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Even really nice green horses sometimes have issues.

3K views 23 replies 20 participants last post by  Paradise 
#1 ·
Most of you guys know Rafe, my coming 5 year old Belgian x QH. I started him under saddle in, I think, June of last year. For the most part, his actual training has been rather sporadic and inconsistent just because I haven't had time. I might be able to ride him 3 days in a row and do enough for an actual day's training, then not get a chance to do more than a 10 minute jaunt for my own sanity for a month. He's been rode a lot over the winter but it was mostly bareback in a halter and plodding down a trail. I worked on his actual training very little on those rides. All in all, he's still probably got less than 75 honest working rides on him :oops:.

Anyway, today I actually put a saddle on him and decided to go for a ride out into some rougher country. He did great for the first little part of the ride, but about 2 miles from the house, I came to a nice open field; perfect for a few minutes at a nice easy lope :?. I asked for it and the horse that usually only wants to plod along at a walk, half asleep, took off at a long gallop :shock:. When you're riding something 16.2 with super long legs, that long gallop covers a lot of ground in a hurry LOL. I thought it was no big deal and that I'd just bring him back down and try again, so I sat deep and picked up my hand...nothing. I picked up contact and said "whoa"....nothing. I applied a bit of pressure on the bit....nothing. I wasn't terribly interested in getting into a tug-of-war with 1500 pounds so I didn't start to yanking on him like most folk would.

Some people might call that a "runaway". I call it a learning experience. :lol: :twisted:

I picked up one rein and we started in on some really big circles at the speed he wanted to go. Heck, I wasn't having to work, I was just along for the ride *shrugs*. After about 5 minutes of this, he was starting to get tired because after all, something his size with his breeding and being as out of shape as he is doesn't have much endurance. He wanted to stop but then I got evil; if he didn't want to stop earlier when I asked him, then he couldn't stop now. I kept him up in a nice long lope and kept him on the big circle for about 45 minutes until I nearly had to whip him to keep him in a lope.

BUT, by golly, when I sat deep that time, he planted his butt and didn't want to move again.

Next time I bet he won't take off so fast...or make me ask him to slow down more than once :wink:.

So, just goes to show that even the nicest of young/green horses sometimes have a moment where they think they might get away with disobedience. Most folks would have freaked out at not being able to get him stopped from a long gallop.

Poor little thing, I think this wet saddle blanket did him some good. Now I just hope we get some cattle this summer, he could use a few 10-12 hour days :twisted:.

Yes, all those wrinkly looking areas on his neck/shoulders/belly is dried sweat. He did manage to mostly cool off on the 2 mile walk/trot back to the barn.


 
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#8 ·
That is exactly what everyone should do in that situation, if they have the space. One rein for a big wide turn. No point in playing tug O war with a big guy like that. Bravo. Cute big guy too :)
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#9 ·
I think you handled it well.

My next to last horse looked like him. I like your horse. Wish he was mine. I am afraid I could not stay off him and everything else in my life would suffer from not enough time. LOL
 
#12 ·
LOL, that's how I was always taught to handle it. My Dad always said you can't win a tug of war with a horse so there's no point in even trying. The only thing you can do is make them want to stop.

I'm glad that he's as out of shape as he is though, because I'm out of shape too. I can remember riding standard sized horses and having to lope them for hours before they were ready to stop :?.
 
#17 ·
I'm glad that he's as out of shape as he is though, because I'm out of shape too. I can remember riding standard sized horses and having to lope them for hours before they were ready to stop :?.

I was just thinking about how long I would have to run Lily before she would want to stop. That pony is like an energizer bunny. I envy your wide open spaces for the big circles too! Unfortunately I think we may end up having to do that this summer, she "whoas" nicely from a walk, but she still sucks at it from anything faster. Dang pony. :lol:
 
#13 ·
That is one of my very favorite tactics for many antics, including the "runaway". I also used it a few times on a horse that would evade by backing up...you wanna back up, lets back around the arena for 30 minutes, hahaha.
Gorgeous horse and if that's the worst of his green moments, he sounds like a gem.
 
#16 ·
For the most part, that's the absolute worst thing he's ever done. There's been 3 seperate occasions where he considered crow hopping and got about a half a jump into it before losing his dedication to the act LOL.

It seems like he gets all these bright ideas about how to misbehave and starts to do them.....then realizes "Oh, wait, I'm too lazy for this crap" :lol:.
 
#18 ·
Do you have any idea how glad I am that Aires can't read?! What would he think he could get away with if he knew his "perfect" brother-from-another-mother was acting up? I use Rafe as a motivator for him. "Oh, come on, Aires. Rafe can do [insert action here]! Why can't you?!" Works like a charm every time. He finds out about this incident and it'll be nothing but work, work, work, all the time! ;-)
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#19 ·
good job:D I like the lazy out of shape ones, way easier than some of the other ones. I worked with an arab that had a habit of dangerous bolting. Thankfully he was out of shape and 25 years old, but it still took an hour to get the point across.

I would need to ride for months, every day for hours to get in good enough to wear down an in shape young thoroughbred or arab though:shock: I don't think I can ride a lope for hours without a break at the moment:oops:
 
#24 ·
I had this happen...horse wouldn't stop and I was bareback (in a pair of shorts no less) in a 30 acre field of just-cut wheat. We went up and down that field more times than I could count, 45-50 minutes total, near the end I was having to over-under with the reins to keep her loping.

If I had to say anything about the overall experience I wouldn't recommend it! I was SOAKED in all the places you don't want to be with horse sweat and hair (and unless it's happened to you you can't understand the discomfort LOL). I could barely stand up the next day.

I don't know which of us suffered more that day.. lol!
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