Hi. I can understand your situation. Where did you buy him from - a dealer? I need to know a bit more before I can give really specific help. What feed have you been giving & in what quantities? What is his age & breeding? Does he get kept in, turned out during the day only or is he out 24/7? Depending on where you are it is either winter or summer. If you are in winter then the answer needs to take that into account. It sounds to me like your fella has too much excess energy - you've feed him too well. Feed needs to be balance with work done - that's why some of us are fat!! Feed hay rather than hayledge, cut back his hard feed & get advice from your feed merchant on non heating foods. My herd do really well on alfalpha but it sends some horses nuts. Get the idea out of your head that this relationship is on the rocks, it's not! You need to meet his dietary needs but not fuel his exuberance. Don't try to ride him until he is calmer & you can safely work with him from the ground. This is a case of a learning curve not a disaster. The fact that he responds to food like this may help you to stay together longer. Too often a plodding horse becomes too safe as our experience grows. At least you can zip this one up a bit. Good luck & answer my questions please. I can offer more specific help then. Cheers, Jo.

Hi jo, he is a dutch warmblood & he is 12 years old. I didn't it him off a dealer, he was at a local riding school, but not sure how they acquired him, he has excellent blood lives and his grandfather is jazz, the great dressage horse. He has been on a lo cal balancer, alfalpha & sugar beet, (he doesn't keep weight on well, hence the sugar beet) since I hafe had him, I did try him on a non molasses show mix, but this made him worse, so went back to basics. It is winter here (uk) he is turned out everyday unless it's really raining, from 8- 3 atm, he was out from 7-5 when I first got him late summer. I admit that I havnt done as much work with him due to the colder weather & now my nervousness with him, although generally he is well behaved when doing simple stand, back up exercises,, but has taken to being crazy before lunging him. Oh he is also on placid by Dobson and horrell. I hope that helps, appreciate any help or advice.

Apologies for the spelling mistakes, I hope it made sense. Also he is on 1 scoop of balancer, half scoop of chaff & 1 scoop of sugar beet in the morning, 2 of balancer, half scoop of chaff and 2 of sugar beet in the evening.

Hi, just to add another question...what reason did the riding school give you for wanting to sell him and do you know when he was last used with a client in the riding school?

they didn't use him in the rising school as they said he wasn't suitable for beginner riders, but was being ridden by one of the girls who worked there. Maybe u should have thought about the answer to this question myself.

Hi. If I were you I would start with a worm count. He is so big he needs more than 1 syringe so has possibly been under wormed & built up a worm burden. Many years ago, when I bought my Apollo, he had a worm count of 5000 - anything over 3000 is potentially fatal but don't panic, we were together for 24 years - he was 38 when he died. Sugar beet is likely to be your problem - too much!! I assume you're feeding hay. I would change to hayledge, change from sugar beet to speedy beet in a lesser amount & feed it warm using chaff not alfalfa. Hayledge is more appealing to horses & can be bought in small bales. If you use haynets then give him 2 nets at night. It needs to be used within a week of breaking the seal. I would also up his work load, initially schooling him loose. Yes, perhaps the fact that he was unsuitable for novice clients should have rung alarm bells. Bloodlines are all very well but often no thought is given to the temperament. Dressage horses are not necessarily 'nice' to be around as they need 'zing' to catch the judges eye. Make the changes 1 at a time. Start by feeding speedy beet, warm. If you change 1 thing at a time it's easier to monitor what's working for you. Continue to ride other horses to rebuild your confidence. Try & discuss your fella with the person that used to ride him - perhaps they would be generous enough to share information about him which would be a great help. However, if you get a rebuff that might be a sign that he has a history of being a bit of a monkey & they have off loaded him as too much of a handful. Check out to see if you have an Intelligent Horsemanship rep locally as they can give you great support & assistance. Keep us posted & good luck. Cheers, Jo.

Thanks Jo for all your advice, I will try and make the changes you have suggested, 1 at a time. Yes I agree probably should have rung alarm bells, but he just spoke to me and he isn't nasty and I don't think he means to be naughty, especially after I had a lesson with him today, he was a dream, but we stripped it right back and did a lot of listening exercises, just simple stand, walk, trot, stand, trot etc, he was such a good boy. I will up his work abit to and see if that helps. I will do anything I can to get over this, because I know just what a good boy he can be. Thankfully I have him stabled at a yard that is totally into the monty method, so I think that's half the battle. Thanks again

Hi Lsmiths82,
Did you have his saddle checked by a saddler? Do you longline him with the saddle?
Most ridingschool horses have poorly fitting saddles, his shoulder might be too tight under his saddle.
You're right to make all changes gradually, so you can seewhat makes the difference.
Consider yourself as the horse's advocate, he's trying to tell you something with his behavior. When you get it right, he'll thank you for it with all his trust!
Keep us posted,
Miriam

Hi. Fantastic that you had a good day. Horses are incredible- mine are all smaller but then I'm under 5 ft & look silly on a big un! Pimple on a mountain. I believe no horse wishes us harm. They put up with our silly ideas & try really hard to get it right for us. It is our responsibility to try hard to get it right for them. You are on the right path. There will be mistakes - that is inevitable but keep the faith, go back to where it was working & start again. Your fella will thank you for that in the long run. Keep us posted - we care about how you get on & we can offer help when you get stuck. Cheers, Jo.

Miriam I normally long line him with a roller on. I have also had his saddle checked, back checked and teeth were done when I bought him. I bought a new saddle and had it fitted when I bought him, I didn't take his heavy and poorly fitting saddle they had at the riding school. I think most the time he likes to test me, see how far he can go before I give in, but I'm not going to give in, he means the world to me, I think he has been badly treated in the past, as I used to have issues touching his ears, which we over come. We had some issues today getting the bridle on, another of his test I'm sure, because some days he is ok and others he isn't, but I'm going to work on this and get him to love the bit and bridle like the horse monty worked with, Georgia I think. Like I said I think he is testing me out and seeing if I'm worthy of his love, and some days just doesn't want to play ball with me. Will keep you posted with my progress, a new hurdle each day with him.

Hi - it is early days yet at 14 weeks and he has to learn to trust you and that you won't hurt him or use equipment that hurts him. You have a long journey ahead but you have found out early enough what you are in for :-)
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I feel angry on your behalf that a riding school would sell you this horse bearing in mind your specification and if I didn't sense that you love him I would be spouting legal stuff and saying send him back. But I think your heart has been stolen hahaha so onwards and upwards. He is lucky to have you.
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Go about everything now as if you have all the time in the world. Enjoy the learning together, take your time and above all keep it simple for now. Looking forward to hearing all about your progress.