ex racehorse refuses to work after a while!

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cluelessmolly

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Apr 13, 2005
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i have recently bought an ex racehorse and all was going great until i went to hack out with a friend. i schooled him first and then he was waiting around for a while while she got ready. he reared jumped and walked backwards and i could not get him going forwards. he has had everything checked and is ok. he is perfect to ride in the school until he starts to get bored or tired and starts to play up. I am wondering whether once he has decided he has had enough then he refuses to work or whether he is just being a pig.
opinions and ideas welcome!!
 
wow thats crazy, yea maybe he just gets boerd then wants to mix things up a little. but he shouldnt get away with that. does he do it while your just like lounging him or something too?? cuz if he does, then have him one a lounge line and just make him stand there at the end of it. if he acts up then makes him canter non stop for a couple minutes, then stop and do it agian. i guess the same thing would work whie your on him to kind of?? but i dont know what else you could do for that really..??
 
cluelessmolly said:
i have recently bought an ex racehorse and all was going great until i went to hack out with a friend. i schooled him first and then he was waiting around for a while while she got ready. he reared jumped and walked backwards and i could not get him going forwards. he has had everything checked and is ok. he is perfect to ride in the school until he starts to get bored or tired and starts to play up. I am wondering whether once he has decided he has had enough then he refuses to work or whether he is just being a pig.
opinions and ideas welcome!!
Click to expand...

How old is he and how long have you owned him for?
 
Sounds to me like a pain issue to me.

Maybe he is unfit or his muscles start to ache after a while due to him using different muscles now then when he was racing. He also might have started to seize up a a bit if you'd kept him waiting & then asked him to go on.

I seriously doubt he is 'just being a pig'. He may just decide to give up after a while but that will be for a reason such as above, not just because he's made a decision not to work any more. Horses don't think like that & particularly ex-racers are not given the opportunity to stop because they don't want to do it anymore.
 
My ex-racer does exactly the same thing too, infact if I don't listen to him when he tells me he's had enough he throws himself on the floor and wont get up until you get off - I just listen to him these days and keep sessions short and sweet :) It depends on the horse, you may be able to work through this with yours, I have with another that I had, but Dylan isn't willing at all, he just says he's had enough and thats it, but its only with school work for somereason, he's fine out hacking and jumping :confused: I think he just finds it very boring and will only tolerate it for about 20 mins
 
I would tend to listen to the horse and keep him sweet and try to end the session on a good note before he turns sour...you should find it gradually takes longer for him to get the hump...either due to him becoming more supple/ fitter etc and comfortable with what is being asked of him...or if its a 'brain' thing he may 'get used' to the idea of this type of work and accept it because you haven't forced the issue and kept battling with him.
 
my 4yr old ex-racer used to do the same thing when I first got him. You have to realize that a lot of racers only get worked for a short time each day. They run really fast for about 15 minutes and then they are done with their work for the day. Now that my boy understands his new job, he isn't such a brat. I try to keep our sessions interesting and fairly short. I usually end up riding 2 short session each day rather than one longer one. Also, when we are doing stuff he thinks is boring, I pop him over a jump once in awhile to get his mind back. I also make sure to make a really big fuss over him when he is doing well...it encourages him to want to do more for me. He just eats up the attention:D
 
Peter is a 12yr old thb X and can throw a right strop if he does not know what you are asking of him or he is unsure. Thinks if you do things quickly then he can finish. He too can tell you when enough is enough and simply refuses to work but plays around
 
I have an ex racehorse too, and when he has had enough of working in the school, he just plants his feet and refuses to move, unless in the direction of the exit! We are currently trying to work through this, but i do keep things short and interesting to try stop him getting fed up so quickly!
 
Hi , i doubt your horse is being a pig he is telling you all is not right, as you know thoroughbreds are highly sensitive animals he is not comfortable with something that is happening to him and this is his way of letting you know it. you do not say he what way he was reschooled after a life on the track
Did you do it or did someone else re-train him or has he had re training.
Rearing is a response to us as riders holding on with the reins to prevent forward movement clamping on with our legs the horse has no option but to go up.
Were you nervous in any way that day were you anxious about going out for a hack? They are highly sensitive animals also if a person has a lot of emotional baggage they can pick up on this also, it would be interesting to find out a little more about his re schooling history.
 
Agree with helenc, ailomac and puzzles - they don't lie and that there may be an underlying problem. A good analogy is to think of wearing a pair of new or high heeled shoes on a night out - you can cope with it so long then.... ouch!
 
how long has he been out of racing?

most racehorses would find school work very tiring, as they are not used to bending/circle work and tend to be stiff, so 15-20 minutes is more than enough for them

also they are not used to standing still - they are always kept on the move either walking in a big circle as part of a string - and they are not used to moving off on their own.

so all the things he has done would be pretty much standard for a racehorse. there may be problems with pain/discomfort but depending on how long you have had him and how long he has been out of racing, this could just be re-education problems associated with most racehorses.
 
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