Can a lazy horse be changed??

Question

if I buy an 11 year old QH gelding who is out of shape and lazy because he hasn't been ridden all year, will I be able to get him out of his lazy mind set?? I had to use spurrs to get him to trot the other day... but it was his first ride in a year... but I really want a horse I can gallop, or at least canter on!! HELP ME!! (ps, he's only $500 so it's at least that's okay...)

Answer 1

the answer to your question:

time will only tell

if you're a true horse lover and owner

you already know that all horses have their own set personality

and imagine if you didn't work out once in a whole year

you wouldn't want to really do c**p either

Answer 2

Oh yeah, completely! I bought a 14-year-old QH gelding this spring, and he had a really bad habit of stopping and not moving until I whacked him with the crop but now we're doing barrels so fast I can hardly believe it! I tried spurs on him once, but that just made him really bucky. Try tapping your gelding with the crop a few times and praising him A LOT and telling him what a good boy he is as soon as he breaks into a canter. He'll catch on, and soon he'll know that when you squeeze with your legs he'd better MOVE, or he'll get whacked! But it's totally humane--it's discipline.

Answer 3

First, how many overweight, un-condtioned people do you see running 5K races? Not many. When your QH is fit and used to activity, he will probably perk up. QH often are labled as lazy because they are known to be pretty laid back, though some aren't! His personality may just be "nice-and-easy" and you may need spurs and a crop to encourage him. Also, 9 times out of 10, when a horse isn't responding, it's from fault of the rider. Seek a trainer's advice. Lastly, if all this fails, consider he may be uncomfortable (poorly timmed feet/shoes, back or muscles issues, splints or tendons issues) that prevent him from wanting to move out. A good Vet-check wuold rule out these. As for "he's only $500", that shouldn't matter. All horses run, despite their price tag, so there is probably a reason he doesn't want to or can't move out for you.

Answer 4

Well, there is a great chance that with work, you can change him around.  Certain grains will add energy to a horse along with actual fitness conditioning.  The QH that you are interested in can be conditioned just a like a person in which with time and effort, you can build the fat into muscle and increase his fitness.

Be lucky you have found such a laid back horse!  Some people would love for that!! :P

Answer 5

ok build it up gradually dont expect him to gallop strait away if he  has been of work for a year. help him get fit and then he wont be as lazy. you dont just have to ride him either if you find it boring that he cant canter etc. lunge gim or take him for a walk/trot him round a bridlepath in hand. just do walking and trotting for a week do walking and trotting for half an hour in the morning and afternoon for half an hour then build it up to an hour for the next week. then on the third week do a short canter at the end of the hour for a week then 4th week do a canter at the start (after  a good warm up) and at the end etc. but keep doing that pattern for about three months or maybe two before you jump him (again smallish for a few weeks and build) and finnaly after about six months you can try and gallop. be nice to him but if he gets really lazy get tough with a  whip or i guess if you prefer spurs. also reward him when he goes fast and dont push him too quickly. e will be worth it.

Answer 6

Some horses are just naturally lazy so you may have to use spurs on him regularly. For example count 1 1,000th 2 1,000th 3 1,000th and your horse should be in the gait you request. So if he doesn't go right away give a harder squeeze and only use the spurs as a last resort. For his first ride in a year it's understandable to be a little more on the lazier side then usually, plus he's probably a little rusty with the aids. Before buying him (if you haven't already bought him) ask the owners if he has ever galloped with a rider before on him. Besides most horses know the basics of walk, trot, canter when they get broke to ride so I'm sure that he will be able to do that. But if you are nervous about whether or not he can canter ask the owners. They should know, Good luck!

Answer 7

yeah eventually he will be better, like anything......time helps.

Answer 8

ok why did you buy him?

"I had to use spurrs to get him to trot the other day... but I really want a horse I can gallop, or at least canter on!!"

yes u could with hard work

Answer 9

Sometimes, not always.  It depends on the horse in question.  If you have only ridden him once, it will be hard to say.  I would ask the previous owners if he is typically lazy and hard to get going.  It won't be much fun if you have to work super hard to get him out of a walk.  On the other hand, the same horse might speed up for a different rider.  This is how some older broke horses are...they act one way for one rider, and then a different rider gets on and all of a sudden they are lively.  Just depends.

Answer 10

Quite often, if you know what you're doing, you can make a "lazy" horse not so lazy as long as he's not in pain.

Your horse may be in some kind of pain that you don't know about which may be why he doesn't want to canter.

If you've had him vet-checked and there's no physical reason he can't canter or gallop, it's probably the way he's been trained - either he's been conditioned to NOT canter or lope because someone used him for lessons and wanted a horse that wouldn't take off on a whim - OR, he's been worked so hard and life hasn't been fun for him that he doesn't want to work that hard anymore.

If a person gets the horse from their pasture or stall, tacks him up and takes off running, that's not too much fun for the horse.  I know of many people that do this - get on and run, run, run everywhere.

Would you like to get up in the morning, maybe get some breakfast then have someone start chasing you or forcing you to run for miles and miles?  While it may be fun for the rider, it's not for the horse.

You must start conditioning him that it's ok to go faster and you're not going to run him to death.

If you must use spurs to get him going, start off a little asking for the trot, once he does start trotting, keep him trotting until YOU ask him to stop.  For example, if you are in a pen and you ask him to trot, he does for a few step and stops, and you have to work to get him going more.  Determine about how far he will go until he stops on his own.  Ask again, and just before he gets to that point for the first few times, YOU tell HIM to stop.  This is teaching him it will be your idea.  Then in your next few sessions, ask him to trot and keep trotting.  Let's say he'll go half way around OK before he stops on his own, ask for the trot, when he goes even one stride more than halfway, allow his to stop and reward him - praise him.  The rest is his reward.  Then ask for the trot again, when he goes a little longer than before reward.  soon he'll go the full distance around the pen without stopping and gradually you'll have a horse that will trot non-stop for you.

You cannot do this in one day or one session - you must work maybe an hour and always end "on a good note"  If your having to wave your legs like a helicopter to get him to trot for a half hour (which you shouldn't if you do it right), don't quit after that half hour - quit when he goes farther than he did the last time.  In your first couple sessions it might be quite a goal to reach him going halfway around without your having to constantly prod him.

Once he gets the idea that you will allow him to stop and rest, he'll pick up and go for you.  when he will trot a good 10 times around that pen without you prodding him to keep going, then go to the canter and start again.

If he is allowed to "win" - meaning you give up after only a short time due to not liking having to keep prodding him, he's won and he hasn't learned a thing.  YOu must be persistent and consistent with him.

If, you go just the opposite and keep working up and up without allowing proper time for rest and reward, it'll become so much work he'll hate it.

Here's an example - when you right, your hands must be "light"enough to reward the horse quickly at the slightest try and after the proper result.  When one starts to supple a horse, they gently request the horse turn their head to one side or the other.  The horse will not on the first try turn his head all the way to your stirrup, he'll probably start turning his body.  So, you ask for him to turn just the slightest bit toward one side, when his nose simply moves that direction the least little bit, you stop asking, release the reins and reward.  After a few moments you ask again expecting him to turn just a little more- when he does, you release immediately and reward - you don't keep pulling and pulling until he turns his head as far as it will go, and once he's got it down, you don't keep asking him to turn his head this way and that 50 times needlessly.

Likewise when you are trying to get him to trot a way or canter, you can't ride the whole day and expect him to start at nothing and end after 6 hours trotting endlessly until you allow him to stop - this is just WAY too much work for him.

Finally, a horse WILL think about what he's experienced.  You will find that perhaps today he will NOT comply with your wishes.  Maybe you've only gotten him to trot a quarter of the way around without prodding and that was after an hour of work.  You will be surprised the next day when he picks up and does what you ask soon in the next session - that's because he's had time to think and sort it out in his brain.

Now - let's say you're all successful at getting him to trot in that pen or even canter as long as you wish (within reason).  The work hasn't ended.  One should never jump on a horse and take off.  One should be respectful enough to take him out on a long line or in a round pen and put him through the basic paces of gait transitions and direction changes, even yielding the forequarter and hind before going off.  You will find that one day he goes through his paces in 5 minutes, another day it takes a half hour.

Maybe today he's had a rough morning and his buddies haven't been very nice, maybe it's too hot or too cold for his liking.  That time lunging or round pen work will get him to focus on the task at hand and you.  You may find he's just all out of sorts and today isn't a good day to ride.  give him the day off - just as another friend would understand if you don't feel well enough to go shopping today with them.

These are the traits of a good horseman/woman.

good luck to you and your friend!

Answer 11

haha im actually training a paint whose exacly like that but he's young, only six. we've been riding him for three weeks now and trimming him up and boy what a different horse!! he's galloping, jumping, barrell racing! and if he hasn't been riden in a year then he will deffinatly perk up a bit. GOOD LUCK!! p.s. if you ride him everyday he will get used to it..

Answer 12

the horse just doesn't like you

Answer 13

Once he is rode often he should pep up. I would use the spurs and maybe over and under him (not hard) to get him to perk up. But like I said, once he is rode more, he will be in better shape and not so lazy. Maybe a little grain will get him to perk up some too and alfalfa. Good luck with him!

Answer 14

Yes.  Change it for one that isn't lazy.