Is it possible that my horse is just (really) lazy?
My horse is a four year old Thoroughbred gelding. I got him in Dec. ‘07 and started riding him in Jan. ‘08. Before I had him, he raced and had some time off (turnout). He is, quite literally, the laziest horse I have ever ridden. I am training him (with help) to be a hunter. I showed him this past weekend in crossrails and I was smacking him all the way around the courtasy circle just to get him to wake up! I have broken 2 crops and sometimes ride with spurs (although my trainer doesn’t like spurs until the horse is older). Even when I ride in an open field he just lopes along. He has a very mellow personality in general but can be spooked sometimes. He jogs sound, is at a healthy weight, all my tack fits well….I just find it hard to believe he was ever a race horse! Any suggestions???
He raced and won $15,000…feet are mostly good, just a little thin-soled
I doubt that his spirit is broken, and I disagree that all ex-racers are lazy. I have exercised many race-horses myself, and I once got on one in a field (I was training to go back on the track), and he stood in the middle of the field not moving. I had never seen a four year old colt that wasn’t fighting to take off, and I kept waiting for him to do so. It took so much work even to jog him. After a week or two of jogging I’d gallop him up the hills and just make him move. Before long he was so fit and so used to his routine of galloping up the hills, he’d try to take off. I guess he just began to have fun running again, and that made him a pleasure to ride.
Another thing that I’ve found works, since you don’t want to teach your horse to run off, is focusing on transitions. Get a forward moving walk and ask him to trot nicely with a little leg. When he doesn’t respond right away enforce it immediately. Make him move at a forward pace for four strides and ask for a walk. Immediately release pressure on your reins and make him really move at the walk, and repeat. I know it sounds tedious, but these kinds of exercises really work, because the horse understands. When he does it correctly a few times, call it a day. Don’t overwork him and I’d stay away from jumps until he picks his feet up. Ground poles, if you do them correctly can also help with this.
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