angel/devil

gunner5125

Member
Mar 16, 2008
306
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ESSEX
horse is 50% angel, 50% devil. sometimes i can do whatever with her & she doesn't put a foot wrong, other times, like last night for example, she's not having any of it! if i hack her out she gets a minute up the track & plants herself to the floor, refusing to move forward, schooling she stamps her feet, bucks & generally plays up. if i try to canter, she bolts to the gate, so i have to resort to lungeing! very irritating! who else has this problem & what do you do to overcome it? also, on devil days, i seem to have minimal brakes (she's quite strong anyway). thinking of a bit change. the nose pokes out in walk & trot & her head is up & down like a yoyo but, in canter & jumping, her head goes down & she's off!! all suggestions welcome :D cheersx
 
Hi. I also have a horse that sounds similar to yours. Some days she's an angel, others as you say a devil, which I find really frustrating.

From personal experience what works for me is not to let her get away with anything when riding, unless there are safety issues involved! Mine gradually started to napp out on rides on my own, as she was my first horse I naively gave into her to being with. She has now developed the habit of playing up when she goes one way on her own at a certain point at the begining of the common. This week i'm going to take a lead rope and walk her past this bit and get back on. I've been advised when she plays up on her own to just sit patiently on her and not let her go anywhere else until she gets fed up, from a confidence view though this is easier said than done. With other horses she's an angel.

I've gone through stages of lunging etc to get her to listen but from personal experience once I ride her through this tantrum when she doesn't want to do something she reverts to angel mode.

I'm afraid i'm not that qualified with bits etc, mine has a very soft mouth and hates metal bits so is just in a happy mouth bit.

Best wishes
 
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