Damn racers- I feel like SUCH an idiot!

McNally

McNally

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I work at a yard which is mainly racing with a few family horses separate.

My "job" is really looking after the wifes horse and kids pony- obviously this doesnt take long so i do most of my hours with the racers- getting on and off the walker, grooming etc.
Its a non ridden post other than the fact i do ride the wifes hunter out daily but currently he is lame so off work.
In the past i have ridden the racers out, it wasn't a huge success at first having never ridden in an exercise saddle or even very short before i found it quite difficult but got the hang of it in the end- The trainer however only saw my most disastrous attempt and decided i was best left on hunter duty!
I was really quite gutted about this, i can see his point but felt a bit "thrown in at the deep end " and then not really given a chance- On the other hand i love my old hunter so kept quiet and got on with it.
Now he's gone lame i was told to ride one of the racehorses instead (think he felt sorry for me with no ride!).
Went with 3 others hacked round the fields and then a "quiet one" up the gallop.
I couldnt hold him to save my life. I was told to tuck him in at the back til he settled, before i knew it we had overtaken 2 and i was doing everything i could to get him back to me with no luck at all. We did stop at the top but why am i so bloody awful at it?
In normal riding i'm told i ride well and have a good position etc but i feel so stupid when the others just seem to be barely holding their horses and i am fighting for all i'm worth!

Anyway sorry long rant, bad day ...apart from my gorgeous hunter being lame (probs permanent) my other charge little ponio was PTS this morning and i am feeling very sorry for myself!
 
Thank you- she was the sweetest pony ever, all of 10hh and lightly built with a huge puff of a forelock. Very special.

The worst of it was i knew she was going to be pts and planned before i left to take her some treats and say goodbye but when i got back from my ride her rug was over her door and she was gone. Someone else even turned her out this morning I didnt speak to her at all.
 
It's not easy and if you don't ride out regularly then it's hard going - I'm the first to admit I struggle as I don't ride out often enough and if there are a few weeks in between then next time I struggle.

Did they show you how to bridge your reins? This helps to hold the horse, and I find it also helps to get them to settle. It's basically having both reins in both hands and then put your knuckles into the wither - helps with balance too as the horse then pulls itself rather than you.

I've been trying to find a better explanation for you but my 'puter is being speshul :mad:
 
I suspect you are trying too hard. I'm sure you are nervous riding them and all sense and riding ability usually goes out the window when nerves kick in! You might not even realise you are nervous but I'm sure as hell the horse does!!;) I've ridden for a P2P trainer before and I'm used to a fat mad cob so it was extreamly difficult for me to adapt, I was lucky I found the training saddle very easy and very comfortable (even used it on my cob...that was interesting!!) and after realising to just let the horse do it's job I was fine. I think taking you onto the gallops for the first time out was a bit cruel so maybe ask if you can help with the less stressful fittening work first then move onto the gallops. The trainer on my yard is happy for others to help him hack out the horses but he always rides in the gallops and jumps himself or it's his wife or assitant, he'd never ask any one else to do that because of the risks.
 
Not this time no, but now you mention it last time one of the jockeys did- it was such a long time ago i did it (over a year) i tried to remember everything but couldnt! I was looking forward to it so much and really excited (I know slightly childish!) so am really gutted it went so badly
 
Yes Work riding is very different!

As MagsnPaddy says bridge your reins like this. The other thing to remember is to use your bodyweight to bring the horse back slightly, and only pull one rein.
If you carry on work riding you will get a great 6-pack!
 
Don't feel bad, the others are used to the speed, the way of going and EACH OTHER!
The trick is not to pull, because then you start a battle, best to let the horse settle and then slow him down a bit, I assume they have martingales on? In which case hook your fingers through the neck strap and let the neck strap take a bit of the strain, and the you should always ride with your reins bridged in case one hand slips you always have hold with the other.
Next time try to relax and go with the flow a bit. Sorry to hear about the pony :-(
 
I wouldn't be surprised if you were dwelling on the pony during this ride, so you wouldn't be at your best.

If it's any consolation, I can't ride racehorses either. Not if my experience on the last one was anything to go by - ended in an ambulance, so not the most successful ride! TBs I'm ok with, but racers of any description - no bloody way!
 
Thank you all so much!
That article in Your Horse is brilliant thank you, may print it out to keep!
Yes i was pulling like mad, and yes i know i shouldn't have been- in hind sight its easy to see the mistakes, they are mistakes i know but was so desperate to prove myself and not look like a wally i just got it all wrong.
I think i am going to be doing it more. One of the regular riders is leaving and i suspect the idea is i will do a bit more with the quieter ones(!!)
I think the trainer thought he had started me gently! It was a quiet hack then one up as opposed to their normal 3 ups!
One of the jockeys after said that actually the horse i was put on can be very keen and not to worry so thats made me feel slightly better aswell- or maybe he was being nice?!

I will crack this!
 
I used to exercise pointers a few mornings a week years ago. Could not get the hang of it at all. Hated the racing saddles so I was allowed to ride very short in a GP as a compromise :D

I never did get to grips with it properly and I overtook the Master when we took them hunting - not my finest moment as we also set off 2 tiddlers that were on their 1st outing :o

I'm sure you'll improve with help from the trainer and other riders. Good luck, go easy on yourself though as sounds like you've had an upsetting day all round.

Sweet dreams little pony x
 
Thanks Sanolly, I do love working with them. I know every horse on that yard like the back of my hand on the ground, bit different on board!

I think this thread has actually made me sit back and look at what went wrong not just beat myself up for it!
another forum success- lol x
 
Mollichop- I once overtook the master too! um, knocking 3 riders off in the process. I was only about 14 at the time and my first (and last) hunting experience. My pony on the other hand was bitten by the bug and hopped over his fence regularly for and hour or so with the hunt if they were in the area! :-)
 
McNally said:
Thanks Sanolly, I do love working with them. I know every horse on that yard like the back of my hand on the ground, bit different on board!

I think this thread has actually made me sit back and look at what went wrong not just beat myself up for it!
another forum success- lol x
Click to expand...

That is the best way to do it! Put it down to experience :)
I have to say I like riding in my dressage saddle with long stirrups.. I probibily would of come of on a racer at a gallop so you fared better then I would of :D
 
It's all the technique, hopefully you'll get to do a bit more and you can get to grips with it, the other work riders should give you some tips if you ask, but it is all about bridging the reins and using the horse against itself. You'll get it.
 
Don't worry at all, although the rotten lads and lasses in the yard wouldn't dream of admitting it they too were like you when they started.

I have ridden, competed and hunted all my life to a good standard. I first went and rode out for a trainer when I was 17 and everything they put me on ran away. Cue endless jokes from the lads like 'get me the paper on your way' etc :o:o. I was mortified and just wanted to find a stone to hide under and never wanted to sit on a racehorse again.

Eventually was persuaded by very nice trainer and just rode on the roads to start with and got to know a couple of 3 year old fillies who were very kind and easy. The first canter was on Daisy who according to the lads wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding and although I didn't get run away with, I thought she pulled like hell!!!!

After a year of riding out everyday I was riding work on the sprinters (notoriously hard pullers who you can't move on or they run off), the 3 mile chasers (just enormous) and even a bit of schooling (on the hack lead horse!).

As everyone has said, bridge your reins, use your bodyweight against them not just your shoulders, get your reins sorted before you jump off so you don't have to change your hands which makes them go faster and keep practicing it does get easier!!!
 
Ah don't worry about it, I've been riding them for about a year and have only just got the hang of holding one who does pull, but is known as being one of the easiest rides. Another tip is don't try to make the reins shorter as your being run off with, this encourages them to go faster as in a race jockeys change their hands(basically shorten the reins) and push out. First time I made this mistake on the horse I've just got the hang off I was well and truely pi$$ed off with :p My way of getting them back is to stick my feet forward, raise my hands a bit and swing like mad :D until they come back to me of course, then I bury my hands in their neck and they usually settle. But you can't swing like I do off all of them, as some will just fight you the whole way up there, I'm lucky that my one doesn't much like having his back teeth pulled out and so settles rather quickly :o
 
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