Horsey people help pls

I am going on that 2 day trek next weekend (the 28th) and have run into a bit of a problem. I have been working Bounce (aka fat boy) everyday for the last 4 or so weeks, he's only had 2 days off in that time, and he's been on a diet for the last 2 weeks but is still quite porky. I was worried that he might not have been fit enough but last night changed my mind!
Last night i rode with someone else..... well all hell broke loose! Bounce is usually really laid back and tends to be slow and lazy rather than hot and fast but he was soooooo naughty last night. He had several bucking/stag leaping fits, jigged and boogied the whole time and was like riding a time bomb. It wasn't the other horses fault cos she just walked along completely behaving herself BEHIND him most of the time cos there was no way he was letting anyone get in front of him! He nearly bucked me off twice and bolted several times. As soon as i left the other horse and rode home on my own he settled back to his normal self. We rode for about 1 1/2 hours and he performed the whole time. I have ridden him with other horses before but not for about a year and i am packing myself about what he's going to be like with 60 others! Any hints on what to do? I have arranged to ride with neighbour again at least twice next week but am a bit nervous now

Get as many people as you can to come out for rides with you over the next wee while. Preferably untill he settles.
PUt a sheepskin seat saver on your saddle and a neck strap on him and hang on?

I've already got the seat saver on there! Unfortunately the only other person who rides around me is this guy and he's away at horse of the year until sunday. He did offer to ride him and me ride his mare, he's a typical male rider and pretty rip shit and bust but quite a good rider, maybe i should let him?

Could be excitement of being on a ride with another horse. I agree with Anne try to go out with more riders.

Years back when i took my lad to pony club camp, he got sooo excited bounced around like a 3 yr old just off the track . I always rode with others or on my own but no more than four of us. But the camp had lots and i mean lots of riders and horses.

Anyway he jogged, he bounced, he wouldn't stand for a second, an eager beaver but what rides I had. He and myself had an absolute ball. Then when we got home he was he hohum self again.

What was odd though, was he never behaved like that at shows..wierd huh. Guess he knew he had to be in serious mode then...

I have ridden since i was 6 so i didnt mind the excited horse, couldnt be bothererd with that all the time mind. But i knew he was enjoying himself so hey what the heck.

So try and go on a few rides with other riders and see if he calms. Have fun on the trck they are a blast

oh just a thought...did you call him bounce or was that the name given when you got him ?

His name was Bounce when i got him.... very appropriate too, he has a almost impossible trot to sit to!
Yes it was definately the excitement of being with another horse that had him all in a tither, but what worries me is that if i get on this trek with 60 other horses and there are others spinning out he is going to be even worse! AND i'm gonna annoy a lot of people if my horse is spinning out [:0]
It was a bit embarrassing too cos i said to the guy i was riding with before we went riding that i didn't like TB's cos they were so silly and give me a mixed breed anytime! Well Bounce is stationbred and his was a TB.....doh

Any chance that the other horse is in season or coming into?
Was there a bit of a breeze where you were? Our equines were crazy in the wind yesterday afternoon.
Has he just come off fresh grass?

The other horse was a mare but showed no signs of being in season, it was windy as hell and rained part way through but its pretty much always windy where i live, and no he's on virtually no grass just hay and some chaff as an i love you feed after riding. He's fat as anything and i've been trying to get the weight off him but he's obviously fit cos he performed like a bronco for an hour and a half and wasn't even sweating [:0] (i sure was though)

Is he grazed on his own devan? ... if so could you graze him with company .. the more the merrier for a wee while so that he doesn't get so excited when in another horses company even on the other side of a fence if you are worried about injuries. On the up side ... the trek *WILL* sort him out pretty quickly:) and by the 2nd day I am sure you will be riding a puppy dog:)
CHeers

Lots of horses are a bit full of themselves atm because of the grass flush after that dry period we had.

In your situation I'd give my horse a dose of Moremag now and again just before the trek. Not to correct any Mag deficiency but for the sedative value.
I'd also dose myself with whiskey[] and carry a hip flask, working on the principle that a calm me has got to be a good thing for my horse

Lots of better things you could be doing long term but next week makes it tricky which is why I'm suggesting a quick fix in the mean time

He is grazed next to other horses, i haven't put him in the same paddock just to avoid any injuries before the trek, i did give him 2 teaspoons of magnesium in his feed the last 3 days to try and settle him cos he had a spooky day the other day but it was really windy and we were on unfamiliar turf. I think i am just so used to him being a plodder and forget that he is still quite young (5 1/2) and young horses can get silly. Its the bucking that is really bothering me, i tried to ride him through it but he kept stag leaping and bucking even though i gave him his head and pushed him on (we were going up hill so i was a bit braver [])
What do you guys do when your horse bucks?

As you know I am not far from you, but I am not sure either billy or I are up for that sort of help.... sorry!

Thanks swaggie, do ya wanna give it a go? I can always float him over to your place and if he upsets your horse just flag it and go home

Ooh yes, he sounds like he's VERY excited at the prospect of company!

As others have said, expose him to as many horses as possible before the trek, as you can guarantee that they'll ALL be a little bit 'woohoo!' in the first couple of hours of being together. Any chance you could ride out with the local hunt club before then? That'll produce the same sort of atmosphere for him. If you can stick with the ones who are gating, that should help settle him.

The bucking is sheer excitement. You're doing the right thing by allowing him to go forward but I get the impression (seeing as he's stag leaping still) that you're not allowing enough 'forward'. You need to really push on in a strong trot & don't slow down until he's relaxed. As you say, he's a lot fitter than you're used to so you're dealing with that as well. []

Can you get someone just to ride with you in the paddock for a little while BEFORE you go out? Keep everything really low-key; just walk & halt. Get him walking past the other horse to the front & then have them walk up past him & so on, like controlled leap frog. That'll get him used to have other horses moving past him & through his personal space.

When you go out in the open again, if he gets flustered, turn him around & ride strongly foward in the opposite direction until he settles. (Get the other horse just to stand & wait for him.) Then turn him around again & walk towards the otehr horse. If he starts to tense, go the other way again, & so on...

You will also benefit from learning how to disengage his hindquarters (a lateral step with the hind feet crossing over). This will allow you to remove the power from his engine (all the power is in the hindquarters) & prevent him from bucking. It'll allow you to get him stopped when you need to so that you're not just sending him forward all the time.

As hard as it is, YOU must be completely relaxed when he's like this! Singing can be useful to regulate your breathing & bring the horse back to a relaxed, rhythmic pace. The more uptight you are, the more he will be also.

There are plenty of herbal calmers on the market too that will be handy to have for the trek. Even good old Rescue Remedy works wonders on horses but is swabable for competition so don't use it there.

My horse, when we did endurance, was a complete hothead with other horses. So much so that I would set off on the rides 10 minutes after everyone else and slowly catch up just so I didn't get tossed off at the starts[:0] I would hide him behind the float and after everyone had set off and disappeared, I would get on

A wee tip that worked for me. Make sure his selenium levels are right and feed him vitamin E. Vitamin E can really calm them down if they aren't used to having it. I would up my horses vitamin E levels a couple of days before the rides and he would be almost sluggish at the starts (which I didn't mind in the least). Remembering though that I started behind everyone. By the time he had caught up we had done a few miles and the miles had taken the edge off a bit

It won't be a miracle cure but it may help.