Am I overeacting

[passion for horses]

Hi all, just needing a bit of advise on whether or not to ride a particular horse that might or might not be safe.
I have been having riding lessons for over a year now.
Half way though a riding lesson the horse suddenly bolted from trot to gallop turning to the right. This caused me to loose ballence and fall off for the first time ever.
Falling off caused no injuries and I got back up. What concerned me was the horse started galloping around the large arena a number of times.
It was also high bucking. At one stage it galloped towards me and only sharply turned 5 meters before me performing another high buck.
Eventually the horse came to a stop.
2 Weeks previously I road the same horse and during the lesson the horse bolted from trot to gallop twice. Fortunately on both occasions I was able to stop the horse by pulling on the reins.
I have been told the horse is safe, however I am not so sure and have asked to be put on a bombproof horse instead.
Do anyone think I am overrating to this ?

 

[MissTyc]

I don't think that riding a horse on which you feel unsafe is any good for learning. Confidence is easily lost. I assume you're at a riding school, and therefore, are paying to learn to ride. It doesn't matter if others consider the horse "safe", it's not safe enough for you, since you couldn't stop and fell off. When I was young, all riding school horses behaved like this in winter as they had no turnout and were clipped. It took me a long to understand this wasn't a equestrian inevitability. So, I think it's OK to ask for a horse you feel safe on now, but as you gain experience and balance, you might find the "bolting" horse is just having a bit of fun and is quite rideable. Just, not yet for you (but not never!).

 

[ihatework]

This is not unusual behaviour for a horse and (whispers the horse is not bolting), as your riding progresses you will need to learn to predict, sit out and deal with this type of behaviour and worse. It doesn't necessarily mean the horse is unsafe, however it is likely to be unsuitable for you at this point in time being a beginner.

I don't think you are being unreasonable in requesting not to ride this particular horse at this stage of your riding journey.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Sounds to me as though this horse is hurting somewhere.

 

[passion for horses]

Thank you for the reply's.
Don't know if the horse has medical issues that is the RS's responsibility.
Once I develop more expertise riding other horses, I will feel confident enough to ride this particular horse.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Thank you for the reply's.
Don't know if the horse has medical issues that is the RS's responsibility.
Once I develop more expertise riding other horses, I will feel confident enough to ride this particular horse.

Medical issues are the RS but as a horse lover it wouldn't hurt to voice any concerns

 

[Jenko109]

Medical issues are the RS but as a horse lover it wouldn't hurt to voice any concerns

This is clearly a very novice rider at a riding school who is not going to know the difference between a pain reaction and a pony who is just on his toes.

We should not be encouraging her to alienate herself.

 

[Winters100]

Since I assume that you do not intend to earn your living from riding, the purpose of going to the riding school is to have fun, and it does not sound as if you are having fun with this particular horse. No harm at all in asking for a different one, and no need to get into a debate about whether this horse is safe, just politely request a different one. Good luck with your lessons, and do remember that it should be fun.

 

[Kunoichi73]

There is nothing wrong with asking for a different pony if you are not happy/comfortable riding a particular one. I've done it this week. The pony I was due to ride in my next lesson went bonkers with someone else in my last lesson. I've ridden this pony plenty of times in the past and sat through the occasional meltdown but I'm really not in the mood for it at the moment. So, as riding is a relaxing, fun thing for me, I've swapped to a different pony.

 

[Wishfilly]

Falling off for the first time is not a nice experience and it's good that you want to continue with riding after this!

It's definitely reasonable to request another horse as a paying client, regardless of whether the horse is safe. Sometimes riding school owners/instructors will get a bit worried if the word "unsafe" is used about a horse. Perhaps instead just say that falling off for the first time has impacted your confidence, and therefore you'd like to ride a steadier horse next time.

There could be lots of things causing this e.g. lack of turnout, horse being on its toes due to weather conditions, change in feed, pain, excitement. The behaviour of the horse doesn't worry me as such- if the horse e.g. hasn't been turned out much due to snow, then it could be excited bucking/running around rather than a massive fear response BUT as a beginner there is no reason for you to sit on a horse in that sort of mood!

Some horses also just don't suit some riders, and a riding school ought to be able to accomadate this!