By Lisa Hayes, 14 from Australia
This is my poppy’s ex-racer thoroughbred, Keeshar. He stopped because he damaged his front leg.
He has now recovered from his injury and is ready to be ridden again. But he has forgotten many of the skills because he was out for about a year.
He has a really nice and calm personality. But he gets scared whenever anyone is taller than him. Me and my cousin are trying to get him used to people above him. It’s pretty hard because we can’t ride him (he gets spooked). We have managed to get a saddle on him and he is willing to lunge.
He is only 6 and willing to learn. If anyone has any advice, I’m all ears.
Thanks
Do ground work and work from there
take your time and dont rush him. it almost sounds like hes head shy. i have a mini who was afraid of guys, it took time to fix that. stick with ground work. its all about gaining his trust
Seek professional help! Better than getting hurt or confusing him… That’s what I’m doing now, I had a back injury & couldn’t ride so my boy was turned out to pasture too long to ride without additional training. Better safe than sorry!
Take time don’t rush bit to get him use to things above him put a big teddy strapped to the saddle then put that on him and lunge him with that on
It takes time and patience you don’t want to force anything. Both working together. Listening to him makes all the difference. Start off with building trust. Round penning is great the join up process then start small with light trusting exercises. He will tell you when he’s ready.
you could also try using a teddy to put on the saddle might sound stupid but it might work to relax him tie it to the top fence posts so he can see it then when he is used to it tie it on to the saddle and lunge him?
This is probably going to sound daft but do groundwork with him until he fully trusts you then to get him used to people being on top of him use a light dummy that you strap to the saddle. It will get him used to things on his back and if he does manage to buck it off it’s only light so it won’t hurt him. I’ve seen this work several times.
Blinkers might help
Handle and groom him, feed him, anything to make him comfortable and calm while one of you stands on a bucket or sturdy chair nearby. Not too near in the beginning for safety’s sake, in case he spooks. Lead him back and forth and pass the person standing there, let him examine the person, etc etc until he is calm. Extend the exercise slowly and introduce more “scary” situations (making sure he is calm and relaxed before progressing) like lungeing him while standing on the chair, pet his back, lean over him and so forth.
Sometimes it is the weight - Racing thoroughbreds carry approx. 124 pounds. Trust is a must - Tack him up in western gear - pony horse attire (they don’t race lol)
When people say “take your time and don’t rush him,” what they mean is “give this lovely horse all the time he needs.” It may be a year, or two, or more. Get to know him on the ground and play with him. It’ll be worth it in the long run.
Desensitizing
sounds like you need to re start him. do lots of ground work use the top runs of the fence or round pen to work above his head. Pay close attention to his body language. He will tell you when it is time to move forward.
Get professional help. When I was young I worked as a groom at a race track. Came in one afternoon to feed and my boss was in my favorite horses stall beating him. He had him cornered and was hitting and hitting him in the head. I freaked out. I was appalled. You never know what your horse was exposed to so I recommend getting a professionals help.
I agree with Lynn Byrd ‘it’ is ALWAYS on the equines time not ours & the games on the ground is very good to bond together & think of things outside the box all the time and just have fun as the bonding goes on day by day ..<3 good luck & have fun together ..'it' will pay off in the long run for you both ..
Play with him let him get use to u work on ground then work ur way up wit him then will get use to u
Yeah you should get a bond before trying to get in the saddle.. Do some bonding exercise and get him to follow you in the round pen.. Its better to take it slow then to move fast for the horse in my opinion.. Also if you can afford it pay for the professional help specially if things don’t get better and just get worse.
Lots of ground work, spend time grooming him. Get him to trust you. Once he’s used to a saddle, put a little weight on him (like a sack of potatoes, or a dummy). Get him used to things above him. If you want to try and “bomb” proof him put a plastic bag or a rag onto a lunge whip and gently run over his body, and up and around him. Cover his head, legs, back, everywhere. But don’t try to scare him with it. Just desensitize him.
hope that helps!
Patience and kindness with good treats…he will come along nicely and be very gentle
Clinton Anderson, nuff said.
Baby steps and a gentle approach to all things.
Give him time, all your love and slow re-teachings! <3
When u go talliler then him get out a treat and let him reach up to u it might help . It helped my horse
You say that he learns quickly. I agree that you have to earn his trust before you can advance. Gradually introduce new things to him. If he gets upset, back off and then start over again. You are trying to get him used to things that may scare him. This is what the Park Police do with their horses. In case I didn’t mention it, Keeshar is gorgeous.
Not clear on what you’ve got in mind, Laila. Can you give us some more information?
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