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exercising lame horse
Posted by Angie (10/12/2009 10:20)
Hi - I live out in France and have aquired an ex trecking horse that I have ridden on numerous riding holidays. The people who sold her to us are friends - however three months after getting her she went lame in her off fore. Vet did nerve block and said lameness was in her foot. X ray looked clear and vet thought she had damaged the ddft - advised paddock rest and five days treatment with bute which helped considerably. However 3 months on she is still slightly lame and also getting very fat on hay only.(No grass here) Previous french owners are saying ride her at walk for 1 hour a day because she is better off being a bit uncomfortable and exercising than going down with laminitis or worse.However a very well known and respected English lady looked at her and said i shouldnt be riding her at all, although she could see my dilemma with the weight. She also said to keep her rugged to help with her arthritic problems. French owners said dont rug her at all. Help - I have had horses for over 20 years but i have never been so confused as to what to do for the best. Shutting her in isn't an option as she gets really stiff and starts to stamp with the offending leg thus making things worse - my gut feeling is to lead her out as much as possible but everyone here is saying ride her as I will kill her with kindness otherwise!!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated - she is 2/5 lame on hard unlevel ground but 1/5 lame on soft.just dont want to make things worse by riding her as I would never forgive myself if I put her through even more discomfort. Thanks
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Reply posted by Lisa (15/12/2009 17:53)
Hi Angie. You seem to be thoroughly caught in the middle on this one, don't you?
I guess I'd want to know exactly what was causing the lameness, especially as your mare is still slightly lame after 3 months. Does the horse live out? If she does, then not riding her is an option for you. When you say she is fat, is she fat all over, or does she have a very big belly? If she does not have a 'gutter' down her spine, fat pads on her quarters and shoulders or a cresty neck, but does have a big belly, then she is not overweight, but just has a 'hay belly'. This hay belly is common in horses fed a fibrous diet and not exercised a lot, but is not a sign of obesity without the other factors.
Personally I would be uncomfortable riding an obviously lame horse, as unless the lameness was mechanical (ie one leg shorter than other), lameness is pretty much always an indicator of pain or at least discomfort, and putting the extra weight of a rider would seem to be unfair.
If she has arthritis, then keeping her moving is a good thing, and keeping her a bit warmer is also a good thing, so popping a rug on her if she is living out may be a kind idea. You don't say how old your horse is, but if we assume she is not in her first flush of youth then she may need a bit more TLC than she had in her younger days. I'm sorry not to be more helpful, but without seeing your girl it is difficult to give anything other than a "what I would do" sort of answer! |
Rearing 3 yo
Posted by Gemma (03/12/2009 07:09)
Please do you have any advice on how to stop a 17.1hh unbroken 3 year old from rearing in hand when he gets excited going out to the paddock. Starts off fine then suddenly erupts and goes up in an instance then comes back down and walks into the paddock ok. He isn't on anyhard feed but just so well developed, but at the moment recovering from a tendon sheath injury so lunging/long reining had to cease. I lead him in a controller headcollar and long lead but he does it so fast I don't know how to stop him
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Reply posted by Lisa (04/12/2009 06:50)
HI Gemma
I'm assuming that your three year old has had a period of restricted exercise due to the injury. What does your vet say about him living out permanently? We have found over and over again that horses who live out 24/7 never have the excitability issues that stabled, or semi-stabled horses have as they are not storing up that energy that explodes when they anticipate being able to move around freely.
I believe this is a management issue as much as a training issue and would be interested to see if your 3 year old's manners improve if he was out in the field permanently and just brought in and out when you want to do something with him. |
arab mare that gets excited when she meets other horses on a hack
Posted by hazel (16/11/2009 08:26)
hi my arab chesnut arab mare gets really excited when she meets other horse when we out on a hack. On sunday we were having a great ride and I had to pull her up because of a rider in front that was being lead Lucy did not want to stop and started to jog to catch up with this horse the more I tried to make her walk the more she objected and she then started calling. Lucy does not want to be with the other horse because when we catch up she then wants to go past help please to control this bad habit.
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 19:09)
HI Hazel. It is quite normal for horses to want to be with other horses as they are herd animals. It is also quite normal for your horse to want to 'race' other horses that they see in front of them, especially arabs and TBs. I think you have a couple of choices. You can accept that this is what she is like and when there is a horse in front you can trot up to them and then overtake them, (first checking that the other rider is OK with this), or you can spend a lot of time getting her to understand that she doesn't have to race every horse that is in front of her. As with everything to do with horses, there are no quick fixes here, so be prepared to develop the patience of a saint! As long as it is safe to do so when you are out, every time she sees another horse in front of her and starts to want to catch them up, you need to turn her in a circle. You can then let her walk on as before. Lucy gets excited, turn the circle, walk on, excited, turn the circle, walk on, excited, turn the circle. Getting the picture? Eventually (and it will be eventually, you will probably have to do this millions of times over a period of weeks and months) she will get the message that getting excited and jogging will mean that she has to walk around in circles and the penny will slowly drop! |
Riding Heavily
Posted by Anonymous (13/11/2009 15:18)
I grew up learning to ride on several different ponies which I would loan over the winter. I never had formal lessons but have had a variety of different horses/ponies from youngsters and silly horses to gentle plodding giants. I feel that I could confidently hack most horses (although I do know my limitations) and I have been told that I hack in a sympathetic manner and am often trusted with babies etc. Now I have started (long overdue) lessons and have found that my legs are too far forward and my hands are too low (the major two problems of many bad habbits) - but this is why I am taking the lessons...
Aside from this I have found that in a school/menage I feel as though I am riding heavily. I can't understand why I would feel such a difference. I know more balance is required of horse and rider in an enclosed area but I just feel like I am thudding down into the saddle more heavily now. Any ideas on why and any tips on how I could improve this area in particular?
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 18:58)
Without actually seeing you ride, I am going to have to guess a bit here, as I'm sure you will understand!
Firstly, can I ask what type of saddle you are riding in? It's all very well being told that your leg is too far forward, but if your saddle is forward cut with the stirrup bars set well forward, and if the seat of the saddle slopes backwards, then the inevitable result will be legs slipping forwards and the bum thumping down on the saddle.
So, you need to check that the seat of the saddle does not slope either forwards or backwards, but is perfectly level. Then you need to examine where the stirrup bars are. On jumping saddles and many gp saddles the bars are set well forward so that the stirrups can be shortened for galloping and jumping. If you have a dressage or VSD (very slightly dressage) saddle this should be less of a problem. If your saddle is not hindering your position the next thing I would do would be to get your instructor to put you onthe lunge and get you to do a whole range of seat exercises without reins or stirrups,and then with just your stirrups. Your instructor should be able to help you to open your hip joints and sit on your seatbones so that you find it easy to balance. You should feel 'wrapped around' the horse and 'stuck' to the saddle in a very comfortable and secure fashion. Sometimes people who 'perch' in order to be light in their seats mistake this wrapped around feeling for being 'heavy' or 'slumped' as it is a very different feeling. However, being heavy and balanced is hugely different from being heavy and unbalanced. Your instructor should be able to help you improve your posture and get you to feel balanced very quickly. If they can't then I would consider a different trainer, perhaps someone who specialises in riding position. |
How to stop a very strong cob
Posted by May (29/10/2009 09:01)
I own a 9 year old 15.2 coloured cob. I have had him since being backed (at 6) and after some initial quite serious problems of napping and tanking off on hacks (which we sorted with education) he has been near perfect for the last 2 years, going out in company or on his own with no problems at all. Recently, however, he has started tanking off on hacks again, seemingly without reason (he & his tack have been checked by professionals, his routine has not changed etc). He can go for an hour or two (so he's definitely not fresh when he does this) and be happily plodding along (so he's also not spooked when he does this) and then suddenly pick up his head and tank off forward along the road in fast trot or canter (so not napping backwards). As he is such a strong boy it is very, very difficult to stop him (I have managed so far with a combination of one rein stops and running him into hedges but only just) and if he does this on roads it can be very dangerous with cars etc. His education wouldn't seem to be a problem as he can be very good and responsive to ride in the school but I just need to find a way to tell him to stop on hacks before one of us gets hurt. For the last two years I have ridden him in a lozenged loose ring snaffle but I think I now need something stronger. What would you suggest? He is quite as capable of tanking off with his head up or down (when we had the initial problems couple of years back he used to do it with his head down but now he does it with his head up) but I'm happy to try anything. I know people say horses don't do anything without a reason but could he just be naughty as there doesn't seem to be any other reason for his behaviour? He has done this five times now, all in different spots along different routes and I'm getting scared.
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 18:51)
HI May. I'm not surprised that you are getting scared. This is an unnerving habit to say the least! Since you have had him thoroughly checked out to make sure this is not pain-related in any way, we need to see if we can help you out. I think I may have already recommended a waterford snaffle in one of my other Q and A's previously. Cobs have terrifically strong necks, with limited flexibility, so they find it easy to set and *lean*. A Waterford snaffle will prevent the cob from doing his leaning trick. Combine this with a dropped noseband and you may find that you now have the brakes that you require to stop this habit. When riding, do pay attention to making sure that you keep his mouth and neck as soft and as pliable as you can. softly playing on the reins to encourage him to mouth the bit, and flexing his neck softly from side to side may also help you. However, a horse that is properly engaged behind will also not tank off, so make sure he is stepping underneath himself and carrying his weight on his hind legs as much as his conformation allows. |
gelding upsettling my mare
Posted by Anonymous (26/10/2009 13:30)
hi ive just bought a 20 yr old mare she is good to do in all ways but ive just moved on to a field with a gelding and when i try to bring my horse in from the field the gelding goes mad charging around and unsettles her and she takes off when i do manage to get her in the gelding stands at the back of the stables going mad charging around and shouting etc which unsettles her in the stable and she becomes jumpy im finding it hard to get anything done with her and obviously need to build our relationship but when i try he kicks the stable door and goes mental any help with this would be greatly appreciated as im at the end of my tether as for what to do please please help
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 18:44)
The quickest way of solving this problem is to add one or two more horses to the field. These horses have bonded and it is quite natural for them to become distressed when separated, especially as it is not a natural state of affairs for a horse to be alone as they are herd animals. Could you aquire a companion pony so that the gelding is not alone in the field? If this is not feasible then I would suggest in the short term that you bring in both horses when you want to work with your mare on the yard. You are going to have to be very patient and treat the problem of separating the horses as a project in its own right. I'd recommend that you take the mare out of the field and just lead her away for a couple of minutes and then return her to the field. Do this every day until the gelding stops yelling for her. When he remains calm for the few minutes she is away, you can gradually increase the time she is away from him, as he will come to realise that she will come back. But - this will take a lot of time. |
Rearing
Posted by Anonymous (26/10/2009 10:31)
Our 13.2 arabxwelsh rears when you ask him to ride out at the front. He doesnt do it any other time only when he is on his own or asked to go in front. It isnt malicious but as it is my 8 year old daughter riding him I want to stop this now. what can i do? when she asks him to go forward he stops so she drops her reins and keeps her leg on but he will still stand up. Other than this he is the most affectionate pony ever but this has to STOP! How???
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 18:38)
My first question is why ask your pony to ride out at the front? He is obviously lacking in confidence being the leader, hence the rearing and refusing to go forward. Why not let him hack out with other horses in a place where he feels safe? Given enough time and patience he is very likely to start to feel increasingly confident. He will show this by first coming alongside the leading horse and riding happily there, and then putting his nose in front for a little while. Eventually he will feel confident enough to take his turn at the front without you having to force him. Insisting that he goes in front is making a big issue of it, proving to him that it is something of which to be frightened!
Your 8 year old daughter sounds an extremely confident young lady, but I certainly wouldn't want to risk her safety on a rearing pony. |
bucking horse
Posted by gypsy ghirl (24/10/2009 15:29)
my horse used to be brill shes a gypsy cob and was used to hacking to beach every day we moved to a new yard and has stared buking every time i ask for canter ive had her over a year and a half she came with my 3 other ponies and are stabled to gether .there in for the winter shes denting my confidence and when riding her my hearts pounding .
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/11/2009 18:34)
Hi Gypsy girl. Sounds to me like your mare is trying to tell you she hurts somewhere. It would be well worth you getting a back specialist out to have a look at her, and get them to check your tack at the same time, especially her saddle.
If after a back check and saddle fit check there is nothing wrong with your horse, then the answer could lie in the fact that she is stabled now, and lived out more before. Given that you used to ride her to the beach every day she perhaps got more exercise than she is now getting, so cantering is much more exciting than it used to be. Try to make sure she is turned out as much as possible. It isn't good for horses to be stabled a lot in any case. |
My pony fizzes up in the school and i cant get her on the bit? HELP :(
Posted by Anonymous (16/10/2009 06:53)
My pony is perfect out on a hack but when she goes into the school she sticks her head up and just refuses to come down. i try to give her the rein but she just goes of into an extended trot and then into canter. my first pony was 12.3hh and he was a schoolmaster so i have never had one like this, and i just dont now what to do! :( please help.
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Reply posted by Lisa (23/10/2009 17:49)
Interesting that your pony is good out hacking, but doesn't like the school. First of all, do you think you might ride differently when you are in the school rather than when you are out hacking? Quite often we are more relaxed, sometimes ride one handed and are interested in what is going on around us rather than focussing our attention on our horse and how it is going.
This will of course affect how your horse goes as well, with the horse also being more relaxed and interested in their surroundings.
Assuming that there is not a pain problem (and if your pony is OK out hacking it would seem that there isn't) then you need to make the work in the school as interesting as when out hacking.
I would avoid any straight lines when working in the school. Think of the school as being a whole series of loops and circles. Big circles, little circles, big loops, shallow loops. Keep your pony turning all of the time. Work in walk to begin with, encouraging your pony to bend her neck as you turn her. Remember, that bending your pony does not mean pulling on the inside rein. If you have never schooled a horse before, now is the time to consider getting a good riding instructor to help you out, someone who can show you how to move your horse around a school and give you lots of tips on what exercises will encourage your pony to stretch her neck and accept the bridle. |
Recommend a bit
Posted by Chali (01/10/2009 10:45)
I am wondering if you could recommend some bits to try in the mare that my son has began showjumping on, she is very very forward going but soft in the mouth. She is not ours yet and unless we can find a bit that suits her we will not purchase her. I was horrified to see that she had a waterford gag in last week, Your opinion would be greatfully recieved. Thank you.
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Reply posted by Lisa (05/10/2009 10:46)
This is a pretty impossible question to answer without seeing the horse and rider. However, a waterford mouthpiece gag does seem to be a really excessive piece of equipment. Inevitably, I am going to question the horse's level of schooling, her attitude to jumping and her presnt rider. If you start from the ideal, then the mare should only require a simple bridle with no gadgets. She should jump her fences from a balanced, calm approach, making a good rounded shape over them. She should demonstrate desire to jump, without fighting the rider. Sometimes the horse's desire to jump is a little more enthusiastic than required and the horse may get a little strong, or be a very big horse with a very tiny rider, and then a little assistance from a stronger bit can help the rider to maintain light hands and not be pulled out of their own balance. However, if the horse needs a lot of leatherwork and is bitted to kingdom come, then that indicates a problem with the horse's schooling or their attitude to jumping. Apparent enthusiasm may be a desperate desire to get to the other side as quickly as possible in order to get the whole ordeal over. There may be a pain issue involved somewhere too.
If we are going to assume that the mare is nicely schooled, not in pain, and likes her jumping, then you need to look at the horse's natural way of going when choosing a bit.
Does the horse naturally raise or lower her head? If she raises her head, then you may want to consider bits that have a head lowering action such as a member of the pelham or kimblewick family. If she lowers her head, then members of the snaffle family may be more suitable. Are the bars of her mouth fleshy or thin? Does she have a thick, or narrow tongue? Look for bits that sit comfortably in her mouth giving her tongue room to move and not be squashed. Always remember that it is the rider's hands on the reins that have the biggest impact on whatever is in the horse's mouth. |
Head Throwing 5 year old
Posted by Anonymous (29/09/2009 11:36)
Hi - I have a Welsh A 5 years old as a lead rein for my kids. She has a lovely nature and catches 1st time and loves being petted. My problem is (and she does this natrualy in the field also with other horses) she throws her head at me to push me away each time getting stronger. Its as if she twists her neck and uses the full force. She is a lead reign but struggling off and is very green and can do this 5-6 times during a half hour hack. She has also started resisting the bridle being put on which results in her throwing her head again in circles. I have tried everything and as soon as I grab her head colar at the noseband this makes it worse. She doesnt seem to be headshy as she allows me to stroke her and the kids have been warned to be gentle. My concern is that it seems to be getting excessive rather than better which means we cannot progress to her being a confident first ridden as she uses her head so strongly and for no reason i.e having a lovely walk then bam she circles her neck and wacks you in the arm. I try not to ask too many questions of her and take slowly but makes NO difference - Help
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Reply posted by Lisa (01/10/2009 07:33)
Hi. Ok, here are some suggestions.
Your pony may be having trouble with her teeth. Have you had an equine dentist out to look at her? Sharp teeth can result in the pony not wanting to take the bridle, and the headcoller can press on the cheeks which may be sore or even ulcerated, so a teeth check is a priority.
If, however, you have had her teeth checked and she is OK, then the head throwing may be a handling problem. It is very common for small ponies to use their heads and necks as weapons of war! Firstly, I would not lead her in a headcoller, but get yourself a proper halter of some description where you will have far more control. Then it is a determined and consistent process of re-teaching your pony to lead politely and not to use her strength against you. If you don't have it already, I would strongly recommend Kelly Marks' book "Perfect Manners" as it has lots of helpful techniques to overcome precisely this problem of ponies being difficult to lead. At the moment the pony is asserting herself (assuming it is not pain-related) and does not see you as the leader in the relationship, and all native ponies have enormously powerful personalities and strong characters, so being the leader will require you to be very assertive with her. Best of luck and do get the book! |
coaching riders
Posted by Denise (27/09/2009 01:11)
a young fit adult rider has been riding for 3 mths and once a wkon a trained school horse, can she canter holding reins in both hands yes / no and why
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Reply posted by Lisa (01/10/2009 07:23)
Hi Denise. I confess, I'm not sure how to answer this question!
I'm going to assume that the rider is you, or one of your friends and that the riding school or trainer who owns the school horse is saying that the rider must only use one hand at the canter at present.
If this is the case, then the trainer probably feels that the rider is not yet balanced enough to canter without inadvertently touching the horse's mouth. If this is the case then the trainer is protecting their very precious school horse until such time that the trainer is confident that the rider has a truly independent seat at the canter.
The Spanish Riding School lunge their riders for a very, very long period of time without reins or stirrups until they are completely satisfied that the rider has perfect balance and no requirement at all to use the reins with which to balance, so you are in good company.
Using only one hand on the reins will protect the horse and will also help the rider to maintain the open front and shoulders back and down position far better than if a novice rider were to carry two reins. Unfortunately far too few horses are well trained enough these days to balance themselves and a novice rider at canter, so if you are lucky enough to have access to such a horse then he will help you become a good rider far more quickly than a less well trained animal. |
head shy
Posted by deana (09/08/2009 09:49)
Enhi, i ought a 10yr old tbx 5wks ago, straight from the field.she hasnt been ridden for over a year. she is extremely hesd shy. i get a bridle on her a bit at a time.i would like to take her on a hack, ut am afraid of her reaction, as i havent ridden for 20yrs.what should i do?..
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Reply posted by Lisa (12/08/2009 16:21)
Hi. The very short answer to your question is "Get some Help!" After an absence of 20 years from horses anyone is going to be at the very least rusty and a bit apprehensive when taking on a horse - especially one who sounds like she has not been particularly well or regularly handled. Is there a yard where you can take her that has friendly, helpful and experienced people who will help you and her to get to know each other, and who have the expertise to show you how to teach her to be calm and relaxed around you?
Trying to solve this on your own is going to be at best, a very long and lonely experience, and at worst you may end up far too frightened or (heaven forbid) injured to be able to cope with your new horse. The fact that you are slowly getting a bridle onto her shows that you are patient, and your mare will appreciate that. Please do get someone to help you in these first few months - you will get such enormous benefit from it in the longer term. |
Napping Riding School Horse
Posted by Helen (07/08/2009 07:08)
Hi.. I have a weekly lesson on a 9yr, 15.2hh, cob. She only became a riding school horse about 9 months ago, before that she was privately owned and mostly hacked. The transition to riding school horse was done very slowly and sympathetically over several months and to begin with she seemed to be enjoying the work. However over the last couple of months she has started napping; as soon as she is asked to trot she plants her feet and refuses to move. She used to raise her tail as if going to poo at these times but just recently she has started to spread her legs, sometimes urinating and sometimes not. The riding school have done loads of checks (teeth, back, saddlery etc)but nothing showed up. She is now so bad that she is totally disrupting lessons, nobody apart from me wants to ride her and some customers are complaining. The instructor can get her going with a lot of shouting, leg and whip use but agrees that this is not solving the problem and could ultimately make it worse and I am not prepared to spend the little bit of riding I do riding in that way. She is a lovely horse in all other respects. Any ideas?
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Reply posted by Lisa (12/08/2009 16:14)
Given that you and the riding school feel that physical problems have been ruled out, I would guess that this mare is "Bridle Lame". She, being an intelligent creature, has at some point discovered that if she plants, or makes as though to stale (have a wee), then she does not have to work doing something that she quite obviously does not enjoy. I used to ride a fab pony who was previously 'expelled' from the excellent local riding school as he had discovered that pretending to stale stopped people from asking him to go forward. He then stopped, spread his hind legs and pretended to stale in every single riding lesson, and like your mare, it took ever increasing amounts of force to get him to move forward. However, when returned to private hands and a single owner, he became a very fun, forward going pony who loved his work. It sounds like this mare just isn't suited to life in a riding school. |
New Mare
Posted by Anonymous (26/07/2009 14:04)
Hi I started riding a year ago, have not riden since I was a child and have never got past trot, i have loaned two horses for a few months which has given me great confidence and understanding of there routine, i have just acquired a 7yr old mare who hasnt been ridden for 12 months she is great to catch and lead I have spent the first month just getting her out every day, spending time grooming picking feet ect and short walks on lead rein and small hacks out just to see how she goes, she occasionally stops and listens and looks when she sees or hears something but then is happy to move on, how should i carry on mix a bit of schooling mainly for me so we can get in harmony or small hacks out, she often breaks into trot and im not sure if i give her mixed signals. need a real confidence boast
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Reply posted by Lisa (30/07/2009 10:02)
Hi. Do you keep your mare on a yard where there are people to help you develop your relationship with your new horse? In my opinion, the absolute most important thing for any horse owner is to have support on hand. It is very difficult even for very experienced and confident owners to manage their horses entirely on their own, and next to impossible for a novice horse owner to be able to cope with all the incidents that occur when handling and riding a horse.
So, I guess my answer to you is, if you currently keep your mare somewhere where you don't have willing people to help you out and offer lots of support, then please make every effort to find somewhere that does as soon as possible. I am also going to be quite forceful in suggesting that you get yourself organised with a good riding instructor immediately, as you need to improve your riding skills so that you can walk, trot and canter with ease. Spend any money you have on day to day support and lots of riding lessons. |
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