my sister in law has an old horse she uses just for pleasure riding. He's a gelding, ~26 years old. Things were getting a little tight and the place she was boarding it was crappy, so guess who got volunteered to horse sit? . Since we have space, we (my wife) offered for me to fence off an area for it and we'll keep it at our place. its still her horse, i just get the honor of feeding it LOL. My s_I_L is 14, loves horses but i dont think she fully understands the work that goes into keeping a horse. she comes over once a week or so and rides him a little or whatever. (im getting to my point, i promise). when she rides him, he seems to get a little rambunctious, and runs to the corner of the fence to spin and show off for the stud horse behind us.

i would like to work with him some to see if he will settle down a little bit. i have a young daughter who would love to ride him (she rode him in the past when he was a little more calm natured). the problem is, i dont know squat about horses. i havent been around them since i was a little kid, and even then it was in a limited capacity. i take him and walk him around some on a lead rope but thats as far as ive gone. if i continue to walk him will it help (i know, hes not a dog LOL). or is settling him down outside of the realm of a non horse expert? being as hes old and broken well, trailers well, etc. im hoping hes just a little shaken from new territory and will settle down a little?

any advice/help is welcome and appreciated.....

 

Get help,( and not from some kid that says, "I've had horses my whole life") especially if you plan to have your young daughter get involved.
That horse will probably settle down with regular use, although at 26, too much use will cripple him.
Very few horses make it to 30, and usually become quite arthritic before then.
Don't get stuck with huge vet bills, trying to save the life of a geriatric horse.
Around here, vets will do brain surgery on a mosquito bite if you let them.

 

What he said. At 26, that horse is pretty ingrained in his ways and may not be around much longer. If you are serious about breaking the horse, get someone who knows what they are doing. Don't waste your money otherwise.

Jb

 

I would get a Pro. He may just need some round penning. I disagree about the age consideration though. I have a grade gelding that age and he is fine......just keep him fed well,wormed, and his teeth floated. Heck Fred Whitefield said one of his best roping horses was that age.

 

just to clarify.....he <was> well broken at some point (as recent as say, a year ago)....and still is ridable, hes just a little rambunctious like. my SIL is by no means a horse expert, and she does ok with him. i just wondered if there was anything i could do to settle him down a bit. from waht ive been told, hes in good health and horses of his breed (polish arab?)are good to 35ish? i realize after re-reading my post, i made it sound like he ran off with her on him and was spinning, etc. he does that when noone is on him. when she rides him, he does ok....hes just a little skittish like. he seems to just really hate that stud horse behind us LOL.

not disagreeing or discounting anything any of y'all have said....just trying to clarify my earlier post.

 

What are you feeding him and how does that compare with what he was being fed at the boarding place?

Also, has he been this way (skittish) for a while, or just since you've brought him to your place? There is likely something to there being another horse around that I assume he can't get to? If there is space where he can't be seen/heard that you can use, you might try to remove him from the situation and see how he acts.

The above advice is good though. You probably should get someone who knows about horses to help you out. He'd probably settle down quite a bit with some regular work.

 

This is true with any horse.... One more thing is your ferrier is and always will be the make or brake factor with all horses.

If he has just been riden once or twice aweek he needs conditioning with regular work. 10-15 min on lunge-line or in round pen both directions then cool off for 5 min at a walk then tack up and ride for 20-30 min.

 

i forget the name, but my M-I-L went to a feed store, told them the situation and supposedly its all in one feed that meets all his nutrient needs. the place he was being boarded at was feeding bottom basement feed im sure, judging by how the place was run
[quote[
Also, has he been this way (skittish) for a while, or just since you've brought him to your place? There is likely something to there being another horse around that I assume he can't get to? If there is space where he can't be seen/heard that you can use, you might try to remove him from the situation and see how he acts.[/quote]

supposedly, he had started acting a little honory (sp?) for a few months before they moved him, which coincides with when s-i-l started back to school and therefore spending less time with him.

i cant really move him out of sight of the other horse. well....i guess i could but itd require restructuring all my fencing to move him on the other side of the pasture, then my dogs and him would have to learn to get along....and knowing how my one dog is....im not sure how itd work out. id like to avoid it if possible, but it is an option i guess if need be

 

he was ferrier-ed (is that a word ) right before they brought him out. they're gonna have to find a new one though because i live a good ~65 miles from where the old ferrier went to.

can someone explain to me the lunge line thing? s-i-l has talked about it to me, but, i dont fully trust her knowledge. i know we/she has a lunge line, but i dont know how to do it.

 

all I know is that a second wife, complete with house, family, cars, kids, yachts...... would be cheaper. but I only had one for 3 years, so what do I know.

 

Basically, stand in one spot with a lunge line (long lead) and whatever you need to make him go (long whip, click of the tongue, whatever works). Work him in one direction just going around at line length. You can work him through walk, trot, gallop, but the point is to make him do what you want him to do and give him a little bit of work. Then turn around and do the same thing the other direction around your circle.

Once you've done that for a bit, then you saddle up and go. The extra work beforehand should help calm him down a bit.

On the feed thing, if you are feeding something much better than what he was accustomed to, that will make a difference too.

Imagine if you were fed bread and water for a month. Then, you are taken to a new place where they feed you all you can eat steak and potatoes, beer and whatever else you want and they put you around a female that you want to show off for. . .see what I'm getting at? (I know you said he's around a stud, but same idea)

 

like Waldersha said he getting better feed so he has more energy so he's expressing it by running around has the energy. unlees its a mare not to many horses get along with studs so he maybe making a statement to him. he does need to be worked and lunging him will be the easiest and best way without having to pay someone to work him. if you have changed his feed from what he was getting before becareful and dont overfeed him and let him founder or colic make sure he has plenty of clean water and hay or lots of grass. mother nature designed them as one big eating and crapping machine

 

I feel your pain, I am boarding 6 horses for my sisters.

Why not jump on the horse and give a good run till he wears down. He is 26 and broke, he can't hurt you too bad

 

That extra energy was always referred to as "pee (family word) and vinegar". The short work out (lunging) before the ride rids him of that, and it also lets him know you're the lead mare (boss).

All the written help only gives you an idea of what needs to happen. The best teacher is someone to come out and work with you and your horse. You'll then know what and how to proceed. That person can also evaluate how the horse is acting according to you skill level and give you further advise.

Put an ad on your local Craig's list for a trainer. If nothing else, go to the public library and check out some good videos by John Lyons or others. Or go to a local stable and just watch as someone there works their horse and ask questions.

The age of 26 should be in your favor. If he's ever had any manners he didn't just forget them overnight! Learn his personality and enjoy his company.

Horse & Rider Magazine had an article a couple of years ago about a contest they had for the oldest horse (alive). If I remember correctly it was 42 and looked like he was 12. Their a lot like humans, you treat them bad, abuse them with improper food, no exercise, they wear out a lot quicker!

 

cool. thanks for the info (and good analogy on the food). i have the lunge line, do i use it at its maximum length, or is a little shorter ok?

this feed is supposed to be good enough so that he does not require hay additionally. but....as rich said, he is a eating/pooping machine. all i have around right now is coastal hay, which he seems to thoroughly enjoy. should i leave a bail out for him to munch on to keep him occupied or just give him a little now and then. part of the reason they got this feed was that he wouldnt need hay as well, but, hes pretty well cleared out all of the grass.......its all sand out here, so it doesnt take much to clear it out.