Quitus is normally the perfect gent in all respects. He is gentle and affectionate to handle, he isn't spooky or silly to lead and he's normally ever so soft to ride..
The last couple days he's been a bit odd. I have no idea what it is but he's not being himself. I rode out with mum on Saturday - just a hack round the fields - he knew the route so nothing new and scary. He was a bit jumpy and silly and ran off once but I sat deep and kept hold of him.. Anyway..
Sunday I got him in he was his usual docile self.. mum tacked up Moonlight and rode her in the school and I put Q's lunging stuff on and took him into the front paddock to lunge. Normally he is an angel to lunge but I don't know what got into him. He started off walking nicely then I asked him to trot and he was fine then suddenly he pelted off galloping and bucking.
I asked him to woah and slow down and used my usual sing-songy voice to chill him that ALWAYS works.. nothing, hooning about snorting eyes wide open looking genuinely terrified?!
I never use a lunge whip with him, he had his bridle on (snaffle bit) and a lunge line and roller with side reins (still clipped to roller only use them after he's warmed up)..
Anyway, he's not balanced in canter on a circle so I threw the line out as long as I could so he wouldn't fall over but he wouldn't slow down so I pulled him in a little to try and get him to slow but he wouldn't so back out again when he started tripping all over the place..
Eventually after a good 10 mins of me stressing he was going to break a leg and him going crazy I got him to walk up to me he was shaking and puffing and snorting, as gently as I could I undid the roller and slipped it off then gently got his bridle off and he hooned away throwing himself about like a nutter.
I turned Moonlight out in the paddock with him while I mucked out and he started to chill a bit but everytime a car came past he hooned off again?! Then it took me a good 5mins to catch him - he normally comes running up to me!
I don't really know why I'm writing this, it terrified me to see him going so crazy, he's had a recent check of teeth, back tack etc. He's in a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and a Kieffer comfort bridle so I can't see it being tack. He doesn't appear to have any signs of lameness or pain anywhere on him (checked him over thoroughly)
I'm a bit worried to get on him tonight incase he does it again, it wasn't just babyish playing the look of terror in his eyes will haunt me forever. I'm going to get my instructor to come and ride him once a week and give me a lesson with him once a week, I'm going to have to hack him to a school big enough to school him in but I don't know whether I should focus on hacking him out and traffic proofing him or really schooling him hard getting him totally aware of all my aids and me totally aware of what he's about to do etc?
At 16.3hh he's too big to be throwing his weight around and I get the feeling he's about to hit the stroppy 5's.. I want to get help with him now before it does turn into a problem. Am I doing the right thing or should I turn him away!?!? I'm very confused.
The last couple days he's been a bit odd. I have no idea what it is but he's not being himself. I rode out with mum on Saturday - just a hack round the fields - he knew the route so nothing new and scary. He was a bit jumpy and silly and ran off once but I sat deep and kept hold of him.. Anyway..
Sunday I got him in he was his usual docile self.. mum tacked up Moonlight and rode her in the school and I put Q's lunging stuff on and took him into the front paddock to lunge. Normally he is an angel to lunge but I don't know what got into him. He started off walking nicely then I asked him to trot and he was fine then suddenly he pelted off galloping and bucking.
I asked him to woah and slow down and used my usual sing-songy voice to chill him that ALWAYS works.. nothing, hooning about snorting eyes wide open looking genuinely terrified?!
I never use a lunge whip with him, he had his bridle on (snaffle bit) and a lunge line and roller with side reins (still clipped to roller only use them after he's warmed up)..
Anyway, he's not balanced in canter on a circle so I threw the line out as long as I could so he wouldn't fall over but he wouldn't slow down so I pulled him in a little to try and get him to slow but he wouldn't so back out again when he started tripping all over the place..
Eventually after a good 10 mins of me stressing he was going to break a leg and him going crazy I got him to walk up to me he was shaking and puffing and snorting, as gently as I could I undid the roller and slipped it off then gently got his bridle off and he hooned away throwing himself about like a nutter.
I turned Moonlight out in the paddock with him while I mucked out and he started to chill a bit but everytime a car came past he hooned off again?! Then it took me a good 5mins to catch him - he normally comes running up to me!
I don't really know why I'm writing this, it terrified me to see him going so crazy, he's had a recent check of teeth, back tack etc. He's in a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge and a Kieffer comfort bridle so I can't see it being tack. He doesn't appear to have any signs of lameness or pain anywhere on him (checked him over thoroughly)
I'm a bit worried to get on him tonight incase he does it again, it wasn't just babyish playing the look of terror in his eyes will haunt me forever. I'm going to get my instructor to come and ride him once a week and give me a lesson with him once a week, I'm going to have to hack him to a school big enough to school him in but I don't know whether I should focus on hacking him out and traffic proofing him or really schooling him hard getting him totally aware of all my aids and me totally aware of what he's about to do etc?
At 16.3hh he's too big to be throwing his weight around and I get the feeling he's about to hit the stroppy 5's.. I want to get help with him now before it does turn into a problem. Am I doing the right thing or should I turn him away!?!? I'm very confused.