Make it fun for the horse?

Today I got thrown for the first time, I didn't lose any confidence nor was I hurt. Infact, I think I've become even MORE confident knowing now that I can handle a throw lol.

Here's why we think Tucker (The Horse) got pissed; He's my trainer's mother's horse, and she's been taking care of him for her. Her mother babied him a lot and let him get away with some things (My trainer fied this issue, he's not as much of a jerk and he's very fun and lovable) But, my trainer's brother is trying to use him for a rope horse and according to my trainer he's been a little rough with poor little Tucker. So now I think Tucker thinks his riders are ALL out to get him. I'm sort of worried now that he thinks I'M out to get him, and I adore Tucker, he's one of my favorite horses of all the ones I ride.

So, how can I help him understand I'm not there to make him my b**** or how can I make riding-time with me fun-time?


It's understandable if there's not much I can do, I'm not an experienced rider or horse person in general. But if there's any little things I can do to help him become more tolerant or be able to not feel as cornered and irritated, I would love to know, or if there's even something I can ask my trainer about doing for him. I'm afraid to ask her to tell her brother to stop being so pushy with him.

How old is Tucker? If he's still in training, why are the trainer AND his brother working with him? He may not be ready for that. Since he's not your horse, you are limited in what can be done, but you can ensure that YOUR time is nice time. Spend as much time as you can doing relaxing things that he finds easy and is secure in. Don't push him or challenge him until he comes to really see that you are YOU and he will get to know the difference between people.

Grooming and chatting him up are great bonding times. Groundwork and Riding -- what he feel comfortable.

Oh -- and all of you need to get together to be sure you are being consistent in your commands. Even agree that you will not do "x" and the brother will not do "x" and that ALL three of you will do "y"... Maybe you did something that tipped off Tucker to something that your trainer's brother was doing and he got confused.

Tucker's an older more experience horse, which is why I was so confused when he threw me because he's one of the most senior and gentle horses.

Thanks! I'll definitely try to spend more chill time with him and just hang out instead of jumping straight into work next time.

Horses have ADD, so try to keep things lively. If you have a random urge go for it. One time I was galloping in a hay field that just got baled and I thought "ooh bales!" and zig zagged and turned around them. It was fun for both of us.

Random is good. Hopefully that was helpful.

I'm not sure if I could get ahold of anything interesting, I don't want to be too demanding either. He got upset when I asked him to trot ):

So eveything we do will have to be done at the walk until he trusts me a little more. I think I can get ahold of some cones or something, I don't know if my trainer will let me use them though.

It sounds like he may be having some pain issues from the roping.

G and K's Mom, that's what I was thinking too! =)

I used to ride an older school horse myself and he ended throwing me one of the last times I ever rode him, basically because he was in pain. He was getting pretty old and I was still asking him to jump stuff and canter which he seemed to be able to handle until he exploded. I switched to riding another horse and just hanging out with him because I didn't wait our relationship ruined by the pain...
I'd check him out for pain and maybe check his saddle fit and stuff because if he's doing new work he might be building muscles in new places that the saddle is now pinching or something...

Good luck!

Thats what happened with my app gelding. He was as calm as can be and then bam! Threw me off. We got a vet out there and we found that he has arthritis in his hocks and right knee and at the time had some back pain.

With some time off, a great shoe/trim job and a joint supplement, he was back to normal.

I thought he might have been in pain too, because he was fine until I started to ask him to trot, after that he started to flick his tail. He wasn't limping or moving awkwardly, I thought it was something I was doing that was causing him pain (the way I was sitting etc.) so I just slowed down, tried to correct myself and then tried to move on.

Then my trainer told be the whole brother-using-him-in-roping deal, I kind of dropped the theory. I will look more into it and ask my trainer if it's possible for him to get checked out. Thanks guys!

Are you leasing him or are you just taking lessons on him?

If you are just taking lessons, I don't know if I would ask the trainer to get the horse looked at. It should be their responsibility to make sure their horses are sound enough for lessons. Though that changes person to person (or facility to facility)

I'm going to guess he's being worked a lot more than normal (You, your trainer and your trainer's brother all riding him) he may just be sore and he may not have had the proper off time to recover from his muscles getting used in a whole new way.

If he keeps at it (by that I mean keeps doing what he's doing currently by stopping, not wanting to trot, swishing his tail) I would then express that you think something may be off with him. And then see what your trainer thinks.