CVoeller
05-24-2007, 12:04 PM
I could about write a whole book on this issue & how it frustrates me but I will try to keep it short & informative as possible in seeking suggestions & advice. I have a 6 year old breeding stock paint gelding that is very smart, curious, lean (thouroughbred style), and quick. I have owned "BIlly" since he was 6 months old & have done all the training myself using Partelli, Lyons & Clinton Anderson methods depending on which methods seemed to get the appropriate responses in any given circumstance. Billy is wonderful on the ground in all aspects from manners to trailering to shoeing (though hes has limited shoeings & gets a bitr impatient). Billy rides well at a walk , trot & lope is learning to sidepass, backs nicely, good stop light on the bit. He has been on the trails & on the prairie as well as arena work alone & with other horses. Billy crosses creeks bridges & we have even moved some cows on ranches & recently I took him to his first branding. All in all I give us a "B" in how far we have come in our learning together with the exception of one very critical area which worries me.
ENERGY...when another horse spooks or bolts his head shoots up & he is ready to rock & roll. When there are a bunch of antelope running across the prarie off in the distance, same reaction. Billy will spin, blow like a dragon, stick his tail staight up in the air, pull his nose down and rub his nose on his leg stomp a front front & generally checks out mentally. No bucks or rears but who knows what the next level might be if he cannot find a release for his anxiety.
Up top this point I have pulled his nose around, kept his feet moving, backed him up,disengaged his hip, worked sepantines etc. trying to get him busy working & getting his focus back on me & off of whatever crazy activity might be going on around us. In a couple of thes situations I was able to put some distance between him and the activity that was causing him so much anxiety (one of the cattle drives I took him on they were using 4 wheelers- suprise to me- which were zooming in & out of the cows so I dropped back behind them & tried to just follow them for the couple of more hours the cattle drive lasted but he never seemed to relax or be able to take his eyes competly off of them). I just don't know how to progress him to be comfortable in these situations that can pop up unexpectedly & I have no controll over them. I did take him through a reining class for a semester this winter at a local college. Alot of these hoses were already reiners though it was supposed to be a begining class. There were about 15 people in the class which meant there was a lot of zooming up & the rails , sliding stops, spins etc. going on all the time. Billy started out worried about what every other horse was doing & he was very agitated & unfocused. I simply worked on keeping him calm, quiet & focused no matter what the others were doing. When they loped , I walked. When they were spinning & sliding I parked him in the middle to stand calmly. When they took their break I loped him quietly working on leads, stops & backing up. By the end of the class he made me so proud because he was much more relaxed and calm that I could walk trot or lope him while everyone else did their thing & he was great. Now, I cannot figure out how to translate that to outdoor riding on tralis etc. when the enviroment cannot be controlled. Help, help, help, please!
ENERGY...when another horse spooks or bolts his head shoots up & he is ready to rock & roll. When there are a bunch of antelope running across the prarie off in the distance, same reaction. Billy will spin, blow like a dragon, stick his tail staight up in the air, pull his nose down and rub his nose on his leg stomp a front front & generally checks out mentally. No bucks or rears but who knows what the next level might be if he cannot find a release for his anxiety.
Up top this point I have pulled his nose around, kept his feet moving, backed him up,disengaged his hip, worked sepantines etc. trying to get him busy working & getting his focus back on me & off of whatever crazy activity might be going on around us. In a couple of thes situations I was able to put some distance between him and the activity that was causing him so much anxiety (one of the cattle drives I took him on they were using 4 wheelers- suprise to me- which were zooming in & out of the cows so I dropped back behind them & tried to just follow them for the couple of more hours the cattle drive lasted but he never seemed to relax or be able to take his eyes competly off of them). I just don't know how to progress him to be comfortable in these situations that can pop up unexpectedly & I have no controll over them. I did take him through a reining class for a semester this winter at a local college. Alot of these hoses were already reiners though it was supposed to be a begining class. There were about 15 people in the class which meant there was a lot of zooming up & the rails , sliding stops, spins etc. going on all the time. Billy started out worried about what every other horse was doing & he was very agitated & unfocused. I simply worked on keeping him calm, quiet & focused no matter what the others were doing. When they loped , I walked. When they were spinning & sliding I parked him in the middle to stand calmly. When they took their break I loped him quietly working on leads, stops & backing up. By the end of the class he made me so proud because he was much more relaxed and calm that I could walk trot or lope him while everyone else did their thing & he was great. Now, I cannot figure out how to translate that to outdoor riding on tralis etc. when the enviroment cannot be controlled. Help, help, help, please!