a LAZY Thoroughbred

[Musical_Jumper]

howdy all,
I seem to have come upon what i know of to be the first horse of this kind… the LAZY thoroughbred…augh! the certain subject i have a question for all of you about is my 5 year old OTTB named AccopanyMe aka Seger…

now, this boy has a heart of gold, and a great mind… but he is soooooo lazy! when you lead him he’s a slug, just taking his time and enjoying the view…when you tack him up he hillariously stretches backwards like a dog does…when you mount and ask him to walk it’s like trying to push a locomotive…get my point? but the best part, and i beleive to be the funniest, is that when you ask for a trot or canter he grunts… loud… i was hoping that it would just be a thing he did until he got used to being ridden again, but it’s just one of those thing s i guess that make Seger who he is.

Seger is in good health, he’s been wormed, and has his shots…ect. so it’s not a health thing. and he’s completely sound…

anyways, when we work on transitions to a canter, he’s REALLY heavy on the forehand. he’s so slow at any gait that you are constantly trying to urge him on…and he approaches a jump at a little bit of a better pace, and he jumps just fine, but what is it with the laziness? have any of you been through this? is it just a stage? do any of you know of anyway that i could posibly bring my guy to life??? any suggestions would be appreciated.

Musical_Jumper
“there are times when you can trust a horse, times when you cannot, and times when you have to.”

[Checkers324]

First of all, I used to know a lazy TB too! Though she wasn’t quite so quiet and sluggish once she came into heat, but anyway…

One thing that concerns me is the grunting. Usually you hear a horse grunt when he’s making a really big effort, like jumping a Grand Prix triple-bar, OR if it’s an old, stiff horse that’s, say, getting up after having been lying down for a while. Are you SURE he doesn’t have ANY soreness or anything? Maybe the saddle pinches his withers? That can make a horse act “lazy”.

Also, do NOT kick him or hold a squeeze for more than about 2 seconds. If you’ve ruled out absolutely all other possibilities, then try this: Give the regular leg aid, gently squeezing calves. Think “ENERGY!” at the same time, too. If he doesn’t respond, give a swift nudge with the back of your leg, even your heel, but withOUT first taking your leg off so that the action becomes a kick. If he still doesn’t respond, promptly give him a light whack behind your leg with a crop. Then go back to the regular aid next time you need to ask him for more speed, and repeat the process if necessary. He should get the idea soon!

Remember, though, to always ask the advice of a professional!

[Inverness]

What Elghund hasn’t confessed is that once the standing TB gets moving he REALLY moves. I believe I’ve heard him called “Zippy the Pinhead” recently ???

[Cactuskate]

I think I own his cousin. My TB is the same, very laid back. He apparently went to the trainer to go to the track, but never ran. Duh!!! I can’t imagine him being too motivated to go to fast too far.

We have to work on “punctuality” in our transitions too. I ride dressage for the most part so am very comfortable with the “squeeze, squeeze cluck, kick tap, kick whap with the dressage whip” drill. I would recommend using a long dressage whip if you have access to one. Only to brighten him up, NOT BEAT ON HIM, Please no flames. With the longer whip you do not have to loose contact and totally reposition yourself to use it. It can rest just behind your leg and only need to involve your wrist.

But we must be insistent and consistent. Or they quickly revert back to the sluggo mode.

Enjoy your quietness, I am finding it quite refreshing. If you have to you can try a little more energetic type feed. But quite frankly, I haven’t wanted to go there.

“The older I get, the better I used to be.”

[Elghund2]

Inverness is right. There are some days the statue becomes a freight train. On our recent excusion to Frying Pan, he decided that he had to lap the park at a gallop after each jump. He was never wild or out of control, just wanted to run. After a few jump and gallops, he decided that he could jump and stop. On days like that I just decide to work on my galloping position and let him burn off the energy.

The best part of this is that you can’t tell which horse you’ve got until you start riding and even then a new horse shows up in the middle of the work out.

Despite all this, or maybe because of it, he is fun to ride.

[Elghund2]

A trainer once said that my TB’s favortite gait was standing.

One time I was working him in the ring. My wife came down from the house with a phone call I had to take. I dismounted and left him standing in the middle of the ring. When I was done with the call, several minutes later, he was still standing where I left him. He hadn’t moved one hoof.

[Musical_Jumper]

thanks again y’all… your coments are really helpful. I have to say that after having a few days off i finally roed, and he did a great job…maybe instead of four/five days a week i should try three really good, successful workouts, you never know… but sadly, he seems a bit sore, so we’ll see if it’s a big deal, or just a scare…

thanks again!
M_J

[ljo]

OTTB’s aren’t always broken very well.
He just needs to be taught to smartly walk next to you and pay attenton when you ride. Treat him like he’s 3 and knows nothing.Start from scratch and make sure he’s getting enough quality feed.

His temperment sounds wonderful!

[Reginapony]

Most books on conditioning horses will tell you to do a fast or hard workout about every three days, which is about twice a week. For example:

Sunday…turnout or trail ride at the walk

Monday…flat work

Tuesday…jump and speed work

Wednesday…flat work

Thursday…long slow trail ride

Friday…flat work

Saturday…jump and speed work

My own horse is not the soundest of beasts, but I keep him fit, and fun to ride, by following a plan simular to the one above. I trail ride, so I would substitute the jumping with sprints at the gallop. My flat work also includes intervals of slow trotting for as long as the trail has non-rocky footing, and lots of bending and lateral work at the walk.

You have to give the horse time to “build up” after you “tear down”. In other words, you have to let your horse’s body repair itself after a hard workout. This will keep him sound for years.

[system]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>A trainer once said that my TB’s favortite gait was standing. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have one whose favorite command is “Whoa”! I came out of the ring one time at a show (very out of breath), and another trainer commented that I needed bigger spurs on that one…

Maybe get a blood workup done, and consult your vet. Vitamin deficiencies, and possible thyroid problems could be the issue. I’d just enjoy his laziness! I’d much rather have one you had to kick, than one that was running away.

Don’t get stuck in the sludge if you’re that confident in your ride!

[Musical_Jumper]

thanks y’all,

im sure that he does not have any soreness, he
s not changed any since he came here, and the grunting has been something that apparently he’s done all his life. he did it the first time we chased him around the paddock to see him move out before we brought him home. the saddle, i’ve cked, and i actually went out and measured, then boutght a new one when i first got him, so that seems to be ok.

seger is the same type of horse that Elghund2 decribed… only he’d be looking around and talkin to all of his buddies…he’d think he was soooooo cool. lol… anyways, the reason why this laziness is such a hinderance is b/c it interferes with training and schooling. it’s so hard to get any schooling, either from the ground or under saddle, because the whole time i have to worry about keeping him going. i do enjoy having a nice quiet partner, but i guess i just want him to learn to enjoy his work enough to be excited about doing it…

[Janet]

I have one too.

Before I started riding him seriously, I did a lot of ground work reinforcing his response to the “cluck”, and the tap of the whip.

This really carried over pretty well once he was under saddle.

Before I did that, he would just stand there and not move, no matter how hard you kicked, clucked, or used the whip. He simply didn’t understand what was wanted.

[Reginapony]

I found Alfalfa Hay and Red Cell iron supplement wakes up my horse!

I do a lot of trail riding. it keeps my horse fresh and forward. I wouldn’t advise trail riding a green OTTB by yourself until he is responding to your legs and reins in a proper fashion.

[Musical_Jumper]

howdy all,
I seem to have come upon what i know of to be the first horse of this kind… the LAZY thoroughbred…augh! the certain subject i have a question for all of you about is my 5 year old OTTB named AccopanyMe aka Seger…

now, this boy has a heart of gold, and a great mind… but he is soooooo lazy! when you lead him he’s a slug, just taking his time and enjoying the view…when you tack him up he hillariously stretches backwards like a dog does…when you mount and ask him to walk it’s like trying to push a locomotive…get my point? but the best part, and i beleive to be the funniest, is that when you ask for a trot or canter he grunts… loud… i was hoping that it would just be a thing he did until he got used to being ridden again, but it’s just one of those thing s i guess that make Seger who he is.

Seger is in good health, he’s been wormed, and has his shots…ect. so it’s not a health thing. and he’s completely sound…

anyways, when we work on transitions to a canter, he’s REALLY heavy on the forehand. he’s so slow at any gait that you are constantly trying to urge him on…and he approaches a jump at a little bit of a better pace, and he jumps just fine, but what is it with the laziness? have any of you been through this? is it just a stage? do any of you know of anyway that i could posibly bring my guy to life??? any suggestions would be appreciated.

Musical_Jumper
“there are times when you can trust a horse, times when you cannot, and times when you have to.”

[Everythingbutwings]

He isn’t lazy, though, just unschooled and incredibly laid back. He is alert and willing but the most casual colt I’ve ever worked with.