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Discussion on New TWH
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Member:
shogeboo
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - 5:23 pm:
Hello,
So many of you have been very helpful to me with issues involving my senior TWH who is 20. I finally bit the bullet and brought him #2 last weekend (on 10/31). He is a 7 yr old TWH gelding who is lovely and sweet. I have been letting him get settled in this week and have been surprised by the number of horse friends I have asking when I was going to ride him...My thought is when he and I are ready! I think it is quite stressful for a horse to have a new home and a new owner and I want him to feel somewhat settled in. This weekend is supposed to be very nice out, so I did want to ride him. Keep in mind, I am an adult rider, riding for about 4 yrs. I am a decent rider but I can be a little timid until I feel comfortable and start to trust a horse. Any tips for the first few rides?
I was told this horse was hard to catch. Well the second day home, yes he was. The next time, I brought some carrots with me (he does not like treats) and he let me halter him twice; the next night, I needed nothing as he was there waiting for me, so we seem well on our way to a good relationship! Would like to have safe and successful rides this weekend too.
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Member:
scooter
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 5, 2009 - 10:17 pm:
Stephanie all I can suggest is keep it simple and short until you get to know each other, maybe do a little ground work and lunging just to see what his personality is under saddle at all gaits.
Enjoy your new horse I hope he turns out to be a great partner for you
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Friday, Nov 6, 2009 - 7:35 am:
Stephanie, congrats on your new horse. I would suggest a little ground work first, before you get on, to see how he responds to you in his new environment. I also reccomend that you choose a time when things are relatively quiet (you don't say if he's boarded or at home, but if he's boarded, riding him for the first time when other horses are being turned out or brought in is not a good idea...I found that out from experience with my first horse). I also suggest starting out in a relatively small, enclosed area until you both figure each other out. Start slow - if you are comfortable just walking, make it a good walk, where he is going where you want him to go and halting when you ask. If all goes well, go from there. Be sure to end on a positive note.
Have fun!
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Friday, Nov 6, 2009 - 1:42 pm:
Stephanie,
How wonderful to have a new horse.
Since you are a bit unsure I think you are right to wait to get on.
May I share some of how I approach a new horse.
My goal in training is to set the horse (and myself) up for success.
I always start with some groundwork. What I mean by that is I will lead the horse, sounds pretty simple.
You can tell quite a bit about the horses training by how he leads.
Does he try to pass you, lead you, direct the direction of travel, stop and graze, pull the rope to look over there, balk, or does he just follow along where ever you go?
Ask him to follow through a ditch, over a pole/log, shake a plastic jug, bag,w.h.y.
Pick up his feet, move his haunches over, pick up his tail and rub your hand under the tail bone. Lead him up to the mounting block.
Notice his response to all these things, does he raise his head, tighten up, stay relaxed?
Get a soft piece of rope, dangle it around his head, around his legs, stand close to his withers and dangle the rope at arms length, this simulates taking your jacket off when mounted.
Tack him up, lead him around with the tack on, I like to lunge any 'new to me' horse with the tack on before I mount up. Not necessarily for a long time just move him through the gaits. This is not to gauge his movement or knowledge of how to lunge but to see how he responds to the tack, ideally he ignores it.
Some of this may be new to him so if he resists don't worry.
If you are comfortable to show/teach him what he doesn't know go ahead.
The point of all this is to develop a leadership relationship with the horse. And, frankly, to discover any holes he may have in his training.
When you are comfortable and confident handling him on the ground then you will have confidence to ride him.
Go at your pace, don't let yourself get pressured into riding on someone else schedule.
This is your deal.
I hope this helps.
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Member:
shogeboo
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Posted on Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - 2:03 pm:
Hello,
Thank you for your opinions. As a rookie, I truly value the experience of those that have been around horses and know them well.
The first ride was okay. Quite frankly, I think it was too soon. I did not feel comfortable. That is just me- I take a while. Nothing bad happened but Trace (my new boy) seemed to want to pick the speed. So, I decided I was going to go about this slowly and start small. We are doing groundwork and lots of it first. I need to establish respect with him. He has issues of picking up his feet (apparently in TN where he came from, a lot of people do not regularly pick horses feet??) and he is sort of pushy when being led. So I am going to tackle those issues and get him to learn to lounge and stay out of my personal space before I ride him regularly. I think this will help me as I will feel more comfortable with him too.
With this horse, he is 7 but really he is like a 2 or 3 yr old in terms of having been worked with a lot. Overall he is very quiet and sweet, but I want to start off on the right foot. Every thing I took foregranted with my old tried & true boy, I cannot take foregranted with this one. I am going to look for a trainer to assist me as well. Thanks for your insights and for reassuring me it it's okay to go slow! 
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Monday, Nov 9, 2009 - 3:43 pm:
It's absolutely OK to take things slow, Stephanie. Remember, with any partner, it takes time to build trust and a good relationship. Horses are no different. With time and consistent work, rewarding for the try, I am sure Trace will make a wonderful riding companion for you.
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New Member:
bbthur
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Posted on Sunday, Dec 6, 2009 - 6:46 pm:
Hello Stephanie - I am a TWH owner as well and have been through getting to know a new horse several times. All the advice you have received is excellent, especially the GO SLOW part. I found that time spent on ground work made all the difference in how my young TWH responded to me once I was in the saddle. I didn't understand that at first, but believe me, it is true. I went to a couple of Parelli clinics that helped me gain confidence in working with my young horse. We bought a 10 year old from Ohio a couple of years ago, and even though I had ridden him before the purchase, there were some issues we needed to work once he arrived here. Patience, going slowly and repetition have really worked. I hope you and your horse build a strong bond and enjoy many happy rides together.
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