Horse that tries TOO hard!

Thanks I will! Im really proud of him as we have progressed quite quicky from level 1 to level 4 in one a half years, although i could never have done it hadnt it been for my trainer, who happens to be in holland right now and thats why im asking you lol! I will get some photos next week for you to see!
Heres some from ages ago hes much bigger now! http://pets.webshots.com/album/558904528UQtrdK
Infact he looked really yuk in these photos
 
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Definitely! Good luck with your horse, give us updates on how he is going! :)

Nina x

Hey! I have an update from todays ride and I'm very happy to say I learnt alot! The things you suggested worked very well but I also learnt something else from my horse! Although I'm not a rider with hard hands and I dont hold him when hes round, I learnt a more effective way with my half halts! It was like a light bulb suddenly came on! My new way works so much better, although I have to admit he was in an extemely good mood today which definatly helped lol!
 
Oh my (sorry for making this thread go OT), it is SOOO....... good to hear some one else has a horse like that. I've just bought a horse, he's very good yes, but he does learn VERY easily, he's still pretty young. And at times I just couldn't understand him, but now this makes me really understand him. There are two things that my horse will do, one, he'll stop dead (if he's in walk) or two he will bolt, wich I don't really like either choices. But originaly just turning him, he would stop dead :-(, wich I don't really appreciate, so then I decided to make serpintine as such and went around that just at the walk a whole heap of times then the next time I rode him he understood the aids for turning and I could turn him as easy as pie!!! So I know for now that that has worked and I need to find more ways to teach my horse different things. Thank Goodness I'm not the only one.
 
Oh my (sorry for making this thread go OT), it is SOOO....... good to hear some one else has a horse like that. I've just bought a horse, he's very good yes, but he does learn VERY easily, he's still pretty young. And at times I just couldn't understand him, but now this makes me really understand him. There are two things that my horse will do, one, he'll stop dead (if he's in walk) or two he will bolt, wich I don't really like either choices. But originaly just turning him, he would stop dead :-(, wich I don't really appreciate, so then I decided to make serpintine as such and went around that just at the walk a whole heap of times then the next time I rode him he understood the aids for turning and I could turn him as easy as pie!!! So I know for now that that has worked and I need to find more ways to teach my horse different things. Thank Goodness I'm not the only one.

Hi, Im glad this thread has helped you! My horse wont bolt, although I'm sorry to say on occassion he has stopped and refused to move foward! My horse is just over sensitive, eg he has paddys if your half halt is a tiny bit too strong that kind of thing. This thread has really helped me, I used to be scared of him up untill a couple of months ago, now I dont mind if he has one of his tantys, we are starting to work as a team and as a result have improved really fast! He will compete at medium next season, skipping elementry. Hes naturally a very uphill horse with alot of power however sometimes I feel he is almost scared of it, he doesnt know how to use it fully, but this doesnt bother me as he hasnt reached his full potential yet. I'v realised now that when he puts his head up, insted of trying to make him round in a medium level frame, to ride him up to the bridle into a more advanced frame. When I work him in he wants to come uphill sometimes leaving his wither behind, if I work him in a very deep frame it stretches his back and then later in the work he can use his power better and is more correct. (please I dont want any comments about this type of work as I dont want to cause aguments) These sorts of horses are great to teach as they listen and although their paddys are sometimes considered nessicary I have learnt in the past few months to listen to him and work with him rather than try and get him to do what I want.
Good Luck with your horse, it just takes lots of time, and patience, you can never get angry with these types of horses! Keep me updated!
 
i have a horse that learns quickly too. it is very hard when trying to correct things. he used to go disunited in canter all the time by flinging his back end out so to correct it i would ride a few strides of hauches in just before the downwards transition (as thats where he'd fling his back end out) and with a lot of other work we no longer get the disunited canter- problem is now that he really loves haunches in - does it ALL the time and i have to constantly correct him for that.
it sounds like your horse has learnt half pass and is using it as a party piece which is brilliant but obviously you want it on your terms (not just when he feels like it ;)) i suppose it depends where he offers it as to what you do to stop it. are you going to ride a circle and then ending up in half pass? are you riding down the centre line and then drifting across? i think i would ride the half pass for a couple of steps and then ask for straightness like you would as you hit the track, maybe even change bend and ride a circle. obviously as you've pointed out, everything has to remain relaxed and "easy" so that your horse doesn't get upset at the lack of performing the new movement. hope that makes sense :)
 
i have a horse that learns quickly too. it is very hard when trying to correct things. he used to go disunited in canter all the time by flinging his back end out so to correct it i would ride a few strides of hauches in just before the downwards transition (as thats where he'd fling his back end out) and with a lot of other work we no longer get the disunited canter- problem is now that he really loves haunches in - does it ALL the time and i have to constantly correct him for that.
it sounds like your horse has learnt half pass and is using it as a party piece which is brilliant but obviously you want it on your terms (not just when he feels like it ;)) i suppose it depends where he offers it as to what you do to stop it. are you going to ride a circle and then ending up in half pass? are you riding down the centre line and then drifting across? i think i would ride the half pass for a couple of steps and then ask for straightness like you would as you hit the track, maybe even change bend and ride a circle. obviously as you've pointed out, everything has to remain relaxed and "easy" so that your horse doesn't get upset at the lack of performing the new movement. hope that makes sense :)

Yeah thats sounds great, when he was taught it we would come down the long side and practise our shoulder in, then change to travere at E and then come down the center line at C or A and half pass, now he wants to do that all the time. Yesterday I tried what you just said as well as just doing a diagonal and it seemed to work, he had very little tantys yesterday which was great! Thanks for your help and good luck with your horse!
 
Thankyou NZdressage. I have been feeling a little bit discouraged with my horse. I am relativily only a new rider started at the start of this year. So I don't know much at all, but am still learning. I bought a horse who I thought knew more then he did, but find out that this horse, needs a VERY confident rider, wich luckily I am not of the really nervous bunch of riders. Yes, I do get pretty nervous at times still though. I will try to keep you updated, he is still pretty nervous, he does learn very easily. I do really enjoy riding him, though yes like you said you need alot of patience with these horses. I decided at the start of riding that I really need to go somewhere else when I lose my patience, and stop riding the horse and do something else or do ground work instead. Which I don't really get annoyed about or do something the horse does now. or just have fun, or go for a hack to calm the horses nerves.
 
I decided at the start of riding that I really need to go somewhere else when I lose my patience, and stop riding the horse and do something else or do ground work instead. Which I don't really get annoyed about or do something the horse does now. or just have fun, or go for a hack to calm the horses nerves.

Good for you! That is one thing I have really had to learn and be careful about, as much as I am embarassed to admit it. I realised very quickly that I had to work with this particular horse and not try to force or bully him as that way would not end up a hapy ending on my part! As a result the horse will try anything for me and I am grateful for that, I make sure when somethings not going right I take a deep breath. I hate stopping when it's not going right, I am very determined which is great in some ways but in others its not. I have learnt alot with this horse, we now are working as a team and like I said before he is very willing to do what I ask (most of the time lol) When its not going right I try to relax, take a deep breath and think about what is going on, taking my time insted of getting frustrated! An important thing to remember is its your job to understand the horse not the horses job to understand you!
Im glad you have learnt this earlier in your riding career than I did you will be a much better rider sooner for it!
 
don't suppose you could have lessons on a more experienced horse so that your level improves, as it is harder when you are both learning and you're not sure what it is supposed to feel like, exactly what the aids are.

maybe also hack him out a lot more to give him a lot of variety and de-stress him, a nice 3 hour amble will give him time to let himself down and relax.
 
maybe also hack him out a lot more to give him a lot of variety and de-stress him, a nice 3 hour amble will give him time to let himself down and relax.

i envy everyone who has a horse that de-stresses on a 3-hour amble!
both of mine go more hyper (dawn from her endurance past and harry from the "everything is out to get me even though i walked passed it fine last time")
 
oh well, Rosie and I do marathon ambles and she doesn't turn a hair at anything, but then she is a common cob with no great ambitions!
 
don't suppose you could have lessons on a more experienced horse so that your level improves, as it is harder when you are both learning and you're not sure what it is supposed to feel like, exactly what the aids are.

maybe also hack him out a lot more to give him a lot of variety and de-stress him, a nice 3 hour amble will give him time to let himself down and relax.

If that Q was to me, yes I have my Grand Prix horse I ride and thats great I have improved alot, the aids arent the problem and I have got it sussed now but thanks any way!
Hacking, isnt really an option by myself as he can be very spooky and its really frustrating!
 
I guess that unless you persevere with hacking out then they don't get better at it.

When I had a couple of yearlings, I took them out in hand all over the woods roads etc so that when they were broken in, it wasn't an issue for them they were used to going out. Could you lead him out in hand and let him stop and eat grass so that he gets used to it being a pleasurable thing?
 
I guess that unless you persevere with hacking out then they don't get better at it.

When I had a couple of yearlings, I took them out in hand all over the woods roads etc so that when they were broken in, it wasn't an issue for them they were used to going out. Could you lead him out in hand and let him stop and eat grass so that he gets used to it being a pleasurable thing?

i know the question isn't directed at me but i do see your point about perservering. however, my gelding did the hacking out (thats all he did before i got him) and he was meant to be bombproof- he is far from that. hacking isn't really much option for me either as i go straight onto a fast main road and my two aren't shod and our roads are terrible on the hooves.
i would love to do the happy hacking:)
 
when I hack siog she goes quietly until homeward direction and then jogs and tries to canter up the big hill towards the yard
I recently thought her how to leg yield (at age 20) and thought I was great. Siog now thinks she is brilliant and if we are on a hack and I wont let her canter up the hill does the most beautiful half pass in trot up the hill. For a horse that hates dressage its amazing the ability she has when she wants her own way, all I could do was laugh at her
 
I guess that unless you persevere with hacking out then they don't get better at it.

When I had a couple of yearlings, I took them out in hand all over the woods roads etc so that when they were broken in, it wasn't an issue for them they were used to going out. Could you lead him out in hand and let him stop and eat grass so that he gets used to it being a pleasurable thing?

lol yes I see where your coming from, I am persevering with him, he is abit spooky because he hasnt lived in his home very long and I have never hacked him in company at this place when I have him here at home hes great, I guess its on roads he knows and loves! He is also good in company.
I have tried taking him out inhand riding another horse but it didnt work out to well... I like the idea of leading him out and letting him eat gras though I will try that! The other problem is theres an abortair (sp?) a few houses down and he can smell it so I dont blame him for not wanting to go past to go past it!

Hes ok when I hack him out and school him, just not walking out.
 
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