In this series of Blog posts I will discuss ways of 'dealing' with difficult horses, ways to improve their behaviour and association towards an object or subject, and methods of training.
To kick start this series I thought I'd tell you a little about my horse Bilboa. Bilboa (aka Billy or Bilbo) is a 17 hand, 2009 (currently 10 year old), ISH (Irish Sport Horse) x KWPN ( Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland). He is out of a Cruising mare and by a Dutch Grand Prix stallion called Jacomar. Billy has previously Evented up to BE100 quite successfully, and in another life could have been a Grand Prix horse in the Show Jumping ring, but unfortunately, Billy has quite a unique mindset to say the least!
I have had Billy on loan for 18 months and when I got him they told me not to even bother trying to hack him alone. When hacking alone Billy is very nervous, sharp, and hates to leave the yard. If we are out with someone else he gets worried if walking behind (he will rear and leap to catch up) or walking in front (he will spook at nothing to give himself the excuse to run backwards and throw a wobbly, and sometimes run into the horse behind)! No matter what route we take Billy always tries to turn around in the same place, and he also dungs in the same place too. Horses dung a lot when they are stressed or excited basically so they are carrying less weight in case they need to run!
When out hacking Billy runs backwards, rears, and leaps (I think he would do very well in the Spanish Riding School), the horse I had previously had a similar issue, but was nowhere near as bad as Billy (she only got upset when left behind, but would throw the same kind of moves), but even with this experience I was terrified of Billy for about 8 months!
But the strangest thing about Billy is that he is NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING! On our lane we have juggernauts racing up and down, cyclists, dogs barking, boy racers, motorbikers, you name it! But I can walk Billy holding his reins on the buckle and he doesn't even bat an eyelid or consider turning around, crazy I know!
(An example of Billy's backward maneuvers! November 2018)
The other day, just to add to Billy's stress levels about hacking, we had quite a scary accident on the road which ended in Billy falling on me and spending 30 minutes loose on the lane! With horses nothing is ever set in stone, and there are plenty of ups and downs!
I was riding Billy up the lane, he was a bit sharp but being really good, we were 45 minutes out doing a loop around the village, when a dog ran into the hedge of a garden trying to get at us. Now Billy is not afraid of dogs in the slightest, but because it ran into the hedge he couldn't see what it was. Consequently he dipped and spooked, and in doing so slipped on the road and fell on me. Luckily we both got up ok, and I tried to catch him, but couldn't he was running up and down the lane in panic, until he finally bolted. The two vans that were behind me waited for him to bolt before driving on, not paying any attention to me despite seeing what had just happened, disgraceful! We both came of not too back, Billy had some grazes and a swollen hock, and I had a bruised right ankle, knee, and hip, bruised elbow and shoulders, a concussion, and a strained muscles, but considering that we both could have lost our lives, we were lucky!
(An example of Billy's improvement and my different style of riding, May 2019)
Now you know a little of our background lets get too it! Here are:
My Five Tips For Riding Unhappy Hackers!
1. Firstly hack with a buddy, this gives both you and your horse confidence. You can get to know your horse better, learn his quirks, what he spooks at, and what happens when he spooks (does he dip or jump to the side, rear, go backwards?) The better you know how the your horse's issues is, the easier it is to solve them!
2. This one was what changed everything for Billy and I! ENCOURAGE YOUR HORSE TO LOWER THEIR HEAD! If you watch horses in the field, when they have their head down grazing, they are relaxed, but when they have their head up they are on the look out, the same applies to riding. When a horse has his head down it releases chemicals in there brain making them feel relaxed and happy.This doesn't however mean to bit your horse up or add extra equipment to get a lower headset, this will actually do the opposite, it reinforces that hacking is a negative thing and creates another issue! This can be accomplished in the kindest bit, or bitless, tackless, etc with proper schooling first.
3. Keep your seat active. What do I mean by this? If you have a sharp or spooky horse you may have gone to touch them with your leg or adjust you seat and given them a little fright! So by keeping your seat active, moving with the horse and keeping you leg moving (not kicking, but moving with their rhythm) this eliminates the possibility of you spooking them, if they know your there.
4. Stick to the same routes! This gives your horse confidence that he knows where he is going, he knows the smells, sounds, and where the worrying things are. Which is handy because you will learn of of these things too and how they react and what to do. If you can't do a complete loop, try not to turn around in the same place each time!
5. Lastly, if something does happy, your horse gets frightened or throws a wobbly, do NOT get upset with them! Your horse only knows how to be a horse, they do not know the pressure we put on them to be an Event horse or a Showjumper, etc. If your horse spooks, they are afraid, if your horse throws a wobbly, it's because he's trying to tell you something. Listen to your horse, praise him when he's good, and don't punish him when he's back. Letting your anger and emotions get the better of you doesn't benefit anyone, if you loose your temper, you will regret it later! Making hacking a positive experience for your horse is the only way to truly 'fix' an Unhappy Hacker (role credits.... ;)
Bonus Tip: Ask your farrier about road studs! Road studs are small pieces of metal, made from a different metal to your horse's shoe, that doesn't wear away as easily. You can have one or two in each shoe, just in front, or just behind. As they wear away slower than the actual show they give you a little bit of extra grip. Some people believe they work, others don't, which is why you should consult your farrier (a good farrier won't just sell you something, they will talk through it with you, the benefits etc) Even if it is just piece of mind, I swear by them (of course the one time in over a year I don't have them in, Billy slips and falls on me, but that may have happened if he did have the road studs).
Comentários