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How to give a green horse confidence?
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27-08-2012 1:26pm#1
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Hi OP, have you tried in-hand work before riding? Try getting her listening and understanding before you work her ridden. The voice is important here.
The best thing with a schooling horse is repetition and small steps. Keep concentrating on doing small things (such as walking forward) over and over until she does it. Going up and down the same line until there's an improvement. When she does it, positively reward her, i.e. give her a pat or more rein but don't keep doing it once she does or she will get bored.
You need a strong leg and re-enforce what you are telling her. Don't let her get away with what she wants to do, even if that means not doing what you initially intended. So if you are going up the centre line and she keeps trying to turn left and you can't get her straight, then turn her right.
You need to stay relaxed, confident and concentrating. If you get worked up, nervous, frustrated or stop paying attention, so will she and more likely to spook or panic. Nervousness in the horse usually comes out as trust in the rider builds.
A lead is a good idea but don't over do that either as they will become too dependent on following another horse and that's a whole problem in itself.
Basically, what I'm saying is repeat until there's an improvement (even if it's a little one) then do something different, don't do too much of anything so short exercise sessions (as marley said), keep your own mind frame in mind and remember that it's you that should be in charge of the horse.
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long lining is great for giving young horses confidence in a safe way. i;d get her going straight and confident on the long line before i tried ridden.
yep have done long lining and lunging with her and she behaves really well in both, responds to voice commands and stays out and straight. i have lunged her over trotting poles and angled the poles as well with blocks to keep it interesting for her and she seems to really enjoy it, ears go forward and she picks her feet up lovely. have loose schooled her as well and she will happily jump anything put in front of her.Hi,
Exercising in short bursts I would highly recommend - being spooky comes with the territory of a young horse BUT if she is a bit fizzy have you tried lunging or free schooling her before riding? Try carrying a schooling whip with you & a small & I mean small tap when she starts walking backwards or sideways may help drive her forward as thats a habit you need to nip in the bud.
she's not fizzy at all, she's 10 so she is calmer than a younger horse but she is green for her age as she hasn't experienced a whole lot. i have a schooling whip and have given her a very small tap but i find then she will spin around in the opposite direction even when i am giving strong leg aids to go forwards.
i've tried using my voice too and sitting deep and squeezing her on but it makes no difference.Hi OP, have you tried in-hand work before riding? Try getting her listening and understanding before you work her ridden. The voice is important here.
The best thing with a schooling horse is repetition and small steps. Keep concentrating on doing small things (such as walking forward) over and over until she does it. Going up and down the same line until there's an improvement. When she does it, positively reward her, i.e. give her a pat or more rein but don't keep doing it once she does or she will get bored.
You need a strong leg and re-enforce what you are telling her. Don't let her get away with what she wants to do, even if that means not doing what you initially intended. So if you are going up the centre line and she keeps trying to turn left and you can't get her straight, then turn her right.
yep have tried in hand, just leading her around the arena for a few mins before mounting to let her see everything as i have no clue really what exactly she is spooking at.
when she starts going backwards i remain calm. maybe this is what i'm doing wrong but i will allow her to circle away and calm down and then i will try get her to move back on to the track. i try to make her for example go into the corner if that's what she's spooking at, rather than letting her just turn away and go in the opposite direction. but maybe i am inadvertently teaching her when she acts up she gets her own way???
You need to stay relaxed, confident and concentrating. If you get worked up, nervous, frustrated or stop paying attention, so will she and more likely to spook or panic. Nervousness in the horse usually comes out as trust in the rider builds.
A lead is a good idea but don't over do that either as they will become too dependent on following another horse and that's a whole problem in itself.
Basically, what I'm saying is repeat until there's an improvement (even if it's a little one) then do something different, don't do too much of anything so short exercise sessions (as marley said), keep your own mind frame in mind and remember that it's you that should be in charge of the horse.
ah yeah staying calm is not a problem for me with her, i know she is not going to really freak out or try throw me. she is a sweetheart really
i just thought at this point we would be further along than we are so i'm kind of at a loss what to do now. i'd never lose my temper with her, i want her to do things because she trusts me not because she fears me.How old is the horse & what specific areas seem to trouble her most; is it performance under the saddle or environmental factors like traffic or unpredictable events which worry her?
she's 10 so really she should have more done by now, but she was basically kept as a family pet by the previous owners, was only ever ridden out on their land and quiet roads. she is that bit older so when she spooks she doesn't really go nuts but she will jam on the brakes or suddenly step away from something. she's not trying to bolt.
unfortunately the roads around my yard are quite busy so until i have her correct in the arena i won't be taking her out in public.
she doesn't spook on the lunge or when loose schooling, it seems to be confined to under the saddle.I have sometimes seen horses behave particularly spookily when they are not kept or ridden with other horses. A friend of mine used to bring her mare over to ride at our place for hacking, and could never understand why the mare would baulk and spook on the ride over, and yet loll away as calm as a lamb when we hacked out together. Of course it shouldn't have been remotely surprising. Horses' natural prepossessions are to move in herds, and exposing them to unfamiliar sights, sounds and animals when immature & alone can be quite naturally upsetting.
Sometimes it is not feasible to enlarge the lone horse's confidence without the use of other horses. In that case, all that can be advised is strong, sympathetic riding and a good deal of time.
I would begin, as suggested, with the lunge line and then little by little, combine with quiet hacking. In fact, this doesn't necessarily have to be under the saddle. You and your horse may feel more comfortable exposing her to new sights and sounds when in-hand.
yeah my yard is very quiet though and i'm generally on my own working with her. if someone is around it can be great to get a lead but then again i don't want to be always asking someone to interrupt their work to come help me. also i want to be able to just go for a hack or do arena work on our own and enjoy it.Secondly, focus on school work before you ask her to go out into the world. Ensure her response to your aids are well developed. When at home in the school or paddock, is she going on the bit, with a strong outline? How does she respond to your aids? If you can get her submitting to you & maintaining her outline, and going forward on the bit, then reacting effectively to her potential spooking episodes will be a good deal easier.
she'll be on the bit and going fine for a few mins, then as far as i can tell, she hears or sees something or she just decides she doesn't want to stay on the track and she will start acting up. i don't think it is acting up though, i think she is just not used to being in an arena, as i said she has mainly been ridden in large open spaces. but i just don't know how i can give her confidence that the arena is not a scary place to be.Be consistent; the easiest thing in the world is to lose one's temper when a horse spooks. Some riders end up whipping their horses into a frenzy to get them back on a forward line, which leaves the misfortunate animal more confused & agitated than ever before. Rider confidence & calmness is crucial here; remain firm but fair.
On the subject of confidence, this is slightly embarrassing but when I was doing my leaving cert & breaking ponies, I used to recite leaving cert poetry to them. I genuinely believe they could perceive that I was relaxed and not agitated with them, and this unruffled their nerves. I was also not anticipating an adverse reaction from my mount all the time, that's a tension which very sensitive horses can easily perceive.
Anyway sorry of there is no magic answer supplied in this post, i'm afraid I don't believe there's anything for it but good old fashioned time & energy.
oh i'd never lose my temper with her. she is a good horse it's just this one thing that is stopping me bringing her on further. we've hit a wall with this.shauna8494 wrote: »Personally I think just ground work will build up trust and stop the horse being so green. Once a week I bring my young horses for a hack in hand, it lets them see/hear lots of things and I find it helps them mature.
yep ground work in the arena is fine and she SEEMS to be quite happy it's just under the saddle that she seems to lose her confidence. like i said the roads aren't an option at this point
thanks for all the responses. i feel like i am just coming back with excuses but i feel like i've tried everything ye have suggested and still we're getting nowhere. ah she's just such a lovely horse i don't want her to go to waste for the rest of her life.0 -
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if she works fine in the arena in hand, then there's no reason why she should spook under saddle. Have you had saddle fit checked, back, teeth? If it's not a pain issue, then she lacks confidence in you as a rider. Have you had someone experienced watch you riding, or have you had her ridden by an instructor?
yup saddle is new and was only fitted my a master saddler when i got her a few weeks ago and the saddler has been out for a second viewing to make sure it's still ok and it seems to be. vet happened to be in the yard last week and took a look at her teeth and felt her back and no problems from what he could see.
i'll try get someone to video me tomorrow. we have no instructors in my yard. if i contacted a local school would an instructor come out to me for a couple of hours? like would an instructor do this kind of work or are they always tied to the school?Ok have you tried lunging even for 10 mins before riding, this may have the horse in a more " switched on " to work mode when you ride.
Every time horse does not ride straight put her onto a 20 metre circle , try again & if not put her back on a circle. If she hasn't done much she may be slightly stiff - is she better on one rein than the other?
Also check your own position & balance - sometimes the rider can be a contributing factor. One thing I find really really helpful is for someone to video me the odd time if experiencing difficulty and sometimes its easier to help make right what is wrong.
Also you say she is spinning around when you tap her you need to have firmer contact & drive her forward with your legs - she shouldnt have the opportunity to spin around...
I can understand your frustration & if all else fails get a good instructor to give some advice ..
thanks. i'm just back from riding her this afternoon. i tried to approach it like i'd never ridden her before and took a fresh approach with everything. it took me maybe 2-3 mins to get her attention at the start and keep her out on the track but once i did she had a good forward walk and was going quite well. i did lots of rein changes to keep her focused and lots of circling. there is one corner she dislikes between A and K so if she jammed on the brakes here i would ask her to cross the arena to M and keep going, which she did. then someone opened the door to the indoor to check was it in use and her concentration was gone. when we passed the door she kept trying to turn towards it and i spent another 2-3 mins trying to get her back onto the track and riding forward. so maybe it is just boldness rather than greeness?? i thought maybe she wasn't used to the indoor but maybe she is just acting up? eventually i got her back out to the track and i continued all the exercises we were doing but the momentum was gone and she kept playing up everytime we passed the door.
oh and to answer your Q yes she seems to prefer the left rein. she is more active on it and always leads on the correct leg for canter. on the right rein she seems to play up more but the woman i bought her from told me she is weaker on this side.
in fairness to her she wasn't as bad as she has been before so maybe just more of the same again tomorrow?0 -
Its boldness - as she is so green treat her pretty much like a young horse,
Thats why I suggest lunging her initially before riding, will help her focus You need to vary they work, keep her busy - 20 mins of circles, serpentines, changing the rein etc, trotting poles keeps her mind busy which means she has little time to " act the madum" 20 mins of that sort of work is worth 10 times as much when it is a battle. Let me know what area you are in. I use a freelance instructor.yup saddle is new and was only fitted my a master saddler when i got her a few weeks ago and the saddler has been out for a second viewing to make sure it's still ok and it seems to be. vet happened to be in the yard last week and took a look at her teeth and felt her back and no problems from what he could see.
i'll try get someone to video me tomorrow. we have no instructors in my yard. if i contacted a local school would an instructor come out to me for a couple of hours? like would an instructor do this kind of work or are they always tied to the school?
thanks. i'm just back from riding her this afternoon. i tried to approach it like i'd never ridden her before and took a fresh approach with everything. it took me maybe 2-3 mins to get her attention at the start and keep her out on the track but once i did she had a good forward walk and was going quite well. i did lots of rein changes to keep her focused and lots of circling. there is one corner she dislikes between A and K so if she jammed on the brakes here i would ask her to cross the arena to M and keep going, which she did. then someone opened the door to the indoor to check was it in use and her concentration was gone. when we passed the door she kept trying to turn towards it and i spent another 2-3 mins trying to get her back onto the track and riding forward. so maybe it is just boldness rather than greeness?? i thought maybe she wasn't used to the indoor but maybe she is just acting up? eventually i got her back out to the track and i continued all the exercises we were doing but the momentum was gone and she kept playing up everytime we passed the door.
oh and to answer your Q yes she seems to prefer the left rein. she is more active on it and always leads on the correct leg for canter. on the right rein she seems to play up more but the woman i bought her from told me she is weaker on this side.
in fairness to her she wasn't as bad as she has been before so maybe just more of the same again tomorrow?0 -
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