UPDATE 6: Will it always be this hard? Adult ammy and her OTTB woes

[coffeehag]

This entire post really hit home. I do love the shit out of my OTTB, but right now it’s just so so tiring.

We just did the back injections and while he’s moving better, he’s still having the weirds over the poles. My trainer doesn’t really ride (she’s older) so I’m putting my Very Brave Friend on him and see if it’s a me issue and honestly I might just send him to a trainer for 90 days to help.

I would love to keep him, to get over this, but at the same time, we’ve been gone from working on ground poles to popping over 2’ verticals to back to ground poles again and I’m going to have a conniption.

[trakehners]

Definitely recommend getting someone else on him just to be able to see things from the ground - my main issue with my guy has been the canter, in that we absolutely could not hold a lead to save our lives. It was partly because of his SI situation, but when it still wasn’t fixed after the injections (though it was better), I eventually came to the realization that the issue was me and how incredibly crooked I had become in the tack (yay for four and a half years of bad coaching followed by four and a half years with six lessons total). I spent most of my December rides without a saddle to force myself to stop leaning and we still can’t reliably canter in a straight line but at least we aren’t swapping on circles anymore

I’d refer you to my Instagram to see the five hundred times that I said we almost had the canter together over the last two years, but it depresses me so I’m not going to do that hahaha. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt on making progress and then taking what feels like a hundred steps back. What makes me feel better is looking back on those early rides when we couldn’t even steer and realizing that we’ve made a lot of progress even if the incremental change from day to day isn’t always positive. We “regressed” a little bit tonight in that we were nowhere near as put together as our lesson yesterday, but we can canter a pole without charging it now and I count that as a win (it’s the little things).

Baby brain won’t go away overnight, but getting some training rides on him definitely could help if you feel like that’s what’s best for both of you. You being frustrated (whether it’s with him or yourself or both) won’t be productive for either of you (ask me how I know, lol) and getting that clear picture of what he’s doing and education for him from a pro may help you guys get over the hurdle. It’s not a failure to ask someone else for help if it’ll be a net positive for both you and your horse, it’s using all the tools in your toolbox and finding the best solution.

And really, the five/coming 6yo year is just A Time for them psychologically, before you even throw in any physical challenges. Half the time they’re grownups and half the time they might as well be two years old. My horse has settled down a ton in the last six(ish) months and I really notice it in our lessons - he used to get really worked up and frustrated when we would try new things that he didn’t understand, and now he gets a little tense but it seems to just be from him trying to work through the problem that’s been presented to him (as much as a horse can, anyway). A year ago we’d have to quit after forty minutes because his brain was fried and now we get through our full hour without any significant trouble. I can think of multiple horses (of various breeds) that I know personally that grew up a ton coming into their 7yo year - it just seems to be the time for a lot of them.

[Fiesta01]

@eponacelt

But they’re still horses and will always have days that make you question your life choices.

I call those the “got up on the wrong side of the stall” days.

[findeight]

The back injections, like most other IA injections, do not last forever. Be aware.

[coffeehag]

I’m fully aware and am working with some of the foremost experts in Kissing Spines. The injections are a patch, if I keep him he will probably get surgery.

[coffeehag]

You are truly my new best friend.

I feel so seen with this post. I thought about you a lot to day when I spoke with my trainer and we made a plan. My much more confident/experienced adult ammy friend is going to hop on the gelding tomorrow, see how he is, and ride him for a week or two.

If the problem persists – he’ll go to a trainer for a month or so. If it doesn’t and I’m the problem… well, we shall reassess!

[trakehners]

I hope your friend and/or the trainer help! Feel free to drop me a PM if you ever want someone to commiserate with about it

[blue_heron]

I’ve never had a big biting issue with a youngster until now… very food motivated and up in your business. Gets upset when there’s no reward when she thinks she deserves one. It’s so easy to get her to do things for food (she has little other motivation) but I hate the mouthiness. No “Come to Jesus” moment has fixed it yet.

[endlessclimb]

For one like this where a quick reprimand turns into a game to them, I give nose noogies (hands on both sides of the muzzle, rubbing firm and fast like scrubbing) when they get lippy. Oh, you want attention? Here, have a noogie. Oh, not the attention you wanted? Then bugger off.

[blue_heron]

She would love this. The closer she can get to you, the better.

[endlessclimb]

Do it harder then, with knuckles if needed.

[Lunabear1988]

That’s soooooo my gelding lol.

It’s a struggle! Cliche as it is, I stopped feeding any treats by hand. I’ve never given a lot of treats but we were giving him a treat after a ride. This actually wasn’t too much of a problem until we started to be very consistent with carrot stretches. Then he got really mouthy. So no more treats by hand. For carrot stretches I try and do what I can just in the halter. Or I use something a little less enticing. Like a handful of hay pellets or a salt lik it thing.

Come to Jesus moments work with mine but I have to be quicker and harsher then I would normally like to be. But anything less is just a game.
Lol.

[Jarpur]

Years ago, I heard John Lyons recommend this.

[cheektwocheek]

My naughty newbie was gelded last May. I try to use this as an excuse for his bad nippy behavior. Mine just turned four, even attempts to nip my boot while I’m in the saddle. Chicken arms away, he’s too much.

[Pokerface]

The trick I was taught, which I have found to work well, is to flick them on their nose so that they can feel it, but can’t see that it is actually you doing it.

My mouthy gelding got treats when we were starting him, but only occasionally now, as I don’t want to constantly be reprimanding him and I definitely don’t want him begging all the time. My mom tends to shower them with treats, so when he lived there, he was quite spoiled. Now he is boarded and it is not safe for a 17.1hh horse to be begging everyone for treats. The rest of the horses at home… different story lol.

[Dressagelvr]

The OP said that the horse had been diagnosed with kissing spine.

I didn’t borrow anyone’s crystal ball or anything.

[coffeehag]

I’ll be sure to tell the Kissing Spine expert who sees my horse on a regular basis that he’s wrong bc an internet stranger said so

[aregard]

@Lunabear1988

It’s a struggle! Cliche as it is, I stopped feeding any treats by hand. I’ve never given a lot of treats but we were giving him a treat after a ride.

I still feed treats, but I am very deliberate about it. I take the horse out of its stall, and drop the treats (noisly) in their mash tub as we leave, so the horse is aware treats are waiting. Now, you will all immediately tell me that horses don’t have long enough memories to recall such a thing after a 1.5 hour ride. I would agree, except she heads for those treats every single time. because she’s learned that after she goes on a ride with me, there are cookies in her bin.

I also give treats when tacking up because she’s girthy. So, I put the saddle on, girth on one hole each side. Then I walk her in the barn aisle to the mounting block. Take up the girth one hold, put a treat on the mounting block. She picks it up from there. Walk again, another hole, another treat on the mounting block. Etc. *small cookies. size of pellets"

I don’t hand-feed because she’s a horrible beggar. Took me weeks to break her of the scouting-for-cookies habit.

[CBoylen]

This sounds perfectly reasonable, and yet somehow reminds me of the one that, coming in from a trail ride, dropped its shoulder just enough to get a chatting on the buckle me off balance, and then bolted flat out, finally losing me at the turn by the outside arena. I found it in the barn aisle, nose-deep in the cookie jar. It was only hilarious since I wasn’t actually dead .
I’m saving the cookie reward incentive until after I’ve seen evidence of good behavior.

[SuzieQNutter]

Sorry I haven’t read the replies, however from your firstvpostcI would say check your feeding. Your horse is no longer a baby at 6 years old.

There is a saying.

It is one thing having a fat tb in your paddock. It is your own fault if you can’t ride it. A lot of research has gone into that saying.

That said, training Sim as a 6 yo. We knew when he had a day off. There was a lot of extra oomph. Now he is older it doesn’t matter how many days he has off.