At 05:20:41 on 23.02.10, kibby wrote:
i have recently started my new ex racer at some shows.. he has been fantastic, as long as we are doing something, he constantly needs something to do or think about, which makes it very difficult when i am waiting at the jumping arena... wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to solve this.. at the moment i am just constantly walking him round and never standing for too long. as soon as i feel he will start to get restless and shuffly i will walk him round again its eith that or we get into a huge struggle..

At 03:25:11 on 24.02.10, BobbyJoe wrote:
Ahhh yes! I may have somethings for you to give a try to. I had the selfsame problem with my ex-racer gal Rosey. TB's are taught to go go go go go, run faster forward faster from an early age. So, the one thing they are never taught is how to NOT GO. LOL Nor are they encouraged to relax and breathe. The first thing I had to do was check the food, get her off of any oats, anything that encouraged high busy behaviour, go onto a simple diet. Then, it was a matter of teaching her to stand tied. That required me to bring her in, tie her to the tie rail, and.... let her learn to "just stand" Any jigging and jogging was met with a voice correction. Any just standing was met with verbal praise. Consistancy and repetition were key. The first askings were of time periods from 5 minutes, then 10, then 15, etc. Bring your cuppa coffee, a good book, sit down and read while correcting and praising, be close enough to be a support system, but not so close as to interfere. I found also, that having a "buddy" there helped to settle her jets while she was undergoing her just stand learning. Another thing I used to help her get the idea of my expectations, food. I would tie her, throw her a couple flakes of hay and let her eat, then continue standing. After that, it was time to just sit on her and ask her to just stand. That's it, that's all. Just stand there, with me on your back. Again, starting off with short time periods and building the required behaviour into her. Hope that helps some.

At 11:26:04 on 24.02.10, kellyt wrote:
Hello, i had exactly the same problem with my ex racehorse!The first time i took him to a show i couldn't even get on and he spent his entire time just jogging around me in circles then we went home again!people were looking at me like we were both nuts! And then when he did improve for me to get on him it was get on and walk immediatley or he would just rear up constantly. We have sat on cars and nearly put his foot through a windowscreen which was terrifying, so learnt to park away from everyone else. At home his behaviour was getting better and he was learning to wait, starting with very short periods of time and building it up slowly. This was even a problem when leaving the field in the evenings or the arena as he knew he would soon get fed and everything was always done at speed! After spending a long time training him to realise that things can be done slowly and relaxed, he is not so anxious all the time. 4 1/2 years on itook him to shows and he was a totally different animal, walking of the trailer calmly and just standing to eat the grass, and standing like a rock when im on board. It took a long time to get there, but by showing him that i was 'leader' and there was nothing to worry about he now trusts me completely (i think!) and he is a totally different horse, so enjoyable and worth every bout of tears and tantrums we had between us!hope that helps xx

At 06:23:15 on 25.02.10, kibby wrote:
thanks guys.. bobbyjoe, he isnt on any food that would stir him up.. but i am going to try the tie him thing..

At 15:46:34 on 26.02.10, plodalong wrote:
hi, Kibby, it sounds to me like you have a right brained horse, these horses need to move their feet,it makes them feel safe if their feet are able to move, Have you heard of the Aussie tie ring or the Blocker tie ring, it is supported by Clinton Anderson, it is a tiering that comes with a dvd, it teaches your horse that even though he is tied he can still move, but after a while he will begin to stand still.He just needs to know he can move.i use one and it can be used in the trailer,lorry washplace or stable, im not sure how to get a link up but if you google it and have a look see what you think.Your horse may stress more when he feels you are preventing his natural instinct to keep moving.He is a prey animal and running away is a great survival mechanism.good luck let us know how you get on.

At 19:35:53 on 26.02.10, kibby wrote:
thanks plodalong.. yea while im riding him, if he wants to walk now i just let him, if i stand still i praise him.. i dont try stop him because he gets upset.. but i will try the tie ring, sounds like it could help him..

At 18:41:07 on 28.02.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
Hey i have an ex racehorse and you should think about at a race course he will constantly be walked before racing so you need to sort of retrain him because it will probably be his way of chilling out now. It is like biting your nails to kill nerves, you do it without realizing sometimes. It is your job to find something else that will keep him chilled. Why not stand for short bursts and increase standing time gradually. Also you could use T-Touch when your on him on his neck as this will relax him. Remember to praise him for standing. Also practice your standing in general but try to do it in unfamiliar places other than where he is used to standing (for example get him to stand out on a hack instead of in the school) hope this helps. x