Recent content by Barnacle

You need to delete some messages from your inbox as it's full apparently so I can't PM you back...

Do you have an outdoor school or field you can work in? Might sound silly but it might be interesting to lunge or longline him at walk and trot for about as long as you would on a hack.,. It'll eliminate a bunch of possibilities. Do it without tack.

I would suspect scene change or routine change. But also check the saddle. Just having a new rider and your way of riding may cause it too. Do some free schooling. You'll soon see if it's to do with not wanting to work and at least you'll know if it's likely you or the saddle. Will also change...

I saw the first a while ago and was perplexed. Not like any pattern I know of. But the second looks like a normal somatic mutation. Most likely a local mutation at the extension locus has given her smokey black patching. If you google "somatic mutation" you'll find many examples across species :)

Try this: http://intheequinemind.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/my-horse-just-wants-to-be-free.html It'll be time-consuming the first few times... Then never again. Also, note, it doesn't matter what the owner does (it does only a little). Horses are wonderful in that they do know the difference...

Can you get someone else to try him? It sounds like you are struggling to make the point clearly enough and I would be curious to see if someone else could. I know you said you've never had this happen before but that's not really an indication of much. I also wonder, how did you deal with him...

I think it's worth making a distinction between a seat where the toes poke out the front and one where the knee is forward but the toe is behind it. The latter is very frequently seen in Classical Dressage (just google photos of Spanish Riding School performances!). Just cause the "Classical...

There's actually a bit of a debate about this. Some schools of thought hold this is the correct seat when still developing a proper classical seat. I.e. Tucking your seat bones under rather than sticking them out behind you is correct. But if your hips are not open - and most peoples' aren't -...

You can try some free jumping to establish whether it is indeed you (or tack) that's the issue... Get her jumping grids loose and it should very quickly become clear what shape she makes unencumbered.

Are we seriously discussing what to do about some random child using a "bad word"? Come on now...

If he cannot canter on the lunge, he will struggle with someone on his back, let alone if he cannot trot a circle. Try some in-hand work getting him to do shoulder-in and then getting him to step his inside leg under his body as he goes around the circle. Then try introducing this in walk and do...

Same height and weight as you. I ride ponies as small as 12.2hh regularly. I wouldn't jump these smaller ones but I regularly jump an Exmoor who is around 13-13.2hh. Obviously you wouldn't want to be jumping every day but that's true of any horse. The rule of thumb is for the rider to be up to...

Yes, you can lunge in an open field. However, if the pony has not been lunged regularly, an open field may be an invitation to run off and you have to be prepared to keep hold. Make sure you have gloves (I am terrible and do not lunge with gloves but if you are lunging a new horse, you should...

Carrying weight on the legs is not necessarily going to work the right muscles or the right muscles in the way you like... Can you do a chin up? If you can, you'll know changing the angle and position of your grip massively impacts which muscles you work already. If you were to put weights on...

He looks fantastic! Congrats!