Pony fed up in the school?

popularfurball

popularfurball

Learning all the time
Jul 18, 2005
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I'm not really sure what to do - sorry this is going to be long. Silver is 11"3 and nearing 20yrs. School is sand and some kind of chippings - nice and solid - best when weather has been a bit wet.

Silver started getting stroppy in the school about October last year - was hacking out at weekends and having one 40min lesson every fortnight.

Lessons were mostly walk based, working on steering using legs/seat with starts of turn on forehand but mostly working on balance on 20m circles and figure of 8s.

She started stopping, refusing to move and if pushed then kicking my legs with her back legs when asked for canter. If pushed more she started bucking. She would then refuse to move totally apart from turn on the forehands(done very nicely i hasten to add!!). She got worse and started refusing to trot. Put it down to her skin and stopped lessons.

Have been hacking out and not been in the school since incase she was school sour. She has had her teeth done, vet checks, tack checked, numerous back checks, Bowen sessions etc - all ok. She is happy to hack out, no napping or stropping.

Took her back in the school on Thursday and whilst happy to work in walk, when I asked for a trot she threw a tantrum and then refused to do anything other than turn on forehand.

I'm missing having lessons as I think it was really helping our hacking and general ridden skills.

What would you all do?
 
Back and saddle. Henry used to do this, was fine to hack out but would plant in the school, it turned out that his 'fitted' saddle was too narrow, changed the saddle and the planting stopped.

It sounds like a pain response rather than just boredom.
 
Back and saddle are fine - been checked but I would be eating dust (infact I wouldn't even be able to get saddle near her...never mind get on!!).

Feet also fine - recently trimmed but I ride her in boots in the school anway as she works better as she is able to work on top of the surface - less work for her.

I don't have a flat field to school in so that's out :(

Eta her skin is also really good best it's been since twelve months ago so not that. She's not dropping and rolling which is usual skin thing.
 
Have you do any groundwork? Is she still as reluctant without you on board?

I find with mine if she isn't fully warmed up before i ask for trot i don't get one. I get a lot of other things besides. Once she is warmed up well, then she will give me a nice transition. I was thinking because of the age of pony, that perhaps it now takes a little longer for her to warm up, get motivated and loosen up.

Or perhaps add in other things to your schooling.
 
Have you tried to lead her in hand around the school? Will she lunge in there?

Have you had a different rider on her to see how she reacts with them?
 
Flip got a bit sour and I stopped taking him in there last year so you've already tried what I did. Maybe try doing some groundwork stuff in the school so she doesn't alway associate it with work work? Or do a tiny bit schooling before hacking out each time? I'm sure you've eliminated pain issues so I'd put my money on this being silver voicing her displeasure at something she doesn't like doing!!
 
I don't have anyone who will get on her :o my friend who did get on her, she ran off into her stable with her and now won't get on her :o:eek:

I've been slack with ground work, but that's mostly what we do in the school (all we've done in there this year) an she works fine loose. She "doesn't do" lunging - she kicks out and gets incredibly stroppy at being told what to do - yet she will free school beautifully - I think because she feels like she has a choice when not attached to a rope!!! :o she still bucks though when in canter but it's exuberance as she gets giddy.

Vet has no concerns over arthritis - and I don't either, I'm heading towards it being an issue with the surface.

Spoken to RI tonight and think we are going to do some "fun stuff" and see what happens - just frustrating as I've given her so much time off and we had come such a long way with the schooling - something ive always laughed at the idea of as never thought we'd get to point where we would be able to basic school.

I'm also contemplating hacking the three miles to the local arena which is free but a plain sand, fairly solid and shallow surface to see if she does the same there.
 
Trying a diff school might be a good plan. Change of scenery and all that!

If not then what does she do if a little jump is set up? Would that perk her up?
 
No she doesn't "do jumping" haha. She will jump it once but then refuse - combination of confidence, balance and liking all four feet on the floor - she won't jump on lunge/loose either.

She is very unbalanced in the school and lacks confidence hence her nappyness - we've more or less overcome that when hacking.

She will do Trec type stuff in the school if it's slow paced - she loves mounted games/races but our school is not big enough and im too old for pony club :(
 
At her age, could she be having a little bit of arthiritis? They are all things Ellie does if her arthiritis is playing her up. Have you tried a bute test to rule out pain?

Ellie is now on 1 bute a day and although I don't like medicating her it is definitely better for her. She is 12.2hh
 
No I haven't done a bute test as reluctant to meddle with things while skin is bad. I think it is probably along these lines but related to the surface - she has more than adequate speed put and about :o:giggle:
 
Storm and I used to get relegated to the "rubbishy" outdoor school on one yard we were on (basically we had nowhere else to go sometimes and nobody much used it). The surface was not good - it was too deep and too sandy. Looking back I think I'd have been better waiting for the proper school to be free. Anyways, she used to be really reluctant to tro in there - and we only cantered once quite by accident when she spooked at something!
So am perhaps thinking with your girl it could be the surface she really isn't liking? Sounds like you have ruled everything else out.
 
I think with some horses -- and humans -- we think of going in the school as "work" for our horse, and hacks as relaxatoin

well what if it was FUN to go in the school?

and we did more work on hacks?

everything you need to school you can do out on hacks -- partway round find a field and do a circle, all transitions can be done out there - -and lateral moves fro one track on the bridleway to another -- works brilliantly - -easy to see shoulder in and haunches moves too when you have two tyre tracks in the grass to help you!

and int eh school -- most of us turn into sergeant majors when we are in ther e-- we go from loose rein happy to be out and about to tight reined, tight-bottomed martinets ordering our horses around

just as you can play games on the groun, you can play games in the saddle -- play a game of riding to a corner then stopping and hanging out or giving a treat - soon you will have a horse who is as happy to canter to ta corner as walk,
then now and again miss a corner and you have a ride around the arena with no cut corners at whatever gait you want AND a happy horse....

making a game of the movements, and not a job -- will get almost any horse happy in the school.....

just some thoughts!

Cathy
 
fth said:
I think with some horses -- and humans -- we think of going in the school as "work" for our horse, and hacks as relaxatoin

well what if it was FUN to go in the school?

and we did more work on hacks?

everything you need to school you can do out on hacks -- partway round find a field and do a circle, all transitions can be done out there - -and lateral moves fro one track on the bridleway to another -- works brilliantly - -easy to see shoulder in and haunches moves too when you have two tyre tracks in the grass to help you!

and int eh school -- most of us turn into sergeant majors when we are in ther e-- we go from loose rein happy to be out and about to tight reined, tight-bottomed martinets ordering our horses around

just as you can play games on the groun, you can play games in the saddle -- play a game of riding to a corner then stopping and hanging out or giving a treat - soon you will have a horse who is as happy to canter to ta corner as walk,
then now and again miss a corner and you have a ride around the arena with no cut corners at whatever gait you want AND a happy horse....

making a game of the movements, and not a job -- will get almost any horse happy in the school.....

just some thoughts!

Cathy
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We dont have any open spaces to work in, but our hacks are not dissimilar in work to being in the school - except faster :redcarded: the only real reason for us going in the school is because i want to improve her balance (not a problem out and about, but is in the school in canter) and to work on collection/extension of paces - its something we need to be able to do for le trec and I am able to do out hacking, but stick in in a pole corridor and balance goes.

out and about and in the school I (perhaps badly) ride on a loose rein, and base most of our work on voice and weight aids. She is very opinionated and contact makes her throw a paddy - when she works nicely she will seek contact.

I havent ridden her in the school since (time mostly).
 
newforest said:
How are things as you were changing the saddle?
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She is happy as larry in her new saddle - amazing - not yet ridden in school in it though. Really struggling for time at the moment as got a lot going on, so they are pets predominantly for cuddling :inlove: and when I have had chance to ride, we have gone out... she is certainly feeling rather sprightly at the moment/... lots of sideways jogging and cantering nautghy pone! :devil: Not usually like her! Funny though
 
What is she like if you do the same schooling in a field?

Usually horses behaving like this are anticipating 'difficult /boring etc' in the school but will happily work in a field...I am going through this with stroppy 5yo at the moment...will do anything and everything in a field but in school will rear/jump out/generally provide own amusement!! ( see my teenage brat thread for example!)

Physically sand as long as it is not too soft should be easier for most horses to work on. We actually get a lot of our RS horses as they can only be worked on surfaces.
 
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20 seems rather old to be asking for new formal schooling? A younger horse is able to build up new muscle strength but for an older horse it is hard to regain condition, even if the horse previously had it. Sadly that is one reason my share horse was retired.
 
I'm not really asking for formal schooling - I was originally doing it to reduce napping - it's basic steering and understanding of leg aids that I'm doing - nothing highly strenuous. A session is typically 15-20 mins, mostly doing figure of 8s, circles, serpentines, changes of rein. She is ridden on a loose rein and although I ask for forward ness I don't ask for self carriage - she offers occasionally but doesn't have the tone to maintain it. It's 85-90% walk work and often I do transition stuff - lots of quick transitions to get her attention as otherwise she plots her own entertainment given to much time to think!!!!

Eml part of it is her bratty ness - I think this recent decline is related to the surface I think just being too deep for her but will retry in new saddle once I've adapted to it (no real pommel/cantle/knee rolls so struggling a little with staying on it going up steep hills or if she drops her head suddenly :o
 
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