Kate asked in PetsHorses · 1 decade ago

Help with horse training...?

I have an eight-year-old TWH gelding who has been broken and ridden in the past, but has been out to pasture for about a year. He is pretty sweet, but a little skittish. I've groomed him and he behaves, he lacks ground manners when leading (he pulls ahead, paws when tied, etc.) How should I start getting him re-broken and trained? Thank you!


Also, he is very chunky, is there something I can do to get weight off before he's ridable? Thank you!

5 Answers

  • 1 decade ago
    Best Answer

    I don't know how much horse training experience you have, but I'm guessing not much or you wouldn't be asking. If it were me, I'd do some basic groundwork with him and then put a saddle on him. Turn him loose in an arena or round pen and free longe him. Watch what he does. If he acts spooky, bucks, or is otherwise afraid of the saddle when the stirrups are flopping on his sides, etc. as he trots, then you might want to have a trainer or experienced rider get on him rather than you.

    You just want to work with him a lot to see how well-trained he is. If you know for certain that he was once trained and rideable, there's a good chance he hasn't forgotten, and you could climb right on and ride off. But if you don't know his past from a reliable source, or are unsure or inexperienced at riding, you could get thrown and badly hurt. That's why you do groundwork, watch him move under saddle, and take things slow.

    You can step into the stirrup and get half way on and pet him on the other side of the saddle, being ready to drop back to the ground if you see any signs of him jumping or spooking. But if he acts like this is old hat, I'd go ahead and swing my leg over and then ask him to move forward in an arc. You want to start out in a snaffle bit or some gentle direct-rein bit. And get him to give his head to you side to side, whichever way you pull. You wanna be able to turn him if he decides to move faster than you are comfortable with. Pulling him in a circle will make him slow down and eventually stop, if you tighten the circle.

    There are so many things I could tell you to try, but I don't want to tell you something that could get you hurt. If you don't have a lot of riding experience and knowledge of horses, you need to have someone else ( a trainer) ride him for you for a month or so, to get him really well-started. If you feel confident with riding him, then go ahead and try some of the things I mentioned above, just be careful. Chances are, you have a really nice horse that will turn out to be a good riding horse. Just know what you're doing or get help from someone who does. Good luck!

  • 1 decade ago

    His training has already started. Every time you take him out and do stuff, he's getting lessons. I'd start with ground manners, get those where you want them and two things will happen:

    1. he will have great ground manners, and he will learn commands that you can also use when you're riding (like whoa) 2. The two of you will establish a relationship in a nice relaxed way. often riding is stressful for people and horses especially when the two don't know each other well. Lots of time on the ground will teach the both of you what to expect from each other.

    as far as being chubby, talk to your vet as they are in a much better position to answer this question than this forum is.

    And good luck! It's fun bringing a horse along!

  • Alice.
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    Longe, longe, longe for the weight problem. And keep him on a diet. If he's still on field, than only one flake of hay a day at most. If not, only two a day. When he starts to lose weight, if you're riding him a lot than add supplements.

    When you're leading and he moves ahead, don't be afraid to pop him one. I'm sure he knows better. Pawing shouldn't be tolerated either. Clap your hands at him or if you're close enough slap him on the shoulder. He'll get the idea.

    Longe with the saddle on. The first time you ride him don't expect too much. Treat him like a 3 year old. Expect him to buck, but don't tolerate it : keep his head up, but be soft in your ques.

    Source(s): I've been training problem horses for about three years now.
  • 5 years ago

    Get him used to general things such as head collars, bridles, saddles, lead reins, boots, gates, fences and anything else he's going to be around a lot. Then, put him on the head collar and slowly build. Start by leading him around with you, rewarding him when he does well. If he pulls, keep a firm hand and voice, tell him that's wrong. Then, put him on the lunge to loose weight and to just see what's he's like. If he looks experienced, responding to ques and other things then that's pretty good. If he's a bit unsure, reassure him, tell him he's good and slowly build it up. I'd also get help if possible because they'll be able to correct you. Hope this helped!

  • 5 years ago

    Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy. As simple as that :)

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