Trial Horse Balking

[SaltyAlydar]

Hey all,

I have a horse on trial (YAY), but he started balking in our second lesson (boo…).

Some history:
He’s a 7 y/o OTTB who was relatively successful and has been off the track for a year. He is very green and had quite a lot of inconsistency in that year, but the last couple of months he has had consistent flat work.
He passed his pre-purchase and my vet thinks he is very well put together and sound. We did a pretty basic PPE with flexions and front foot x-rays.

The first lesson I had on him was great. He was nervous and still adjusting to the new place, but he settled and we started to figure each other out. In the second lesson, we were working on halting without throwing his head in the air and after a couple halts he refused to go forward. Once I got him going, he kept balking whenever we would try and go back to work after a walk break. The following day, it was improved, but he balked whenever I asked for the trot after a break.

I’ve texted his people to see if this is a known issue of his and they said he has never done this sort of thing with them.
I also texted my vet to get her opinion on it.

What are all of your thoughts? Is he just testing me? My biggest concern is that it’s pain related and since I don’t own him yet, I’d really like to figure that out!

[Divine_Comedy]

It’s not your horse yet?

Send it back. Don’t spend your time, patience, and money trying to track down an issue on a horse you don’t own yet.

[GraceLikeRain]

“In the second lesson, we were working on halting without throwing his head in the air and after a couple halts he refused to go forward.” How were you going about this? It is really easy to get stiff handed. Do you think there’s a chance that he felt constrained or pulled into the halt and then decided he wasn’t going to go forward?

The fact that it cropped up immediately after an exercise that is very easy to ride backwards I think is a sign that he’s sensitive, smart, and is trying to test things out.

Personally, I’d send him back. He may be an amazing horse but he’s green and it sounds like the balking stumped both you and your trainer. Once horses learn to balk it can crop up time to time. It’s not the end of the world but if you don’t feel comfortable riding through this on your own it can get ugly really quickly if they learn it as an avoidance mechanism.

There are so many lovely horses out there I am always hesitant to encourage someone to move forward with a horse when there are red flags during a trial. If it concerned you enough to make a post then is it something you want to pay for the opportunity to work through?

All of that being said there could absolutely be a pain element going on. However, do you want to take on the potential expenses of ulcer treatment, back x-rays, lameness work up, etc. trying to sift through behavior v. pain on a horse that isn’t yours?

[SaltyAlydar]

Just to clarify, it’s not that we are stumped. I really like the horse and I am confident it’s an issue we can work through. However, I wanted to get a broader range of opinions on the behavior vs. pain debate when it comes to issues like these. EVERY horse is going to have issues, at some point. It’s so easy to write off a trial horse because it’s not absolutely perfect.

What I’m really asking is, are there any other clues or symptoms I can be looking for to help me decide why he’s doing this? He is definitely a smart horse and my trainer is very confident he’s just testing me and not in pain. The only reason I’m posting about it is because I do not own him and I’d like to get more opinions on the issue before I do make that decision.

I hope all that makes sense.

[LookmaNohands]

Saddle fit.

[Gestalt]

@LookmaNohands

Saddle fit.

Ditto, do you have any other saddles to try. How about the bit and your hands, with himthrowing his head upmaybe there is a pain issue there.

[SaltyAlydar]

He’s definitely green to the hand and doesn’t like pressure in his mouth. He’s in a double jointed loose ring and I am careful to be light and forgiving with my hands.
Saddle fit is definitely something I need to check. I’ve been riding him in my jump saddle, but will try him in my dressage saddle today and check the fit of both saddles.

[kcmel]

Was he restarted by a pro? I agree with GLK, it could be something you are doing that he doesn’t like. How long is your trial? Could you have just your trainer ride him for a week to see how he behaves? Of course that won’t tell you that he is going to end up being an ammy-friendly horse but it would help rule out a physical problem.

[SaltyAlydar]

As far as I know, only working students were riding him and it was only recently that a professional has been riding him consistently. My trial is only a week long and will be up in a couple of days. I’m considering asking for an extension though.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Probably not pain but also may not be the right fit. Sounds like you are putting more pressure on this horse than he is ready to accept. Working on halting with most OTTBs requires a ton of tact and is not something I find helpful to school on a green horse. Especially not one that I do not know well. It requires an acceptance of contact that most green horses do not have. You need to first really establish going fwd to the contact…get that really solid…Long before asking for a halt that remains connected.

you May also have saddle fit…but more likely, it isn’t pain but you overfaced him in what you asked…and now you need to rebuild trust. Eta. If it keeps getting better, then I wouldn’t think anything about it. But he is clearly testing you a bit now.

[jazz8899]

My current horse I had for a trial as well, an ottb who had raced quite a bit. After the first week of rosy sunshine, he started balking as well. He tried it constantly for about a month. I had one time where he just refused to go and than he ran backwards into the brush. I hooked a vine over my arm and got a friction burn across my whole arm from it. Than, he just magically got over it. Every once in a while he kinda throws in a couple of steps of questioning but he’s honestly amazing now, he just needed to learn to go. Or, what I meant when I said go. He had a couple of different trainers before we got him, all short term, about a month or two each. He was still very green but I think he was just confused and throwing a fit.

Hindsight, I could kind of see it coming that first week though. His down transitions were terrible and he would get very behind my leg when hesitating about anything. It was like driving a stick shift and dropping three gears randomly. Still a working problem we have to always be on guard for, He’s a very forward, light, and sensitive horse but he naturally just drops back and when in doubt the answer is no. Bright side, he never bolts knock on wood lol

I just brought this up because it wasn’t a pain/saddle fit issue. It was more a training/question issue. He was a very confused guy in a very big world. They allowed me to trial him for 3 months, Bless them, cause I probably wouldn’t have got him otherwise and I love this horse.

[jazz8899]

I also never worked on halting him. That is something I just recently really started on. It was always about going

[CiegoStar]

Yes, it seems wrong but OTTBs actually need to be taught forward. I agree with others that focusing on halting this early is probably too soon for this young horse.

That being said. Personally, balking/refusing to go forward is one of my deal breakers, no matter how green the horse. The scariest experiences I have had are with horses that freeze/balk. I would not personally keep a horse that showed that behavior. Not because he’s a terrible horse but it seems like you might need something a bit more easy going or farther along in his training.

[SaltyAlydar]

Thanks all!! I agree that we were probably testing the brakes a little too soon. I will double check saddle fit, but it makes more sense that he was getting frustrated and confused.

[Training_Cupid]

My OTTB sometimes gets balky (usually slows to a crawl and swishes his tail; every so often will stop completely and very rarely even back up instead of going forward) the first time I ask for a trot in a ride, or after a walk break. It’s been getting better since I’ve been working on generally expecting more respect. Ask nicely and if he balks I do use the whip - not cruelly but enough he knows I’m serious. The timing is very important. I recently started riding with small roller ball spurs. Also my trainer reminds me sometimes I need to sit more lightly, as I can sit too deep at the walk.

[peedin]

Ulcers.

[Trot_On]

My OTTB balked during his trial ride and after much discussion I bought him. I was the third person to hop on, flat and pop over a few jumps. His fun chips were cashed and his stop at the gate was his way of letting us know. Once I said “NO you WILL GO” he said yes ma’am and got right back to work. I felt like there was a cause and effect to the balking, and his response meant that he might test, but he would quickly let it go. I am very glad I purchased my horse, he is everything I had hoped for.

Just recently he started to balk when asking for the first trot. A growl from me persuaded him to work with no other issues. He did that for a couple of days, when he took an off step showing the first visible signs of heel pain. Now that it is corrected he is back to his forward self. Saddle fit or ulcers are often other pain related reasons for balking.

For my horse, a balk when asked to trot at the start of work means “ouch”. A bulge to the gate is " I am bored and want to stop". Your horse may have been saying “I am confused and anxious” . The answer to your question may be in how he responds to getting out of the balk.

Can you rephrase or redirect the question or behavior and he resumes work or does it take a pitched battle to regain work. The balk will be part of his language, is it just a small part or will you see it often. How he responds to you on the ground may give some clues. Fearful, pushy, etc. Perhaps a longer trial will let you know if this is a behavior you can deal with or step away.

[findeight]

His success on the track is meaningless as far as his new job expectations go. Fact some of what he knows needs to be untrained before he can be trained for the new job.

He’s clueless what you want. Not sure you didn’t sour him on going forward when you were trying to teach halt without him throwing his head. Without getting bogged down in theory, you don’t really “teach” that, it goes back to laying a foundation of acceptance of the aids. It’s an end result of a well thought out lesson plan, not a starting point. You say all he knows is forward? That’s probably very true but you harness that power to create collection and some lower gears, you don’t teach it by pulling on the reins then wondering why he throws his head and then doesn’t want to go forward. He might be discouraged, he might even think you don’t want him to go forward and since he doesn’t understand slow…he just doesn’t want to go…and can you blame him?

Theres nothing wrong with understanding where your skill set as a rider is, it’s the mark of a real horseman. IMO this one has not had any meaningful retraining since leaving the track, does not understand his new job and, unless you will be working full time with a trainer who is able to put in a good number of Pro rides (like 2 a week) on a regular basis plus teaching you (another 2 times a week)? Probably not a good match for your skill set and budget. Really, usually when you first buy them, they are as good as they can be ( thanks to more work getting them sale ready) for at least a few weeks…if this is as good as he can be?

Don’t think he’s a match for you. Not a thing wrong with admitting that and sending him back. He’s too green for your skills and ability to keep him in a consistent program so he can learn from a skilled rider right now. Life’s too short and horses too expensive to be in over your head with one. Honestly, I’d be over my head with one at this stage…I never had the patience or time, Colts were easier.

IIWY Id put the money towards more lessons and learning more theory and training technique, maybe from a different trainer.

[Rnichols]

Sounds like he just doesn’t know what you want from him. He is probably just frustrated and trying different things until he gets the right answer.

I got my mare off the track about a year and a half ago and did a LOT of work on the lunge with voice commands. That way she at least had a little bit of a clue of what I was asking her to do undersaddle. Also we worked a lot on going forward - my trainer always says forward, balance, rhythm, suppleness, straightness, and you can’t have one without the preceding one. So you have to be forward to do anything. Anyway, from what you said and knowing nothing else, it really sounds like he’s just doesn’t know what you want yet.

Oh, BTW, I always love seeing other people from Northern California on here! Sometimes I feel like I’m the only one LOL

[sdlbredfan]

@bornfreenowexpensive

Probably not pain but also may not be the right fit. Sounds like you are putting more pressure on this horse than he is ready to accept. Working on halting with most OTTBs requires a ton of tact and is not something I find helpful to school on a green horse. Especially not one that I do not know well. It requires an acceptance of contact that most green horses do not have. You need to first really establish going fwd to the contact…get that really solid…Long before asking for a halt that remains connected.

you May also have saddle fit…but more likely, it isn’t pain but you overfaced him in what you asked…and now you need to rebuild trust. Eta. If it keeps getting better, then I wouldn’t think anything about it. But he is clearly testing you a bit now.

My bet is on this.