I need help with a 12 year old mustang i bought that has not been ridden in 10 years?

Question

I have had the mustang a few months I have been working with him to except the saddle and bridle i got him to long line I can touch him and lounge him I got on him once the first time i got on him he shook and almost fell to the ground i stayed on him then he relaxed I had ground mounted him he would shake if i put any leg on him but walked around nice and very good with the bridle I have not been able to get on and stay on since he will not let me near his left side now I tryed mounting from a block on the right side got on about three times but I get thrown everytime bucking and rearing and can not stay on longer then a couple of seconds I am now going to try a western saddle and tie a lead rope from his bridle to the horn and hope he will not buck but i wanted to know if anyone else has any ideas

Answer 1

I had gotten a rescue mustang that was approx 8 years old. The individual that I got him from was experienced in riding and gentling horses. He was able to ride him a little. He put him in a very small corral and just gently worked with him daily. But he had only worked with him a very short time before I got him. He was very skiddish and barely let us ride him. We worked with him daily for several months. After talking with a vet and a VERY much more experienced rider, they both told me that Buck would possibly never allow anyone to ride him very well. They explained that after about the first four to five years it was very rare to "gentle" them enough to ride them successfully. The best thing that I could recommend is have lots and lots of patience, don't get rough with him, let him gain your trust and love and possibly he will allow you to eventually ride him. Lots of luck!!! Horseback riding is just the best thing on earth!!!

Answer 2

You're basically starting from scratch. If this is a big horse with any strength, tying a lead rope from bridle to saddle will not matter. First you have to get him used to people coming to his left side again. Just walk up to that side more and more without trying to mount. Then start the mount but don't actually get on. Just put weight in the stirrups. Then you can try putting dummy weight on the saddle and leading and lunging him. Do everything at his pace. He has gotten used to not being ridden. If you rush things, it will only put the process further behind and could hurt him and you. Good luck. I hope you are doing this on a soft surface. It sounds like you're in for a long spring.

Answer 3

I would say either get a cowboy that can ride out the bucks (once he knows he can throw you, it will be a hard time training him) Or you can take a sack of grain (slowing increase the weight) and tie it to the saddle. Then lunge him with it on, and let him buck his heart out. Pretty soon, (as long as you tied the weight on securely) he will realize that it really isn't that bad, and it is not going to get off of him.
It sounds like he is terrified to me. Work more on trust issues. Predators go on the horses back in the wild, not herdmates. Walk him everywhere, on his left and right side, sit with him in the pasture, etc. Have him stand by a mounting block and you just stand there- do not try to mount. Once he is calm standing by the block, wait 2 weeks or so, then lean forward on the saddle, rubbing him and talking to him the whole time. After a week or two of that, try sitting for a minute, then get off. I would not actually try to ride him for another month or so, depending on how he reacts to this method. It may also be best for someone to hold him on the ground while you lean on him- it is extra support for him (person he knows says stop) and by this time, the person he trusts is just leaning on him, itching his back.

Answer 4

First let me start by saying this horse doesn't have any respect for you. Horses are herd animals, and you're either the leader or the follower. Right now, he's getting his way so guess which you are. You need to gain his respect and the only way you're going to do that is through ground work. He needs to yeild his hind quarters to you at the drop of a hat. If you have control of his hind quarters, when you are ready to get on, you can avoid a SERIOUS situation through that yeilding, as well as teaching him flexing exercises, (ie the one rein stop). When you get a problem horse, it doesn't matter how old they are, you start with them as though they've never been riden or even touched for that matter. Once you gain his respect, he'll understand your the leader, and not listening is really not an option. My husband and I broke a spanish mustang through natural horsemanship methods, doing our ground work, FIRST before we ever saddled and mounted her. She was a very spooky, spirited horse, but never even offered to buck, because we had an established respect. I'm not saying don't treat your horse well, but when you "oh precious" an animal that size (ie treats all the time, let them get away with doing what you DONT want them to and stopping there, etc) it really is a disaster waiting to happen. My best advice to get an idea on exactly what methods I'm speaking about, and those we used, try watching RFD tv, (channel 379 direct tv) and watch for Down Under Horsemanship w/ Clinton Anderson, Ride Smart w/ Craig Cameron, or Chris Cox horsemanship. They all have websites as well. I know dealing with an unwilling horse is disheartening, but don't give up. These trainers can teach you how to handle specific situations, as well as help you to have the horse of your dreams, and what's not to love about a Mustang! Good luck to you, I wish you a happy, and safe riding future.

Answer 5

10 years is a long time to be unridden.

Are you 100% certain he was in fact broken in? If so, he hasn't been ridden since he was a 2yo, and in my opinion, that is too young to be broken in anyway! If he was broken in, he mustn't have had much time under saddle at all, so you will need to start right from the beginning and break him in again as though he had never been taught a thing.

Of course breaking in a 12 year old horse won't be easy.

If you are not experienced with breaking in horses, then I highly suggest you get someone else to do it. It will save you the frustration and danger. If you have quite a bit of horse experience, then grab some books and get some tips of breaking in problem horses, so you can get some ideas on different approaches to take with him.

All the best with your horses!

Answer 6

As green eyed girl said, this horse doesn't believe that you're the leader. I highly suggest you go to your library and get any book you can by Monty Roberts. He's been gentling horses for decades without the use of force or scaring the horse out of its mind. You can see some of his videos on youtube like gentling a spooky horse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC_15etNe7U and how he joins up with horses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEJT9vwqwvY You don't have to go as fast as he does (he can get a horse to accept saddle bridle and rider in a half hour) go at a pace that's comfortable to you and the horse. Be very careful though, if your mustang has learned that bucking is the easist way to keep scary stuff from happening to him, he'll keep it up so be sure to wear a hard hat.
Mustangs can be wonderful horses as long as you speak to them correclty. ANY horse can be dangerous if taught incorrectly, certain breeds may be prone to certain behavior, but each horse should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Mustangs may be "wild" (actually, they're descended from domesticated horses, so they're not truely wild animals, not in the way that say, a deer is) but their hooves tend to have far fewer problems (natural selection, weak-hooved horses get killed far easier) and in ways, they're actually far easier to communicate with, since they haven't been exposed to human interferance. In your case though, he has been so you'll have to work extra hard to cure him of bad behavior.

Answer 7

Since he hasn't been ridden in 10 years, you need to start him off like he is a new colt being broken for the first time. This is safer for you and your new horse.

Answer 8

work with him everyday. show him you're his friend. next time you get on him, don't be nervous, they can sense that. definetly use a western saddle for the next couple of months. You also may want to get a vet to check out his back to make sure yourbody weight doesn't hurt him.

Answer 9

after 10 years the horse got back to being as if he never been rode at all, so you just have to re brake it. there's going to be alot of jumping and stuff but thats the only way to get the horse broken again.

Answer 10

a mustang isnt the best horse to have in the first place if you are planning on riding him. all the books i have on horse breeds say that they are feral. that means that they are animals that arent sutible for riding. but then again i have a friend who has a mustang and she IS ridable. so i dunno what to tell you other that to sell him and get a horse with more experiance. maybe a quarter horse. they are excellent horses to have and ride.