# Right thing for my gelding?



## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

torthorse said:


> I have a 5 (almost 6) year old quarter horse gelding who was a stud until this past January. I kept him a stud because I saw no reason to geld him if it was unnecessary, and he was perfectly fine. Until this year he had been fine and nice to ride.
> 
> He just suddenly turned for the worse. He acted pasture sour, which he's never done before, and pranced when he was even slightly turned towards home. It got to the point of he was rearing and bucking when I tried to ride him away from my house.
> 
> ...


 I know a fantastic place in West Plains MO. Its only a few hours from you. Thompson Stables. They are kind but firm. Buck Thompson is a previous bronc rider so he isn't scared to ride a horse. They put alot of trail miles on them and exposure to many things. Highly suggest them.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I am a lifelong bareback rider. Make sure he doesn't have any pain issues first before you send him for training.

I know there are a lot of areas in Missouri without good horse health care. 

It would be great if you have a good equine vet to give him a physical, starting with his teeth. One of the first things a horse wants to do, is rear if the teeth get bothered.

This is especially true when a bit is in their mouth but a bitless can also bother them, if the pain is in the right place.

One thing you can do is to smell his nostrils while he breaths, and also smell his mouth.

If he has any sort of foul-smelling odor coming from either place, he has infection somewhere and you need to have a vet see him, even if it's the local farm animal vet.

Do you have an equine chiropractor nearby? Or a human chiro that has also been to school for horses? That is not uncommon in my area.

Also, is it possible someone has been riding him without your knowledge? I had that happen with one of my horses when I was still a kid living at home. We had a 98 acre pasture and this person would jump on my horse, when I was t around. Another farm neighbor caught them and told my parents.

Horses don't just suddenly get worse, something has happened with him. After all this time, the fact you stay on his back better without a saddle, I find it hard to believe you need a trainer. You need to figure out where he hurts, IMHO


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## torthorse (Mar 23, 2015)

walkinthewalk said:


> I am a lifelong bareback rider. Make sure he doesn't have any pain issues first before you send him for training.
> 
> I know there are a lot of areas in Missouri without good horse health care.
> 
> ...


There aren't any equine chiros where I live, or human chiros that went to school for horses. No one else rides him, because my closest neighbors are about 2 or so miles away, and he is kept in a pasture with strong fencing. 

His breath doesn't smell like anything but hay and grain, no foul odors anywhere.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

No foul odors is a step in the right direction but I would still have his teeth checked for points.

Especially if he's never had his teeth looked at, or it's been a few years


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

What have you done in the past when he rears? Do you let him go back home or do you make him keep working?

I always think safety first, but don't let them get away with it either! A trainer definitely seem like a good idea. I'm not okay with rearing at all - it's one of the few things I don't want to work through myself.


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## Cowgirlupyup (Jan 31, 2016)

torthorse said:


> I have a 5 (almost 6) year old quarter horse gelding who was a stud until this past January. I kept him a stud because I saw no reason to geld him if it was unnecessary, and he was perfectly fine. Until this year he had been fine and nice to ride.
> 
> He just suddenly turned for the worse. He acted pasture sour, which he's never done before, and pranced when he was even slightly turned towards home. It got to the point of he was rearing and bucking when I tried to ride him away from my house.
> 
> ...


Question, when did he first start acting this way, when was it, was it around this time last year?


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## torthorse (Mar 23, 2015)

JulieG said:


> What have you done in the past when he rears? Do you let him go back home or do you make him keep working?
> 
> I always think safety first, but don't let them get away with it either! A trainer definitely seem like a good idea. I'm not okay with rearing at all - it's one of the few things I don't want to work through myself.


I keep him working until he calms down and behaves. I usually ride with a helmet so i'm not that worried about falling off but I never let him turn home after he rears.


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## torthorse (Mar 23, 2015)

Cowgirlupyup said:


> Question, when did he first start acting this way, when was it, was it around this time last year?


It was around november-ish last year, so I originally thought it was just that I was asking him to do something while he wasn't warmed up enough, but even when I warmed him up a bunch he still did it.


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## JulieG (Jun 25, 2013)

Well that's good! At least you're not encouraging the habit.

It could be a pain thing. I'd get him checked and if that's not it and you can't find a trainer, do you have the option to stable him away from other horses? Not a long term solution, but maybe if he isn't with his buddies he won't be so excited to head back.


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## Cowgirlupyup (Jan 31, 2016)

*Full look over inside and out.*



torthorse said:


> It was around november-ish last year, so I originally thought it was just that I was asking him to do something while he wasn't warmed up enough, but even when I warmed him up a bunch he still did it.


Oh all right... Thanks. Umm. I thought maybe it could be something this time of year. I could be a few things. It could be quite a bit of money but maybe try getting the vet out doing a full blood plan and a full look over like legs, back anything and everything.


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## wbwks (Apr 5, 2014)

Confession time...... When I was 7-9 years old, back in the day.... I would ride my bike or walk a loooong way to hang with horses. This was in Southern California (Orange County), so you can guess how far I had to ride my bike. 

I was known to jump fences and hop onto horses bareback so I could ride - heck, I never saw anybody with the horses. 

The bigger the pasture and more remote made me braver, I was so horse crazy and the horses didn't seem to ever have anybody around. 

Sooooo, despite the fact that you live remote and have good fence, trust me, if a person wants to, they can get to and ride your horse. 

There, confession done! LOL I did this until I hopped the wrong horse that didn't take kindly to being ridden at liberty. 

At 54 yo, I am still horse crazy! At least I have my own property and horses/mules to play with whenever I want!


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## torthorse (Mar 23, 2015)

wbwks said:


> Confession time...... When I was 7-9 years old, back in the day.... I would ride my bike or walk a loooong way to hang with horses. This was in Southern California (Orange County), so you can guess how far I had to ride my bike.
> 
> I was known to jump fences and hop onto horses bareback so I could ride - heck, I never saw anybody with the horses.
> 
> ...


I understand that frame of mind!

I've never had a problem of someone riding my horse without permission though, due mostly to the electric fence that's set up where you'd have to be about the size of a 3 year old (human) to get between the wires.


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