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I'm so frustrated with Ruger. [ranting again]

2K views 26 replies 12 participants last post by  EquineCookies 
#1 ·
Ugh. Yesterday was such a bad day with him, I'm so mad. I was actually brought to tears over his behavior (something that has never happened to me) and I had to just quit and put him away.

If you don't know, i moved Selena down to live with him in a pen at the barn instead of at home for the winter. I normally put them in stalls seperately, but we can't afford it this time around so outside they go.

So yesterday I pulled them both out together, no problem, took them inside and tied them both up.

Well, they were both fine, so I took Ruger outside to the trailer to retrieve my tack (I hadn't moved it since the gymkhana on Sunday) and I tied him up there.

Alright. Well, he pulled back. He violently pulled back and hit the trailer next to him hard, screaming his head off, and then jumped forward and hit our trailer again. I pulled the release knot and got ahold of him, and he seemed to settle down.

Now at this point it's POURING down rain. I open up the tack room trailer and hold him and attempt to get the saddle on him with my pad. Now, I ride him in my brand new, nice Impact Gel pad and my nice show saddle because it's the one that fits him.

What does the idiot do? He tried to bolt off when I go to grab the cinch. I couldn't even get him to hold still to get it around. He jumped away from me, ran backwards, tried to grab the rope and run back to Selena, tried to kick out at me, reared, slipped in the mud, and I couldn't hold onto him very well because I was slipping all over the place too. I actually fell at one point and he drug me for a foot or two. It's a miracle through all this that my saddle didn't fall off and the pad too and get in the mud. Had that of happened, I would of probably marched inside, got the gun, and shot him. Sounds awful, but can you blame me for that?

Finally, I managed to grab the cinch and just walk next to him to get it tied off as he moved. I could NOT believe him. This is potentially the most respectful horse I've ever worked with on the ground, I don't know what he was doing.

When I finally did manage to get him saddled and bridled, my nice show saddle and pad were dripping wet. I mean, the water was pouring off in streams. I had my hood up and my hair was soaking wet, too. I was so mad.

I got on him, and I couldn't even get him to trot right. He wouldn't soften at the poll, he wouldn't shut up, he kept jigging sideways and snorting and jumping around. All of this occured in front of my trainer and her lesson people as well, I'm so embarrassed about it.

Five minutes and I just got off and took him back. I could NOT handle it. I unsaddled and just threw him back out and sat with Selena and let him scream his head off elsewhere. At that point he could of run through the fence and killed himself for all I cared. I was soaking wet, I was sore from having to fight with him, I was embarrassed, I was done. There's a gelding sale in Cali this weekend; I was about ready to throw him in the trailer and take him.

Sorry for the rant. I've cooled off now, but I will tell you one thing he will NOT be taken anywhere with Selena again. She will be pulled out and tied away from him several times a day and he is going to get worked right next to her until he figures out he doesn't want to piss his Mom off anymore.

Also, to give you perspective: My jacket has been sitting inside, hung up, next to the wood stove for ten hours and it is still wet.
 
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#3 ·
What a crummy day, sorry he was a brat. I'd have been pretty angry too and if we were neighbors, I'd have gladly rode the snot out of him for you. They all have bad days and particularly at his age random idiot attacks are par for the course.

I think it's a great plan to take Selena away from him for periods of time and get it fixed now before he gets more attached.
 
#4 ·
Sorry for the bad day. :hug:


They'll do it to us all at some point!


How old is Ruger again? Is he 3? Especially at that age, they're goingn to have more than 1 off day, so expect it to happen again sometime!

How far is the trailer from where you could tied him? After the first pulling back incident, I would have taken him back inside and worked him next to Selena if you could. Which you obviously have decided to do after the fact. And then just carried your saddle and pad from the trailer, instead of trying to saddle him in a rush in the rain, as I suspect that "in a hurry, I'm getting wet" feelings you were having, rubbed off on him.

I very much hate getting wet. It's one of my biggest pet peeves.

I'm just glad you weren't hurt, especially being drug through the mud.
 
#6 ·
Yeah at the time I wasn't thinking. I have gotten so used to him being perfect at the barn that I gave him too much credit and I should of known better.

Tiny - There was no place to do groundwork without being in everyone else's way.

I'm thinking that if he does this consistently I'm just going to have my trainer ride him out. I have a differing attitude with my horses vs. horses in training; I will ride out anything someone else's horse can do, but when it's my own horse I feel like everything is my fault and I get all messed up in the head.

The reason i wanted to take him to carry my things was because the trailer is pretty far from my locker...It would of been several trips otherwise and a long walk, but I definitely wish I had chosen that option instead. Or better yet, taken Selena to pack my things instead because I know she would of done it hitch free....But, on that note, Ruger would then of been tied alone and the only people to save him the lessonees or my trainer who would of been very mad at me.

I actually got on Selena because I had to chill myself out. She's hurt, but I just had to sit on her and hug her because she's totally my rock in situations like this because she's so good.

I'm glad I'm not hurt too. I was scared when he started to drag me around. It's sticky mud out there too, so my boots accumulated it and made it really hard to walk.

He's so damned hard headed; When he loses focus, he LOSES focus, and it sometimes takes a good 45 minutes of groundwork just to get his attention back on you briefly. My trainer hated that about him when he was started, and it's not been totally fixed. :/
 
#7 ·
I'm really fortunate that Beau and Red did nothing but neigh occasionally when I would separate them, and really lucky that Shotgun is so easy going, that neither him nor Red care if they are apart.

But I'm one to put the "screaming" horse is a safe place (such as a round pen, if its available) and take the other horse away. Let 'em scream their head off, and give themselves a workout. Or repeatedly bring the other horse back and take them away, over and over. He'll one day have to learn he won't die if he's left alone.

And vice versa. When the barn is quiet and you've got room to work, do ground work on taking him away from Selena and bringing him back (focusing on working him near Selena, and resting away from her). I'm all high on Clinton Anderson stuff right now since I just got done with his trailer loading DVD, but just do random lunging things, changing direction, keepingn his feet moving, and making him listen.

It just takes time, time, time to break the buddy sourness.

And he's very young. I suspect his focus will get better as he gets older. I know this may sound counterintuitive, but when was he first broke to ride and when did he get a break? I love putting 30 days on a late 2-year-old and then just turning them out to "be a horse" for the winter. When you bring them back in the spring as a 3-yr-old, they have so much more focus and seem to have matured some, and hardly forgot a thing you taught them. If Ruger has never had a break .... maybe one wouldn't hurt? Just an idea on the focus issue.
 
#8 ·
He's had a lot of be a horse time. He had thirty days, summer of trail rides (Maybe once or twice a month at MOST) then spent the winter down at the trainer's again, another 60 days put on him, then a summer left alone because I focused on Selena. He's had four months off, and just since around mid-september has he been back in work and he had been doing so well up until now.

I definitely do the CA groundwork. He knows it all extremely well. I normally do the roundpen work and lunging for respect before I get on, but lately he's been a very good "get on and go" horse. Had I of had the space, I would of done the groundwork with him.
 
#9 ·
I had a crap day too.....misery loves company! I was in tears when I drove in my driveway today.......I feel for ya:cry:

If I could pour you one right now, I would!
 
#10 ·
Oh man, we need it. Haha.

I think I am just going to avoid the subject until after the weekend and have someone pull Selena out and let her in the round pen to play. She's hurt anyway, I can't ride her, and I will be leaving thursday so I don't want to start a fight with him and not be able to finish it the next day, plus tomorrow I have to go work with Harvey and Carmen. I don't have the energy to chase the little brat around today.

Procrastination is fun....:/ I never thought I would do this, normally when a horse gets a problem I'm the first one to jump in and want to fix it. Not this time.
 
#11 ·
He seems the type that gets fixated. And especially given his age and pastured with a mare, he is probably really fixated on her.(I am sure the crappy weather didn't help either). Some geldings seem to get really hung up on mares, more so than others and they never get over it. While some kind of "grow out of it". That is just my experience.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Yeah, bad days happen to everyone. I get more than my fair share of them... LOL.... 10 mares.... The best fix I've found for it is riding the snot out of them.... It almost leaves my in frustration tears every time, but hopefully they think twice before acting really stoooopid.
But my experience is coming from dealing with snarky mares, not young geldings.

I feel the same about Squiggy. She has SO much potential that I dont want to just give up whenever I feel like it.
 
#14 ·
Yes, the FIGHT! I didn't quite get in a fight with my guy today, buy I got exasperated because I tried every trick in the book.....with no success......well just a little, but I was just flummoxed, so I quit for the day.....

Going to have to take the long road.......ugh!

The worst is when a horse regresses and you can't figure out why.....(but deep down inside I know I've probably got 100% to do with it!!!:-()
 
#15 · (Edited)
Yeah I agree. This particular colt was doing so well on his barrel pattern, starting to learn his flying changes, almost ready to go a teensy bit faster....And of course, here he goes, making me hate him again. He was frustrating at first too.

My only complaint about riding him really is the fact that he will NOT soften at the poll. He's a colt that's very hard in the face and bracey. Currently trying to find out why since the saddle fits fine, we treated him for ulcers, he's had the chiro out, he's sound by vet check....I'm thinking it may be the bit. I dunno. He's good in a martingale or draw reins. But he'll take your teeth out of you aren't careful ad you ask him to stop abruptly, and I have zero desire to apply contraptions to fix it. We'll see. He's in a Myler comfort snaffle Level 2 right now but I'm thinking it might be a shallow palate. He's never been in a three piece so I'm thinking we'll try my lifesaver on him.
 
#16 ·
^^ Squiggy is quite the same. Have you tried a mild hackamore? I could help with his bit problem.
Squiggy just needs a lot of patience and the odd butt-whooping to keep her brain where it should be. I've found that 3 chances at being patient and then she's in for a butt-whooping.
I think Ruger and Squiggy are two of the same. Flawless and almost ready for a bit more and then spiral downwards really fast, and then you have to practically start over.
Just gotta pull up your socks and be the mature one on the situation LOL
 
#17 ·
Haha yep. He's been in a sidepull and a bitless bridle, bosal, and little S hack and it actually made it worse. lol Him and Squiggy do seem to be the same type of horse though.
 
#19 ·
Oy. My gelding is quite similar, but he's six! I've tried every trick in the book. Tying him away from everybody for hours.on end, round pen, turnout alone. You name it, I've tried it. When his brain gets fried, he's completely FRIED. Chopper has so much talent and speed...I'd hate to waste it. I'm subbing, for anything I haven't tried lol
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#20 ·
Well after Red's ride last night, I'll add to the venting!

It's dark by 7 PM now, so my weekday riding is dwindling. I've been working more on ground work exercises than riding the last week or so because I don't have to keep him in shape for anything coming up, and he could sure use the respect/trust training.

Well I got off work a bit early last night and it was a beautiful evening with no wind. I thought I'd go for a nice relaxing mostly walking ride with him for a couple miles, and then do some ground work afterward (since it might have started raining by then).

Oh. My. Lord. He was spooking at everything including the air. There goes our "relaxing ride" idea. And when Red spooks, it consists of something not even close to him (sometimes 1/4 mile away), that he sees and completely freezes, locks up, tenses, stares in horror with head in the air, snorts at it, and then decides to bolt 5 to 10 seconds later when he can't handle it anymore, completely ignoring any of my body cues and the bit and the world around him. It's like when anger management people say they "see red" and don't know what happened. Red panics, and his mind is completely gone.

GRRRRRRRR......

And sometimes, he'll stop and stare and bolt to something that's not even there. (I'm staring too, and I don't see a thing.) It's like he "thinks" he sees something.

And then of course, he immediately starts to actively look for the next thing to be terrified of. Does not matter how much I'm moving his feet, or trying to keep his attention, he's bent on looking around. Focus is a huge issue for him.

It took us twice as long to walk 2 miles because we backtracked a ton. We were doing tons of one-reined stops (only thing I can do to try to stop him when he bolts, and he still doesn't exactly give to the bit for a good 5 seconds until his freaked out brain comes back), and we were doing tons of stop and flex both ways, lots of rollbacks and serpentines.

It's so frustrating. He's gotten worse and worse with this freezing and bolting thing. I'm really hoping the trainer I am taking him to in February will have some insight on this. It's like he's super insecure and is just convinced something is going to jump out and eat his leg. Even though the "closest" scary thing last night was at least 40 feet away and never came closer. And I kept my body and hands as quiet as I could, while still keeping a hold of him when he tries to bolt.

But this is something I WAS genuinely considering selling him for last night. I can ride through the bolts just fine, I'm not scared. It's just that I don't know if I want a spooky horse like this right now. His other issues I can totally live with, but I left the barn last night feeling angry and stressed. That's not what horses are supposed to do for me!! And I have that feeling more times than not, leaving the barn.

I'm not going to take any action until after the trainer in February, but it's a thought in my mind.

Maybe I should ride him around with blinders so he can't look at things......

And he did get worked in the corral when we got home. I've been starting to try to work him at home so he's not so barn sour (not that he won't leave the yard, but he sure prefers to turn toward home than turn away from home when we are out and about). Heck, Saturday I rode one mile away from home at the walk, and then came back home and worked him in his own pasture. And then let him walk 1/2 mile away from home easily.
 
#22 ·
She overreached and sliced open the back of her foot. She ran a smokin' biwrangle (Fastest she's ever done) and when she came out she was limping and there was blood all over her front hoof, and then on the tip of her back hooves. She wasn't limping on monday anymore but I haven't been back down to check on her. I don't think it's going to put her out for long but it's gonna have to heal fully before I ride her again just in case she overreaches a second time, and the bells will rub the wound...
 
#24 ·
I just have to walk away in these situations... Walk far away...

I've been through it with Hickory more times than I can count.. He has no health problems what so ever, is scared of nothing but a grocery bag, but when he gets it in his head that he's not going to work well I may as well just give up. 95% of the time he rides great, of course with minor Hickory pissiness..that 5%.. It is hell.. I get mad, he gets mad..He tries to throw me, I stay on, make him work..It's a show. He's had me so mad before that I had to just get off of him and literally tie his head so close to a post he couldn't even look around and just walk away.. Let him stand there for an hour or so then get back on and try again.. If he does it again, he gets to stand tied again.. This process has gone on for HOURS a few times but once he decides to act like he has any sense he's back to his old self... I get to the seeing red point and I'll blink out in a fit of rage.. I don't take it out on the horses but I will get off, cuss, throw stuff, tell Hickory how exactly he will be turned into dog food in a slow dying process, complete with evil glares.. Holly knows if she comes over to the horses and sees Hickory tied and me sitting cross legged on the ground not to even speak to me..


Hopefully it'll all work out for ya SH..Patience little grasshopper lol

When patience is hard to come by..find a hammer start fixing things around the barn..
 
#26 ·
The moment he pulled back I would have grabbed anything close to hand and walloped him on his backside hard.
I would then have untied him given him a good chase around in a small circle until he thought I was the devil himself.
he would have forgotten all about Selena because he would be worried about blinking without my permission.

As for riding him then wet or not - and neither you nor him are made of sugar so you will not melt - I would have worked him into the ground. Forget about softening at the poll, forget about getting him to work sensibly, work him hard at a trot and canter until he is ready to listen.
It is no good thinking that he will focus as he gets older - even if he were a yearling I would insist that he focuses on me when I am doing anything to him.
 
#27 ·
I completely know the feeling, having one of 'those' days.. I ride one of my coach's mares and some days she's perfect, and the next day you basically want to pound her face in because she knows she can be good (she's 8)! I don't even know how I haven't fallen off of her yet, she's bucked, bolted, hopped around and spooked just to be a brat. So glad I have Rosie to go back to whenever I need some sanity, whether on the ground or in the saddle. But hey, just remember that days like that happen and everyone has 'em!
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