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Horse question

T

T99

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
105
Location
the ranch
I have a horse that has been perfect, practically a "anybody can ride him" type of horse til now. He's nine years old and he'd never bucked in his life til one day last winter and I still don't know why he did it. It wasn't bad but I won't put up with it. Now he's starting to get really hot around cattle. I was trying to hold him back the other night because some of our cows are a little on the spooky side and I wanted to walk, not run and chase. He got really nervous and it was pretty hard to control him. I know I did the wrong thing by getting off but I watched him and he just stood there and shook, watching the cows and another horse and rider. Any ideas? The bucking that came out of the blue has me concerned too. Thanks for any advice.
 
You just didnt give near enough info.
So how many years have you yourself been riding him?
Whats different <enviroment, routine>between when he was good and now?
What yah feeding him?
 
I've had him about two years and I knew the previous owner well enough to know this horse hadn't bucked or given anyone any trouble. He's out on grass, gets a little oats just to get him caught. No major changes since I've had him and not even much different from when the previous owner had him. A woman I know is going through something similar with her horse that's around the same age. She says he's going through his "teenage years."
 
If he never has bucked and does now, there has to be a reason.
That reason is most likely linked to pain somehow.

Have you checked your saddle to see if a nail is coming through?
That's the first place I would start. Then check your bit, your saddle
blanket. If you don't find anything, then start checking out your horse.

Good luck!!
 
Have you checked for wolf teeth?? The pain they cause is terrible. Otherwise i would say that there is something that has just happened to cause all of this. A good horse doesn't just wake up and decied to be bad. Run your hand down his spine thumb on one side index on the other with 4 oz pressure and see if he moves away in pain. Loins esp.
 
Thanks for the advice FH & HF. The first thing I did was check my saddle, blanket, bit and anything else I could think of. I didn't find anything wrong. When I got him home that day I rode him some more in the round pen and he was just fine. HF, as far as the wolf teeth, I'll have to check. He's never seemed to have any soreness down his back or anywhere else and I've never seen him take a lame step ever. What really surprised me was his attitude the other night and how nervous he seemed when those cows took off on us. Most of the cows in this bunch were some we bought recently and they are spooky when it comes to horses. Anybody got any hints to calm him down in this type of situation? He didn't used to react this way. He's always been cowy but he's also understood when it's time to NOT chase them. Thanks again.
 
When he wants to charge just circle him in small circles until you feel him relax, do this every time you feel him shift a gear. Soon he will learn to wait for his cue as the other option is too much work. Make him stand until he is relaxed and start out slow again. Has anyone new rode him lately?
 
Thanks RH. Normally that's what I would do with any horse in that situation, ride him in circles, etc... I wasn't in a very good spot the other night to do that...it was pretty rough country that I was in. You might have just hit the nail on the head with your question about someone else riding him. Yes there has been and it's been by someone way more experienced than I am, that usually wants to go along at a fairly good clip no matter what the terrain or the situation. Maybe I'm just too afraid of heights and maybe I shouldn't loan my horse out anymore.
 
I'd sure say not to loan him out. The other person riding him has had a negative effect on his confidence, that's for sure.

We don't loan our good horses and don't really like to loan the others. You just don't know what goes on, as you are finding out.

As for gettting him over being nervous around cattle, if you have some cattle penned up somewhere, just turn him loose with them. That's the very best way to get him re-accostomed to them. This is also the best way with the least amount of work to get a young horse over being scared of cattle as well. And that was told to me years ago from a good horseman.
 
Faster horses said:
I'd sure say not to loan him out. The other person riding him has had a negative effect on his confidence, that's for sure.

We don't loan our good horses and don't really like to loan the others. You just don't know what goes on, as you are finding out.

As for gettting him over being nervous around cattle, if you have some cattle penned up somewhere, just turn him loose with them. That's the very best way to get him re-accostomed to them. This is also the best way with the least amount of work to get a young horse over being scared of cattle as well. And that was told to me years ago from a good horseman.
Click to expand...

I winter my horses with cattle and my weanling's go in with my replacement heifers.I think the cattle learn to respect the horses also.
 
FH: I'd sure say not to loan him out. The other person riding him has had a negative effect on his confidence, that's for sure.

We don't loan our good horses and don't really like to loan the others. You just don't know what goes on, as you are finding out.

Even if that person that's been riding him is my husband?????? :?

I think you're right though. He goes top speed all the time and my horse has now learned that he's gotta go go go, especially when he sees cows on the run in front of him. Denny I think you have a good idea too about wintering them together. We've got some "new" cows that obviously haven't been handled horseback before and they scatter every time they see us coming over the hill, which in turn excites my horse now. A winter together should help that.
 
I have found that instead of pulling them in circles what has worked best for me is just a slight tug and release on one rein at a time. Not enough to turn or stop them but enough to to bring their attention back to you. Just keep alternating reins until they calm down or regain their focus.
 
FH: Why is your husband in such a hurry? He is training the horse to become nervous and training the cows to become nervous as well.

Nervous people make nervous animals.

Get your husband to calm down and lots of thing will change

My husband is probably the calmest guy I've ever met, he just has his way of doing things when it comes to horses and he refuses to "baby me." He's not by any means rough on them but he just does things a lot faster than I do, due to more years of regular riding. I told him I won't ride with him anymore and he's not to ride my horse anymore. I had a good horse that didn't need to be "ridden down" for me and that was my fault for having him do that. But I've also realized that most of my problems (or my fears) have come along at the same time I started riding with him. Thanks for all the advice everybody. I'm glad some of YOU were able to point out part of the problem to my other half since he doesn't believe me when I tell him. The only input he's ever had is that there's nothing wrong with my horse because he can handle him fine and I'm just not a good rider.
 
T99 said:
FH: Why is your husband in such a hurry? He is training the horse to become nervous and training the cows to become nervous as well.

Nervous people make nervous animals.

Get your husband to calm down and lots of thing will change

My husband is probably the calmest guy I've ever met, he just has his way of doing things when it comes to horses and he refuses to "baby me." He's not by any means rough on them but he just does things a lot faster than I do, due to more years of regular riding. I told him I won't ride with him anymore and he's not to ride my horse anymore. I had a good horse that didn't need to be "ridden down" for me and that was my fault for having him do that. But I've also realized that most of my problems (or my fears) have come along at the same time I started riding with him. Thanks for all the advice everybody. I'm glad some of YOU were able to point out part of the problem to my other half since he doesn't believe me when I tell him. The only input he's ever had is that there's nothing wrong with my horse because he can handle him fine and I'm just not a good rider.
Click to expand...

A horse will pick up if you are nervous, you need to spend hours and miles on a horse and you will get over it. Don't give into it, do it in small steps as it will be worth all the time you put into facing this fear. Just pick your horse and only you ride him, then you will be able to move on to horses others have rode. Your husband is probably just waking this horse up, nothing worse than a deadhead you have to peddle to do cow work, then when you get on him if he picks up a gear you probably start to freeze and he gets missed cued from your body language. They read you more than you think, just by the way your body reacts.
 
Instead of blaming other people, just work with the horse and calm him down. I have calmed running horses with the method I explained after impromptu races. It works if you give it a chance. good luck
 
T99 said:
I'm glad some of YOU were able to point out part of the problem to my other half since he doesn't believe me when I tell him. The only input he's ever had is that there's nothing wrong with my horse because he can handle him fine and I'm just not a good rider.
Click to expand...

So thats why you were not interested in what I had to say :lol: :lol:
Good Luck with your horsemanship :lol: :lol:
 
RoperAB: So thats why you were not interested in what I had to say
Good Luck with your horsemanship

OOPS!!! Sorry RoperAB!!! I was trying to PM you back the other night and I got interrupted. I meant to get back to you and then I just got caught up in everything else. I sure wasn't trying to ignore you. :oops:
 

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