Firstly, I have pulled together the following information from riders who are much more experienced than I am. So, to everyone who shares in the equine community, thankyou.
He can be any age or gender, although many hot horses are mares, because hormones seem to create a certain amount of unpredictability or volatility. He's usually a breed with more "blood" - a Thoroughbred, Thoroughbred-cross or one of the lighter warmbloods. He's fairly thin-skinned, with a beautiful, shiny coat that doesn't seem to grow much, probably because his metabolism is high. He's often lighter-bodied with quick, agile movements--the epitome of what we think of as a "flight animal."
He's not particularly scopey and powerful, but he is extremely athletic, and with his lively movement, he has a very agile way of getting his body out of the way of jumps. He also has great foot speed--a real asset in a jump-off. He doesn't like to be touched or handled much. He prefers a quiet rider. Any kind of crashing around on his back, in his mouth or on his side will set him off. He was born this way and not made, although bad experiences and poor handling can make him hotter and "crazier" in short order.
He tends to be more physical than cerebral, so he overreacts to sensory stimuli. This can result in oddball accidents but will also make him very careful. If he were human, he'd be creative, artsy and highly talented, but half-crazy. He'd probably have attention-deficit disorder and not be all that good at doing two things at once. But the one thing he can do, he does well. He rarely suffers fools gladly, but he's still good-natured. You just have to be a little more sophisticated and thoughtful about finding ways to get along with him.
Horses, by nature, are animals of prey. Being at the bottom of the food chain from an evolutionary standpoint has caused horses to develop a hyper-sensitivity to their surroundings. This means that horses are aware of nearly anything and everything going on around them. When something makes them nervous, they react with a “fight-or-flight” instinct. Either they tense up and flee or they try to stand up to their aggressor with kicks, rears and other various methods of attack.
Pain is the very first thing to look for if a horse is acting up. Without words to tell us how they feel our horses try to make their feelings known in any way they can—like taking off the second you step into the stirrups.
Have your horse’s teeth been floated? Are there any sharp points that may cause pain when bridled? Is your horse sore? Is there heat and swelling anywhere on their body or is there a reaction when you run your hands over their back, neck and legs? Ask yourself these essential questions and contact your vet, farrier or chiropractor if there is any significant change in your horse’s behaviour.
When attempting to understand what is causing the excess energy and tension in your horse’s life, take a look at how they live. In the wild, horses roam in herds over hundreds or thousands of acres. They graze nearly 20 hours each day, sleep when others are awake to watch over the herd, and can run, buck and play whenever they need to. As riding horses, their lives are drastically changed. We control their eating habits, exercise, play time and every part of their daily lives. We put weird leather things on their backs and metal in their mouths. We ask them to carry us around in circles and over fences.
Horses that are stalled or who live permanently in small yards don’t have the room to play, burning off excess energy. This can manifest into a very forward, energetic horse when you tack up for a leisurely ride. Horses with excess energy may benefit from additional turnout time in a large pasture with room to run and play. Pairing them with a more low-key, laid back type of pasture mate will ensure that running and playing does not turn into stressful games of chasing each other around the pasture.
If your horse has been cleared by a vet, has access to a large pasture with time to just be a horse and is still extremely tense and energetic when handled, the next thing to look at is daily nutrition. While opinions vary over whether certain types of grains and hays actually cause behaviour changes in horses, horses that tend to be extremely energetic, anxious or nervous might benefit from a change in their diet.
Excess calories and simple sugars are thought to contribute to horse’s energy levels. Grains high in non-structural carbohydrates (or NSCs) have higher amounts of simple sugars. Feeding a more hay-based diet and supplementing with smaller meals of grain that contain lower NSC percentages can certainly keep a horse’s blood sugar levels and, potentially, energy levels from spiking.
Supplementing with essential vitamins and minerals can also aid in balancing a horse’s diet and controlling excess energy and tension.
In order to overcome the general nervousness and hyper-sensitivity that horses live with on a daily basis it’s important that there is a mutual respect between horse and rider. If your horse doesn’t respect or trust you, they believe it is up to them to react to anything they may encounter. A trusting horse is a relaxed horse, because they know there is nothing to fear when their human partner is around.
In order to build a relationship with your horse based on trust and respect, lots of groundwork is in order. Hot horses may benefit tremendously from groundwork which reinforces the bond they have with their rider and encourages trust and relaxation.
Lunging should never be used with the intention of wearing a horse out. This is extremely crucial for hot horses. When you clip on the lunge line before your ride you might think running your horse around in circles will decrease their energy level and help calm them down when you get on. This is never the case. A horse with excess energy, tension and anxiety will need a leader who is calm and methodical in their training. A frazzled, energetic leader will only bring that out in the horse as they will feed off your body language and believe there is something to fear.
Instead, build a trusting relationship with your horse by encouraging relaxation. Show your horse that you are a calm and confident partner by asking them to move their feet, stand still, lower their heads and relax their body. Lunge with the intention of engaging the horse’s mind and suppling their body. Try things like spiraling in and out on the lunge, asking for transitions within gaits and transitions between gaits to ask your horse to listen to what you’re asking instead of focusing on all of the scary, horse-eating things that lie just beyond the arena gate.
Once you’ve addressed any potential pain, looked at your horse’s overall lifestyle and nutrition and used ground work to promote relaxation, it’s time to step into the stirrups! Just like with ground work, under saddle work should encourage your horse to trust and listen to you.
It is essential to take the time to listen to your horse in this layer of the onion. If you have all of the pieces put together and are still dealing with an anxious, nervous, energetic horse under saddle, it may be time to go back to the basics. Long hacks with a few well-trained buddies can take the stress out of riding for many horses. Allowing your hot horse to be in the company of friends and be asked to do nothing other than walk is extremely healthy for both their body and their mind. It allows horses to unwind and to relax.
In the arena, several exercises can be used to slow the forward horse and to calm the tense one. Having a routine is great for hot horses, as they can learn to expect what’s coming and not worry about the ride. A warm-up routine that gets your horse thinking and suppling is very helpful. Transitions, circles, figure 8s, and other exercises that engage the mind without over-stimulating the body are great.
It is always worth taking a few steps back to ensure your horse’s lifestyle and nutrition are not causing excess energy and stress, your relationship is built on a foundation of trust, and all of the groundwork and under saddle work you do with your horse focuses on relaxation. These simple steps can be extremely beneficial in successfully managing a hot horse.