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A note on gelding – sometimes it can take up to 3 months for all of the testosterone to work the way out of their system.
Occasionally, but not commonly, if a gelding operation is performed badly, some of the tissue from the testes can be left behind, or one of the testicles can be missed (for example if it hasn’t descended properly) and you will have an animal who can still be colty – they are known as rigs.
Sounds very much like he’s got his default setting switched to ‘flight’ mode – he’s been badly scared in the past and had to run, so now even the slightest thing sets him running.
Building up trust – preferably one-on-one – and setting a strong and reassuring routine will help with daily care. I’d get an experienced re-trainer to help with the riding side of things, as that is when he sounds as if he could be dangerous.
Good luck!
edit: sorry, SL, bit of a synchronised post – you must type much quicker than me!
Posted: 16 Jan 2009 12:14 Post subject:
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We bought an appaloosa gelding who has been castrated as a younger horse.
However when we got him home we found that he still had coltish tendancies. He liked to herd our mare about (one mare and three geldings in paddock) and was quite controlling in the field
Been there, bought that and still got him…. just!
It can be a right royal pain in the bot and I totally agree and understand your decision to move him on Adrian, definitely not worth the risk.Total ditto to everything SL & Sal said. The very best of luck with him T&S and keep us updated of how things are going.
Many thanks to all those that replied with a wealth of information.
We have sat down and studied hard and are going to try some new thing which forum members have suggested!
Appreciate all the feedback and well wishes as well. Very kind .
Will kepep you informed of progress.
Gracias
kevo….
- Total Posts 158
sounds like your gonna have to start from scratch. hes obviously not been ridden much. i would try rebreaking him. question if he has ever been broken in.
If you are having trouble catching him, then you have got to right back to basics, he should want to be with you, try entering his paddock making yourself as small as possible , arms by your side , slow walking, eyes down , at first without even a lead rein or headcollar, arm yourself with a few titbits and just get him to approach you , even if it means standing still for an hour , he has obviously been beaten up and you have to win his confidence back in people.
Why, thank you, Colin.
KJ, you’re just confusing the poor lad now – it doesn’t sound like the horse has never been broken in at all, it sounds as though he has been badly treated.
When you put a saddle on and they bronc and bronc and throw themselves into all sorts of shapes – that is an indicator they haven’t been broken in!
When you put a saddle on and they bronc and bronc and throw themselves into all sorts of shapes – that is an indicator they haven’t been broken in!
It is the way you word and put things SL, class. Made me laugh anyway
No offence there, KJ.
Some great advice being offered here, I once knew a horse who was a Spanish dressage champion that ended up over here…by the time he got here he was a skeletal, muscle-wasted mess, he loved to move and was ful of life but when in training would be stabled virtually all day apart from an hour’s intense schooling and when he went to stud didn’t even get that. Poor beautiful horse, unfortunately there was nothing I could do to stop him going back. And this was a valuable animal!
It does sounds, as Sal said, like he’s in flight mode and his problems are entirely psychological. He’s probably been put through hell and will need the most important things, time and patience. Best of luck with him and I’ll look forwards to hearing how he’ll get on now he has found himself in the ownership of understanding and considerate people!
Try that Monty roberts round penning, people calling him a muppet is all well and good but i would too see them try dealing with an animal with no confidence and no desire too commincate with human or animal. He has broken in spanish mustangs with his methods, this horse comes from similar bloodlines ( anyone says i talking crap kindly go research the ancestry of mustangs).
If you round pen him and get him too at least get him too bond with you so you can at least establish a working relationship. With that at least can start getting his confidence back.
Abused animals are the same in the sense that its building trust in their carer, from their you can work on the animal conidence building measures.
Another tack would be too stable him with a say a shetland who you can do work with and act as the horses emotional cruch.Just had a brainwave. Perhaps he doesn’t understand English and you’d do best getting an interpreter in. Adios Amigo. Si?
I’d try to settle him through routine and TLC before consulting a horse whisperer, personally. Such people can sometimes confuse the issue – sometimes through no fault of their own – particularly when the public watch them in action and think it all looks easy and they can do it themselves. Not to mention it’ll cost a bit to get a horse whisperer in, they’d insist on seeing him regularly and often, for some time too.
You can do the job just fine I’m sure with patience and a lot of care He just needs time to learn to trust you.
I would suggest target training but that better with killer whales and elephants.
Check his feed, try and keep him too organic food without any chemicals, sounds odd but some brands of pet food make pets act like crack heads..
Try that Monty roberts round penning, people calling him a muppet is all well and good but i would too see them try dealing with an animal with no confidence and no desire too commincate with human or animal. He has broken in spanish mustangs with his methods, this horse comes from similar bloodlines ( anyone says i talking crap kindly go research the ancestry of mustangs).
If you round pen him and get him too at least get him too bond with you so you can at least establish a working relationship. With that at least can start getting his confidence back.
Abused animals are the same in the sense that its building trust in their carer, from their you can work on the animal conidence building measures.
Another tack would be too stable him with a say a shetland who you can do work with and act as the horses emotional cruch.Absolutely right about Monty Roberts. The Roberts blanket is one of the most useful pieces of equipment the stalls handlers have and if that fine judge of a man, Sir Mark Prescot, supports him then you can be sure the man is the genuine article.
Read his book "Shy Boy" about his training of a wild mustang. It is a beautiful and moving read. Muppet indeed, genius more like.
For those that have taken umbrage to my reference to muppets………did you see the documentary filmed of Monty Roberts running Shy Boy into the ground until he was so exhausted he could barely stand? Do you really think Monty Roberts continually riding fresh horses to chase the stallion until the end of his tether is horsemanship? It was one of the most saddening and sickening sights I’ve seen. But hey, look at the money it made him…..
As far as round penning goes, it is a damaging and powerful tool, essentially to dominate the horse into submission. More Stockholm syndrome than genuine bonding. I have seen horses totally messed up by the muppets that buy into this as a onesizefitsall solution with horses.
If you use this way of working on a horse that is already scared of human contact, you are likely to shut it down so far mentally that it won’t ever trust again.I’ve seen it done.
And for what its worth, I’ve spent a fair proportion of my life rehabbing horses. Including Iberian horses.
I agree about the rug for the stalls, great idea, but MR didn’t invent it, he nicked the idea from someone else and marketed it as his own.
Some of his ideas are good, and he is undoubtedly a horseman, but above all he is a businessman.
Please be very careful how you proceed with a scared horse, SL’s advice was spot on.I would agree with you about MR on this as I have heard one or 2 fairly negative things about him. However some of his pupils notably Kelly Marks are very competent. Kelly is the daughter of trainer Doug Marks and has a lot of common sense where it comes to handling and retraining horses..
It can be a right royal pain in the bot and I totally agree and understand your decision to move him on Adrian, definitely not worth the risk.
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