Going to try and keep this short. Had to retire my horse in Jan. Bought a new horse, half Friesian half QH. 8 yrs, Last 3 years has been used as a pony horse at track. Horse is safe safe safe, personable, everything I wanted in a new horse. BUT… 5 months later, and we still can’t get this horse to go in the arena. I mean literally go. Trainer is strong enough to pony kick him to move, but he is always looking for a chance to stop. I am not that strong. I get on and he walks a few circles then stops. Then I spend a half hour kicking and slapping reins on his withers. I have had one decent ride in 5 months. When trainer takes him out of the arena to walk around the property, he is a completely diff horse, alert, happy, ears forward, striding freely out.
Our assumption is that he just wants to be a trail horse. We have had him vetted for pain. Injected hocks, stifles, front coffins. Done shock wave on front heels for tendonitis of the deep digital flexor. All this resulted in huge improvement in his movement. Had a 5500 dollar saddle on trial that fit beautifully, made no diff. Saddle went back. We have tried every western saddle in the barn plus 2 that I mailed ordered that their fitter said would be “perfect”. Neither fit.
I suspect that before he worked at the track, someone tried to Charro him and make him dance. He has scars that look like wire cut scars on both back feet just above the heels. He has scars on both front cannons halfway down the bone. He freezes when hit with a whip, although a couple of times when I have tapped him on the lower haunches, he started to piaffe behind.
Could he be associating the arena with dancing and pain? I have contacted the person I bought him from and he has offered to take him back and trade me for a diff horse. Which is what we are planning on doing, but I just hate to give up on this boy.
If anyone has any thoughts on things we can try while we are waiting for ex owner to send possible new horses (via video) I am open to anything. I do not want to force him to do something he just does not want to do, but I want to make sure I have exhausted all possibilities before I give up on him. He is such a sweet wonderful boy.