Unpredictable behaviour

Question
I have a 4 year old gelding whom I bought about 6 weeks ago.  He was broken in spring and has been schooling and hacking.  He was fine when I went to try him and showed no signs of bad behaviour.  However, since I have had him I have had to take him back to basics with lungeing as I needed to buy a new saddle.  Now I have my saddle he tenses up when the girth is tightened although I have been taking my time and doing it up gradually.  Also, he has started to kick out and swing round to get me when I put his brushing boots on and tries to rear when he is tied up.  Is there a supplement that I can give him which might help?  
I much appreciate your help.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Wendy!

You ask..."Is there a supplement I can give him which might help?".  I assume you mean something to artificially calm him down and make him more pliable.  Well, unless they have come up with a *magic pill* that stops a 4yr old from acting like a young horse....I'd say no, there is no supplement out there to help you.  Besides, false behavior is no replacement for solid training that comes from trust and respect between horse and human.

I would imagine that you realized before buying a newly broke horse that they are not finished.  That the training they have received is precarious at best and already gone at worst.  

I advise you speak to your vet, farrier or tack shop and have them recommend a local trainer who has experience in young horses of his breed.  Have the trainer out to evaluate your situation and discuss your riding goals.  I cannot fix this over the Internet, you need hands-on help....someone right there to show you how to correctly handle this very young horse.

Otherwise, I assure you things will quickly progress from bad to worse and someone will get hurt, either intentionally or not.

Get some professional help before you go any further and perhaps make things worse through miscommunication.  Spending the time and money now to learn how to correctly communicate with your baby will bring you years of solid riding and an excellent working relationship  :-)

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange