I should change his name to Seabiscuit, how to slow him down?

[Bank of Dad]

So now I have a new arab gelding, age 5, and we are going to the trainer, doing flat work, and going out on the trails. He hasn't had much flat experience, but I was told he had a year or more of trail riding experience. He is not spooky, ground manners are great, he's a sweetie, with a lot of confidence. In the ring he is slow and pokey, the trainer loves him. On the trail, however, he is quite animated. He will walk quiet, prefers to lead in front of the older quiet horse, but really wants to go go go.... So we do lots of walking, slow trotting up hills. Twice he took off up the hill and tried to go straight to gallop which surprised me and my friend. Sometimes he bucks out if he gets too animated. I turn him, try not to let him get his head down as we start off, don't let him get away with the bucking out, keep him moving out.

I am thinking that lots of transitions from trot to canter back to trot, just like in the ring to slow down a fast horse, will help? Or just keep walk and slow trot during the rides? I either take him out alone, or with one other person. And a cell phone, helmet, and name tags! It sure takes a while to get to know these new guys.

[Chief2]

We purchased a 7 year old app/tb/arab off a hack line were he had been the fastest running horse in the barn for a couple of years. That's all they ever did with him was run him over the trail and on the property. He was so fast, the water streamed from your eyes, and the ground was nothing but a green-brown blur. He ran towards things, away from things...he even tried to run backwards. High strung and fast as the wind. What a handful!

We trail rode extensively with the horses, and that horse never came out of a walk the entire first year out on the trail, no matter how nervy or spooky he got. Walked on the property, walked in the state forest, walked by dogs and bikes and hikers and spooky rocks, and walked and walked and walked some more. After one year, he could go into any gait, and still be brought back to a walk, almost instantly. Cured the blasting off, the running away, the rearing in surprise, and even cured the spooky rocks.

Turned out to be a fabulous trail horse.

[Petstorejunkie]

Agreed. You will have to stick to slow pokey walk until he is trustworthy on the trail to still have brakes. I would also reccomend lunging before a trail ride to let him get his ya ya's out.
He wants to take off up hill because
a. it's fun!
b. It's easier for him to do
c. it puts him in control
transitions will help but also calmy and diplomatically setting those speed boundaries with him will do the most good.

[Bank of Dad]

An email I just got from his previous owner mentioned that he bucked for the young person riding him. Who knows if they did anything to correct it. I think his reschooling needs to start now.

[Auventera Two]

I don't know too many 5 year old Arabs that want to just plug along at the walk for hours on end. ;) Arabians are used in endurance racing for a reason, my friend! Seriously, just trot the horse out for a mile or two if you can. I've found this really helps to get my Arab focused. I always joke that the first 5-10 miles is just a warmup, and then we start REALLY riding.

[Bank of Dad]

AT, I know yours was a hotty. Is she still? What did you do on the trail with her when she was young?

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

Ah, the Energizer Bunny arabs... I have one, too!

Mine was a rescue, so I have no idea what he did before I got him. When he came to me, he had 2 speeds... stop and fast. I ride alone too, so we did lots of walking on the trails until I felt like I trusted him enough. He sure didn't like it, but I was determined that we were going to learn to walk before we started trotting on the trails. It took a few months, but he finally learned that it was ok to walk on the trails and even (gasp!) on a loose rein.

Then we started trotting, and it was right back to square one... he wanted to run again, especially going up the hills. I would just keep half-halting, as many times as it took, until he got the point... sometimes it took a few miles for him to settle, but he eventually did. Now we can go out and do long conditioning rides at the walk and trot, and he's completely relaxed (took probably about 9 months total).

Now we're working on the canter... I think it's going to take a long time, but we'll get there eventually.

Good luck, and stick with it!

[Auventera Two]

AT, I know yours was a hotty. Is she still? What did you do on the trail with her when she was young?

Yep! :lol: Sometimes I get a little annoyed but remind myself - "Well, then next time don't buy a Greyhound if what you really want is a Bulldog." :winkgrin: I wouldn't really say that she's "hot" but she's just full of it. She likes to go fast, and basically has no use for any gait slower than a canter. She used to do some crazy spinning when something spooked her, but she's past that now. She's a really good girl, but still very much a baby.

I have to keep her mind busy. We do haunches in and leg yields, and lots of transitions when I'm riding with someone else who is going slow. Otherwise if I'm riding with someone not afraid to move on down the tail - I just get her in a nice working trot and let her trot it out for as long as she likes.

[Bank of Dad]

Today and yesterday I went out alone. 4 hours yesterday and 2 hours today, on a new trail. He was content to just walk on a loose rein, looking a lot, one or two arab moments. Yesterday, I did a lot of walk -trot transitions, he didn't speed up or buck. Today, cause it was new and shorter, we just walked and he would of, could of, gone faster, but he didn't push it. I don't mind fast, its out of control gallop I don't want.

[JackSprats Mom]

Today and yesterday I went out alone. 4 hours yesterday and 2 hours today, on a new trail. He was content to just walk on a loose rein, looking a lot, one or two arab moments

Sounds like he's getting it. Just keep going slow and steady, there is no reason to allow anything else. The trouble with having to trot the first 5-10 mins to calm down is you get what you teach, so you'll have a horse you HAVE to do this to.

Keep it slow and calm, he will get it. Even my trainers stallion who is SUPER fast on the trails learnt that when asked to walk it means WALK. Took a year of walking out on trails. And if HE can do it (the horse) your horse can :winkgrin:

[katarine]

Repetition and calm work. I have a bottomless 5YO TWH that can't be run down. He'll go all day and ask for more. What helps with him is to ignore the first mile- he can jig and wiggle and such and if I just let him be, he'll talk himself out of it. Don't anticipate a day's worth of PITA or he'll just give you what you're asking for.

Lots of quiet, soft, careful, forward circles. Whoa, then walk off before he's antsy. whoa, then trot off before he's antsy. Go back to the basics of overall speed control. sit soft, breath deep, soft eyes, soft senses. My SO cannot ride this horse- he gets the slightest bit annoyed- the horse goes empty headed and nutty. Ride him everystride with calm intent, he's pretty good. Good luck.

[SonnysMom]

I had an Arab as a teen-ager that the previous owner used to do endurance with. He would drag me all over the place. Right before I sold him I went to work at a hack barn that used mostly Arabs- yes, for beginners and on trails. 95% of them went with a hackamore. My arab, Shafar, went from me having to run him into big fluffy pine trees to stop him to being able to put a dead beginner on him.
It seems that many of the Arabs that are hot are really hot because they want you out of their mouth.
These were what I guess you would call a mechanical hackamore NOT a rope halter. It was like this but shorter cheeks.
http://www.valleyvet.com/western-hackamore-bits/Mechanical-Hackamore-953

Only one of the Arabs went with a bit, the Arab/QH preferred a bit and all the non-Arabs had bits.

[Bank of Dad]

He was so quiet today with the trainer watching us, nice flat walk, slow trot, slow canter, both in the outdoor ring, and on the outdoor grass flat area. All on a nice loose rein. So much potential, I just have to work at riding him quieter and giving him time.

[BigHorseLittleHorse]

It seems that many of the Arabs that are hot are really hot because they want you out of their mouth.

Arabs frequently have low palates, so they can often be quite irritated by a regular snaffle. Mine prefers a thin mullen snaffle... I tried him in a hackmore noseband (http://www.doversaddlery.com/product.asp?pn=X1%2D0853&ss=hackamore), but he completely ignored it. Haven't tried a mechanical hackamore (I just don't trust him enough yet:))

[Bank of Dad]

I ride him in an eggbutt french snaffle, which his previous owner said he went well with. He doesn't seem to mind it one way or another.

[Margaret Campbell]

Its more work for a horse to walk up hill than to trot/gallop/bolt etc! It's like lifting weights s-l-o-w-l-y. That may be why he is a little more keen to get to the top of the hill. If you do lunge him I would lunge with the idea of 'warming him up' and for obediance. I think this helps a nervous/hot/green horse, because there is no added distraction of a rider on his back. I underated doing this, until I started doing this for my 'special needs' appendix QH. Initially it took me 20-30 mins to get him relaxed and attentive to me. Often there would be a big 'fright and consequent buck, which I passively discouraged. i.e it didn't take him long to figure out he was making more work for himself. Now I barely lunge him 10 mins, and he is so much more agreeable. I don't always lunge him before a ride, but usually after a break or in a new environment. I think it helps put him in the work mode and set the tone for the days activities. I tell him how fast/slow I want him to go, and when. Not him. I also think it helps with bonding with your horse, and vice versa.( He can learn that he can rely on you to be calm and mater of fact when he sees the dreaded horse eating twig lying on the ground, and no mater what he does, he's here to do a job i.e work for you)You can learn a lot about his personality as well while working from the ground. I know people who encourage their horses to act out on the lunge, but if you want your horse to behave/pay attention under saddle, they should behave/pay attention to you while you're on the ground, as far as I'm concerned:)
I also did this for an Arab I owned, and it definitly helped him to have a calmer outlook on life. Never ran off with me. Could go 90miles an hour with his hair on fire. Memories of my eyes watering, and heart palpatating! But very politly stopped on my request. -I had also had asked him to go. Wanted to see if he had ethinol in his tank! And yes he did! He was a good horse to gallop. Happy to go as fast or as slow as I wanted him to.
Your horse sounds like he is settling down already. I personally never met an Arab that wasn't a valadictorian in the brain department. Like all super-beings, they just have to learn to use their powers for good not evil:D

[Bank of Dad]

Thanks, he's really smart. He relaxes on the trail mostly, walks quiet on a loose rein, and now is trotting quiet for short spurts. He still wants to take off and lunge forward and run when I ask for a canter, usually up a long sloping grade and doesn't stop easily, so I think he needs more walk and trot time. I think short canter transitions would be good after a while. He canters very slow in the ring, but his adrenaline is up on the trail. Although I have desensitized him to bikes, one came suddenly around a curve and he did a 180 and took off a bit, but with a loud "whoa" and a gradual one rein stop, he stopped, then went to meet the bike and was ok. He was ok with 2 more bikes that were behind our other horse, but they let us know they were there.

I usually do lunge him a bit, to judge his reaction level and gradually tighten the saddle.

[patti]

More walk. More trot. Very little canter (you can do cantering next year! <smile>).

Rinse. Repeat.

Make haste slowly.

FWIW, I have a very amped-up NSH. Have had him for two years now. Did nothing but LSD with him as a 5 y.o. with an emphasis on SLOW.

Last year did a couple of LDs and a slow 50, and this year he's done a couple more slow-to-midpack 50s and a couple of CTRs, which he went to alone to grow his little brain and learn to rely on me, and not his herd (we've got three horses we compete and went to the other rides with at least one barnmate). Lots of dressage work throughout. He's still easy to get amped up, but his brain comes back quicker and quicker and he's never allowed to go fast of his own volition. (I drive the bus.)

Next season I'm hoping to do his first hundred and I don't regret for one minute the fact that we've taken it slow. Au contraire, I'll have an 8 y.o. with clean legs, a good record, a well adjusted brain and the ability to pace even in company, and a solid base of conditioning that will serve us well for years and years to come.

--Patti

[Bank of Dad]

Thanks Patti, that's encouraging. I can definately do the walks and slow trots. I feel safer anyway. He is very comfortable and relaxed at a walk, so its not like I have to fight him. I'll probably be riding on my own for quite a while as my riding partner is horseless at the moment. I may be able to connect with a friend once in a while.

Did you do all this riding in the same areas, or did you trailer to different areas. I can do either. How did you keep him sane in his first large group rides, or first endurance rides?

[patti]

... easily right out of home, so did lots of that during the week. Or beginning dressage stuff -- this horse had no concept of bending or tempo so that was really good fundamental stuff for him.

I was really fortunate to have a friend with the same level of green bean, so we'd meet up on the weekends about 45 minutes from home to ride on some really mountainous trail. We'd walkwalkwalk, learn to deal with scary bridges and/or creek crossings and/or other people/horses/deer/grouse, and trot for about 50 yards or 'til one or the other of them lost either their brain or their balance (my experience is that young horses often RUN as an answer to a loss of physical balance).

Two hour or so rides. Long enough to get their attention but not long enough for them to lose the fun.

We did do some rides with larger groups, up to six, but that is a lot of brain overload for a young horse. Am glad we did it, but it was tough on him.

Be very choosy about who you ride him with these first couple of seasons.

For his first few LD rides, I tacked up as the other horses were going out. So he didn't go out in the pack. In fact, in his first 50, I don't think he ever saw horses other than his own little posse, which included two friends doing their first 50 -- we started last and we turtled!

Quite frankly, he still hasn't gone out with the pack. My 100-mile horse, now 13 and in his sixth (?) season, couldn't safely and reliably go out with the pack until about his fourth season. Who cares? Now he goes out with the gang and you can almost hear him containing himself and saying "good heavens, better suck it up and slow down, this could be a 100."

Mind you, I'm entirely a "finish is to win" sort of girl and Top Ten only by accident or attrition. :-) I'm in it for the long haul, and want to ride these boys for THOUSANDS of miles, not Top Ten them for two brilliant but brief seasons.

[Mel1219]

I had an Arab as a teen-ager that the previous owner used to do endurance with. He would drag me all over the place. Right before I sold him I went to work at a hack barn that used mostly Arabs- yes, for beginners and on trails. 95% of them went with a hackamore. My arab, Shafar, went from me having to run him into big fluffy pine trees to stop him to being able to put a dead beginner on him.
It seems that many of the Arabs that are hot are really hot because they want you out of their mouth.
These were what I guess you would call a mechanical hackamore NOT a rope halter. It was like this but shorter cheeks.
http://www.valleyvet.com/western-hackamore-bits/Mechanical-Hackamore-953

Only one of the Arabs went with a bit, the Arab/QH preferred a bit and all the non-Arabs had bits.<a

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07576-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

[Bank of Dad]

Why respond now? This horse is long gone. Sold to a very experienced rider, and he's just as nutty as before. She's just less scared than me.

[ChocoMare]

Why respond now? This horse is long gone. Sold to a very experienced rider, and he's just as nutty as before. She's just less scared than me.

Greenie...first post. Not paying attention to DATE OF THREAD. ;)

[minuspride]

My boyfriend's horse is just like this. I originally didn't want him to get this horse as he was a dead beginner. But, this horse has spectacular ground manners and is great about everything but riding. Once your butt hits the saddle this guy is ready to go off at a lope/canter. I spoke with my trainer about it and she thought maybe someone hadn't given him the courtesy of a prepatory signal.
We've been working on the "whoa" by walking and stopping. I count up to a certain number and give him the "whoa" signals, breathe out, lean back, and then touch the reins. When I first get on him I go to five, when he is quiet with that I move on to a ten count and gradually increase. We've recently worked up to walking around the arena with ease by the end of the session. When I first got him on him, I had a friend ride her calm and cool old mare at a nice easy walk and do the walking and stopping with me. That is the only other horse he's been permitted to ride with yet. He is true to the Arab breed by hating getting his face yanked on. It's a long road but I'd rather have a happy horse at the end of it than several horse accidents. Good luck, it's always hard to just walk when you know all of your friends are moving off at a wonderful canter.

[tree88]

I had an Arab as a teen-ager that the previous owner used to do endurance with. He would drag me all over the place. Right before I sold him I went to work at a hack barn that used mostly Arabs- yes, for beginners and on trails. 95% of them went with a hackamore. My arab, Shafar, went from me having to run him into big fluffy pine trees to stop him to being able to put a dead beginner on him.
It seems that many of the Arabs that are hot are really hot because they want you out of their mouth.
These were what I guess you would call a mechanical hackamore NOT a rope halter. It was like this but shorter cheeks.
http://www.valleyvet.com/western-hackamore-bits/Mechanical-Hackamore-953

Only one of the Arabs went with a bit, the Arab/QH preferred a bit and all the non-Arabs had bits.

The Link listed above for valley vet is broken. The correct Link
is:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_search_results.html

Teresa

[tree88]

[QUOTE=tree88;4642709]The Link listed above for valley vet is broken. The correct Link
is:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07576-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

Thanks,
Teresa