Buddy sour gelding at shows?

[jordanat30]

Hi all, new here. This is going to be long, so bear with me…

I have a 3 year old gelding. I’ve ridden for 20+ years, but this is my first young one that I am training myself under the supervision of a trainer.

He rides nice at home for the most part but can be very excited when a buddy is out in the pasture. When riding with someone else in the arena at home, he does fine - he seems to only exhibit his excitable behavior when the horse is in the pasture. He will become unfocused, changing speeds and sometimes throwing in a jump or buck randomly or fading out on his circles when we ride by the barn/pasture. The horse(s) in the pasture are not spooking or running either. They are standing around or half asleep.

I hauled him to 2 shows over the course of the last month. The first show was expected to be a smaller show, but turned out to be a huge. At first he was nervous and spooky but settled down after a bit. He stood at the trailer all day like a champ except for the minimal time I saddled him and rode him around the trailer. He was trailered with two mares, one in heat. Our first attempt in the warm up arena with loads of other horses went OK. Jigging, prancing and eventually after a few times walking around the arena with his buddy (my friend’s horse) he seemed to calm down. My only goal was to get him out and successfully let him see the sights and not really focus on our whole riding routine.

We were there a long time, so after another few hours at the trailer, I saddled him up again and headed to the warm up arena with my friend. He exploded. Bucked at a standstill, spooked at everything it seemed to the point I felt unsafe on him and decided to dismount and take him back to the trailer. He fought me the entire way back and when we got back, threw an all out fit, bucking, rearing, screaming as if he was being killed. I made him do circles at the trailer from the ground, changing directions but he would not settle. The outburst seemed to last an eternity but was probably about 15 minutes. I was terrified of him. He had no concern for me at all and though I think I was doing the right thing by not overreacting and keeping him moving, I’m not sure I was. My friend finally returned and my horse literally in that second relaxed and was normal again.

Fast forward to this past Sunday…yesterday to our second show. Super small show, maybe 10-15 people in the warm up. Again, we went with my friend. After about 5 minutes of longing (where he proceeded to kick, buck and whinny) we saddled him. This time, I had my trainer ride him at the show. She was able to WTC fine in the warm up with his buddy in the ring also. For the most part, he behaved. There were times he’d call for her, and times he had to look at every single horse passing by but he mostly did fine. After she had ridden him, I hopped on. I trotted some circles and kept him moving (I tend to be a nervous rider at shows, so I did what I felt relaxed doing so he wouldn’t feel my nerves). Once her classes were over, we lead him back to the trailer without his buddy. He lead back better, but was still whinnying for her. We got him back to the trailer and he was agitated. Untacked him and tied him, and he danced back and forth nervously calling for her. She returned and he was fine again.

Is it correct to call him buddy sour? At home, I can take him out no problem, out of sight of the barn, the other horses and no issues. He does get excited when he sees another horse in the pasture and whinnies for his buddies when they are out in the arena and he is in the barn. He never whinnies for them while he is being worked or ridden whether they are in the barn or in the arena. Will he outgrow this with more time and more shows? How can I help him? Some people have said that I should take him to shows and tie him in a rope halter/neck rope and leave him at the trailer to duke it out with himself. Some people say that he is protective over the mares – he is one gelding in a barn with 3 other mares, 4 horses total at the barn where he is boarded.

I love my horse but this behavior is bothering me to no end. Help?

[Bluey]

You may want to cross post this in the Off Course forum, where you may get more posters reading it and so more answers to ponder.

[kinscem]

Most of us who train and start showing young or green horses understand. It is a pain and some horses are better or worse than others. Big boarding barns horses coming from a lot of commotion seem to adjust easier than small quiet private barn horses.
The only way to get over this is keep doing it and keep taking the horse places.
Try to take your horse by himself, no trailer buddy.
Try to take him to just school around the show commotion, you will save some $$, and you will give him the experience.
Don’t worry what other people think about your horse acting up. Just do your thing and give your horse a good experience.
PS: Some horses are extremely mindful/ protective of their herd, I have one quarter horse like that and like what you describe.
Solution for me was to take him to shows by himself, then - he is all business and very good jumper.

[jordanat30]

Thanks – I will. I wasn’t sure where to go with this post and I ride Western so I just put it here hoping to get some help. Thank you.

[jordanat30]

[QUOTE=kinscem;8786852]
Most of us who train and start showing young or green horses understand. It is a pain and some horses are better or worse than others. Big boarding barns horses coming from a lot of commotion seem to adjust easier than small quiet private barn horses.
The only way to get over this is keep doing it and keep taking the horse places.
Try to take your horse by himself, no trailer buddy.
Try to take him to just school around the show commotion, you will save some $$, and you will give him the experience.
Don’t worry what other people think about your horse acting up. Just do your thing and give your horse a good experience.
PS: Some horses are extremely mindful/ protective of their herd, I have one quarter horse like that and like what you describe.
Solution for me was to take him to shows by himself, then - he is all business and very good jumper.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your reply. I will try taking him by himself…hopefully that will work.

[cloudy18]

And when it’s appropriate to do so, work his butt off when he’s near horses he wants to be by, and let him rest when he’s away from them. Initially, away might be only twenty feet.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=jordanat30;8786759]
Hi all, new here. This is going to be long, so bear with me…

I have a 3 year old gelding. I’ve ridden for 20+ years, but this is my first young one that I am training myself under the supervision of a trainer.

He rides nice at home for the most part but can be very excited when a buddy is out in the pasture. When riding with someone else in the arena at home, he does fine - he seems to only exhibit his excitable behavior when the horse is in the pasture. He will become unfocused, changing speeds and sometimes throwing in a jump or buck randomly or fading out on his circles when we ride by the barn/pasture. The horse(s) in the pasture are not spooking or running either. They are standing around or half asleep.

I hauled him to 2 shows over the course of the last month. The first show was expected to be a smaller show, but turned out to be a huge. At first he was nervous and spooky but settled down after a bit. He stood at the trailer all day like a champ except for the minimal time I saddled him and rode him around the trailer. He was trailered with two mares, one in heat. Our first attempt in the warm up arena with loads of other horses went OK. Jigging, prancing and eventually after a few times walking around the arena with his buddy (my friend’s horse) he seemed to calm down. My only goal was to get him out and successfully let him see the sights and not really focus on our whole riding routine.

We were there a long time, so after another few hours at the trailer, I saddled him up again and headed to the warm up arena with my friend. He exploded. Bucked at a standstill, spooked at everything it seemed to the point I felt unsafe on him and decided to dismount and take him back to the trailer. He fought me the entire way back and when we got back, threw an all out fit, bucking, rearing, screaming as if he was being killed. I made him do circles at the trailer from the ground, changing directions but he would not settle. The outburst seemed to last an eternity but was probably about 15 minutes. I was terrified of him. He had no concern for me at all and though I think I was doing the right thing by not overreacting and keeping him moving, I’m not sure I was. My friend finally returned and my horse literally in that second relaxed and was normal again.

Fast forward to this past Sunday…yesterday to our second show. Super small show, maybe 10-15 people in the warm up. Again, we went with my friend. After about 5 minutes of longing (where he proceeded to kick, buck and whinny) we saddled him. This time, I had my trainer ride him at the show. She was able to WTC fine in the warm up with his buddy in the ring also. For the most part, he behaved. There were times he’d call for her, and times he had to look at every single horse passing by but he mostly did fine. After she had ridden him, I hopped on. I trotted some circles and kept him moving (I tend to be a nervous rider at shows, so I did what I felt relaxed doing so he wouldn’t feel my nerves). Once her classes were over, we lead him back to the trailer without his buddy. He lead back better, but was still whinnying for her. We got him back to the trailer and he was agitated. Untacked him and tied him, and he danced back and forth nervously calling for her. She returned and he was fine again.

Is it correct to call him buddy sour? At home, I can take him out no problem, out of sight of the barn, the other horses and no issues. He does get excited when he sees another horse in the pasture and whinnies for his buddies when they are out in the arena and he is in the barn. He never whinnies for them while he is being worked or ridden whether they are in the barn or in the arena. Will he outgrow this with more time and more shows? How can I help him? Some people have said that I should take him to shows and tie him in a rope halter/neck rope and leave him at the trailer to duke it out with himself. Some people say that he is protective over the mares – he is one gelding in a barn with 3 other mares, 4 horses total at the barn where he is boarded.

I love my horse but this behavior is bothering me to no end. Help?[/QUOTE]

I always find it interesting to see people on multiple forums. I didn’t respond to your post on the other forum (because I pretty much agreed with what was already said) but I suppose I can here.

You’ve got a young inexperienced green horse. It can be a fine line to know when to push them, haul them, show them, etc. Personally, I am a fan of getting a young horse to show environments very early on. The more exposure the better. However … you’ve got to be careful when you have big setbacks.

After your horse exploded at the first show, I certainly wouldn’t have hauled to another show within the same month. Clearly there were some sort of holes in the training that need to be addressed, and they are best addressed at home. Create distractions at home and teach your horse to still listen to you through those distractions. I’d rather teach my horse to tie solid to the “patience tree” at home; rather than at a show. Or teach them to still listen to me in the arena, even though his buddies are at the other end. If you can’t do these things successfully at home, no sense in trying to accomplish them at a show.

I don’t know if I would call him buddy sour, but it is clearly obvious that he is insecure in a strange location and craves to be reassured by his “friend”.

Especially since you do have some fear of him when he acts out, I would work on these things at home before you venture out again. Yes, you will have to venture out at some point to get him used to a show environment, but I’d get more steady basics on him first at home.

[kkmrad94]

I had a horse that was boarded in one pasture with four or five mares and he was one of two geldings. He changed into a completely different horse when I pastured him with just geldings and he didn’t have his own ‘herd’. When I tried to take him away from the mares and ride him alone in the indoor he would turn into a completely different horse. After separating him I have had much better luck.

The same horse I took to a show with his buddy and it was a disaster. He is a 15h quarter horse and his buddy is a large over 16h draft cross. Needless to say I got dragged around the arena with my horse frantically trying to keep up.

I agree with other posters… work on separation at home and then go to a show without buddies to see how he does.

[jordanat30]

[QUOTE=beau159;8788194]
I always find it interesting to see people on multiple forums. I didn’t respond to your post on the other forum (because I pretty much agreed with what was already said) but I suppose I can here.

You’ve got a young inexperienced green horse. It can be a fine line to know when to push them, haul them, show them, etc. Personally, I am a fan of getting a young horse to show environments very early on. The more exposure the better. However … you’ve got to be careful when you have big setbacks.

After your horse exploded at the first show, I certainly wouldn’t have hauled to another show within the same month. Clearly there were some sort of holes in the training that need to be addressed, and they are best addressed at home. Create distractions at home and teach your horse to still listen to you through those distractions. I’d rather teach my horse to tie solid to the “patience tree” at home; rather than at a show. Or teach them to still listen to me in the arena, even though his buddies are at the other end. If you can’t do these things successfully at home, no sense in trying to accomplish them at a show.

I don’t know if I would call him buddy sour, but it is clearly obvious that he is insecure in a strange location and craves to be reassured by his “friend”.

Especially since you do have some fear of him when he acts out, I would work on these things at home before you venture out again. Yes, you will have to venture out at some point to get him used to a show environment, but I’d get more steady basics on him first at home.[/QUOTE]

Lol, I want to hear what multiple people have to say because I’m looking for help and I figured one of these two places would be where to find some. I’ve read countless articles and watched numerous videos but it’s nice to talk to people too.

I have a hard time calling him buddy sour also. It’s mostly the fact he needs to respect me and find confidence in me away from home.

I know it is hard to know exactly what is happening, when you can’t see it firsthand. But trust me, I work his rear end off anytime he exhibits signs of not paying attention. I change directions, leg yields, circles, roll backs, etc. That helps at home, but it doesn’t help him at the trailer at shows when I am not on him.

I have done loads of groundwork with this horse, desensitized him to loads of things. He really doesn’t bat an eyelash at much. He’s looky but I wouldn’t call him spooky. He can be in new situation but he’s 3 and I expect that. He also moves out of my space and is not pushy whatsoever on the ground.

He stands tied all day at home. Out of sight of his buddies, in sight of them, it doesn’t matter – cross tied or to the trailer, etc. He doesn’t care – this seems to only appear at shows. At least, the two shows I’ve taken him to.

I am going to try to take him to a few arenas (not a show) alone and see how he responds.

[beau159]

[QUOTE=jordanat30;8789340]
Lol, I want to hear what multiple people have to say because I’m looking for help and I figured one of these two places would be where to find some. I’ve read countless articles and watched numerous videos but it’s nice to talk to people too.[/QUOTE]

Wasn’t saying it was a bad thing, of course. I do the exact same thing. Different boards; more people!!

@jordanat30;8789340

He does get excited when he sees another horse in the pasture and whinnies for his buddies when they are out in the arena and he is in the barn. He never whinnies for them while he is being worked or ridden whether they are in the barn or in the arena.

…

He stands tied all day at home. Out of sight of his buddies, in sight of them, it doesn’t matter – cross tied or to the trailer, etc. He doesn’t care – this seems to only appear at shows.

More description is good. In your first post, it made it sound like he WON’T stand tied at home on his own when other things are going on.

[QUOTE=jordanat30;8789340]
He rides nice at home for the most part but can be very excited when a buddy is out in the pasture. When riding with someone else in the arena at home, he does fine - he seems to only exhibit his excitable behavior when the horse is in the pasture. [/QUOTE]

From your first post, this is definately something to work on. Create the situation at home, so you can work him through it.

[QUOTE=jordanat30;8789340]
I am going to try to take him to a few arenas (not a show) alone and see how he responds. [/QUOTE]

Great thing to do. Helps you haul him to a new place, but leaves out the show environment.

You can also have another friend or two haul their horses too, to create a few more distractions.

[sandsarita]

Babies are just fun (part sarcastic, part true). I currently have a 3yo and have had numerous in the past so feel for you. But it will be so worth it in the future. The part of your post that to me says you would have trouble at the show is that at home he doesn’t like to work by himself at home, reacting to the horses in the pasture. At a show, in a new situation that he doesn’t like, is basically an amplification of having horses in the pasture nearby.

I would spend lots of time at home getting him comfortable working away from other horses. Even working with another horse in the arena, have the other horse leave, and continue with your work even if he doesn’t like it. If they aren’t comfortable at home, they aren’t going to be comfortable at a show. Also if he is safe to tie when he is upset and you have a safe spot, tie him in the arena as horses are coming and going. It helps significantly for numerous ones.

As far as what to do at a show, to me a tired horse is a good horse (at least at the beginning). At the show you said you lunged for 5 minutes, and he was acting out during that time, and then your trainer got on. For me, I would lunge even longer - lunge until he stops acting out. If they allow you to lunge in the show pen, I would do this in the pen if it is safe. Once he stops acting out and trots around nicely, then just bring him in to you, and let him stand there just watching things. Then take him along for a walk at a show seeing the grounds, grazing, etc. You may not even climb on him at the show. It needs to be positive experiences.

Consider taking him alone if possible. That way he has to depend on you, not the other horse with him. Some horses will bond to you in a major way. (almost too much at times). I personally have a small barn, and have more trouble at home than at shows. They all initially get upset when their buddy leaves and they are loose, but if I am with them, they are completely relaxed. When when I leave, they holler a couple of times and quit. Then holler again when they hear my gates open between house and barn. But they have all learned that time alone with me is a good thing - grooming, petting, etc. And they all, even the greenbean 3yo, knows that when I am working with them (riding, lunging, showmanship), their attention needs to be on me. I don’t do anything drastic when they get distracted, just calmly say this is your job, stay here. Most often what works best for me when riding is working on collection, moving the hips to the inside - something with body placement. That is hard on them mentally and physically and brings them back to me quickly.

Good luck, it will be worth it in the end.