How to deal with the perpetually fresh horse...

[RAyers]

I’m going to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th BeeHoney.

All I ride are OTTBs. Feed almost NEVER affects hotness. That is an old wives tale well debunked by equine nutritional studies.

My last upper level horse was perpetually a kite. Seattle Slew grandson. Could jump a car (literally did when they were used on xc as fences). The best way to settle him was 5 minute 3/4 speed gallop sets on a 1/2 mile butte that took us 30 minutes to ride to and from. I would do that at least twice a month in the off season.

Good OTTBs are bred to have no bottom. They will kill themselves to run. That is what their heart and DNA tell them to do.

I would get out of the arena. Trail ride, gallop, even do dressage and other flat work anywhere else other than the ring. Galloping and jumping in the snow is a blast! Gotta be safe about it though. Trails help the horses focus without pressure from the rider. Working outside of the ring forces the rider to be conscious of all aids and to getting lazy by using the wall or fence as the outside aid, thus making the horse and rider communicate more effectively. If you have to work in the ring, NEVER work on the rail.

[Edre]

I owned a horse like this for ten years. I agree with @RAyers above. The best thing that I ever did for us both was to get out of the arena.

To expand on that a little: “Wearing him out” before a ride (or during a ride) was a laugh. I’d drop dead before he would - it’s a zero sum game, you won’t win. It will get worse the more fit they become. Lunging or anything to physically tax them prior to “actual work” was a giant waste of time.

Within rides, if I was willing to “go forward” I gained more ability to come back. (A distinction: my eternally fresh horse was not particularly spooky. He was just forward, strong, and quick. If you dropped all contact with his mouth at the halt, he’d take himself into a walk, then trot, canter, and end in a gallop - without any rider encouragement. He would stay at speed of his own preference.) So for me, letting him move out and be forward gave us more ability to package and take back.

Likewise, instead of thinking about “physically taxing” work (“Lunge until tired!”) think about mentally exacting exercises. Change it up, keep the brain focused, challenge them. (Cavaletti exercises are great for this, especially if you have a hand on the ground to switch up distances between poles or height of the poles.)

And then absolutely, get out of the arena. Go for a gallop. Do a five mile trail at a power walk. One of the best things I discovered for long-term peace in our partnership were trails. Just walking, but he marched forward and came back happy, relaxed, and about as tired as if we had done an extensive work but the good mood lasted longer.

[Bristol_Bay]

@BeeHoney

I just want to point out that while everyone loves to blame bad behavior on the feeding program, research has not corroborated this POV. I would argue that trying to induce submission in a horse through underfeeding is a poor training technique. Many of the hotter breeds that are known for their fresher behavior are also horses that simply cannot maintain an appropriate nutritional status on a diet of grass hay, limited pasture, and senior feed.

My horse is unrideable on alfalfa. He is not underfed on timothy, oat hay, and rice bran. Feed absolutely affects energy level.

OP, have you tried riding in a running martingale? If not, I would try that before using draw reins.

[keepthelegend]

Just a simple response, but I would turn her out more and ride her longer. You aren’t going to make her super fit from normal riding. If she doesn’t do much when turned out or is still too fresh, turning her loose in the arena or lunging her 10 minutes until the bucks and wildness are out can help a lot before you ride her. Cold weather can create a lot of pent up energy, it’s easier not to fight it and just let it out.

[Justice]

You may have a jumper on your hands! Try to harness the freshness instead of changing it. I had an older TB mare who was not fun to hack and train on but put her in the show ring and she could not get enough.

[Bristol_Bay]

@RAyers

I’m going to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th BeeHoney.

All I ride are OTTBs. Feed almost NEVER affects hotness. That is an old wives tale well debunked by equine nutritional studies.

Do you have a link to to any of these studies? I’d be very interested in reading them.

[Bending_Line]

Have you tried working her in company, where she has a solid citizen to follow? You have to be careful, of course, that she doesn’t set off the other horse, but maybe she would benefit from following a steady horse around (and standing around a little while the other horse works independently, too)?

[RAyers]

@Bristol Bay

Do you have a link to to any of these studies? I’d be very interested in reading them.

Regretfully, because these are from scientific journals, they may not be available to the public.

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.nutr.17.1.185#_i5

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/128/12/2698S/4724374

https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20103321432

Here is the study that shows that most horse owners don’t really understand the feed and nutritional requirements of horses:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080609006054

You can read the synopsis online at the Horse magazine.

[awaywego]

@RAyers

from. I would do that at least twice a month in the off season.

Good OTTBs are bred to have no bottom. They will kill themselves to run. That is what their heart and DNA tell them to do.

Agree with this 100%. (Although I have a super lazy Seattle Slew grandson :lol:. His bottom comes up pretty quickly but he’ll always try.)

On the days my TB mare comes out hot, we work on just having a nice rhythm. When i focus just on the rhythm I think she finally starts to let go of her anxiety, and with some time, we can usually get to a pretty stretchy long trot. I also walk first for sometimes quite a while until I feel her walk starting to relax. THEN I move to the trot. I don’t move on to anything til the previous step is relaxed. Sometimes this means that I run out of time and all I did was walk. I think that works for her too - to know that sometimes she comes out and just goes for a walk.