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So due to certain personal circumstances, I've lost my confidence with Ricky. I handle him every day but its just I've been a fair bit stressed recently. But anyways onto the problems.
This afternoon I was practicing halter work with Ricky. He was fine and happily trotting and walking and halting but all of a sudden when I asked him for a trot he reared! And I''m not talking the ****y little rears he does when hes trying to evade, I'm talking straight up, and striking out. Kelly had just put Logan into his paddock, so I assumed he either spooked at the noise of the gate, or just plain misbehaviour because his paddock neighbour was back. Either way, I gave him a sharp tap on the shoulder with my lead rope, said 'NO!' and got him into an active walk.
After about 10 steps of this he did it again. I was not very happy at this point and proceeding to make him turn his butt away from me after I'd hit him. Once I'd felt I'd gained my control again, I asked him to walk. He actually behaved at a walk. So I asked for a trot, and he reared :S So I hit him again and did the same method. Then I checked him over for pain or anything. NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA. I even sprayed some fly repellant on him just in case they were bugging him. Then we attempted a trot again, and he did it again. I was not happy, and he could tell it.
So I got him into an active walk and I let him off once I felt that was good enough. Now I know you guys will lecture me about letting him get off easy, but this afternoon I wasn't in the mood.
Now to his food aggression. Before I could walk into his paddock and put the food in his run in shed. He'd follow me and he used to be quite good. But the other day (last wednesday?) he reared and nearly pinned me against a wall. So for the past week, I've just been tipping it into the food bucket over the stall wall or I've had someone hold him on a halter whilst I put the food in. I don't like doing this. Its so inconvenient and I know its the wrong thing to do.
I'm at a loss, I'm out of touch. Is it possible to just come to a complete blank with horses? I need advice and sorry about the novel.
This afternoon I was practicing halter work with Ricky. He was fine and happily trotting and walking and halting but all of a sudden when I asked him for a trot he reared! And I''m not talking the ****y little rears he does when hes trying to evade, I'm talking straight up, and striking out. Kelly had just put Logan into his paddock, so I assumed he either spooked at the noise of the gate, or just plain misbehaviour because his paddock neighbour was back. Either way, I gave him a sharp tap on the shoulder with my lead rope, said 'NO!' and got him into an active walk.
After about 10 steps of this he did it again. I was not very happy at this point and proceeding to make him turn his butt away from me after I'd hit him. Once I'd felt I'd gained my control again, I asked him to walk. He actually behaved at a walk. So I asked for a trot, and he reared :S So I hit him again and did the same method. Then I checked him over for pain or anything. NOTHING, ZILCH, NADA. I even sprayed some fly repellant on him just in case they were bugging him. Then we attempted a trot again, and he did it again. I was not happy, and he could tell it.
So I got him into an active walk and I let him off once I felt that was good enough. Now I know you guys will lecture me about letting him get off easy, but this afternoon I wasn't in the mood.
Now to his food aggression. Before I could walk into his paddock and put the food in his run in shed. He'd follow me and he used to be quite good. But the other day (last wednesday?) he reared and nearly pinned me against a wall. So for the past week, I've just been tipping it into the food bucket over the stall wall or I've had someone hold him on a halter whilst I put the food in. I don't like doing this. Its so inconvenient and I know its the wrong thing to do.
I'm at a loss, I'm out of touch. Is it possible to just come to a complete blank with horses? I need advice and sorry about the novel.