You wrote:
> enjoyed your comment on flighty polish arabs, have a fadwur ibyn fadwur etc
> some nazeer(thank god) champion air-head. have had 10 years of fllights,
> stiches and nickname "CRASH". main problem is can't stop him. have gone
> through al the snaffle s, tom thumb, rio's brake, tellington jones, german
> martingale, st. martingale , tie down, dropped nose band, curb cricket and
> even put big rubber disks on right side of bit where he pulls all bits into
> his mouth to hold bit and get control. headstall is up as tight as it can
> be. he just worked the disks into his mouth, also. very competitive and wants
> to be in front. listens well to me when we ride alone. scary to be heading
> for a cattle guard, etc. at fast speed. any suggestions? I'll try anythihg
> (already have).
It sounds like your horse is either extremely competitive, herd bound
to the other horses, or a bit of both. I doesn't sound like a
physical problem since you describe him as sane when he is ridden
alone. You right when you imply that he puts you into dangerous
situations. I would nomally say that experience would solve the
problem, but he's been at this for 10 years now! It's gone from a
reaction to being left behind to a bad habit by this point.
Harsher bits & mechanical aids will not be the answer - you've tried
most of them & he is ignoring them. Some horses are more stoic in
their tolerance for pain than others. It sounds like this fella
feels that the discomfort/pain is worth staying w/ or passing his
buddies!
Go back to basics & act as though he is only green broke - this is
what he is acting like (only it is now ingrained habit). Ride alone
& insist on responsiveness to light aids in the mildest bit & head
gear you & he feel comfortable with. Loosen the mechanical
aids (nosebands, tie downs, running martingales, etc.) & seat the bit
in a normal position in his mouth. When he is confidently doing
everything asked of him (it may be the first session!), ride with 2
or 3 friends. Ride at a friendly pace, then begin asking him for
some advanced movements to put his mind on something besides
"BUDDIES!". At that point, ask the other riders to leave you at a
slightly faster pace. Allow your horse forward motion at the same
speed you held before WHILE doing his ...<you pick - leg yields,
serpentines, shoulder in/out, collection, extension, etc.>. HE WILL
BE ANGRY! He's not getting his way. He will try evasions! He will
REALLY piss you off before you are done, but don't show him you are
angry. Calmly insist on his performance & don't give in to his
TEMPER TANTRUM. Perhaps the friends can turn around and ride past
you in the other direction and then back again. (Always riding just
slightly faster than you are - no "gallops" past.) REALLY reward him
if he relaxes, even for just an instant. He has to learn what you
consider "good" behavior. He probably has what you DON'T want all
figured out already.
We have also used this: Saddle up w/ your friends. Make all the
motions as though you are riding together until they leave. You then
concentrate on ring work, hacking around the farm, etc. Your horse
will probably be furious that he didn't go with them. As they
return from a short trip, YOU leave & ride for a short period of time
while they hack or train. Come back & let everyone go back out to
cool out. You have just become the director of the day's activity,
not the horse.
Keep repeating this for a LONG time! (Remember it took 10 years to
get to this point!) As he conquers one situation, introduce him to
another slightly more stressful situation. Keep a diary or video
tape of this if possible. There will be times that you feel that you
are not making any progress & will want to remind yourself that he is
a bit better.
It is slow, frustrating work to retrain a horse this way, but it is
probably the only way you will improve his performance. Stronger
aids are not the answer. If he is too much to handle while asking
for advanced movements, ask another experienced rider/trainer to work
with him at one of your rides. Good luck!
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Equestrian Supplies/ Blue Wolf Ranch
Chesapeake, VA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"