Having trouble with my new horse! Plz help...?

Question

I have just had a new horse and he is very green asa his past owners had very little time for him. he has a beautiful temprement and i know he can go far, however i am having touble with getting him to listen to me. He gets distracted really easily and as he is still only 4 (a baby in my eyes...lol) i need a very gentil and possitive approach. i love him to bits and i want him to be as calm and happy as possible, not only that i want us to both have fun learning. I have had some very dull moments with past horses were you never seem to progress blah blah blah... however my horse has potential and i would be very greatful for some of u awsum guys to give me some advise! Thank you... much loves xxxx

Answer 1

I would spend lots of quality time with him, just bonding and getting to know each other. Then he will want to do his best for you and will get better. You are right, hes still a baby and everything holds wonder and needs looking at!...;

Answer 2

I don't mean to bag on the horse whisperer, but most people and trainers use some sort of this method of training for hundreds of years before he came along. horse games, what a waste of time. sorry you have a 1000 pound animal and the last thing you need is them not having respect for you. aaaaugh!!

anyways, your horse is young and at a new place with a new person. he wants to see and experience everything. horses are curious by nature. have you tried walking him around so that he can see and experience his new surroundings? the best bonding technique is grooming. as this is how horses do the same. find his favorite spots with a curry and pay special attention to those, that will get his attention and then he will start to know that you are the one that gives him those good scratches. give him treats while doing this, then he knows to associate you with food also. don't allow him to get pushy tho. spending alot of good quiet quality time like this will go much farther than anything else you could ever do, cuz now you are a part of his herd and you are the dominant one to him. and he will love and respect you for this. good luck

Answer 3

Let him take it easy - he is only a baby as you say, and he'll take time to mature, both physically and mentally. I've had a few like this, and the best thing is to very gently with them.

The really important thing is not to do too much ridden work with him, and not to push him too hard - horses take time to develop, and if worked too hard too soon, it can lead to injury problems later in life (particularly arthritis and DJD - degenerative joint disorder).

In terms of his attitude and getting distracted - this is because he's young and he will grow out of - it can be frustrating at the time, but you have to try and work through it gently but insistently. Gradually he'll learn to listen and respond to you - at the moment, everything is new to him, and he may not understand what you want from him.

Just take it slow, and good luck!

Answer 4

Spend a lot of time handling him and being patient and gentle.
He is just a baby, and it is normal for him to be distracted, he is just very curious, and probably in new surroundings. He has not yet bonded with you since you just bought him, so he needs some time to get to know you, and soon he will trust you enough to listen to what you want him to do. Good luck

Answer 5

u did not say whether or not ur guy was broke to ride , the best way to deal with him is lots of ground work first to get him to listen to u , if u can't get ur horse to listen to while u r on the ground he won't listen while u r on his back , go buy the pat pirrell natural horsemanship training book and go from there , u did say his past owners were also very green , so i would say u r new guy is hard to deal with because he probaly is not started right and more confused then anything .

Answer 6

Have you read anything about Monty Roberts? I have tried using his join up technique when I used to have horses, and always found that it makes the horse wonderfully calm and relaxed, as they learn to trust in you completely. If you can do this, then he will be much more attentive to you and less to whats going on around him. Also, make sure you alternate schooling sessions with lots of fun stuff like hacking out or riding on the beach, so that he is never bored. Good luck. If you are interested in learning join up, look up Monty Roberts on the net, there are books, videos etc which demonstrate his technique, its not really all that difficult, and you will have your horse following you around, like an inquisitive child - I found this very rewarding with my horses.

Answer 7

only with the aid of fact he CAN theoretically bounce a million.10 dosn't propose he's mentaly waiting to. Horses can actual scare themselves over super jumps in the event that they're notready for it. My suggestion? forget approximately what all of us at ponyclub thought, take year pony precise returned to trot poles, have some exciting, make him happy approximately his artwork, no longer whips and jerking on the reins (please, it is going to basically make it worse hun) progressively build him as much as small jumps (12/12") submit little classes, make him think of approximately it, be comfortable. on the comparable time how approximately having a pair of leaping classes on yet another horse just to polish year very own technique, in case you have been having problems with year pony for a mutually as, year very own leaping might have suffered so fix that atthe comparable time. as quickly as year pony is luckily popping small classes you may progressively initiate rasing the peak, if the previous problems initiate creeping in don't be afraid to pass returned a point, decrease the jumps and attempt returned. year pony desires each and every of the arrogance he can get to recover from this, shouting and kicking him contained in the gut won't help, it is going to basically get plenty worse, that's a protracted term element, you may might desire to spend some months education till year returned at a height you prefer to compete at. stable success.

Answer 8

wel i've been working with horses for years by preping yearlings horses for sales(all of which were thoroughbreds) and i'm well used to handling these type of horses.. wel what i find that works is that you spend a small bit of time with him first and reward him with something if he does that wee(BUT ONLY if he does it well or else you are giving him the wrong idea) then gradually build up the time you spend with him and reduce the treats so therefore he will have to work harder to earn them and therefore he will work harder for you!!!!

Hope that helps.....

Answer 9

I agree with AWOL, the Monty Roberts method of handling and starting (as opposed to breaking) horses is the way forwards.
You can find details in his book 'the man who listens to horses'.

Answer 10

i think you should lunge him a few times with some sidereins on so he gets to listen to your voice and commands. Then try and get the same shape when your on him so try and get it in walk and then trot and then canter if you can but if he doesnt stay in the outline then bring him back to walk and try and get the same shape.