adjisted for a long while. Left him for a few days to settle in. Went to see him today and groom him and his behavior was very odd. He wouldn't stand and let me brush him instead kept moving around just making things very difficult. I had him tied but he even tried to pull off the halter. I have never been particularly confident with this horse, I feel a little intimidated by his size at times. Also I haven't ridden him for about 10 months. Not sure if he just needs to settle into his new surroundings or what it is really. I am keen to ride again but a little reluctant to do so at the moment. Generally he is quiet, easy to catch and I haven't had any problems when riding him. Any suggestions?
Answers:
WOW I know EXACTLY how you feel! Recently got a 10yr old Thoroughbred and was highly intimidated by his size. When we first got him he was nervous and would run the fence line for 3 or 4 days. When haltered or tied he would pull and prance or toss his head. Didnt want us to brush him or anything. We rode him on the 4th day of having him and although a little bit bratty he learned who we were and settled down after about a week. The best thing you can do is get on him and ride him...ALOT. Personally I know it is hard with thier size (ours is 17h) but once I got on him and showed him I wouldnt put up with his crap he was an angel. He is now my favorite and it was worth the patience and work to have such a wonderful horse. Good luck!
get on him and ride, horses need exercise as much as anybody. Relocation stress is resolved by riding your horse and letting him know were home is. He also senses you uncertainity about him and babying him or yourself will not help. Give him something to do something to look at somewhere to go. A little work never hurt a horse or a person either for that matter. I would put him on a lunge line and work him into a sweat. bet he will stand when you curry him, then get him and ride for a while. Horses are a lot like people, they are less exciteable when tired.
he might be collicing u need to make sure that there is alot of movement in his stomach..put ur ear to his belly... if he paws at his stomach or if he lays down.! collic is the #1 killer of horses.
He moves around you and invades your space because lack of respect of you.with the halter and lead rope on, make him move to the left or right ( you choose the direction) do this a couple of times then stop him and try to brush him standing still. Each time he invades your space and moves, put him to work again, to the left,and right, backwards and lead him forward. stop. and try to brush him again ,until he stands still.then proceed to tied him and see if he stays calm. he will settle in his new surroundings in time . do not ride him until you do a lot of ground work with him with his saddle on. but first make sure he now really respect you on the ground before you get on him again.
yeah usually i wait for about a week to let them settle and also horses can feel that you are intimidated by them which makes them think that you dont know what you are doing so they are going to try to push every button you have, in order to not be afraid he should be your best pal, take him out and work with him on moving cues where his pressure points are like backing him up with your fingers, lightly on his chest at first and then harder until he moves away from your touch when he does release that is his praise, it will make him think and after awhile you can get him to move by just pointing a finger he then will realize that you are his boss and no the other way around and in turn he will love you with all of his heart , do this too many areas of his body, trust me it works, you will feel more confident when you lightly touch him and he moves so that you know if he does get too close for comfort instead of having to shove him around just push
Horses are just like people and they are very smart. I don't really think it was the right thing to do leaving him to settle in, because he probably felt like you did not want him anymore and just left him there. I know it sounds wierd, but he was probably sulking about loosing your love all those day's you were not with him, and now if you felt uneasy when you finally did come to see him, he senced it, and does not trust you anymore. You can build his trust back, but it will just take a little time. I would spend as much time with him as you can for a little while, to show him you still love him, and whatever you do, don't be around him when you feel uneasy, because he knows when you feel this way, and he won't understand that your just scared of his size.
He can sense your nervousness and that makes him nervous too. You need to relax. Take a couple deep breaths. If you can relax, it will help him to relax. He is also probably nervous as this is a new place, and it will take time for him to adjust and realize this is home.
Talk to him as you are grooming him. Pet him. Give him treats. If he is still fidgety, I would get a lead rope with a chain and put that over his nose, or just use his regular lead if you don't have one, when he moves, give a quick pull on the lead to get his attention and tell him "Stand" firmly. Reposition him using pressure on his sides to get him standing where you want him. Praise him when he is doing good and standing still. This worked for me when I was outside trying to bathe a fidgety horse...by the end, he was standing very nicely.
As you haven;t ridden him in so long, I would recommend starting with lunging. Tack him up and lunge him. Get his head back into riding. Have him walk, trot, canter in both directions. Work on him listening to your voice. If he is doing well on the lunge line, then you could try riding him. Take it easy at first. Make sure someone else is in the barn in case something happens. Wear a helmet. If he was good before, more likely than not, he will be good again!
I hadn't ridden one of my horses in over a year, I lunged her for a few minutes, then got on her. She was perfect. It was like she forgot her bad habits! I was very surprised.
Give him more time. He is nerbous of his new surrondings. What you could do is lunge him to get rid of some energy.
Like any thing he needs time to adjust to his new surrounding as you would need to adjust to a new job or school. Take time with him and just walk him around the place and relax , before you ride him lounge him or work him in a round pen if you have access to one then when you feel ready ride him .You'll do fine don't be afraid your horse will pick up on you and be anxious as well relax .Good luck
I would give him a little more time to settle in. If he appears to be getting worse, you might take mental notice of his surroundings. I don't know where you live, but if you live way out in the country, there may be a lion, cyote, bear, or even a wolf lingering around--which would cause him to be very insecure. It may even be someone's excessively aggressive dog that appears to be kind to people but not other animals.
He needs some attention and the only way for him to get it is be mean. If you don't feel comfortable with him then sale him so he can be ridden or learn to ride him
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