Restarting my cob under saddle?

Thefatcob

New Member
Nov 30, 2020
19
8
3
I have a rising 7 year old cob who I’ve owned since he was 3. I didn’t personally break him to ride he was broke at 2 before I bought him. I got him and turned him out till he was 4, then started riding him again.

I’ve noticed as I’ve started to up his work load, he gets sour and doesn’t seem to want to do anything other than the bare minimum. He has a meltdown over lunge lines around his bum, we’ve gotten a lot better at this but obviously not great. Recently he’s had roughly a month off work, and it has me thinking about just completely restarting him, but my way. Work from his ground work up, and just act like he’s a newly broken pony. He’s due to get his saddle checked Wednesday and if it does need replacing I won’t be able to replace it straight away, so I’ll have to stop riding him for a bit anyway till I can replace it.

Any time I’ve mentioned re starting I’ve always been told what’s the point because he’s already backed but I want to see if I can make him a better horse all round. Except I’ve never re started a horse. I’ve backed a horse, schooled them and whatever but I’ve never restated one already backed. My plan is to just act like I’m backing him all over again. Introduced him to lunging like he’s never done it. Long rein him. Get him use to lunge lines everywhere. Take him on walks. Just make his ground work solid. Is it possible to do that with him? I don’t mind putting the time in but I hear a lot of negative comments about re starting ponies when you can already ride them..?
 
Personally I don't see the point, but if you're going to do it then you treat him as though he was an unbroken youngster and go through all the steps.

Before doing anything though I'd get him thoroughly checked over by a vet, explain the problem and ask him to chck for any pain that could be causing the behaviour. Obviously go ahead with the saddle check too. To me it sounds more like he's uncomfortable somewhere since he was ok until you started increasing the workload - I'm assuming you haven't increased his work to a level he can't cope with.
 
If there’s gaps in his training starting from the beginning again can be useful, obviously you’ll whip through some lessons as he’ll be comfortable doing them without much effort but it will highlight any gaps that need more work and reinforce things that are a bit shaky. I would get a physical done and the saddle check to be sure it is gaps and not a pain issue first.
 
I have no experience of starting a horse, but when I got Hogan, he's been a field ornament for 2 years, and I had no idea of his history. I just went back to basics - led him out for a couple of months, rode bareback for a couple of months, really just doing the lowest level of anything. Halts, gates, rein back, leg yield etc. I'm still taking it stupidly slow, but that's due to my own limitations. Different strokes i suppose, but maybe a clean slate, without actually re starting him, but just playing around a bit with what you do? Agree too, about checking for any pain/discomfort.
 
Personally I don't see the point, but if you're going to do it then you treat him as though he was an unbroken youngster and go through all the steps.

Before doing anything though I'd get him thoroughly checked over by a vet, explain the problem and ask him to chck for any pain that could be causing the behaviour. Obviously go ahead with the saddle check too. To me it sounds more like he's uncomfortable somewhere since he was ok until you started increasing the workload - I'm assuming you haven't increased his work to a level he can't cope with.

he’s had a full work up with the vet to rule out any pain, saddle and teeth are my lasts thing to do. Which both are being done tomorrow. He’s up to date with the chiropractor and physio, I don’t think I’ve missed anything. He saddle was checked 3 months ago but I just want to rule it out just in case.
 
Update: Saddle fits! Teeth where a little sharp and I’ve been advised to move him to 6 monthly rather than yearly which is good! I spoke to the vet again and they suggested we re check for ulcers or just our right treat him for them to rule it out. So he’s been treated for ulcers as a just in case. I’ve also stuck him on some feed that is made for ponies with ulcers to see if that makes a difference!

I think I’m still going to re start him, and see how that goes for him. He’s still only young but I think the people that broke him to ride before me rushed through his ground work and just wanted him to show (he’s a failed show pony!)

another question! Would he be able to go back into a simple snaffle through fields? (Galloping and whatnot!) when he was backed, they shoved him in a Pelham, because he spooked and took off. I’ve managed to get him into a Wilkie, but a snaffle would be better! But even with his Wilkie, I can feel him trying to set off, if I dropped my contact he would be gone in a second! Im fine with the Wilkie if he really needs to be in it but I’ve always had my horses in snaffle!
 
Generally show folks put pretty decent foundation on ponies in terms of ridden work as they have to be well mannered for the show ring.
You can certainly try changing the bit but you won’t be able to make him unlearn evasion techniques he’s already learnt, so you’d have to teach him not to want to use them, which could be a pretty tall order.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Huggy and carthorse
I agree that if he was meant to be a ridden show cob they would have been careful and thorough breaking him, there are a lot of marks for ride and a show judge doesn't expect to faff around finding how to ride a horse. I also don't see how he would have failed as a show cob by the age of three since he couldn't possible have been shown under saddle at that age - class rules prevent it.

What are you using to treat for ulcers? I've dealt with them in the past - diagnosed, not suspected, and with some horses it can be a long expensive job and they remain very prone to them.

Bits are anyone's guess, and so far away from where you seem to be now that I wouldn't want to say.
 
Cobs who are started at 2 when they are weak and compliant often go through the Kevins when they are six or seven, when they discover their strength and become bloody minded. I would start from scratch with him, as who knows how he was backed, just had a saddle stuck on him and told to get on with it. Work on obedience, yielding, softness. It's hard to untrain but i managed to get Bud off a gag, running martingale, flash and high head carriage with work
 
Generally show folks put pretty decent foundation on ponies in terms of ridden work as they have to be well mannered for the show ring.
You can certainly try changing the bit but you won’t be able to make him unlearn evasion techniques he’s already learnt, so you’d have to teach him not to want to use them, which could be a pretty tall order.

I would say they’re nice show folks but they aren’t. They passported him 3 years older than he actually is so he could enter more classes. He’s been beat by them to do what they wanted.

I’ve seen this pony grow up, he was sold at 1.5 to a show home. Came back at 2.5 when he would freeze in the show ring (already fully backed!) and then I bought him to get him out of the horrible situation he was in.
 
Any half way decent judge would recognise a 2yo cob in a show ring and send it out, that just doesn't stand up for me. Heck I'd recognise something that young and I'm no judge! Also the vet that signed off that passport needs reporting.

What are you treating the possible ulcers with?
 
Any half way decent judge would recognise a 2yo cob in a show ring and send it out, that just doesn't stand up for me. Heck I'd recognise something that young and I'm no judge! Also the vet that signed off that passport needs reporting.

What are you treating the possible ulcers with?

We reported the vet, they kept him at local shows, when riding him and the more popular ones, they kept him in hand for.

The vets have given us some paste for him to take for 30 days I think?
 
If it's the stuff I would expect them to give yo're going to get quite a bill, if he's insured for vet bills I'd have scoped and claimed on the insurance, in fact even if he isn't insured I'd have scoped first in case he came back clear and it wasn't needed.

Even at local level a judge, or any lay person, would tell the difference, plus he'd look so immature and weedy against mature cobs that he wouldn't stand a chance. In hand youngstock classes yes, that's what they're there for.
 
If it's the stuff I would expect them to give yo're going to get quite a bill, if he's insured for vet bills I'd have scoped and claimed on the insurance, in fact even if he isn't insured I'd have scoped first in case he came back clear and it wasn't needed.

Even at local level a judge, or any lay person, would tell the difference, plus he'd look so immature and weedy against mature cobs that he wouldn't stand a chance. In hand youngstock classes yes, that's what they're there for.
I did end up getting him scoped for ulcer and he was clear. We’ve decided that he’s being grumpy because a mare was in season across for him. He’s back to normal now she’s not in season!

Sadly they didn’t notice. He look okay for a 2 y/o they had fattened him up massively (he was 557kg when I got him. I’ve got him down to 388 and he’s still a bit fat!) around us, who you know in the low level classes get you places not if you’re horse is actually decent!
 
How are you getting on with re-starting your cob?

We started off in December restarting him, and he was going pretty well, Sadly I found at the start of this month, and it turned out to be a sarcoid, well 3 to be exact, he had them removed by laser and is currently out of work for a minimum of 4 weeks. If everything goes to plan he can be brought back into work again in the middle of March, but the vets said it could be longer depending on how fasts he heals.

Although he's only been out of work since the 10th of this month, I have noticed him get a lot more "spooky" after he came back from the vet clinic. Things he wasn't spooky about before, he is now. It could be a simple as someone coming towards him to touch him and he'll ump 10 feet in the air, or it could be something "big" like the tractor being in his eyes sight. - Both of which he has been fine with for years. I have the vet back out Wednesday to give him another look over and whatnot to rule out it having anything to do with pain or whatnot. I'm hoping it's just because his turnout has been limited, and he's fresh, rather than it being something phycological!
 
  • Sad
Reactions: Huggy
Oo sarcoids can be such a pain, where abouts were they? They’re so difficult to treat too, so often reappearing after treatment 😣
I was given a horse last year that a friend bred, the woman he’d been with for 5 years told me he’d had sarcoids but they’d been treated and were cleared up, so I didn’t worry too much about it. The extent of the problem became apparent when he started to shed out his winter coat, his sarcoids covered under his elbow, must have been a 8”x10” area!
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Huggy
Oo sarcoids can be such a pain, where abouts were they? They’re so difficult to treat too, so often reappearing after treatment 😣
I was given a horse last year that a friend bred, the woman he’d been with for 5 years told me he’d had sarcoids but they’d been treated and were cleared up, so I didn’t worry too much about it. The extent of the problem became apparent when he started to shed out his winter coat, his sarcoids covered under his elbow, must have been a 8”x10” area!

They where on his sheath. The vets said if they wasn’t bugging him technically they didn’t need removing, but they tripled in size within the 5 days I waited for them to come check the lumps out. It’s a very awkward place to have to cream daily, especially when he’s so spooky and kicky about you touching it. I don’t blame him though, it has to be painful!
 
  • Wow
Reactions: Jessey
newrider.com