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Well this stinks

3K views 20 replies 10 participants last post by  hisangelonly 
#1 ·
So I'm taking my tb to a show for some experience. Just a local open show. I took him tonight to ride around in warmup and it was terrible. He was okay at first. Then he started freaking out because he couldn't see the other horse we brought. He threw a little fit and started calling out so I took him out and lunged him and lunged him. I had him at a trot and anytime he called out I worked him harder. I was thinking about entering him into English walk/trot until this mess!!! Ugh. He's 11. He got off the track at 6. Then he was trained on barrels. All he's ever known was speed. Will taking him to many shows help? I am thinking about going and picking up my older gelding in the morning and showing him. He used to be a show horse. I just haven't ridden him in a while because of weather and he hurt his leg (sprained a little) but he's not limping anymore or off anymore. He's pretty experienced. I'd just have to work him good because he has been in a paddock (smaller than usual) because of his sprain.
So did I do the right thing with the tb? Should I try riding him around warmup again tomorrow or just tie him and leave him? I'm so stressed I wasn't expecting this at all...
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#3 ·
Taking a different horse isn't going to help fix your current horse, is it?

You should bring him to the show, tie him to the trailer or put him in a stall and let him get over it. Have you taken him off property much? It doesn't sound like it- and you can't expect your horse to be an angel the first time you take him away from his buddies.

Try to get him off property as much as possible, with other horses and on his own, even if you're not riding. It's a bummer to not be able to show when you want to, but once he's learned that throwing a hissy fit isn't going to get him what he wants / not being able to see his buddies isn't the end of the world it will be a much better showing experience for both of you.
 
#4 ·
Oh no I'm planning on keeping him there! He's staying at show grounds over night. Then tomorrow he can just stand there tied without buddies. No he hasn't been around much besides racing. I wasn't goin to show him unless he was amazing. But he's not so he can do the boring part lol. I didn't let him get away with his hissy fit. I lunged him a good 45 mins. Walk trot canter.
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#6 ·
Yes I'm going to keep hauling him to shows and just walk him around and tie him where he can see things and just leave him there for a while. Hopefully he will get over his whole buddy sour thing at shows. Hopefully he will be better today. He spent the night at the show grounds. We rented a stall.
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#7 ·
Thid doesn't fix the problem but it might help at this show.

My first horse, Taffy, was a brat if I took him to a show with another horse, so I took him alone. He knew his buddy wasn't there, so he didn't look for or call to him. Worked like a charm.

I can't remember If he ever got any better, I think he did because later I took him with friends all the time.
 
#8 ·
Hmm I'll have to try that a couple of times. Sometimes that's hard though because my mom and friends like to go too. :/. So I'll find some barrel races and other types of shows to take him to. Anything with lots of horses and people will work right?
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#16 ·
Oh we rode for a while. He just got so out of hand because he couldn't be next to the horse we brought with him that i had to get off and lunge him. I lunged him for at least 45 mins. I'm just going to have to keep working with him and taking him places by himself so he will see that he isn't going to die. :/

Show is over. Finally. Went on for over 12 hours. Proud to say that my Arab I took out of the pasture this morning after a month and a half without riding placed 2 3rds and a 4th. The only bad things he did were not back up straight once (swung his rear end out) and he broke out of a trot once because he was interested in a person on the side lol but it was only for maybe 3 seconds. Unfortunately it was also right beside the judge! :(. But he did very good! Not one crazy incident. And they say Arabians are crazy lol. I think the judge also wasn't a fan of Arabians. And she did not wanna be there. She was kind of rude and it was an apha approved show. I had the only Arab there. So next time we are showing at an Arabian based barn and see if its any different.
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#17 ·
Hisangel only - lunging a horse for 45 min does nothing for the horse except make him more fit. If you get angry, leave him alone. This horse doesn't see you as offering him any security so he attaches to the other horse. It is natural for him to get upset when away from it. In the wild, horses warn each other should a predator be lurking. There is a way you can instill more confidence in him but it takes time and patience. He can learn that leaving the other horse has it's own rewards.
 
#18 ·
Before you go to shows, i think you should find an arena to practice in. Try keeping him against the wall at all gaites youd like to perform at a show. Once hes okay with that, bring other horses into the arena with you. See if hes okay and focused ONLY ON YOU! if hes focused on other horses, he will not do his best at a show. Teach him how to listen to you by correcting him when he looks at other things or doesnt have his ears pointed at you or forward. He should eventuLly get used to other horses. Also, trail riding with one other horse or alone could help !
 
#19 ·
I've ridden him in an arena by himself and one other horse and was great. But anymore horses and he's out of it :/
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#21 ·
That's what I was thinking. Just keeping him by himself for a while. Maybe tie him off by himself a couple of times too for a while. Let him learn that when he's by himself and me he isn't going to die! Lol
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