Horse Problem - Wound Up Horse- Horse gets too wound up after riding in higher gaits

The owner is 73 and needs this horse to mellow out, but the Morgan is 5 and full of energy – not disrespectful or dangerous, just wants to keep going at a quick clip. She and her husband were here on Tuesday, first time I met her since the husband had delivered the horse. She was very impressed how I rode the horse on a loose rein with just a halter and lead rope and how he loped beautifully with just the outside leg cue. Her husband rode him and had a big grin while he did one rein stops and the gelding responded softly (the owner had a knee replacement so she couldn’t ride). Well, how do I help this horse to relax so the owner and her husband can ride casually together after the horse has had an energy boost?

But first...one has to wonder...a 5 year old is a very young horse and energetic at 5 is normal. They're still "kids" at that age. Peak of energy actually. In people-age a 5-year-old horse would be around 15 as humans go. So....picture a 15-year old adolescent boy and that's what you've got there. And then you have to wonder... is this an appropriate horse for a 73 year-old (with knee replacement surgery) to be riding? I know that has probably crossed your mind, too; I just wanted to co-affirm that thought if you're thinking that, too. Not the greatest match-up, no matter who they are or how experienced they are with horses, in my opinion. 73-year olds cannot afford to get injured even more than others! Usually not a good idea to match them up with younger horses. So, you're really going to have to crank up the training to make that match work well. Build far more control into him than you might say an older, more mentally mature horse, or even another young horse for a younger, but experienced client. Luckily, up the road shortly at 6, most horses start to settle down more and act more mature. More like an 18-year-old human adult. Big shift then. And at 7: is fully a mature adult and not dealing so much with simply normal "developmental issues."

But let me list what I'd want to do there with this youngster to get him more controllable and hopefully safer for your client.

• First...I find that horses that get a little irrational or too much adrenalin going at higher gaits are often simply flushing out a foundation hole that involves: them not being able to ride straight. Let me direct you to a link on my site about that, goes into more detail...how it manifests itself and how to fix it: Riding Straight - Horse can't ride straight - Back up and focus on working on that, to begin with. Is real important. I learned all this in particular from Tom Dorrance's direction. He really opened my eyes to the importance of backing up and working solely on teaching a horse to ride straight because it's quite a prevalent problem out there foundation-hole wise! Now I can spot it a mile away, usually instantly, because I've become so acutely aware of this common foundation hole that causes problems mainly up in the higher gaits. My guess is: you're probably dealing with some of that there. So work on that first, then in conjunction with the stuff I'm going to list next.
• Build into the horse's foundation a "slow down" cue. Here's how: As you're trotting along (build this at the trot before you work on the lope), pick up one rein and start to ask for the one-rein stop, like usual. But this time, ask for that head only as far as you have to until the horse breaks back down to the walk, even a fast walk, but then instantly release that rein for the "right answer," not completing the one-rein stop in entirety. What was the right answer you released for there? "Slow down." In other words, don't complete the entire one-rein stop, but release the rein/head when the horse drops back down a gait. The faster you release that head there when he drops down gaits, the faster he'll make the mental connection. Ask him to trot again. Repeat. Start to ask for the one-rein stop, but the nano-second he drops to the walk, release the rein. At first it's going to be all "crookedy." but don't worry about that. Only focus on releasing that rein for the slow down of the feet, not about how "pretty" it looks/doesn't look. He'll be clumsy at it at first, allow that. Pick the side that seems easiest in the past to do the one-rein stop, to start building that slow-down cue into his foundation. Only work on that one side until he has it down perfectly. Do this as many times as it takes until the horse starts to get it. It works really well to teach a horse to listen, to slow down when asked. Far better than asking with two reins when they're excited. At first, he's going to think you want the one-rein stop, and he'll prep for that. But you're going to release the rein (all pressure off), the second he breaks gait back down to a slower pace. Less work for him than completing the entire one-rein stop, and he'll quickly start realizing that and respond by slowing down, so...you're playing into: make the right thing easy, the wrong thing hard. If he fights it, he has to do the entire one-rein stop; if he yields by slowing down, he gets the release instantly and doesn't have to complete the one-rein stop, just rides on, this time more rationally. Get it? Work on that and you'll quickly build an effective "slow down" cue into his foundation that he'll respond to. If it's a walk I want there, I like to use the word "Walk" but drawn out like this: "Waaaaaaalllllkkkk" at the same time I'm giving the slow down cue. Soon just a quiet "waaaalllk" has them dropping back to the walk. I myself don't use a whole lot of verbal cues, to be quite honest, but when I want a walk, I'll use that word along with teaching the cue to get them to walk. Soon just your seat (suddenly sitting back deeper in the saddle), along with "wallllllk" has them dropping back to a walk. Get the slow down cue really well at the trot, hundreds of times, before working on it at the canter/lope.
• Build into his foundation a "calm down" cue for whenever you might need that. It's a cue to drop the head at any time when asked, even when in saddle. Build it first on the ground. Pick a side (try on both sides briefly at first until you see which side he responds to more quickly, then stick with that one faster side from then on to build this cue. Oddly enough, I've found that horses whose dominant side is the left, it's easier to build this calm down cue on the right, and vice versa. Go figure. Not always, but: often) Here's how to build that calm-down cue into their foundation: On the ground, have the horse in bridle/snaffle bit. Stand beside the head. Pick up that one rein on your side and lift it straight up in the air vertically, slack out of the rein. Stare at that inside ear closest to you. The horse is going to try to find his way out of that pressure you've applied there with the lifted rein as he figures out what you want. When you see the ear level lower, instantly release the rein, stroke/reward, "good boy!" Repeat. If the head shoots up at that lifted rein, keep the tension, don't release. Resistance meets resistance. Just keep the pressure steady for lifted head. But release when it lowers. Staring at the ear allows you to recognize the head-lowering more accurately. Draw a line mentally/horizontally across the ear, like a horizon at the tip of the ear. When you apply pressure with the lifted rein, if the ear tip dips below that "horizon line," instantly release, praise. If the ear tip shoots up above that designated horizon line, tension in the rein remains. Redraw that mental line before every ask. The horse will find his way there to dropping his head, and pretty fast, too. Release for the smallest try, slightest change in the right direction for the head drop. Repeat. You'll shortly have the horse's head to the ground, him following that cue. Reward the horse for that head drop. Love all over him down there. Remember: lowered head is a relaxed horse, high head is a tense horse; where the head goes, the mind follows! Practice it on the ground dozens of times until it's completely automatic and the horse drops the head every time you lift upward that one rein. Now climb in saddle and do it at the standstill. Helps to have someone on the ground making sure the horse doesn't go anywhere while you work on just this one head-drop cue. Best way I find is to have the NH halter/lead underneath the bridle, and the ground person holds that lead, while you work on the reins. Get it good at the standstill. Real good. Then take about two steps. Stop. And ask for the lowered head cue again via lifting that one rein. It really is an easy behavior to teach a horse if you break it all down like that. Once you've got it down well at the couple of steps/stopping, now try it at the slow walk. Again, having someone on the ground to back you up there with the NH lead rope can help the horse get there faster, not getting confused or him going too fast when you've not asked for that. Again, the cue is: lift one rein straight up (not to the side, not back; but: straight up in the air). Work on that and soon you'll have a cue that will calm him down at higher gaits. Is a way to drop the horse's head on the move, which instantly relaxes them, brings down the adrenalin. Takes lots & lots of repetitions on the move, but he should get it. And that gives you one more tool to relax/quiet a horse when on the move. You in control of his brain.
• Follow another been-there-done-that, obedient older horse (someone else riding that horse) while you ride/school this youngster. Goes a long, long way! Be directing verbally the other rider on the older horse, telling them when you want speed, when you want to slow down. This way, your cues start to kick in faster and your horse connecting the dots better. Plus, he starts to suck "rational energy" off the older been-there-done-that horse. I use my handy horse partner, old Gabe, a lot for this kind of stuff as the lead horse when I'm schooling specific issues like this with a greener horse.
• If you haven't already, pony this horse off the been-there-done-that older, obedient horse. Goes a long way in getting them rational and listening to you from up high better! I've got a link about ponying here: Ponying a Horse - What is "ponying" a horse and how do you do it?  - I pony all horses I'm training. Flushes out a lot. Gets them used to you directing them from "up high" and so forth. Plus...after you've planted the calm down/head lowering cue into his foundation, you can pony him with NH halter/lead underneath his bridle/bit there, and practice him dropping his head, but with you up high there, when you've stopped.
• At the standstill, teach him the back up, with two reins. You've probably already done this, but it's important to have well in the foundation, too, so I'm mentioning it here. Once he backs up well, walk a few steps, stop him and back him up about 2 steps. Always back a horse up a couple of steps after every complete halt. It puts their engine in reverse and they'll stand more quietly when you've stopped. And they just listen to you better all around. Stopping is not enough there, back him up a couple of steps after every stop, releasing the reins instantly after those couple of steps, and you'll have far more control overall of the horse's feet. Rub the horse's neck with both hands (reins still in the hands) after every stop/back up and he'll get there faster. Practice that enough at a walk/stop/backup, and you can start practicing it at higher gaits, but baby step that one so he connects the dots well. Having control of a horse's feet going backwards helps you to have better control of the feet going forward. I always back a horse up a couple of steps after every stop and if you do it consistently, the horse starts to get softer and more responsive in reins in general.
• With really excitable horses at higher gaits, I like to start off in my ground work before riding, not just driving the horse in circles around me, but do it on the move. Let me explain: in a big open arena, drive him around you, changing directions often, but keep him also moving across the length of the arena at the same time. At some points you'll simply be driving him in a straight line as you move to your next location, then circling him there. This helps to burn up some of that irrational energy before we climb in saddle shortly and also gets him used to you being the leader/driver there, all around that arena (you can do this in any area you want to ride him, by the way, pasture, whatever). I do it until the horse stops doing it at the trot or canter too energetically, but I don't try to stop him from doing it high energy. I just keep him moving all across the arena, working, working, changing directions often, giving him a "driving across the arena/change directions" job to do. At first they'll do it with great fervor! Too much, some of them, especially 5-year-olds! I ignore how they're doing it, but remaining the director as we keep driving in new directions in a big, open area. Fun to put barrels out there, too, sometimes, and drive him on the move around those barrels, turning, turning, driving, driving, & it gets him thinking/functioning more rationally. But fairly quickly, he'll start doing it all at a slower pace, starts to conserve his energy, functioning more rationally, as he realizes he really didn't have to do it all so energetically if he didn't want to. Or...sometimes I'll indeed do it with me at the trot, so the horse learns to turn/function more rationally at the higher gait as well, me the director, him learning to listen to all that. This is a really effective exercise, I've found, for young horses with too much energy at first and they actually like this game. I do it just in the NH halter/12' lead. Incidentally, it's also a very effective ground exercise for horses that are at risk of bucking or crow-hopping when they get into higher gaits. As I ground drive them with energy there, across the arena, and changing directions often, if at any time they start to crow-hop or buck with saddle on, I simply snap the lead rope hard like a ripple-effect, in the same way you'd snap it to back a pushy horse off of you quickly, and that stops them dead in their tracks there in this ground-driving exercise, and I use the "shhhh" sound at the same time to mean "stop it!" (stop the bucking!) at that quick snap/jerk that brought their feet to a screeching halt. And followed by a quick rope-jerking back-up if needed hones the point that you're not going to allow bucking or crow-hopping there in this driving game. Then quickly we return to the driving on the move/turning exercise, moving on. I would suggest doing this exercise with this youngster there before riding every time for a while, and you'll see it gets his mind on more rational mode before you ride him in the arena.
• Do a lot of over-pole work, too. That gets horses focusing more on their feet and listening to you better.

Try all those above and you should be able to get this horse under better control at higher gaits, get his mind on more rational mode, etc. Keep me posted how it goes!

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