Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Ok, I'm polling the ridecamp crew again.  It's been about 3 weeks or so since Spot and Alpine switched home, and I am unsure how to deal with Spot's antics.

 

He is barnsour, and really doesn't have a good work ethic, but I can deal with that. He's green, we know this...  However, today I took him to the roundpen (about 200 yards from the barn), worked him in hand and lunged him, and he was VERY good.  I'm working on teaching him the famous "Ed's One Rein Stop".  Right now, he'll do it very nicely on the ground AND under saddle stopped.  We haven't added walking yet.  He is extremely round, and to keep the saddle from sliding, I either have to use a mounting block or cinch the saddle so tight the horse can't breath.  So, I took him out of the pen to the picnic table (another 10 feet from the barn), mounted and headed back into the round pen. 

Instead of going where directed, he tried to head to the barn at a jig, I tried to pull him down into a walk, but he can jig VERY slow and with no forward movement at all.  (thinking dressage here....).  So I tried to turn him around and get his attention.  He then tried to drop his head and buck.  I pulled his head back up.  He started going in reverse.  I gave a bit with my hands and said go forward.  He dropped his head and tried to buck.  So I pulled his head around to the side to keep the reverse under control AND keep the head up, and he started to spin. Reining style.  I released and tried to push forward, again the attempt at bucking. So I jumped off, beat him and yelled a bit (I know, I know, but I wasn't expecting this, and was mad/frustrated/worried about my neck), then took him into the round pen with me on foot (no fight from the horse) and cinched his saddle so tight I don't know how he breathed, then got on and worked him.  All of this is in a french link sna ffle that he seems to like and does respond too.

 

In the round pen, he's fine.  Out of the round pen, he's fine IF there are other horses out too.  On the trail with friends, he's fine.  It's only if we are by ourselves AND not in the round pen that I'm getting these tantrums.  I'm just unsure of how to handle them.  I don't have the seat to sit a buck...short legs, long body, round barrelled horse.  Not the best recipe.  However, how do I work him out of this bull-pucky without having to ride the buck out.  I would like to ride him through it, but don't think I'll survive it.

 

Is there a way to fix this without riding through the tantrum, or do I just need to find a trainer to do it for me, then get back to business??  In the meantime, we are going to start taking long working walks with me on the ground, get out of sight of the barn!  all by ourselves! and eat grass.  Then come back to the barn and work our tootsies off. (in the round pen at the moment....getting bored with circles).

 

Juli and the crew

Spot (I don't wish to leave my friends...something might eat me)

Alpine (wasn't me....and Spot, you'd better be careful, she's talking about a feed store visit for a riding crop)