My horse wont speed up?

Question

I have a quarter horse and being a quarter horse you would think he would be fast right? He is only 4 or 5 yrs and he has no health problems he just wont go. And dont say kick him beleive me i have tried. I dont beleive in whips or spurs either.

Answer 1

some horses are just plain lazy
here are some tips:
* be persistant! if he doesn't listen to you keep giving the ques or he'll think he can get away w/ it
*a crop is not going to hurt him, if you don't use it carelessly. another thing you can do is carry a crop and tap it on your boot to let him know you mean buisness. a tapping of the crop is not going to hurt a 1,000 pound animal.
*do not have another person follow him w/ a whip and tap it on the ground behind him. you as his rider have to be able to speed him up yourself or he will think if that person is not around he can go as slow as he wants.
*make sure the saddle fits, you're not pulling back on the reigns, and you are noy kicking on the girth. he will not feel anything if you are.
*once you get him to the speed you want him to be at reward him but if you feel him about to break get back after him.
*gentle spurs won't hurt either.
*start by squeezing, then bumping, and then kicking untill he goes. this way if you do it everytime he can antisipate that you are going to be kicking ig he doesn't speed up when you squeeze and bump and hopefully he will go faster sooner.

Answer 2

Maybe he's just lazy, i dont believe in spurs either, but you could try a short whip, and just tap him on the sholder with it. I know that like all "aids" the whip can be abused, but since you seem to be against them, then you should be okay, and i really dont think the horse would mind.
Check your tack, could be that something isnt fitting correctly, and its making the horse uncomfortable.
Your feed could be another reason, is he on a high energy feed, or a high fat feed?
If your horse is too fat he wont feel like going, 1/4 horses have a tendency toward being over weight, as work horses they need to be on a fairly high level energy feed, from what i understand, having never owned 1/4 horses i could be completely wrong.
You say he has no health problems, is this according to youor the vet? if the former, then maybe consider having your vet take a couple of bloods from him, he may have a low haemoglobin, which will make the horse lazy as haemo (red blood cells) carry oxygen through the body, this is quite an easy problem to fix.
If you've tried everything else, then really consider the blood option, the horse, as i said, could suffer from a low red blood count, it could also have a sub-clinical virus, that wont necessarily show up in the normal symptoms of dull colour, high temperature etc....Good Luck! i really hope this helps.

Answer 3

Sorry to say that your horse sounds either lazy or out of shape. I hand raise and re-train horses and have found that each animal "learns" what it is "taught". I had one horse that I only lounged while our arena was being worked on. 4 months later, if I went into the arena with her and did not take the halter off, she would run around me as if on the lounge line. It was her "comfort" zone. There are many things that a horse can learn and many things that may change a horse. They are herd animals and are effected by other animals. Try running with a horse that is faster than him. Try running him along a fence and turning him around towards the fence to run the other way. When you get the horse turned, be very agressive and encouraging with him to get running quickly. Do this excercise for at least 15 minutes a day. This will build hp the horses muscles in a way that the average trail horse doesn't get. Put your horse on a 8 to 10 foot lead/lounge line to lounge him. It is a training technique that I use to get a new horse to "listen" to me. Give the horse the exact same commands you would while on his back. Make sure you can "tap" him with the lounge whip to encourage him to go forward. Make sure that it is clear to your horse when you want him to "work" for you and when it is ok to "play". They need a clear understanding of this and need this in order to know how to respect you. Good luck. Horses are a wonderful animal.

Answer 4

Try and find the reason he wont gain speed...does he go on a lunge line?? Yeah you would figure a quarter horse would go fast- haha- since hes only 4 or 5 he probably picked up some bad habits from somewhere. If thats not it maybe something is hurting his back.. a strained muscle or something along those lines.. maybe hes sore.. try massaging his back! maybe some kind of strain in his legs? Try masaging him all over before you ride.. maybe youll find a spotwhere it seems different... its like therapy for him/ any horse. thats if you have the time to do it.. it might work. Also, try switching food.... try a different diet.theres food that can give a horse energy (i dont know howhis diet is) but horses that dont eat right or have the right nutrition dont have energy to run or if he has a little extra weight he wont run.. a healthy horse is a happy horse that has energy and loves to run...horses that are in shape or fit run..and thats how you tell they're in shape and thier diet is good--this is the truth found out by people that do research on horses diets...im not making that up. i know you said you dont believe in spurs... i dont either... my friend HAD to use the rounded one.. it doesnt cause pain at all bu theres that little more presure....i understand if you dont want to use that i dont either. also with whips.. maybe youcan buy a crop.. dont hit him with it.. i did this with my horse to get him to speed beforejumps..... but to flick it out so he sees it with his eye.. ust sees it and maybe hell get the point that you are training him... and if you lightly tap him i mean like a finger touching him with it first and then try the eye thing

If you have any questions email me! good luck with your horse! kill hm with kindness.... and reward him for being a good boy after you get him to do what he wants... and give him his head! and lots of treats!

Answer 5

Ok try using a small spur, and if that dosn't work use a crop and a spur, and if that still dosn't work, use a spur that has kind of a sharp edge to it not to sharp as to cut his side but sharp enough to get his attention...and if that still dosn't work try the follow the leader game get another horse to go in front of you..go to the trot,then the canter,, then if you brave enough try a gallop...then when he gose reward him, prasie and pats on his withers...make his lesson fun, and always quit your lesson on a good note, never quit when he stubs up or bucks always. make sure he knows that when he dose good he get rewarded, and not when he dose bad he gets to quite what he was doing..

Answer 6

if u carry a crop it doesnt mean ur being a bad horse mom. it just renforces ur leg. if u just have one most horses kno u do so they obey leg better. if they dont a little tap behind the leg wont hurt them. its being nicer then kicking them alot like u said. it hurts less then kicking. it doesnt even hurt. there 1200 pound animals a little tap wont hurt them. most quarter horses r really slow. not fast like there name. thats how they r.

Answer 7

is he getting enough air? there are these strips that go across a horses nose and gently open up his nostrils to allow more air flow so he can run harder and faster without gasping for air and slowing down! Best of Luck!

Answer 8

will he go when you lunge him or are not on him?? it sounds like a saddle fitting problem to me. most horses will refuse to go if the saddle is uncomfortable.

heres some thingas to include in your question and i will answer again.

1. can you get him going withought you on
2. can you get him going when youre bareback
3. can a different rider get him going
4. is there a new saddle
5. how long have you owned this horse

Answer 9

try kicking him then when he does not speed up pull him in a tight circle then before u get threw give him one good kick then put him on the rail if that does not work then get a trainer

Answer 10

Two words: roller skates.