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Not Fun Anymore

4K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  koomy56 
#1 ·
So Diesel was doing great for awhile. He was going nice and round, responsive, willing, soft, etc. All of the sudden he is doing that "I'm a green 2 year old!" stuff he was doing a few months ago. He becomes hard mouthed, stubborn, fast, and just acts like he has never been ridden before in his life. So I have done groundwork with him then moved back into the saddle doing flexing, transitions, circles and serpentines...everything I could think of to get him thinking of me again. I'm not seeing any improvement.

At this point, I dread going out to the barn. We both end up frustrated and it's not fun like it used to be anymore. Has anyone ever gone through this? I want to send him off to a trainer, but since I am moving next month, I don't really have any money saved. I don't mind training horses, I just don't understand what is going on with him and though I love horses, I just get too frustrated when he starts pulling this stuff. He has passed a vet check, UTD on everything, teeth are fine, saddle is fine, etc.

I just dont know what to do.
 
#2 ·
That stinks :( I know how you feel...I think we have taken 3 steps forward and then the next time we go back to ground zero....and I found that doing things totally differrent from what I was doing really helped and at one point I backed off completely because we were both getting so frustrated and I gave her a week off I didn't even groundwork her(I went by everyday to groom her and take her out for some grass) and she had a much better mindset when we went back to work (not sure how that would work for other horses though ) other people probably have better ideas and more experience with this though..I wish you the best of luck!
 
#3 ·
Ive been working on making sure that we don't just do the same thing all the time...I take him out for walks and sometimes we will do trail patterns, dressage, whatever. I don't know what it is I am doing wrong. It's just so incredibly frustrating...I suck lol
 
#4 ·
you don't suck! you are doing everything I have ever head any good instructor tell someone working with a horse to do! everybody goes through rough patches (I don't know how long yours has been going on) I am also going through one not the same type as yours but frustrating nevertheless ....I think that whoever is riding a horse and it has no issues whatsoever should come and tell us the secret of it lol but I think what you are doing is right...you might try and look for other different exercises but I think you have them pretty much covered :D or if you haven't tried a break you might want to give him a rest for a little bit (not sure how sound that piece of advice is :lol: ) but as I said before it worked for me (also at my barn when the lesson horses are kinda acting like yours is my instructor gives them a couple of weeks off but that is for lesson horse and not sure how well that would work for a horse that is still in training) anyways hope you find something works for you ^.^
 
#5 ·
Well I am moving this next month, so he will probably get a break then while I search for a new barn. Hopefully he comes back being Diesel not dorkface lol. He's been doing this on and off for the past year or so. Before that, he was great. I don't really know what changed
 
#9 ·
My instructor is too nice. It sounds weird, but she lets things slide and I HATE it. If my heels are wrong, TELL ME. Don't just tell me I "look pretty" *rant*
I've had her ride him a few times, but I think she just has so many horses on her plate right now that I don't really think either of us would benefit by adding another.
There is a girl who is a pretty good rider that I am going to see if I can ask to hop up on him and see if she notices anything. I just have to get a hold of her.
In the meantime, I'm saving up for 90 days training.

Your instructor sounds like a smart lady :)
 
#10 ·
lol mine can be a little to nice too but she is very honest (heels are one of my issues to lol) to bad about her being to busy but I remember when I tried working with just 2 horses and I felt overwhelmed O.O I don't how the people who work with multiple horses do it! good luck getting ahold of her!
 
#14 ·
Haha yeah. I tend to drag threads off subject lol
She rides mostly western pleasure horses on the AQHA circuit. And she likes to fiddle with their heads to get them lower which is my only problem with her training. I don't like to do it, but I find myself doing it occasionally now that i have been getting lessons from her. I pick up bad habits.
 
#16 ·
Sounds like he's pulling a Jay-type-thing.. (LucilleBob on youtube's horse ; ) ) He used to rear like crazy and then stopped and she had him jumping 4 ft & perfectly trained a for a long time and now he rears again.
Go back to the basics for a while and get a strong bond.. That's all I can think of. I'll cross my fingers for you =]
 
#17 ·
Yeah, I have been working on basics for awhile. Bending, everything...actually that's all I'm really asking for. He's just not paying attention to me and gets quick. It's annoying. I've tried to do more bonding like going for walks and brushing...I'm not really sure when enough is enough though

She fiddles by putting contact on the reins, and then when he drops his head, he releases
 
#18 ·
Ride the horse you have, not the horse you want. When he's going nicely, ride him nicely. When he starts his bs, don't argue with him but instead think of something quiet and easy and simple to do. When the going gets tough don't make it tougher by demanding more. Demand less. Expect less when he is in that state of mind. Be clear, simple, and listen for the smallest of effort on his part to do what you are asking.
Just relieve the pressure a little, and see how he responds.
You said when he flips the switch you get busy and do all these things to get him back with you. Why not try and do something more simple, as i said above, or doing nothing at all? Stand quietly there with him until you feel he is ready to relax and let go of his defenses.
Sometimes less is more.
 
#19 ·
I do work on that koomy. And sometimes it works. A lot of it is my fault because I get so frustrated because he's not normally like this. I get frustrated so he gets frustrated. I think I will maybe give him a few days off, then go back and try what you said Koomy. Do you have any idea what sparks this kind of behavior? He's normally not the type of horse to "test" a rider more than once or twice
 
#20 ·
Has anyone ever gone through this?

Yup...happens. My well trained FEI horse that could do halt to canter suddenly "forgot" how to do trot to canter and his circles were terrible. I did what was already suggested. I worked on the simplest things and praised him for the slightest effort....much like what you would do for a newly broke horse. Even though I had a competition comming up in a month I worked on the simplest and easy things that were not even anywhere near what he would be asked for at the upcoming show. I did that right up to 2 days before the show.

This is what you need to do. Hold your anger and frustration and work with what you have.

BTW...my guy won his class.
 
#21 ·
It sucks so much when you get stuck in a rut... I'm sure everyone has been through a bad patch though, seems like it lasts forever when you're in it, then seems like a distant memory when it's over :?

I think a fresh set of eyes on the ground could be a good idea, even if it's just for one lesson... I know that if my coach did nothing but tell me how great things look, when I was really having problems and feeling frustrated and disheartened, I'd start to wonder how clued in she was to what's going on... If your coach has a lot of other things going on then maybe you can find someone who has a bit more time to help you out at the moment?

It's difficult though, because you don't want to hurt your coach's feelings, especially if you're like me and they're one of your friends as well...
 
#22 ·
Are you sure there is nothing wrong with his health?
Sometimes things like these happen when there is something wrong with their back or teeth. I knew a horse.. she always wanted to work, she was never grumpy and all of a sudden she stopped working. She didn't want to do a single thing and all she did was just stand there. She wouldn't move, until a vet came to see her and discovered it was her back that had caused all the problems. They treated it and a couple of weeks later she was like before her problems with her back!
I am not saying there is something wrong with your horse, but keep in mind that things like this can happen.

Edit: I see your horse has passed a check and everything was fine.

What do you think he’ll do when you give him a break? Don’t do anything with him for a couple of weeks and see what happens then? Sometimes that works out great!
A friend’s horse was acting the same like yours and she tried everything just like you (vet check, UTD, teeth, saddle) and she did not know what to do.. someone told her to give him a break for a couple of weeks. At first she thought ‘’why should I do that?’’ But she did, and it worked out just fine! I think he needed it.

When she started training again he was like nothing ever happened. She didn’t even recognise her own horse! And when her horse gets grumpy again she gives him a week off and everything is fine. Examples like these show you that there’s not always a reason for behavior like this. I’d say to you, give him a couple of weeks off and see what happens!

Good luck!
 
#24 ·
No, there's nothing wrong with it, I just don't like fiddling with their face and trying to get them low...I rather just work on getting him moving smoothly and calm and his head just comes with it. There's nothing wrong with it, it's just not how I like to ride him -- It puts him in this false frame

I think I will ride him a few more times this week and work on really simple things and then give him a week or so off when I am moving. I have a show coming up on the 2nd, but worse comes to worst I'll just scratch him or just school walk trot. His canter is where the most problems are really coming out.
 
#26 ·
The headset I am talking about is WP headset. Considering I havent been showing him, I want his head to be where it is naturally (about an inch or two above the withers) and then as he learns to carry himself, get it to be about level. I like a horse to be able to respond to pressure and give, I just dont like the idea of messing with his face to get him to be in frame. I much rather worry about the rest of his body before his face.
 
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