[TrickPony]

Ok guys... question here.

So Mickey has been super sick, but he's finally getting well enough to ride again.
I was riding him English today, and he was not listening AT ALL. I mean seriously, he was pulling on my hands, wouldn't collect even the slightest bit, trotting around really fast, not being decent about stopping, etc. etc. etc. And that was just in the walk/trot! I didn't even WANT to canter him english, so I threw on my western tack and he was equally as bad, but at least didn't buck me off

Anyhoo... just wondering, what would you guys do here? I mean, part of me wants to proverbially whip this horse into shape, but then again he's been sick so I'm really not sure.
I mean, I feel like he should at least be listening at the walk/trot - I know he hasn't been ridden in a while but it's not exactly like I'm asking alot.

I feel like giving him the benefit of the doubt here - but all the same I don't want to let him think being a pain in the ****** is ok.... you know? EVENTUALLY I'm gonna start riding him again, and I want him to act at least halfway decently instead of ridiculous (like it was today).

So - here's my condenced dilemma. Do I let him be a pain b/c he's been sick, or do I get after him even though I haven't ridden him for 6 weeks?
Thanks for the opinions.
-Alex

[thistlecreek1]

do you longe before you get on? let him get the sillies out before you ask him to pay attention and then get on?

or maybe get on and let hime walk long and loose and jog the same way a bit stretch out get out the boisterous overflow of feeling better than ask him to come back and pay attention?

[ladida]

It might be as simple as you are starting back up, and it was vacation for him. Like going back to school. He also might be lacking muscle and therefor be unbalanced and so is rushing and less responsive.

[eventin_papa]

well six weeks is alot of time off, i would keep working him at the walk until he gives into you and becomes 'managable' before you even go into the trot, if hes not behaving go back to the walk, just give him a little time before whipping him back into shap. i mean in 6 weeks of sickness him muscles deteriorated a little, hes not as spunky ( yet at least) just give him a little more time!

[Xiphias]

He sounds like he needs some ground and lounge work to get him in tune to listening to you again...Cathy

[Bruce Wiley]

I think you need to re-establish control,respect,trust and leadership.
Him coming back will take time, he's rusty, may out of shape,not mentally there and this is normal.
Round pen or lunge line him, ask him to move this way, now move that way,speed up, now slow down, change direction over there, now change direction over here and control what he does,where he goes and how fast, and how slow,when he does it.
Don't worry about everythings, try to do one thing at a time and be patient, clear, consistant with your requests and keep him busy doing this, and doing that and I think he will come around just fine.
I hope this helps.

[Cowgirly]

I would be kind, and understanding that he is getting back in the swing of things but don't let him get away with stuff either.

[salemvot]

I would do a week or so of ground work refresher courses before ridding after that long off. Then do refresher work on the basics first. Sounds like he just need some gentle reminders to loosen up, respect you and, yield to pressure.

[horsegent]

First of all collection comes from behind not from hands and in front.

Its a controlled bouncy condition of the horse in which he gathers his hindlegs forward under his body to take a larger proportion of the weight on the hindlegs ith slightly lowered haunches. The horse indicates a high degree of impulsion by the arching of the neck and in the springiness of the movement. With collection your horse should feel wound up like a spring and able to surge forward as soon as you move your hand forward.
He doesn't lean on the bit and you should not pull on the bit.

In order to achieve a collection your horse needs to be exceptionally fit and well balanced in addition to you needing to know how to achieve it with good use of weight in the saddle and light contact.

I don't know your horse's history but you imply he has been off due to poor health? If that is the case then you need to keep in mind that your horse needs to be fit to school him NOT that you get him fit by schooling him.

So what you need to do to bring him back to fitness and so you can properly work him is a good programme of gradual fitness commencing with walking. Depending on what has been wrong with him - maybe even starting with non-weight bearing - so longreining and then increasing gradually over the weeks.

I 'sell' a fitness programme for a £10 ($20) donation to Leukaemia Research if you are interest pm me to let me know.

http://www.lrf.org.uk/en/1/donate.html

[JBandRio]

Define "super sick", what was his condition before then, was he sick the whole 6 weeks, if not, how long has he been well?

He is not being a brat. He is trying to recover, physically, from being sick and being out of work.

Spend a lot of time just walking for now - 20-30 minutes a day, a nice, forward, marching walk, no rein contact. Do this for 1-2 weeks, then start SLOWLY adding in trot work. Again, no rein contact for now, just push him forward so he learns to find his own balance again and that will all help build up his strength.