OTTB - Split personality

Question
Denise,
My 8 year old OTTB gelding who has been a total sweetheart the last few weeks has suddenly morphed into a raging lunatic.  He's always been a problem horse.  I got him when he was 4 and had to hore a trainer to help me.  He wouldn't pick up his feet, or lunge or circle to right or trot slowly or stop or backup or hold still for mounting...   My trainer used Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance's techniques and straighten him out and we had a great year.  The following spring, we started going on solo trail rides.  He was fine the first few times then he started refusing to move forward or he would try to take off and start bucking in frustration.  After I fell off a few times, my barn manager did some ground work with him.  The first session he was squealing and bucking in an all out temper tantrum.  After a few sessions, he settled down and we were able to work him with me in the saddle and her coaching me through the rough spots.  By mid-summer he was back to his old self.  The following spring it happened again....groundwork, ring work, problem solved.  

This year he's 8 and we've been at our new barn for a year.  He's turned out 24/7 9 months out of the year which is great.  We had our annual Spring brawl, but it wasn't as difficult or as drawn out as in past years.  I thought he finally outgrew the foolishness. Wrong!  

Yesterday I asked for a trot and he started shaking his head and bucking.  I asked him to walk and he obeyed the voice command but as soon as we tried to trot again it was head shaking and bucking.  When I realized it wasn't getting any better, I got off to lunge him.  That's when all hell broke loose...shaking his head, bucking, sqealing, rearing, twisting like a thing possessed.  After 10 15 minutes he settled into galloping then finally trotting and after eternity walking.  We switched to the other direction and  more fireworks.  When he finally settled I got on him and we walked in circles...I was too scared to ask for a trot.  Today I tried riding him again with my instructor there. Again he wouldn't trot without bucking so worked him from the ground. I'm 50 and can't afford to fall so the bucking is a bad thing.

I don't think he's in pain because the chiro adjusted him two weeks ago and my farrier just trimmed his feet.  He had his teeth floated a few months ago.  I ride him in a full cheek snaffle, no crop, no spurs.  My old trainer had us using a running martingale but my new intructor doesn't like them because she thinks the extre leverage can be too harsh.

My instructor thinks it's because the weather changed over the last few days from 90+ to 60s.  Also he's suddenly very herd bound.  We don't want to do too much lunging because of his suspensory issues so we're pretty limited on what to do.  The thing that bothers us is that once he gets into one of these frenzies, doing circles or trying to get him to focus on patterns doesn't help.  We're thinking about trying one of the herbal/vitamin calming supplements to help him through this without anyone getting hurt.

I know you get a lot of questions about bucking, but have you ever seen it triggered by seasonal or weather changes?  We are so baffled I'm ready to call a pyschic!

Answer
Hi Mary!

Using Tom and Ray's techniques to "straighten out your horse" is not what good horsemanship is all about.   Like Ray or Tom would say, when you change in your heart and your soul and your guts and the change is real, then your horse will change and that change in both of you will be forever.  

What Ray and Tom taught and how they lived and "were" with horses works because it is a language that the horse knows, feels and understands.  You don't just use it and quit.  It has to change your life.  If not, it is better that you don't go there at all.  You don't want to show the horse that someone understands and can communicate with them and then stop.  That is SO frustrating to the horse!  

Your horses behavior has NOTHING to do with the weather, the time of year, what color shirt you are wearing, none of that matters to the horse.  It is what you offer in your relationship, your feel/timing/balance, your ability to feel down to your horse and have your horse feel back to you.  Having the good tools that enable you to communicate with your horse in a horses language is what is critical.

It seems to me that you found someone that could really help you.  Go back to that person that knew and understood what Ray and Tom were teaching and LEARN!  This is what will bring about real changes for the both of you.  It doesn't matter what you are trying to do with your horse or what type of saddle you are using.  Good horsemanship is good horsemanship.  When you spend time with a horseman (or woman) of real quality, you will understand this.  Find the person that helped and made real changes in your horse, learn from them, this is where you will find your answers.

Best Wishes, and smiles!

Denise