Hi to all,

I have a question.

I bought a 6 year old gelding, paint horse, that was supposed to be broke, broke, broke and suitable for a 12-yr-old.

We got him out of Kansas, brought him back to Colorado and put him in the round pen for a week.

The last family that had him gave him a coffee can of oats and sweet feed mixed together, just one can, but daily. The horse was not being worked hard enough for the feed, IMO.

They were feeding grass hay.

We feed no grain, unless it's a treat, or very cold, and then only whole oats. We fed him a timothy grass and slowly introduced our alfalfa/grass mix hay.

 

Ok, so a week after he gets home and he:

 

Today was the first day we've had to ride him. We started by lunging him in the round pen for a good half hour, walk, trot, lope. Walk, trot, lope. Then CheyAnne rode him for another half hour at a walk, trot, small lope. Stop, back up, walk, trot, etc.

Then we took him out of the round pen and Sonny, Brian’s horse, and her dad was with her. We have an arena area that is disced up and worked with a bow rake and that is what we went to. They walked, they trotted, they were all having a fine time for about a half an hour, he humped up once she pulled him direct rein in a circle and they walked out of it, and walked around some more. And then he hit the roof, and there was no rhyme or reason to it. He bucked her off good all the way across the arena, past the shelter belt of trees and into a t-post, he ripped the protector top off of a t-post and almost drove her into it. She hung on for at least three minutes of serious bucking. I am not talking about crow hopping here. I'm talking about real, honest to goodness bucking.

So, then Samson runs around the yard, after he dumped her, bucking and kicking. We gather up the kids, put the other horse away and go fetch him. We walk him back to the arena area and to change saddles as Brian is going to ride him and see what's up. We were switching saddles and he started bucking right there with ME holding him. He lunged forward, almost knocked me over and went to flat out saddle bronc bucking around the yard. Literally.

Finally, we catch him again, get the saddles changed, get him back in the round pen and Brian goes to riding him. Walk, walk, walk. Trot, trot, turn, turn. Doing good for about five minutes to ten minutes and he starts up with Brian. Brian got after him GOOD, turning him and direct reining him in a circle. Then he walked him out of it.

They started again and Samson is humping up on him. They went through a bucking phase that Brian was able to get him to come out of. They walk again and he goes to bucking, only Samson is not so sure it's going to work this time, but he gives it a good try. They start again and Samson goes again. We had put a tie down on him and he tried to go straight up, but Brian was able to calm him down and walk him out of it.

Brian took him to the arena area and they walked and walked and moved up to a trot. They got into a big lope for about 7 minutes and then he walked him out of it and put him tied and saddled in the round pen, he tried to hump and buck half heartdley in the arena area about three times. 

 

Brian ended up working him for about another two hours, nothing harmful, but put a good sweat to him (actually, I was very impressed with my husband's patience).

 

So, the question is, what does everyone think is going on? (I believe this gal that this is the first time he's ever acted like this, but then again she would only take him back if I paid her expenses for advertising and drove him 1,000 miles to her door)

IS there a product that anyone thinks will help him?

Do you think he had a temper tantrum?

 

Do you have suggestions?

 

Thanks, Mary

jackiebhagberg <jackiebhagberg@...> wrote: