tantrum to me lol but what you have to remember is it can be very difficult for them to work their back end properly if they arnt used to it, i had lessons with my boy and he used to try and avoid having to work by stoping reversing and bunny hopping backwards lol but i think its a similar thing keep trying it will get easier just hope he doesnt get too dangerous in the process :O

[wonkeywoody]

Sounds like a tantrum to me lol but what you have to remember is it can be very difficult for them to work their back end properly if they arnt used to it

,............and ditto the exercises given too.

I would be building him up VERY slowly - you wouldnt go to the gym and do 100 sit ups first off now would you?
If he is doing it ok sometimes then he is possibly telling you by broncing another time that he's maybe a bit stiff/sore.

[Tabitha123]

Hi - yes horses definitely have temper tantrums, but in my experience its usually because they don't understand or don't have the muscle bulk to handle it. It can be down to pain sometimes too - or in the case of my horse, hormonal issues. If however, you have had him checked out then I think it probably is due to building up muscle and schooling. As I'm new to NR I don't know how experienced you are, but I'd check your pessoa. It may be that he doesn't like the feel of something round his back end. Long reining helped my mare get used to life, allowed me to drive her forward when she bronced (she had started to buck to evade work by pushing her forward she couldn't do it anymore) and now we lunge with two long reins rather than side reins or a pessoa - she goes much better.

[palmerlover52]

Ditto everything said....rein back to canter is also a good one. How's he at engaging his hocks in other paces?

[NoviceNic]

I agree they can have tantrums. Captain squeals like a pig when he is tantruming at me...

Is the correct muscle there to help with the canter work though? I know you use a Pessoa. Would you say that he needs to take it slower as another member has advised?

Have you asked someone else to ride him?? See what Blackie's reaction is to another rider? Could be something you are doing that he doesnt like...

Course Captain just hates being worked...

My youngster had a tantrum today

Was putting haylage out in the field, and she was right on top of me, trying to barge for food ... so I puffed myself up, told her to get out of my space, she backed off, but then came back ... so did the same (several times) ... gave her a tiny little smack ... she left me alone ... successfully put haylage out!

Few minutes later ... need to check her over etc ... do you think I could get anywhere near her!? ... nope running off, bucking and farting

Think she was a bit miffed at me! Lol!

[joey_olop]

Originally Posted by wonkeywoody

,............and ditto the exercises given too.

I would be building him up VERY slowly - you wouldnt go to the gym and do 100 sit ups first off now would you?
If he is doing it ok sometimes then he is possibly telling you by broncing another time that he's maybe a bit stiff/sore.

Good point-I may be going at it all to o quick
I only school for about 20 mins & that is every other day at the moment.

Originally Posted by palmerlover52

Ditto everything said....rein back to canter is also a good one. How's he at engaging his hocks in other paces?

He is good in trot, very lazy in walk though I really have to get behind him to make him work properly in walk

Originally Posted by NoviceNic

I agree they can have tantrums. Captain squeals like a pig when he is tantruming at me...

Is the correct muscle there to help with the canter work though? I know you use a Pessoa. Would you say that he needs to take it slower as another member has advised?

Have you asked someone else to ride him?? See what Blackie's reaction is to another rider? Could be something you are doing that he doesnt like...

Course Captain just hates being worked...

I havent actually got anybody else on him for a while-that could be a good idea.

When I did my BHS stages my instructor would regulary say that I have a hot bum-its true I can turn any lazy plod into a racing demon I may be over-exciting him!

Thanks for the tip!

[nema4eva]

Yup im having the same problem at the moment with my 6 yr old pony as she is not ridden enough although she is in work for 3/4 an hour every day during the winter + doing a levels at the mo but in the summer shes ridden an hour n a half. She just has bronking moments but i think today i may have finally sorted them *cross my fingers**

[eml]

They definately can have tantrums, but unlike us they are not lose temper things but natural horse like reponses which are inappropriate to us as people/riders.

A horse finding work difficult or stressful or even boring or too exciting will mainly bring out its natural flight reaction and if still 'held' show attempts to escape ...ie bucking /rearing, not a temper to get rid of you but natural antipredator behaviour.

[joey_olop]

Thanks EML-I think he is finding it too much & over-exciting
Im going to get somebody else to have a sit on him at the weekend just to make sure its not me over-exciting him first though