Hey all I will try to keep this short.  I just need some advice.  I have a three year seven month old percheron thoroughbred cross (Skye)who is about 16.3.  I bought him when he was two years  four months, and the former owner had already saddle broke him. I decided I did not want to work him hard at such a young age, so I rode him twice a week for five months with consistant ground work the lessons were no more than 30 min at a time, with regard to him ever growing frame.  I gave him two months off because of the weather, and due to the fact that we do not have an indoor or the best footing.  I did continue to lunge him when weather permitted though. When I started him back in the spring he did well suprisingly well.  And I also started riding more horses around the farm that I board at just to get in to shape from my hiatus.  I decided to start riding with a dressage trainer in my area to help Me with Skye's training, the deal was two weeks a month with the trainers horses and two weeks amonth with my horse.  I enjoyed the lessons on his horses, they were fabulous and he is a fantastic teacher.  He came over to ride my guy just to see were we were in our training,  Well aparrently Skye did not approve he threw a bucking, half rearing, shaking fit, and tossed the poor guy under the fence (he had only started walking).  Luckily the guy wasn't scared off and got back on and finished nicely.  I have noticed know that every change in routine he blows up like a mad man on steroids.  If you wait it out, if you can hegoes on like nothing happened not always relaxed but he will do it. I don't really want to have to sedate him, I cringe at the thought.  I try to keep him on a regular routine but It doesn't always help.  Has anyone else had a problem similar to mine?  Please any suggestions are welcome, I am at wits end.

Sounds like you have a spirited little guy on your hands! While it's important to keep him on a schedule, it's also very important with a youngster that has that much energy and spirit to do a lot of groundwork and longing before riding is even though of. He also sounds like he may have a smart little brain in his head and he might get bored easilly (which is hard to deal with sometimes). So before you throw your leg over his back, I'd spend a good 20 minutes working on groundwork ... him walking next to your side quietly, halting when you stop, backing when you back, making sure he responds quickly and respectfully. Practice throwing a tarp or scary blanket over his back, make him walk over something scary or between scary objects. Do things to make his brain work and also make him count on you and respect you.

 Then I'd take the next chunk of time and longe him a little to get the edge off. Don't chase him, but ask him for lots of transitions on the longe line. Put poles down and longe him over that and just keep his mind working.

 Then when you finally get on, immedietly walk him over a pole or ask him for a circle ... anything to keep his mind on you and off being naughty. He just sounds liek a goofy little kid that needs to focus on something so he doesn't focus on being naughty.

My gelding was like that when he was a 5 year old except for bucking fits, he'd just stop walking and wouldn't go forward. They're just testing you and that's part of the joy of having a baby. Remember just to keep asking him to do things and keep his mind on learning and new things!

 Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, I have been free lunging him lately, working alot on transitions.  walk halt, walk trot halt, I change it up so it helps reiforce obedience as well as not letting him get bored. I will deffinatly try doing more ground work with him beside me. how do you feel about side reins and long reins.  I have both , but I do not have a good caveson I have an english hackamore, which has the proper side rings? I really want to help him establish a good rythm and also to relax more before I get on.

I would totally disagree....he is not "testing" but is simply frustrated.

It sounds like he never gets any time off to play and be a real horse. Every time you work him it is work.  How about some nice relaxed trail riding or lots of turn out time with other young horses? He is still a baby and he may be strong enough physically to be in a frame all the time he is not ready mentally. Bucking, rearing, dumping a rider is an indication of severe stress and frustration not "testing".

 

My horse went through a horrible bucking stage when he was 4. He used to race, and was retired at age 3. So, after he was retired I bought him when he was three and the next summer started training. He had such high spirits that I would get dumped everytime I got on his back. He would go into the buck everytime I asked for the canter. He shattered my helmet, and I got to the point where I was afraid of working him. Then I started to just groom and longe him for about 3 months, no riding. This was because I was fearful of riding. But as I kept on just loving him and grooming him, I noticed he bonded to me alot more than when he was just being ridden. His ground manners improved so much, and his spooks went down alot more. So, maybe with your boy you should just take it really slow and do lots of ground work and give lots of love. He could be going through a stage just like my guy, you never know. Maybe he's just too mentally immature to be rode right now? This year Luke is 5, and is much more mature and has never tried to buck once. I'm thinking he just needs time to grow up and be a baby. I hope it works out for you both.

I appreciate your opinion, but he is turned out all day as long as the weather is not brutally hot, with a five year old thoroughbred. Currently he may come in for a total of one hour a day. I take him on trail rides when someone is available to join us, If not I walk him on foot between work sessions.  He is not expected to carry himself in a frame, I am only doing basics with him right now just trying to get him comfortable with a controlled relaxed cadence.  He only seems to blow up when he is faced with a new obstacle.  He may be worked three to four days a week.  He does have an extreme reaction however to new things, its possible it is stress but I need to find a way for him to work through it. Some of it could deffinatly be testing, after his episodes he generally acts like nothing happened.

I haven't ridden him in three weeks I had decided to go back to square one wih the ground work which is getting better.  He seems to thrive on the attention, grooming is like heaven to him always has been. when I bought him he was in a tie stall all day, so with me being turned ot being free in his stall has been a big adjustment.  My concern is that I am not consistant enough. Do I let him get away with to much? Every time his former owner sees him she says he is spoiled, I say opinionated. I enjoy it when he has an opinion, I just wish he turned the volume a little. It is nice to hear that I am not alone thanks

Well, given he is a three year old, you have alot of work ahead of you; It could be that he is just going through a 'flighty' stage, in which just working him around alot of different stimuli, to get him desensitized to stuff, so he isn't so worked up all the time, could help alot.  I love working on desensitization, because that means I get to bring out all sorts and kinds of 'fun' stuff...Lol!! Much to my horse's dismay, sometimes! But, it's better to get him used to anything and everything that I can, than to have him flip out at any little thing that comes up, or out, or at him.

 Horses need consistancy...so if by saying he is 'opinionated' you mean you don't always correct him for 'little things', this could be part of your problem; he could very well be a bit 'spoiled' if you will. Horses need a simple 'yes' or "no" when it comes to behavior...black and white, otherwise they may not get what you are asking, or you will continually be asking, and not getting the proper behavior! You could also wind up with a horse who is constantly testing you, or blows you off, or blows up in different situations, even though he's been through those situations before.

 

 

I definitely support side reins and/or long lines. The important thing though is that the sidereins have elastic in them and that they're not too tight. When using sidereins, I usually keep the inside on a bit shorter than the outside one. Long lines are a really good idea as well and I'd suggest using side-reins or longlines almost every time you longe.

 

I would have to disagree, smw.horses... It sounds like her gelding gets plenty of time to "be a horse." Bucking, rearing and dumping a rider does not always indicate severe stress or frustration. Babies tend to go through stages like this, especially thoroughbreds and a lot of warmbloods because they're going to test you to see what they can get away with. It also doesn't sound like she's working him too terribly hard and giving him plenty of time to grow up so I doubt he's frustrated ... more likely he's simply being a youngster and testing his boundries!

Thanks for all the great advice, I have decided to take him back to square one and make sure the ground work is concrete.  I worked with him all weekend and he did well. I put some tarps on the ground, he could have cared less, hi walked over them, picked them up, and wore them like blankets.  I think he is just happy to be messed with.  The farrier this morning commented on how well he stood for her.  Soo thanks again I will keep you all up to date.