Horse won't move!

S

Seabiscuit

New Member
Nov 14, 2006
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I'm getting a bit frustrated with my horse!!! A bit of background - he's a 4 year old big welsh D, very lovable and friendly but constantly tries it on! I have had him since he was 18 months old and we have worked very hard on our groundwork since then. Last October he went to stay at a Kelly Marks Recommended Associate's yard for 4 weeks of basic starting/backing with the idea that I would continue the training over the winter. Once he returned however we had issues with saddle fit that went on for a while (which taught him the art of bucking)...this was sorted out with the help of poohsmate :), but then with the dark evenings I wasn't able to do much with him.

After the saddle issue was resolved I have been trying to continue his education but I'm finding it very hard....I started riding him in the field and was bucked off twice, and he tried when out on the road so I lost confidence. Now in the field if I'm trying to ride him and we head away from the gate or in a direction he doesn't want to go he just stops completely and won't budge...I'm scared of pushing him too much as I know what he's capable of!!

The same now happens with lungeing (which he used to be great at) and long reining - when he can't be bothered to move he will just plant himself. Nothing I do makes him move. I've tried leaping about etc, even a carrier bag rustling, I seem to have done such a good job of desensitising him to things that he just isn't bothered!!!! He just looks at me with a bored expression which has lead me to think perhaps he is bored just being in his field all the time. Even when doing groundwork in the field now his latest trick if he can't be bothered is grab the lead rope in his mouth so that I can't use it to lead him! He's very bright.....

I used to take him out for in hand walks last summer, and he certainly is much more alert when out on walks but because of lost confidence I don't want to go too far with him at the mo (a couple of times last summer he got spooked by something and ran off).

The lady who started him is coming out on Monday to see how we're getting on but I just wondered if anyone has seen this with youngsters and whether anyone has any pearls of wisdom. I just get very frustrated and down about it - I really think he'll love being out in the countryside and being ridden, but until I get him listening to me I can't really do that.

Sorry for length of post!
 
um interesting.............maybe you should try when he plants his feet to yeild him round your leg and then ask him to carry on, works with Mayo!! If not you could just lead him in hand for a while untill he seems ok to ride again and hop back on and carry on with the ride, you might have to do it a few times but it might be worth a go. How is he when he's in a school, does he act like this?? Maybe needs a little more schooling but if he has been started using the Kelly Marks techniques he should have been started very well;) Good Luck :),

MG.xx
 
Hi,
You've got similar problems to me. I think its pretty common, so don't dispair!

I also backed my horse last year. He was 3 then. I didn't start til late in the summer, and a couple of months later, I had to stop because we don't have a school, and our fields got too wet. I had him walking round, quietly and happily, but when he'd had enough, he just planted his feet too. When I nudged him on, he would just start going backwards:rolleyes: .
I think they just get bored easily, and they're not used to having to concentrate on you for so long. as they are only young, their attention spam isn't very long, and they get bored, and say "right, thats enough of that!".

If you can, get someone on another horse to walk round your field with you. Atleast that way, he'll get the hang of going forward.
When he's happy with that, after a few days or however long, try him on his own again.

I found that it helped to set up obstacles, like road cones and poles on the ground. My boy loved walking over the poles;)

Just keep the sessions really short to begin with, like 10 or 15 minutes, and make sure you always finish on a good note!

Make a real big fuss of him constantly, for doing good. And say a firm no, when he stops.

When my horse keeps stopping, I've decided its easier to just sit it out. Pretend you've got all day, and happily just sit there. I find if I do that, he only takes a few seconds to move on again. Whereas If I start trying to push him on, he just goes backwards quicker.

Make sure you give him loads of rein, and that your nerves aren't causing you to hang on too tightly. Its really important to stay calm. Have you tried Bach's Rescue Remedy. You can get it in the chemist, and its herbal, so it won't do any harm.

Don't forget, he's been used to doing his own thing all of his life. They've got to learn to do what we want them to do for a change.

It would be helpful if you got someone to video you too, so that you can watch yourself later. Its easier to spot your mistakes then.
Also, if you have it on video, you could show other people, and ask for their advise.

Have you got any pics to show us anyway?

Good luck!

P.s. Feel free to PM me. Its nice to hear from other people in the same boat:)
 
mayoguinness said:
um interesting.............maybe you should try when he plants his feet to yeild him round your leg and then ask him to carry on, works with Mayo!! MG.xx
Click to expand...

That works for mine sometimes too. Well worth a try. Better to go in the wrong direction, than nowhere at all:p
 
You need to get him listening to you and do exactly what YOU want. Do not ride him until you can make him walk in hand. Lead him from standing next to the girth, do not go in front of this point as you will serve to block his forward movement. You must make him walk fisrt and take the initiative, and not follow you. If he refuses to walk from you voice, then progress to using a nudge with your elbow where you would apply your leg. If this does not work, then progress to a tap of the whip of his flank. If this does not work then try a harder tap. You may have to get someone to stand behind you whist you are applying the walk on aids with a lunge whip to give him the idea. Make sure you really reward him when he has started to walk.
 
Hi Fatponee - we tried this with the horse that lives in the adjoining paddock, they were okay (although my horse was very playful with the other!) but this horse isn't ridden very often. And there are no other horses nearby. However we are moving yards soon and the new yard has 23 horses on it so hopefully plenty of riding companions!

Mayo - yes I think schooling is what he needs, at the moment though we don't have a school so I've been trying to school him in his own 4 acre field....I think he sees it as "his" space and doesn't want to be made to work in it. But this is where I have always worked him and I persevere!

Sheryl - will PM you, it all sounds very familiar, including the going backwards!!! My horse is very good at reversing! Here's a photo of us just after christmas:
DSC00926.jpg


CJABB - I am well aware I need to get him listening to me, this is something we have always battled with!!! Last night I went back to basics with him and spent 10 minutes in the field leading in hand...he was almost perfect and I even got a trot from him without having to pull at all! He has always been quite good in hand, and will mirror my pace exactly. He'll stop when I stop, back up when I back up etc.

Will keep plugging on!
 
Good luck - keep us updated :)

Frayne is the same, in that if she is not confident about something, then she just stops and, if pushed when I am riding her, she goes backwards. I find it is best to not be in a hurry and definitely not lose my temper :rolleyes: I use Parelli/Silversand, so I just 'go through the phases', releasing as soon as she walks forward. She is very used to this now and will walk forward fairly quickly. I am just trying to get her out (both inhand and ridden - often a combination of both, as I get off if she starts getting 'stressed'/threatens a small buck or whatever) as often as possible - increasing the time and distance away from her companion (she is fine if Mitzy comes out with us). It may take time, but she is only young (8 this summer, which is young for an Exmoor - and she had done nothing before she came to us) and I just think that this time next year we will be hacking out confidently by ourselves :)

Ali xx
 
Sounds like Dolly at the moment. She's turning 7 this year, is in season and after nearly 3 years under saddle knows just how strong she is and what my weak points are.

Had a vile ride on Saturday - couldn't get any forward movement from her (lots of head tossing, foot stamping and spinning though!) and ended up getting off in frustration and leading her home. Since then I've free schooled her 3 times - twice she went really well, the third time she just dug her feet in and ignored me.

My strategy is to go back to riding school. I'm going to book myself some lessons on a nice sensible schoolie horse, while an older, stronger rider schools Dolly a few times a week for me. Once I'm feeling happier, I'll take lessons on Dolly.

Good luck - I hope the RA can help you out with your boy - I'd be very interested in her suggestions to you! :)
 
The other thing you might want to try is making going forward the easiest option? But maybe practised from the ground first. If he plants when you try to go forwards, then make him go backwards, or turn lots of circles every time he starts to stop so that he realises that going forwards is much less work and easier. My little 4yo sometimes tries to get bolshy when being led but as soon as she starts to get full of herself (or plants) I make her go round and round on the end of a lead rope and then she will settle (when we are both dizzy :p ) and head in correct direction a little more quietly. I don't shout or get rough with her but I just encourage her to go round and round so she is using lots of her energy up and I'm not!!!
 
You have my sympathy I too have a young welsh cob only mine has gone the other way!

From quietish sensible coblet at 3 and 4 working very well in walk and trot although canter was variable, he has lost all brakes and steering at the moment!

I think you have to recognise that young horses and particularly Welsh Cobs are easily bored and often misbehave as a way of amusing themselves.

Stopping is best dealt with by moving the forehand enough to move a leg but if you are concerned about pressure leading to bucking you would be best to tackle this from the ground to start with or ask a confident rider to help you.
 
Could your position be contributing to your problems? In the photo you posted, you look like you are tipped onto your fork. This will block the horse.
Try making your stirrup leathers shorter and sitting back on your seat bones, then giving everyone else's suggestions a go.

Good luck - schooling in the field is difficult:) Fingers crossed that everything goes to plan!:)
 
Thanks for the tips! Em1 - yes on looking back my position is a bit poor in the photo....I think my problem at that time was I was a little wary of resting my weight into the seat for fear of triggering a buck (a bit like the game buckaroo I think!!!!)...I have been relaxing much more recently and sitting back into the saddle.

Since I first posted this I've had a couple of more successful rides around the field....I managed to work through the "planting", kept on the pressure and voice commands until he eventually moved which worked! Tonight I have my lesson with the RA - I'll let you know how we get on. I haven't had any bucking twinges for a while now, so I think it'll be working on getting him to move again.
 
Seabiscuit said:
...I think my problem at that time was I was a little wary of resting my weight into the seat for fear of triggering a buck (a bit like the game buckaroo I think!!!!)...
Click to expand...

That makes sense - it's given me a wonderful mental image of a human version of buckaroo! :D I wonder if we could start a NR games section - my horse would be an ideal candidate for Hungry, Hungry Hippos:D :D :D

Really glad to hear that things are going better on the riding front. Well done for sticking with it. Looking forwards to hearing on how your lesson goes. :)
 
An update on our lesson - we only got about 30 minutes in before a blizzard hit Berkshire!!!!!

The RA had a go at long lining him, and he went like a dream (typical!!!!!). She had him trotting from a standstill, and he was perfect. She then let me have a go and we were back to lazy horse. She noted that I was a little ahead of his movement, but other than that she couldn't see anything that I was really doing wrongly. She suggested that now Bran has the idea that he can just stop with me, he does it. She said that my technique would be absolutely fine with 90% of youngsters but he needs a little more....I felt a little bit poo that I was so rubbish. But then she does this kind of thing all day every day....before I had Bran I'd never long lined before, so I guess I'm doing okay:rolleyes:

Anyway as we are moving yards just before easter she suggested not trying anything that may end negatively before then, and she'll come over when we're settled in the new place (which has a nice indoor school) and work with us through some new "games"...she is going to think of things he has never done before. So it went okay, I'm glad he doesn't have a physical problem but it's a bit frustrating and I just hope I'll be able to turn him around! Oh well, I have the whole summer with its lighter evenings.
Thanks for all showing an interest.
 
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