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OTTB Becoming a Bit Unruly -- Ideas?

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  • #21
    Originally posted by classicsporthorses View Post
    I have not read through all the replies so bear with me. If he's good with a halter and lead rope than just do that next. Why go right for a Chain??? If the chain does not work then what? Shot him.


    This works on little, big, baby, older horse, light horse or full draft. It's basic manners.
    OTTB's are started with a chain and are rarely lead without one while still at the track. I've had several OT horses and learned quickly to just use the chain to start our new relationship....consistency works!

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    • #22
      KR, I bet that making sure to always use a halter will be sufficient. I would never lead a horse anywhere without one. It's just not worth it.
      I tolerate all kinds of animal idiosyncrasies.
      I've found that I don't tolerate people idiosyncrasies as well. - Casey09

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      • #23
        Originally posted by RiverBendPol View Post
        All of the above and I like to have a tiny treat in my pocket to give as I remove the halter to discourage the head-rip-out-of-the-halter-and-gallop-away-into-the-field-behavior.

        What if your OTTB isn't into treats then what? I have a friend whose horse is horrible about this because of bad barn help. He will pull you off your feet as soon as he gets into the pasture even with a chain.

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        • #24
          Originally posted by Hawaii View Post
          What if your OTTB isn't into treats then what? I have a friend whose horse is horrible about this because of bad barn help. He will pull you off your feet as soon as he gets into the pasture even with a chain.
          What kind of a horse isn't into treats? Unwrapping a peppermint will stop just about any horse in its tracks.

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          • #25
            Originally posted by grayarabpony View Post
            What kind of a horse isn't into treats? Unwrapping a peppermint will stop just about any horse in its tracks.


            FWIW I don't lead my non-OTTB incredibly well behaved home raised boy with just a lead rope, why teach him something bad? I think KR could maybe use some basic horse handling lessons, to be safe...
            "Kindness is free" ~ Eurofoal
            ---
            The CoTH CYA - please consult w/your veterinarian under any and all circumstances.

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            • #26
              The horse isn't unruly, he doesn't know any better because he's most likely never been handled so casually.
              It's a uterus, not a clown car. - Sayyedati

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              • #27
                Originally posted by grayarabpony View Post
                What kind of a horse isn't into treats? Unwrapping a peppermint will stop just about any horse in its tracks.

                OTTB doesn't like peppermints, carrots, apples, or horse treats. Horse takes hours.to eat his grain. He is a really hard keeper. Does great on free choice hay, alfalfa, and grass.

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                • #28
                  Originally posted by Hawaii View Post
                  What if your OTTB isn't into treats then what? I have a friend whose horse is horrible about this because of bad barn help. He will pull you off your feet as soon as he gets into the pasture even with a chain.
                  It takes as many sessions as it takes with 2 halters and leads, and 2 handlers (regular and a backup big enough to stop the horse). Start with an empty paddock, so you can leave the gate open if necessary.

                  If the horse starts to bolt through the gate, turn him around and walk back toward the barn. Re-approach as many times as necessary until he walks through calmly. Once inside, make him stand facing you. Unfasten the throat of the top halter. If he jerks, refasten and walk back out of the paddock. Repeat. Once he stands for the throat latch, start to slide the first halter off his ears (this is why you have a second halter and the horse facing you). If he jerks back, put the halter back on and repeat walking out and in.

                  Basically, you keep working through the release process a bit at a time until the horse is polite. If he likes rubbing or grooming, do that instead of a treat. Otherwise, release at the end is the reward. And make sure you stand in the paddock facing away from the closed gate with the horse facing you, so he'll pull away instead of running you over.

                  This last bit, I'm comfortable doing as a refresher with my own horses when they are very fresh or are starting to get a little quick about pulling their nose out of the halter and need a manners refresher. YMMV, and use common sense. Before I slide the crown piece off the ears, I loop the lead rope around the horse's neck just behind the head and hold it tight under the throat with my free hand. If the horse jerks back when the halter comes off, I still have some control and can make him stand (this is where you really want to make sure you're standing so the horse is going to pull back rather than seeing a path to bolt forward). Then I release the lead, pulling it off his neck, and let the horse loose for real.
                  ---------------------------

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                  • #29
                    If a horse isn't into treats, then do something he likes instead--a scratch behind the ears, or scratching/rubbing the withers.

                    If he's so not into food that he doesn't submit to the power of the peppermint wrapper, though, it's also a possibility that he has ulcers.
                    "The formula 'Two and two make five' is not without its attractions." --Dostoevsky

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                    • #30
                      This isn't rocket science. I think King's Ransom knows how to undo what she did in this case.

                      But keep your eyes peeled for other cheeky, testing his limits behavior. Some horses are really perfect when they get to a new place because they know it will keep them safe. When they feel safe, they relax enough to let a little bit of ego and testing come back.

                      I do like a horse who will let me break basic horsemanship rules. Leading one by a rope, or his forelock is a privileged to be earned, and a skill to be taught. It's not for the first 30 days home! But that does come from teaching the horse what you want while you can reinforce that with a halter or chain if need be. It also comes from teaching them that the same rules apply no matter what the equipment. If you are always "packing heat" and waving it around, you don't teach them to respect you when unarmed.

                      JMHO about making broke horses. No damage done here, I suspect. I'm sure Cooper will get back in line quickly if told he must. An OTTB *does* know where those are, at least with respect to handling on the ground. I also think setting up the habit of being attentive to you on the ground will help when you try to teach him a very different set of rules under saddle than the ones he has known.
                      The armchair saddler
                      Politically Pro-Cat

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                      • Original Poster
                        #31
                        Just an update. I put his halter on this morning, and a treat in my pocket. He was an absolute angel (his usual self). We walked quietly out to the paddock, walked around a bit. We whoa'd. We backed up. He stood quietly to remove the halter. I gave him his treat, and a few pats and then he walked off.

                        Thanks for all the good ideas.

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                        • #32
                          Originally posted by King's Ransom View Post
                          Just an update. I put his halter on this morning, and a treat in my pocket. He was an absolute angel (his usual self). We walked quietly out to the paddock, walked around a bit. We whoa'd. We backed up. He stood quietly to remove the halter. I gave him his treat, and a few pats and then he walked off.

                          Thanks for all the good ideas.
                          That's the thing - you never know! But it's good to be prepared and remember to never underestimate the unpredictability of a horse

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                          • #33
                            I guess all kids have to see what they can get away with sometimes. Glad it worked out okay, and the most important thing is everyone is safe and happy.
                            You can't fix stupid-Ron White

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                            • #34
                              KR, sounds like you've got a smart one. Good for you! I love a horse that is always thinking. It will keep you on your toes, but it will also keep you from getting casual in your dealings with your horse. That's a good thing.

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                              • #35
                                my first thought was that you don't have him long enough to be this familiar with him.

                                (as for all of you with the 'WHY EVER WOULD YOU' I don't see a reason why not, on your farm with your horse, when only a little direction is needed, vs full fletched control, or to adhere to over all barn standards. one ought to be able to lead a horse around with nothing more than a tug on the mane, too, when you live closely with them as KR obviously does)

                                I don't see you having any problems with just a halter, you probably don't even need a nose chain. I would diagnose Cooper as a smart-alec. had one of those myself, too clever for his own good.

                                maybe over time you can go back to just the rope on the neck. Maybe he will always that poophead you give an inch he takes the mile and a half

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                                • #36
                                  Originally posted by Posting Trot View Post
                                  If he's so not into food that he doesn't submit to the power of the peppermint wrapper, though, it's also a possibility that he has ulcers.
                                  When she purchased the horse he was full of ulcers, one of the worst cases the vet had seen. After several scopes, many many rounds of gastroguard, preventative with succeed etc his last scope showed his stomach was 25% scare tisse. Such as shame, he's a beautiful mover but a spooky worry wort.

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                                  • #37
                                    KR, I'm sitting here chuckling at your idea of "unruly." I was expecting something more than "he left because he figured out I couldn't stop him with just a rope around his neck."

                                    I'm glad he was a gentleman again when you used the halter. With just the rope, he wasn't misbehaving any more than you gave him the room to do so. And, as someone else said, you never know.

                                    When my mare recovering from being paralyzed in her hindquarters, I'd let her graze in the yard. She couldn't move very fast and I got into the habit of just draping the lead rope around her neck when it was time to come in. I knew she was well on the way to recovery the day she turned and trotted away, saying "Nope. Not gonna follow you and you can't make me."
                                    Last edited by mp; Dec. 20, 2010, 02:03 PM.
                                    __________________________
                                    "... if you think i'm MAD, today, of all days,
                                    the best day in ten years,
                                    you are SORELY MISTAKEN, MY LITTLE ANCHOVY."

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                                    • Original Poster
                                      #38
                                      MP -- Thanks. I chuckle, too. I keep a high standard for my horses in terms of manners, so when I said "a bit unruly" I really meant, just a little bit.

                                      Was thinking this morning of when Elijah arrived here -- fresh from an A-Circuit dressage barn (retired to me due to injury). Ack! He had no clue what ground manners even were! 17h and 1600 lbs of unruly -- and not just "a bit." He broke three halters the first month he was here, ran THROUGH a gate, pulled two tie rings out of the post / wall, took out one support beam in the barn, was food aggressive, kicked out behind, and would kick and/or bite when groomed or girthed up. Now HE was a project! He is a perfect gentleman now. A real cupcake. It's hard to remember that he was a fire-breathing dragon at one time!

                                      And then there was King -- who had to wear an iron muzzle because he was a confirmed biter, was finally sold to me because he had double-barrel kicked a barn worker, and had a reputation for being "vicious." He was a bit of a project, too -- though so many years ago now it really is hard to remember.

                                      Cooper, in comparison, is just playing softball!

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