Do you let other people ride your horse?

The only people who ride my coloured are me, mum and my instructor Bec.
He is very sensitive to change and having many jockeys isn't good for him, plus he is a very difficult ride and I'd hate anyone to come a cropper on him.
I have no problem to people riding Bertha, Herc or Wills because they are very safe, sane horses.
 
Me, my Mummy, Rosie and a lady who helps me during the week with his dressage are the only people who ride him. Certainly not a novice ride even though he is a kind chap he does throw in the odd hoolimaloo when he feels like it.
 
My girl gets ridden by me, my instructor and a friend both of whom are very good sympathetic riders. I find it really helps me to be able to see things from the ground as well as get another opinion on what she's doing. It also helps me establish how much of it is down to me and how much is down to her.

My old boy however only got ridden by me for quite a long time as he used to get really confused if he had many riders and just wasn't happy. Once he got a bit older a few other people rode him but he will always be a horse that prefers one rider.

So I think it depends on you, your horse and the people you're letting up there. There are some people that there is no way I'd let them near my horse with a barge pole and would have no issues telling them so!
 
A few people have ridden my cob, sharers, friends, groom, but he is very reliable. My groom has had lessons on both my competition horses which I think she enjoyed and has hacked one of them with me (the other one is too sharp to hack and I don't think it is fair to ask her to hack him).
 
I'm happy for any fairly quiet, competant rider to have a go on either of our geldings but would never want someone else on my sisters mare. She really is very sensitive and can be nervous with new people but the main reason is that when we first bought her she used to bolt and although we haven't had any 'incidents' for a long time I would never completely trust her with a different rider - especially as she's only 13hh and very sweet on the ground so it's usually children who want a go.
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for the last few years i have relied on owners for rides. for the last three years i have had the ride on Mollie, the bay in my siggy. her owner is fantastic and basically i jump her (for the last 2 years we have jumped affiliated) and her owner takes her out on hacks fun rides, etc etc. if nicky, her owner doesnt ride then i do and vice versa
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i now have my horse, chester, and if later on down the line when his education is more refined someone wanted to get on him i wouldnt shy away from the idea, although like many of you i couldnt let just anyone on him.

i think there has to be respect on both sides, i would never expect anything, i dont expect nicky to give up a ride, hack etc so i could go out jumping or ride, i know she has done in the past and i am v grateful i do things how nicky would wish them to be done and i would likewse expect the same with my own horse it can and does work xx
 
My lad is fine with my instructor, who is a very competent rider, the issue was, that I feel that although my friend is capable, she is not used to the sharp brain of a competition horse... ie, he's very fit, and although he's normally genuine and laid back he can thrown in a few "Wahey! I'm an event horse!" moments. The thing is that I now have built a relationship with him very carefully and I don't want any accidents or set backs, but I felt like I was being over sensitive. I think it very much depends on the type of horse you are riding - look at shutterfly - it would blow his brain to have anyone else on board! Think the decision here is assessing other people's abilities.
 
I have let various people ride my horse over the years and my mum hacks him out. He has also been used as a 'stand in' at the Pony Club Area SJ in years gone by as he was so reliable. He can perform very well with a good rider and is always willing to please yet i also trust him to take a much less experienced rider out. Sure he has his 'silly moments' buthe would never rear, buck, spin, bolt or anything like that and he is quite a tricky one to fall off really! Obviously I think he's one in a million as I don't think ou get too many like him.

My old pony however I have to be careful with and don't tend to let people ride him. 99% of the time he's happy to plod along but he is THE most sensitive horse I've ever know when it comes to picking up people's nervous vibes. Funnily though i think he'd be better with a small child plodding along on a hack or round a school who had no clue what they were doing than someone who was a nervous rider!
 
LadyT, your horse sounds like a dream! My boy and I had a fair few incidents while we were still getting to know one another, I was a little bit sharp with my hands, he would stand up, and he went everywhere either at 90 million miles an hour or 0 miles an hour. If I kicked too hard he would buck, and when he's feeling fit and having fun, he often dissolves into bucking//squealing fits, and although none of it is mailicious, I would hate for him to scare anyone!
 
I'm fairly relaxed about people riding my horse provided I know and trust them. I did have someone interested in sharing him but felt anxious every time she came to ride so decided not to go ahead - never did manage to put my finger on why.
I bought him from my instructor and she enjoys having a ride on him from time to time, which is great as he gets a bit of extra schooling.
 
My Instructors son has had a go when my confidence was rock bottom.

I did have a friend riding her when I first got her, but I was worried a) about insurance/claims should she or horse get injured and b) she wanted to use a different instructor and I would rather we were both singing from the same book.

So the answer is generally no!
 
As long as i am there would be happy to let most people ride my horse, wouldnt want anyone pulling her about or beating her ( would anyone ) but would like to think my horse is well mannered and schooled enough that no one is going to spoil her by riding her once or twice.
I am however not keen on people riding her when i am not about, apart from a few exceptions who are people i trust.
 
you can put almost anyone on my event fit horse bar nervous novices, he just runs off with them.

Everyone has to learn somewhere.
 
No no-one. If I'm ill etc then he has a holiday. My old instructor sat on him twice over a period of 3 years but that's it. I have worked hard on my horse and was just broken when I got him. He goes well for me in and I don't want all my hard work undone. I have my horse for me.
 
i was extremely fussy about who rode her, despite and also because she used to be a riding school pony. i fiqured she'd had enough of somebody different booting her in the ribs a couple of hours a day...

whilst she used to be used for kids, she was NOT suitable once she came out
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when she was coming back into work, i had a young girl sit on her whilst i leadshe she was as good as gold, but i'd rearely let her off the rope, and even then i was walking by her head!

when she was in full fitness, i would only let others hack her and they had strict instructions about what she could and couldn't do, and i had to be able to trust them, there was only a couple though as i'd rather ride her myself.

when i went away for weekends or holidays, my friend michelle would ride her (hacking). she used to ride her at the riding school as her favourite (:D) and had no qualms with what shadow threw her way despite her being very nervous of her own steady neddy and seeing shadow doing a whole range of acrobatics with me at sponsored rides! she trusted her so i knew Shdaow wouldnt do her any harm - she was the sort of horse who needed to know you had faith in her if that makes sense?!

every now and then i like to see my horse being ridden - A so i can assess how they are developing, and B) to see how they go for others.
 
Cairo - anyone's ride, until his retirement. It was made clear he is a heavy, not to be galloped lots, care taken on hard ground and his good nature treated with respect. If they were very novice, they would be overseen, more experienced and they could ride him without me around on occasion. They were under no doubt that to haul his mouth, work him excessively etc would result in them never allowed near him again and probably a good thumping from me.

Chancer is just 4. So far I, two instructors and several people of varying levels have ridden him. I strongly believe he should be ridden by a variety of people, both as he will be ridden by judges when showing and that a well schooled all round horse should be capable of being ridden by any reasonable rider.

For him I am more careful as he is very green, but the other day he took my novice cousin round the school beautifully - she bounced a little bit but he was very careful with her. He is learning that different people need him to behave in a different way. He likes to muck around with me sometimes but was an angel with little Maddie.

I had a TB that was professionally ridden and was extremely upset if you did not keep perfect position etc. With time, she got used to my less than perfect riding and ended up being ridden by very good experienced and novice people.

However, if you are unhappy about a person's ability to ride your horse, then no you should not let them.
 
Re wench, It's not just their fitness tho, I guess it's their character. Maybe I will put him on the lunge and see how they get on! I just know that nothing he does is mailicious, he just loves his job and will let you know that he's having fun! He can also be quite argumentative and a little cocky over a showjump if he's in that mood! The problem is I know her, she'd want to be jumping round a 3ft9 track, and I don't want either to get hurt, as they both mean a lot!
 
i see no problem with letting someone else ride my horse on the odd occasion as long as they are a competent rider. having said that it would only be a select few people. after all if i had an accident and was unable to ride my horse it would be nice to know there is someone who knows him who would be able to exercise him for for me. i think alot of people who turn round and say "no chance, noone rides my horse apart from me", probably actually say this as they dont wish to see someone ride there horse possibly better than they do! im not aiming this at anyone in this discussion, more so people in the area which i live.
 
To be fair, if she is capable of jumping round a 3ft9 track, I am sure she'll be able to handle a little buck or two. And she has seen the horse, she knows what she is in for. It is not your responsibility to make sure your horse would never buck with another rider.
 
yes because i have to so he goes better for the judge in the show ring
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if he is ridden by different people then he learns to go off the leg and come back when asked = manners! (although he chooses when to use them
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but most people don't want to ride him
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he just has a little tendency to take off a stride or 2 early (which then unseats the rider) for funsies - he dosent do it with me! lol but i don't really like people jumping him as he can be very quirky when jumping and is not easy
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I wouldn't let anyone ride Cat as he was frightened by other people riding him, even instructors, & he could be very sharp if the mood took him. I did let someone ride him once as I felt mean to keep saying no. V hard as she really didn't appreciate that he was dangerous & thought I was being selfish. So in the end I let her ride him home when we'd been on a long hack, it was warm & he was feeling chilled but I was sooooo worried in case something set him off cos it didn't take much.

I would be okay with someone riding Adrian in the school but poss not out hacking cos he sometimes likes a good buck when his feet touch grass, which is fine if you're ready for it.
 
If no-one else rode my horse, he'd get pretty unfit!
He's 100% family cob and gets ridden by all the family and any friends who want a go, on a lead rein if they're novice.

I can understand people being worried if they have a sharp horse and don't want anyone to get hurt, but I think people are far too overprotective of their horses. TBs are prob the quirkiest of all horses, yet they get ridden by lots of different people, and have to do their best work under jockeys who have sometimes never ridden them before.

We all have to start somewhere, and how would people get used to sharp quirky horses without people letting them have a go?
 
If your worried about the jumping, just let them do flatwork. Mine used to be a problem with jumping and would run out at the last minute - once resulting in someone knocking themselves out on an xc jump. Ok with me on him, as I was used to it. However, with practise of different people jumping him, he his much better.
 
i let anyone and everyone have a go on sophie if they want to. it actually makes a change to have a horse that anyone can ride. Otto is a one person horse so no one else rides him and the pony is ok with other riders but she does have her moments! certainly wouldnt put a complete novice on her. Sophie currently just hacks and schools and im not much of a rider anyway so nobody else is going to ruin her as i am capable of doing that on my own! ive currently got someone off the forum who hasnt ridden for 8 odd years and wants to get back into it riding her and its going great.
At the end of the day its down to each individual who they let sit on there horse.
 
I don't mind anyone else riding K as long as they are better than me - which most of them are!

I think it is good for him and it is nice for me to get a break a week and to know that when I am on holiday, he gets worked.

I am not overly precious about my horse, he won't die if someone else rides him and it is nice to see that he can go well. I don't think it is fair to put just anyone on him, but then not anyone wants to ride him!
 
I agree Timo, my oh and I ride at a riding school and livery yard, and neither of us have our own horse, loads of people there will offer very novicey staff or kids of other liveries a go but not us even though they see us riding and competing at their level on less than straight forward horses.

I used to help out a couple of days a week with a livery, strangely that ended just as I got him going really nicely and stopped him rushing his fences. Around the time I suggested that if she didn't have time to do a particular competition she might let me do it instead.

People forget very quickly what it is like not to have a regular ride and don't like to give the opportunities that they have received.

Would love to be able to do a bit of riding outside of lessons again, I really miss hacking out........
 
i dont let other people ride my pony, but then no one wants to to be honest. i find though he is use to my ways and when other peole have had a go on him he does as he likes, he is a horse you need a connection with to work and it takes time, ur horse sounds the same and if you afre wanting to sell it eventually i can see why u dont want a this but doesnt matter who rides your horse when u watch it would never be 100% right.
 
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