Uncontrollable horse tantrums (please help)

[mikiz]

I know this is for driving horses, but these guys have managed to get all sorts of misbehaving tantruming horses to do as they're told. I was amazed at some of the horse's behaviour after a couple of weeks of training. If you email their website maybe they might have some insight for you https://www.youtube.com/user/barryhook2

 

[Benjii]

We always finish a ride on a good note, with a long rein so he can stretch his back. i also alternate, from indoor arena, cross country paddock, outdoor arena and the property tracks as he loves to jump. I am not a rider who will force her horse around in circles for hours until the horse breaks and does what i want. i address his resistance through different techniques, until i find the one that he best responds to.Then again i am not a push over, which is an issue we have been dealing with since i got him as we are both very stubborn, i have been trying very hard latly not to "hold" him and this usually end in tug of war over the reins. He can throw little 2-5 second tantrum anytime, hes the kind of horse that if u back up ur leg with the whip 8/10 times u'll get a grunt/squeal and a back leg kicked out at u. im ok with these things, they arnt dangerous, just his personality. I get what ur saying about trust... but how do u get trust in the saddle?

 

[mikiz]

That grunt/squeal/kick IS dangerous. For anyone who happened to be standing behind or beside him when he does it, that's him saying I don't want to you can't make me, I don't believe that's a personality trait to be tolerated, but then he's not my horse.
The guy in the driving videos I linked have horses brought to him that do exactly that, you touch them with a whip or ask for more and the horse says "back off" if you keep touching him he will kick. This is not by any means a safe thing for a horse to think he can do, and tiny things that are tolerated by the owner/rider/driver are what lead to bigger problems.

As for trust, I'm not sure of the techniques but I'm sure there would be a bahaviouralist who can help with things like that, or a very experienced rider/trainer who has worked with horses and trust. You possibly just need a new pair of eyes to assess the whole situation.

 

[Benjii]

True, however i have always been told to laugh it off. I get what your saying,its confusing, every trainer has a different approach.

 

[mikiz]

Believe me I know, there are billions of opinions out there for training, I really do hope you can find someone nearby who knows what they're doing and can help your boy get over this brattiness The last thing we want to come back and find is that he's crippled you by faffing around in one of his moods

 

[Lamb Lover]

This is all really great advice @Benjii. I've delt with horses somewhat like this, and what really helped was circles like you said you tried. I got my hand close to their head on the lead rope but stayed loose and then we walk in a straight line, as soon as they began to spook or complain turn them in tight circles slowly getting bigger and then walk again, circle in the opposite direction and so on. Rubbing their pole or spine in a slow motion is good too because then they begin to relax, notice their chin drooping of wobbling. Your boy sounds like a handful and I can't say this method would work for sure, and I don't know if you do your "circles" like that.

But like @mikiz said, maybe it's best not to ride him anymore. He is getting up there in years, do check with a vet as mentioned before. If he acts perfectly fine when you're not riding him and he's a fantastic horse other than his tantrums, just keep him as a companion. It's not worth risking your life just to get one good ride in. And if trainers won't even deal with him, it is best just to find yourself a new horse to ride. You can try my "circles" if you think it's worth it but otherwise it's up to you. Tell us what happens and I hope he settles down for you.

 

[Lamb Lover]

@Benjii another thing I just thought of is searching Clinton Anderson or maybe Julie Goodnight videos on YouTube. You could try trouble horse themed videos or anything related. Maybe include key words based on his behavior. It's just an idea, otherwise I quite honestly can't think of anything else. I hope you can solve the issue.

 

[Benjii]

Thanks for the great advice, im in exams at the moment so i havent ridden him in 3 weeks. My mum rode him this afternoon and he tried similar stuff so she kicked him forward and did lots of circles. To which he ran backwards into an electric fence. Apparently though he calmed down after 10-15. Idk, the thing is he was a gift, which i had no say in, resulting in a very bad pairing.. but its really complicated with the family ties to him plus i cant buy another horse. So if i want to ride hes my only option and i really dont want to stop riding. I'll check out the references you gave. Thanks

Hes a gorgeous horse though so hopefully i can work it out.

 

[mikiz]

Oh isn't he beautiful. Shame about the situation though, I really hope you can get him to behave

 

[Lamb Lover]

Yeah you're welcome. He is really pretty! Hope he's ok... I really don't know what to do at this point. My dad used to be a horse trainer and he told be it could be a saddle or bit issue, so check that out, and above all he might have something going on inside. What's his health like? For being 18 he sure looks good. You said he hunches his back from time to time? Look for any signs of sway back. Maybe he's in pain... You could see about some physical therapy or acupuncture as well. But please, check with a professional. I'm not a vet so please just check before you do anything I wouldn't want anything I told you to put you through any more trouble. I'm trying to help as best I can, hope it's working.