that would help, at the minute i’ve just been going laps just sticking it out circles calm him slightly he has to slow down and thing so i think i’ll give your idea a goMy very lively Arab could be very sharp and over excitable, I found doing lots and lots of transitions really got his brain on me and allowed me to get more relaxed with him because I knew he’d come back easily if I needed him to (before the over excited broncing could start), doing transitions between gaits and within them, sometimes just 4 strides before changing it again.
he’s actually not on hard feed he was only given hay to put the weight back on but he’s switched to haylage for winter so i’m thinking the extra protein is giving him unneeded energyBest advice I can give is get some lessons with a good instructor. It's hard to give advice when I can't see what things look like and also see the response to things you try, for instance @Jessey 's idea of lots of transitions can help with some horses but will wind others up to a point where they blow.
One thing I will say is if he's now got enough condition on him it's time to reassess his feed if you haven't already done so. If he's getting excess energy from it then that won't be helping you.
i have booked a lesson for next week in the mean time i think i’m going to cut back his haylage and lunge before i ride he definitely feels me tensing up but i’m not sure how to relax yet. Also he has had his teeth back etc done recently so all is good in that departmentSome horses go nuts on haylage, if he has extra energy I would switch back to hay.
I think you need some lessons, just riding round in circles hoping he will calm down is not a good strategy. He needs something to think about. Transitions, lateral work, shoulder in, riding different shapes, practicing dressage tests, pole work etc. There is a good, simple book called 101 dressage exercises which will give you ideas to focus on.
You also need to look at you and consider if your tension is causing him to be so tense. Horses get their confidence from their rider and if you are not relaxed, neither will he be.
And as always, make sure pain is ruled out. Horses who are tense and buck are often reacting to pain in my experience.
he actually had to be switched saddles after gaining weight it was difficult to find one that fitted because he has a really high wither so we had someone out help and that’s when i noticed his big canter appearing lol thank you i needed to hear that i’ve been putting myself under to much pressure bc i think we need to be doing certain things silly me!!Well done, sounds like you are doing great with him and dont be too hard on yourself as you haven't had him very long, you'll get there. I do agree with checking that he's not in pain, has his saddle been checked since he's put on weight and muscle? Lunge lessons might help you, if indeed he does lunge!
Is there a pic? Noooo! I can't see it!He's lovely. Well done on getting him feeling fitter and happier.
How strange, I'm sure there were a couple of pics of a nice bay TB looking type (don't quote me on that, but it definitely wasn't a cob!) but I can't find them now ... have I been confusing my posts?Is there a pic? Noooo! I can't see it!
no there was definilty a photo there i didn’t notice it had gone anywhere i’ll try get it up again ?Is there a pic? Noooo! I can't see it!