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Training Pumpkin and Chinga

4K views 37 replies 9 participants last post by  ChingazMyBoy 
#1 ·
Hey.

As some of you know I am training Pumpkin and doing alot of work re-training my horse Chinga. I posted these three posts on another fourm so I'll post them here as well:

Well I'm training a pony Pumpkin and training my horse Chinga to jump here is a bit about both horses and there progress so far. I will keep you updated if you like. I will most likely ask alot of questions about training horses

Pumpkin:

Pumpkin is a naughty pony who loves to buck and bolt on riders. He can jump amazingly without a rider, and was jumping with a rider 10 years ago. Then Pumpkin was in a paddock with out any other horses and no exersize for around ten years. Pumpkin began to get very bad habbits like attacking people who had his food when they got to the gate and kicking and biting. He would also never lunge just bolt.

Pumpkin is now getting better with his food and does not "attack" anymore just pushs people around but he is learning. I rode Pumpkin once and he threw me. So I worked with Pumpkin and rode him yesterday. He bolted three times on me but I didn't give up. Pumpkin has potental just needs someone who knows what they are doing. I also had Pumpkin lunging perfectly at a walk,trot and canter. I would love to compete Pumpkin in Show Jumping one day as he has an amazing form over jumps.

Chinga:
Chinga is my OTTB who is 8 years old and 15.2 hands. Chinga was perfect when I got him but then when I got him home he began to mis-behave. Backing into trees and doing tiny circles. But I didn't give up on him I worked with him. And soon I had him working perfectly doing everything I asked again.

But then things turned bad again, he saw a snake and threw me straight over his neck. I was too sore to get back on, and if I could have I would have. Then it rained for three weeks so Chinga wasn't ridden. He got to much energy then and became very naugthy.

When I got on him for the first time after his three weeks off he would buck and buck and buck. But I pulled him up and circle him every time he bucked. He wouldn't even let me on him without bucking. But three days later. Today. He is back to being a good boy. I am also training Chinga to jump at the moment, he can free jump the hight of two milk creates stacked on top of each other but the highest I have jumped him is one milk create on each side as a cross. Chinga is a lovely horse most the time and willing to learn.

I am hoping to compete Chinga in Cross Country one day. I would also like to compete him in most of the Western events.


With Chinga's bucking what I did was every time he bucked I would spin him in a very small circle so he would know I was in control, then when I got to the same spot in our circle that he bucked I would ask him to ride out of it.

The circle should be so small that his nose is resting gentley on your knee, don't expect this to work the first time with Chinga it took about two goes for him to get the message but I have done it about 20 with Pumpkin and he is only just starting to get the message.

Do not let the horse stop circling when they want to. Make sure it is when you want to. Also if the horse stops circling half way through the turn hold their head so it is touching your knee. The horse will get sick of this posistion and circle. Make sure you circle both ways so the horse does not become used to the circling in the one direction. If you do not feel confordent riding a horse that bucks ask a more experianced rider to do it for you.

If a horse bucks when you mount make the horse do a small circle around you. A good idea is to do this in an areana or a place with little grass, other wise you will rip up your grass.

If a horse is known to buck lunge the horse before your ride, because the horse may have some extra energy they need to get out of them before they ride.


I just found out I can ride the two horses tommorow, I'm going to work on some low jumps with Chinga and maybe ride Pumpkin again or do some walking around with him. Hopefully Pumpkin won't bolt back to the gate again.

When I let Pumpkin off the halter into Chinga's paddock once Chinga was out into the other paddock, he galloped laps of the paddock. Jumping a fallen tree branch going nuts. This hopefully got some of the energy out of him.

I fed Pumpkin tonight in the new paddock and he was rotten, looks like his food training starts again. Pumpkin untill 4 weeks ago when I met him was always fed at the gate and would not let anyone past with food. But soon Pumpkin found out that he had a new routien that he was fed under the trees in a certain spot every time. So everytime he was fed in his old paddock he would go to that spot. But now he is in the other paddock he is unsure of where to go to be fed.
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Sorry for the book:)
 
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#2 ·
Keep up the good work. Sounds like it is a slow process at the moment but you will get there. Stay safe, You must be young to handle the bucking stuff. I'm afraid I would break a lot easier :lol:
 
#3 ·
Hmm... sounds like your going about things in a productive manner. =]

I just have a few things. Are you sure both horses and perfectly healthy and sound? The bucking and bolting of both horses could be caused by pain in the back or legs. If their teeth are in bad shape, it could cause the bad behavior too. And just because Chinga has a few good days in the midst of bad days doesn't rule out pain. He could just be feeling a little better.

Some horses simply can't go weeks without working. Even if it's raining, you can try and lunge him a bit just to keep him stimulated. You don't have to canter if it's too slippery, but he can trot around in the rain. That way, it won't be too bad when you are able to get on again.

And for both horses, if you can correct them for the undesired behavior, bolting and bucking respectively, BEFORE they actually do it, it will help tons. For example, if you feel that Chinga is about to buck, change what your doing by transitioning up or down, circles [not necessarily little ones,] a leg yield, a haunches in, just get his mind on something other than bucking. Same with Pumpkin, if you feel him getting ready to bolt, do a circle, transition, turn around and go the other way. I would save the itty bitty circles for when they actually do the behavior your trying to break, otherwise make the circles nice and comfortable.
 
#4 ·
Do not let the horse stop circling when they want to. Make sure it is when you want to. Also if the horse stops circling half way through the turn hold their head so it is touching your knee. The horse will get sick of this posistion and circle.
What your talking about sounds like the one rein stop. The point of this is to stop, hence the name. Why do you keep them circling when they have already stoppped the bad behaviour? I think a more productive methid would be to do the one rein stop, (therefore disengaging the hindquarters) and then ride forward again. Each time he bucks, disengage and ride forward.
 
#5 ·
What your talking about sounds like the one rein stop. The point of this is to stop, hence the name. Why do you keep them circling when they have already stoppped the bad behaviour? I think a more productive methid would be to do the one rein stop, (therefore disengaging the hindquarters) and then ride forward again. Each time he bucks, disengage and ride forward.

I was told this is done so the horse knows that I am in control.

Also I try to do it before they bolt/buck but sometimes they are un predictable. Chinga was checked by a vet twice and Pumpkin has once. Also Chinga had his teeth done before he came down here so around 1 and a half months ago and Pumpkin had his down 3 weeks ago.

No riding or working with the horses today....stupid rain. But hopefully tommorow!
 
#6 ·
When a horse bolts it is a difficult situation - it depends on why is he doing it.
If he is bolting because of fear or pain then the cause needs to be addressed.
If however he is being naughty then a different approch might work.
I know this is not normal and many would argue that it is dangerous - and I would agree with them but I am talking about someone elses experiances with this problem.
They took their bad boy into a huge ( and I mean about 50 acres ) field and when the pony bolted with them they let the pony run and run and run - when the pony ran out of puff - they made the pony run more . They only had to do this a couple of times and the pony in question soon found out that it was a bad idea . Previously the pony had found out that bolting was the fastest way he could stop being ridden.
As I have said it is a different method and is definatly not for everyone.
 
#7 ·
Thanks, Nutty Saddler. I will discusse this way of dealing with the problem and see what they think of it. He is bolting because he is being naughty. I just went down to see him and Chinga. Chinga is very good and cuddley. Pumpkin attempted to bold me over at the gate when I came in with his dinner he soon learnt this was a bad idea. As I walked in and out of the paddock with his food around 20 times till he stopped doing it.
 
#10 ·
Here are a few more updates I posted on another fourm and not here:


I'm so exited I am having a camp out with Chinga, Pumpkin and Jahla (Pumpkins owner) it is going to be great!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
went down to give them breckfast this morning and I couldn't find Chinga. So I went in and got his food bucket (knowing he would come over when he saw food).

When I was on the way out the gate with his bucket. He let out a big lovely nicker. Gee.... Freaked my sister out.


Then I realised he had mud everywhere. He rolled in the mud. What was he thinking?


It was all through his tail. mane and legs. Mind you two days before I had washed his tail and mane for a whole hour. Plus the rest of his body!


Chinga*thinking*: Hmm look there is a mud puddle lets go roll in it.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This afternoon if I manage to get though Chinga's mud I am hoping to take Chinga for a quick ride and give Pumpkin a lunge.

One day till I have my friends coming from Sydney to have a look at Chinga and I :ekk:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey!

Heres my newest update! Well today I brushed Chinga (I usually do this everyday) The mud was everywhere! I knew there was alot of mud but there was tonnes!

Our friends are coming up tommorow to watch Chinga and I! Wish us luck! I'll upload some photos tommorow *internet being slow.*

Well in the summer here the sun comes up at four AM and I am hoping to start riding Chinga, in the mornings around 5 AM. Great!

I did some work with Pumpkin just lunging him. He bolted twice so I just brung my lunging whip out in his paddock in the end and watched him bolt aroud the paddock, jumping logs and galloping! He created more work for himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heres the link, If the image doesn't work: http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/9...inletsplay.jpg

I managed to upload it tonight, I will upload one of Pumpkin in the morning. This was taken two weeks ago. Meet my boy Chinga.

*Some of these posts are from differant days*
 
#11 ·
Hey,
Well today I felt adventurous. Well I’m in to “trick” riding at the moment so let me take you back to yesterday. Yesterday Chinga and I played with one hand, then no hands and then my hands behind my head. This was done at walk, trot and canter. He was brilliant he listened to my legs the whole time. I tied his reins to the D ring on the saddle with a piece of bailing twine so they didn’t fly over his head. Then I stood up on my saddle and balanced there. This was done at a halt. He was so good, mind you with a 15.2 hand horse it was VERY high.
Then today we rode with no hands and did some jumping. He was such a good boy that I decided to play with bare back. So we walked at bare back and then I got the halter out and my lunge rope, I tied one end of the lunge rope to one side and clipped the other side on to the clippy thingo. Then I had that on him using the lunge rope as reins, I still had the bridle on him for back up. We didn’t need the bridle at all he stopped perfectly for me. We played with bare back with a halter *and bridle* at a walk and trot. He was absolutely perfect.
Pumpkin is going great I was jumping him about a meter, cantering free jumping today. Hopefully I will hop on him again on Sunday.
 
#12 ·
Hey,

Well its been ages since I've updated. Well I've been riding Pumpkin for awhile and yesterday I had him cantering over cross rails. Chinga is going great jumping around a meter for the highest point of the cross rail. So it wouldn't be a meter.
 
#15 ·
Today Chinga and I cleared the 3'00 jump. He was brilliant! He was a bit nervous to start with but by the end he was perfect! We also worked on smaller jumps with two poles spread apart, by the end it was quite far away from one pole to the other and he was perfect. We also tryed cantering over smaller one bar jumps. Hahaha Chinga jumped a meter before the jump and landed way after it.
 
#16 ·
Hey.

Well today was "entertaining." I decided Pumpkin was ready for his owner to have a ride on him. So she got on and I started walking and trotting her around on a lead rope. When she felt comfortable she went for a walk and trot by herself, then she went over some trotting poles. After that we raised the bar slightly. Soon she was jumping him at a cross rail with the highest point being around 2.'

Then she tried doing it towards the gate and the gate is Pumpkins problem, I've walked, trotted and done a small amount of cantering towards the gate on him. I've also done some jumping towards the gate on him. So they land the jump. Pumpkin starts cantering. His owner, pulls him up. But then part of the bridle breaks and the bit gets pulled threw his mouth and is now hanging around his neck...Oh no we are screwed. They stop at the fence and Pumpkins tooth was bleeding slightly so we unsaddle him, put his halter on and bring him out of the paddock to have a good look at it. No more blood. Then he starts eating.

A while later we bring Chinga and Pumpkin out to say hello. By the end of their graze they were grazing right next to each other happily. Tommorow is my lesson on Chinga! Yay! I can't wait, he had a huge brush today and will be getting another one tommorow.
 
#17 ·
thanxs sooooo much for getting me on pumpkin. u have almost given my riding life back. its a shame the bridle broke,, it might take a while to get that new peice... in the mean time lunging and poles might be his only means of work.

i'm pretty sure Chinga's sleeping at the moment.

are they going to say hello over the fence 2morrow?
 
#18 ·
thanxs sooooo much for getting me on pumpkin. u have almost given my riding life back. its a shame the bridle broke,, it might take a while to get that new peice... in the mean time lunging and poles might be his only means of work.

i'm pretty sure Chinga's sleeping at the moment.

are they going to say hello over the fence 2morrow?

Goodie, he is sleeping! Yeah lunging would be a good idea for him. We could see if the peice that broke can be taken off Chinga's bridle and used on Pumpkins? NO! They can't say hello over the fence tommorow, Chinga already has that lovely sore we don't need another one! Maybe after the lesson?
 
#19 ·
after the lesson would be good. it would be good if Chinga wouldn't mind sharing parts of his bridle with pumpkin. i am telling you now though ,i'm not that keen on running after pumpkinto much.... my tailbone is still sore from the double up!!
 
#20 ·
Chingaz, you know absolutely nothing about training your own horse, let alone someone elses horse. You are rushing your horse and stunting both your horses growth and welfare by persisting with what you are doing (rushing your horse). You can't just jump over a height and then put it up! You've got to get the horse comfortable with the height and get some consistancy. What you are doing now disgusts me. For God's sake, you are 12 or 13. You are far too young and naive to believe that you can train a horse in the manner that you are doing. This is just showing your immaturity.

PumpkinzMyBaby22,
you are even sillier for letting her train your horse. She might be your friend but she knows nothing about training horses.
 
#21 ·
Pumpkin is comfortable with a rider, he just prefers to do what he wants. as for the jumping, Pumpkin can clear high poles, he is hardly trying when being jumped at the moment. I can see your point though, but me as Pumpkins owner, i know that he is ready to be a little more challenged. Chingaz is just teaching him some manners under the saddle. From where i stand and watch Pumpkin being jumped, he can go a fair bit higher. he is confident at the hights he is already jumping.
 
#22 ·
Read my post again, as I was talking about Chinga's jumping, not Pumpkin's.

ChingazMyBoy should not be teaching you manners. From what I've read in her posts, she would not be able to control a bucking/difficult horse to save herself. If she can't do this then she isn't trustworthy or capable enough to be called a trainer.
 
#23 ·
My pony has bolted on her a few times... bucking as well and she reined him in pretty quikley.
i've gotta say i'm impressed with the way she handled him.

As for Chingas Jumping, i see where your coming from clearly, but she doesn't move really high to quickly. if He is still uncertain about a jump, she gives him a break from that one and tries something lower.
 
#24 ·
Jumping isn't about pointing your horse towards and object and praying that you get over the other side. It's about form and consistency, also control. From what we've seen, Pumpkin seems to rush over the jumps and Chinga is stressing the whole time that he's jumping. He's still, he doesn't know when to take off, how high to jump...

Am I making my point yet?
 
#25 ·
He does. I'll do WHAT I WANT WITH MY HORSE! So just leave us alone, he isn't worried about jumping. I was trotting him around and he STEARED HIMSELF towards the jump. It is something he loves. He was stressed the other day and that was because there were around 5-7 people there and he was extremly stresed about people! We are having a lesson tommorow so my instructor can tell me that WITHOUT abusing me! I've worked very hard to get my horse where he is and I've had many people watch him jump who CAN ride and they say I AM NOT pushing him! He is in control. Okay he isn't the smartest horse and sometimes trys to step over them but he CAN jump. He also does know where to take off, for what feels comfortable for him.

What you said made me feel like I KILLED my horse. I love him more then ANYTHING in the world. So:

A. Offer advice NICLY!
B. Don't offer it AT ALL.
 
#26 ·
From Chingazmyboy's mother: My girl own's a horse. From your profile you don't. I think this web site is great for getting advise,but so far you have only been rude and unhelpful and offered nothing useful. If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all!!!
 
#27 ·

Just putting it out there, I have horses and I don't have them on my profile. Not everyone on here announces if they have horses or not.
& You can be experienced with horses without owning one. Owning one doesn't always make you a pro.

Not a dig at anyone, just saying.
 
#29 ·
Okay your point is made, but if you saw us jumping the day after his ears couldn't go any more futher fowards. So I don't believe he is stressed about jumping. I think he looked stressed in the video because there were alot of people around and alot of people can make him slightly nervous. I am awear Pumpkin rushes jumps. He only does it on the bigger ones. I am working on slowing him down over them but its a slow process. Pumpkin isn't really getting trained by me he is just getting shown manners.

I am having a lesson with my instructor today on Chinga, so we will be able to look at our jump as a whole. Not just before it, over it and landing it. What set me off was "She couldn't stop a bolting/bucking horse to save herself" I CAN. I've gotten one horse out of its bolting and bucking. One out of its bucking and another horse out of its bucking.

I understand that I have alot to learn, you can't know everything about horses.

I've watched the video of him jumping several times and I think he is taking off at the correct spot, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
#30 ·
Okay your point is made, but if you saw us jumping the day after his ears couldn't go any more futher fowards. So I don't believe he is stressed about jumping. I think he looked stressed in the video because there were alot of people around and alot of people can make him slightly nervous. I am awear Pumpkin rushes jumps. He only does it on the bigger ones. I am working on slowing him down over them but its a slow process. Pumpkin isn't really getting trained by me he is just getting shown manners.

I am having a lesson with my instructor today on Chinga, so we will be able to look at our jump as a whole. Not just before it, over it and landing it. What set me off was "She couldn't stop a bolting/bucking horse to save herself" I CAN. I've gotten one horse out of its bolting and bucking. One out of its bucking and another horse out of its bucking.

I understand that I have alot to learn, you can't know everything about horses.

I've watched the video of him jumping several times and I think he is taking off at the correct spot, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
Yes, because he is stressed about the upcoming jump, not because he is excited. You can sugar coat it however you like.

Personally, I think that you are rushing him and that he needs to jump smaller jumps more consistently first.
 
#31 ·
ok then. we will try what you have stated and we will see how we go.
 
#32 ·
Pumpkinzmyboy, to lower Chinga's jumps is my decision. But I think we will lower them and see how things workout. I had a lesson today, but could not canter or jump for certain reasons.

Thanks for your advice. You may have noticed that I don't like people messing with my training progamme. But when you put it the way you did it helps alot. So thank you and I apoligize for not listening to you in the first place.
 
#34 ·
Did you get a vet when the bridle cut up Pumpkins mouth? Depending where he is cut it could get infected and cause an abcess. You should always check your gear before you ride and it is quite easy to tell if leather is on it's way out.

My advice is to listen to what a lot of people are telling you on here, there are some great ideas. PLEASE take Chinga back to some gymnastic excercises to help with his jumping; If you are training your horse to jump you should have some idea of what these are. I really hope you start to work closely with a trainer, I think it would be in your best interests.

To put it in perspective, i've been training my gelding to jump. I've had him coming close to a year. (you'll have to convert this to feet to understand what i'm saying) I've been teaching him to jump, find his stride, keep a steady rythym and bend, have a good approach etc this whole time, yet I am still only competing at 55cm and training at 65cm. I know he has the ability to one day do 1m plus, but becuase I want him to do it calm, controlled and supple I am taking him slow and making sure he has a good foundation.
 
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