Friday, July 31, 2009

How do you teach an old horse new tricks?

I ride a 23 year old pinto gleding. Sometimes he is frisky and hard to control.Othertimes he's lazy and hard to get to go.He doesn't know any latteralls(hope I spelled that right!)and he has a bumpy trot. He's been a trail horse his whole life, and I got him at age 18. I love him so much, but he isn't just a pet, and I want him to be ableto do some more than the basics(walk, trot, canter).Can you help me?
Answers:
My horse has/had the same problem, of one day I can barley get him to move, and the next he's galloping threw the flat work and over jumps! I was having so much trouble keeping him consistent! But trust me it really is true for most horses (mine at least!) that consistency really is the key! You have to be patient and keep telling him what you want him to do! A lot of times, horses (especially if you have a good relationship with them) want to do what you tell them to and make you happy, they just dont always understand what it is you want from them (or for that matter if you want them to do it all the time!) Good luck with your horse, and I'm sure once he understands he can still learn a new trick!
i don't think you can, it just like the saying "you can't teach and old dog new tricks" only in this case it is a horse. but good luck.
Its all about consistency every single day. The laterall thing may be hard-- he probalby has 'dead sides' as in, he stopped listening to them. You may need some rounded spurs (not the jagged/jingly kind).

The days he is lazy you need to make sure he DOES NOT get away with it. Use a crop lightly when he doesn't respond. Its not about hitting him, its about correcting if he doesn't listen to your first, "KIND" cue. Dont go all crazy and never make your horse welt/bleed or anything like that.

His bumpy trot is the 'fun' part. YOu have to trot for a long, long time, and do small circles in each corner of the arena. "bump' him and say "Woop", or 'easy' in a low, quiet tone. If he slows a bit, reward him by no longer bumping his mouth and relaxing. You might have to trot an hour a day, 5x a week for a month before u see consistant improvement.
When he's frisky, get him lazier. When he's lazy, get him friskier. Seriously, that's the mindset you need. The bumpy trot is just the way he is, nothing you do will change that.(I have a Bronze Medal Dressage horse who I'm learning to sit the trot on, I keep losing my stirrups and have gotten closer than I'd like, to falling off, and I'm not a novice rider!)
You might want to find a trainer who can give you a lesson every now and then to show you what you need to work on that will make him better.

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