Recent content by Nikki J

One does not negate the other though.. I believe 4x4's point is that if your dog will not reliably recall, have him on the lead. An equally valid point is training your horse not to react, and to keep calm yourself, as the rider. Both are important, but on balance keeping dogs with a poor...

Confidence on a horse has to be learned, it does not come naturally to most people, unless they start very very young like my daughter at 3. The very first time I hacked out on my DWB on my own I was pretty scared, but I kept it hidden I think from him. As time went on, I grew in confidence...

Me too! When I jump out of my skin because someone has spoken to me and I don't know they are there, I let out a sort of "uuuuh" noise, a very low pitched shriek if you like!

I think she probably would, with hindsight. But at that split second in time she WAS scared enough to let out a shriek instead of a "whoa". In the same circs., I too can see me (with my enhanced startle response) to have done something similar.

But what is frightening to you may not be frightening to someone else ... and vice versa. I work with a girl who is so terrified of spiders that even a picture of one that I stuck on her monitor caused her to become hysterical!! To me, that is absolutely and utterly ridiculous, even though I...

Exactly!

As in every sport, you get good un's and baddun's. I do not think our OP falls anywhere near the category of being unhinged!

Fine, that's great, but not everyone is like you. This is the point I am trying to make ... yes, there are totally OTT reactions like the rider on another thread who expected a tractor driver to hide behind a hedge because her horse was frightened ... but our OP on this thread I do not think...

OK, will do.

I know of someone who might be able to help - he is farmer who lives near near Daventry.

From YOU ... yes probably. You sound a highly experienced expert horsewoman.

With hindsight, the OP herself might say "yes". Hindsight is a wonderful thing ... to answer your question, all I can do is put myself in her stirrups though and say potentially I too could have shrieked! Over-reaction, maybe, but as I have said before, we are not all superhuman wonderwomen!

Your OH sounds an extremely sensible and very considerate man. He did absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever. As a rider who had a horse that would have responded in exactly the same way as the one in your story, I would have taken the opportunity of his kindness in turning off his engine to...

Well shoot the OP down then for having the TEMERITY to shriek!! The OP is a human being, not an automaton - although it is unwise to do such a thing on a horse, it is not a cardinal sin, but was a natural consequence of being taken by surprise! I have an extreme startle response - when I am...