Lazy cob

Innocence

Innocence

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Jun 1, 2009
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As some of you may be aware, we have been doing ground work with my cob for quite some time, long reining mainly and lunging occasionally. The problem we have is that he is really really really lazy, he just will not move some days. He responds better to long reining than lunging admittedly, but no amount of swishing the lunge whip, stern/shouting commands (which he does know) and foot soldiers chasing him on will get him moving, he just looks at you as though you are stupid.

Any ideas peeps?
 
is he food orientated? i know its not exactly traditional but with my bombproof cob i had to use my imagination and ride corner to corner etc with treats in the corner to get her enthusiastic.

i rarely lunge her to be honest, circles send her to sleep. but when i do i tend to ask for a little movement then stop her and give her a treat. then ask for more and treat etc. i generally aim for 1 circle then treat, then 2 circles, then 3 circles etc etc

i do understand its not exactly the traditional way but as the traditional way isnt working at the minute maybe trying something diff might help?
 
I like to think of cobs not as lazy, but as the energy efficient model of the horse world LOL

most cobs I know need to be motivated and then they move forwards just fine#

and waht motivates most cobs is food, rest and knowing they have done a good job

the corners game Vicky talks about is a good one -- circles tend to "shorten" a horse, ie slow them down, so going from one point to another (eg one corner to another; or one jump to another) and then stopping for a minute, giving a treat or a favourite scratch -- causes a horse to realise there is a point to moving as there is a benefit at the end of it

with my horse I Started going one corner to the next, then when that was going well (only took a few times) I would "accidentally" miss a corner out and that way we were soon riding round the whole arena.

the other thing that is appleaing is interesting rides -- eg lots of puzzles, interesting hacks (not lots of long gallops which they find a bit boring, but woods and tracks and changes of scenery)

good luck

Cathy
 
The problem we have with using treats is that he becomes very aggressive if you don't have anything to give him and bites a lot, this is why i stopped any hand treats a while ago.
 
Doogie said:
Attach a plastic bag on the end of the whip. Makes more of a noise when you swish the whip.
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Surely that's not going to be overly productive but potentially create more problems by the horse scared of working in future? :unsure:

It's also not very kind.
 
to me, it sounds like a little bit of lack of respect. You are asking and he is choosing not to respond. I'd actually go back a step and do some ground work. Simple yielding to pressure and following/changing direction. Getting him more respectful of your commands should help with the lungeing. i don't like using food as a motivator, it's not really solving the problem of the horse ignoring you. I think you need to change their mindset completely. We found groundwork most effective. Had that failed, my RI had recommended a "natural horsemanship" instructor to help us.
 
I am another of the opinion that cobs need to be 'interested' to work.

Mine is great on hacks, keeps up with anything in the hunting field, embarrasingly quick to a jump (prone however to a look before you leap mode once there..oops). Try to do 'conventional' schooling however and she can give the impression that one leg will not go in front of another. Put in loads of direct transitions and ask for apparently complicated things and enthusiasm returns.

Cobs are generally misunderstood..they are far more intelligent than most give them credit for ..why bother going in a circle, what's in it for me is probably going through a cobs mind!!
 
I think your boy has one over on you with this... he knows you'll give up, hence the "And what do you think that twig's going to do?"... he's running silent circles around you......... My lad seems quite happy to work for me, but it seems that's as far as it goes, as when my sharer last year tried, he did just what your does to you, give you that 'look'..
Perhaps he needs reminding your the boss, and he has to do what he's asked.. But yes, I have to agree, cobs are a lot more intelligent than given credit.. all the ones I've known, one being an escape artist who can squeeze through holes half the size of him, to this day we don't know how he did it, but the tell tale signs of clumps of fur being attached to the wire netting spoke for itself, as it was the only way through a 6 meter high fence...........................
 
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Roxy's Mum said:
Surely that's not going to be overly productive but potentially create more problems by the horse scared of working in future? :unsure:

It's also not very kind.
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Not saying it is the 1 right method - apart from anything it depends on your facilities - I'd only do it in a safe, enclosed environment.

But it sounds like this cob doesnt respect his owner's commands to go forward. He'll soon work out the bag isnt going to hurt him in the same way he has obviously worked out the swish of a whip isnt going to hurt him - that's why he is setting the pace rather than the owner.

The first few minutes it might look like you've stuck a rocket up his bottom but you'd probably find quite quickly (especially if he is clever and energy efficient), he wont care about the noise any more than he cares about the whip swishing or the foot soldiers chasing him round - but in between those two extremes you've got his attention back and you've got him going forward which means you can reward him for giving you the correct response by giving him a rests - i.e you telling him when he can slow down - not him choosing the pace he feels like working in.

Personally I'd save food rewards until the end of a good session - but everyone is different.

I do appreciate it sounds a bit mean but if it was really nasty my sensitive, stressy horse would now be terrified of both working and plastic - which isnt the case.

Anyway just a suggestion!

Also agree with keeping lunge sessions short and varied with other work in between sessions.
 
Sorry Im not sure if your riding or if its a youngster. But I posted on here about my cob being very lazy, and generally ploddy. Not got to the bottom of it all yet as we are still sorting the issue. But a blood test on mine showed he was anemic. Not saying that yours is. My vet said that they had seen alot of horses not performing and being energitic like normal. Blood test on those revealled issues like liver complaints, viruses etc. which is what he expected with mine. Not anemia. If your having the vet out at all it might be worth you discussing and having some bloods taken.

I thought mine was down to a lack of interest, also being overweight. So I took him on some of his favorite hacks, with competition. Thought he would blast up the field showing off. But no most of the time he ran out of puff and would just want to walk. This has been going on for the last six months.

Agree with no tip bits. Mine gets bolshy when fed tip bits. I also dont normally feed mine either. But since dicovering the anemia I have had to feed everyday. Now I have a pushy horse. Not pleasant when he wacks me in the bust.
 
Mine is a youngster so not ridden as yet. I had the vet out a week ago to check mine over, do teeth etc and he is fit as a fiddle. So he is just lazy, stubborn and taking the mick! :stomp:
 
As I said, the reward can be a treat OR a rest OR a scratch -- so obviously if you feel you can't use food treats then you can use the rest and scratches approach

one thing to think about though is if your horse is aggressive around food when you are there, then there IS a big question about your relationship and how he sees you.

so the R word, respect, comes into it.

ground work is good for buildign respect

and if you want to be able to use food treats, get Becky out to show you the first steps of clicker -- that builds in the ability to use food treats and, being focused on positive reinforcement is ideal for horses who need motivation

Using positive reinforcement with clicker, and being clear in your requests to me is a nicer option than using bigger sticks :smile:

you then end up with a cob who WANTS to go forward and that is a joy to ride

Cathy
 
fth said:
As I said, the reward can be a treat OR a rest OR a scratch -- so obviously if you feel you can't use food treats then you can use the rest and scratches approach

one thing to think about though is if your horse is aggressive around food when you are there, then there IS a big question about your relationship and how he sees you.

so the R word, respect, comes into it.

ground work is good for buildign respect

and if you want to be able to use food treats, get Becky out to show you the first steps of clicker -- that builds in the ability to use food treats and, being focused on positive reinforcement is ideal for horses who need motivation

Using positive reinforcement with clicker, and being clear in your requests to me is a nicer option than using bigger sticks :smile:

you then end up with a cob who WANTS to go forward and that is a joy to ride

Cathy
Click to expand...

Agree with the above. Especially about the R word!
 
Innocence said:
Mine is a youngster so not ridden as yet. I had the vet out a week ago to check mine over, do teeth etc and he is fit as a fiddle. So he is just lazy, stubborn and taking the mick! :stomp:
Click to expand...

get yourself a copy of Perfect Manners and work through the ground exercises in that. I did this with my welsh cob from the age of 2 and with my ridden cob to gain his respect and attention before transferring that into the saddle.
 
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