Separation Anxiety?
Last post 06-04-2012 10:35 PM by tnelson. 6 replies.
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05-17-2012 7:36 PM
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SeaLightning0801
  - Joined on 05-06-2012
- Foal
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Hi Everybody,
I am about to sell my horse. I don't know what to do anymore - and I was wondering if anyone else had dealt with something similar and had some experience with it? My trainer won't get on him, or train us anymore, and I am now left alone with this problem.
I am a good technical rider, and when I bought my 5 year old TB 9 months ago, I have done a LOT of groundwork to have him get to know me and learn to trust me. I have basically turned around this horses attitude in terms of people. He was very abused in the past, so when I got him, I was aware that he has some issues. But I wasn't aware of the extent!!
This horse is by now very trusting and happy with me as his leader on the ground, but as soon as I get on him, I literally pray every day that I don't fall off and get kicked in the face..... Just to eliminate any questions. I have tack that fits him, I had the vet check him numerous times, his teeth have been floated, and he does not appear to be in any kind of pain. I also had the Chiropractor check him out twice. I got a "go" from everyone.
He has such extreme separation anxiety when I am riding with another horse that I can not get him to focus on the work. Even if the horse is in the same arena, if he is not directly behind it, or I ask him to do anything he freaks. He will try to buck me off, threaten to rear.... And its not just a little innocent buck, its a full blown explosion. Two weeks ago he almost fell over backwards on top of me, he reared without a warning - except that I didn't notice a horse walk past me the opposite direction.
Everyone, including my trainer, agreed that he is being a bully, because he definitely prefers horses over me and doesn't care about being ridden..... It appears to me that the previous owners fell off a lot, and he learned this behavior. When the slightest thing goes wrong he gets this angry eye and freaks... An example: I have him trot over a cavaletti and everything is fine - he's green so he's not super confident going over them anyway - but its pretty good.... Suddenly he gets sloppy and slightly clips one rail. A TOTAL madness! He gets angry and bucks like a maniac.
And this happens all the time, and it just started right after I began putting just a little more pressure on him and ask him to collect, or basically direct his attention to his training in general.
And there are many dominant signs obvious during the whole process. When I lunge him, he will try to hit me with his front legs, wags his head in the air, bounces around, and kicks towards me. Totally disrespectful, but as soon as I do groundwork with him again, he will be an angel..... I'm lost for words.....
Any thoughts? Maybe ideas what websites are good to read?
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SpottedPony_horse
  - Joined on 08-03-2005
- Western Pennsylvania
- Under Saddle
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This sounds somewhat like problem a poster on another board had. She bought a young warmblood gelding from a farm known for producing quality horses. She was experenced with handling and training young horses and spent the next two/three years doing ground work with him. When she started undersaddle training, he started fighting her. She'd start over in his training in case she missed something or he didn't understand. He'd be ok until she started asking for just a little more, then he'd start fighting her again. This was just 'getting him broke' type training, just basic going forward and giving to the bridle type stuff.
She had his mouth, teeth, neck, back and legs checked, everything was ok. She tried different bits and had her saddle checked, nothing helped. She sent him to trainers, he'd be ok for a while, but when he was asked to do a little more, he'd start to fight, and he was getting worse and worse. The only trainers who had any sucess with him were the 'cowboy' trainers who willing fight back and make him behave and work. She didn't want a horse that she'd have to fight with to do the very basic stuff with, that's not why she got him.
She felt he was too dangerous to sell, so she donated him to her state's vet school. A procedure was performed upon him and he was put down. Further examination didn't find any problems either. He was about six years old.
I know this isn't what you want to hear, but like this horse, your horse may just be wired wrong and there is nothing you or any one else can do with him without the risk of getting badly hurt. There are too many good horses out there who are willing to work and learn, so why spend time on one who doesn't want to and will fight without warning.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do with him.
Spotted Pony
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48northfarm
  - Joined on 03-01-2009
- Port Townsend, WA
- Horse of the Year
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I've heard that you only retain maybe 50% of your leadership under saddle once you're mounted. Basically, as far as the horse is concerned, once you're in the saddle you have disappeared. Some horses are more likely to ignore you u/s than others, and since he has been abused, you have more work to do with him. You've done good ground work with him, but he needs more. The idiots that trained him to dump them--they didn't think they were training him to do that, but they certainly were--showed him that he could get away with it. Now YOU have to deal with that.
Please don't sell him to another home that will not understand him. Keep him, but find a competent trainer that understands the connection between horse and handler. You do not want a "cowboy" trainer who can beat him into submission and ride his bucks, you want a trainer who never makes him want to buck in the first place. A natural horsemanship trainer is likely to be the kind of trainer that you need, but others know the horse/human connection, too.
You didn't say that you started him like a complete youngster, but I think you may need to. You did the right thing by doing a lot of ground work, but it sounded like when you thought he was ready for riding you just got on him like he was a "finished" horse. Is he an OTTB, not just a TB? If he has raced he needs a different kind of re-training. If he came off the track and the previous owners didn't know how to work with an OTTB, he's likely very angry about being ridden the way they did it, and he's showing it. He's going to need re-training, so that he doesn't see being ridden as something he hates. That's why he's bucking: he wants you off and he knows how to do it, courtesy of his previous owners.
Even if he is not an OTTB, he was not started properly. He hates to be ridden, so he must be re-trained to enjoy it. Act like he is a youngster, not 5, and train him as though he knows nothing. In fact, he really doesn't know anything, at least not anything good, except the ground manners you taught him. If you've never started a youngster, find a good trainer who starts youngsters all the time. Your current trainer is not the right person to help you with this horse. I suspect that this horse could be re-trained easily by the right person, b/c you were able to turn him around in his ground work.
Please give him a chance. Horses are rarely bullies by nature, they are taught to act like that by a human. Don't make him pay for the idiocy of his previous owners, or he will be sold and sold and sold again with nowhere to find a real home. Enlist some help from a competent trainer: with this horse you need to get everything right with his re-starting or you will have a train wreck. You've got a good horse, and he's told you that he trusts you by the way he behaves on the ground. Now you need to trust him, too, when you show him that you can convince him that being ridden is fun.
Good luck. He's relying on you to show him a new way.
Megan
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"The horse you get off is not the horse you got on. It is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible, the change is for the better."
Anonymous |
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SeaLightning0801
- Joined on 05-06-2012
- Foal
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It's almost like you actually met the guy :) I totally agree with everything you said... Also, I believe that I have done a pretty good job at rehabilitating him, but I did indeed not start him like a completely green horse when it came to riding. Even though I am a very gentle rider, I still need to step back even more to give him a chance to learn.
I agree that I couldn't sell him without feeling incredibly guilty. He deserves a good home, and I really hope that I can pull this off with him. Also, I don't want the next person to fall off him. I notice a very slight change since I have never fallen off of him (despite his stunts) and he appears to change his mind in the last moment at times.
For example, I would notice everything in his body tensing up and I am ready for the next rodeo, and suddenly: nothing, he lets me convince him to stay calm. Of course thats happened on rare occasions, but it is in some way a step forward.
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48northfarm
- Joined on 03-01-2009
- Port Townsend, WA
- Horse of the Year
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 SeaLightning0801:Even though I am a very gentle rider, I still need to step back even more to give him a chance to learn. It's good that you are gentle with him, but he's expecting something much different and he'll retain those memories forever. They will always be in the back of his mind, so be careful. As you are gentle with him, also be very consistent and effective. If you baby him you will not improve the situation. Don't be mean to him or aggressive with him, but be clear about you want and be prepared to back up your requests. SeaLightning0801: I notice a very slight change since I have never fallen off of him (despite his stunts) and he appears to change his mind in the last moment at times.
For example, I would notice everything in his body tensing up and I am ready for the next rodeo, and suddenly: nothing, he lets me convince him to stay calm. Of course thats happened on rare occasions, but it is in some way a step forward.
He IS learning that he can't dump you so easily, but I think that he's also realizing that you don't treat him like the others did, both before he bucks and also after he bucks. Good job. He's lucky that you own him now.
Keep us posted. Remember, treat him like he's a completely green horse as far as riding goes. Go really slow, and give him an opportunity to learn that things can be better.
Megan
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"The horse you get off is not the horse you got on. It is your job as a rider to ensure that as often as possible, the change is for the better."
Anonymous |
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BoyleHeightsKid
 - Joined on 01-03-2006
- Shanksville, PA
- Competitor
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What has the vet checked for in this horse? Have films been done of his back and neck? I would suspect kissing spine. This horse sounds like he's in a lot of pain.
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horsecare/1379/58084.html
I worked with a really nice mare that looked fantastic on the lunge and in long lines, was wonderful on the ground and was dangerous the second you tried to get on her. She was diagnosed with kissing spine.
Has blood work been done?
I would haul him in to the nearest vet hospital or school and have them totally go over him.
Are any of these people you're working with experienced with OTTB's?
What is his diet? Please be very specific as in brand and how many pounds a day.
What is his routine and how much turnout does he get? Is he turned out with other horses? If he is, how is he with them? Usually when they have separation anxiety they are attached to one specific buddy.
A good rider rides transition to transition, a great rider rides half-halt to half-halt!
~Robert Dover
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