Don't Know What to do For the Best.

Grumpy Herbert

Grumpy Herbert

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I'm expecting a baby in the next couple of weeks so I have been paying my YO to ride my horse twice a week. He's not the easiest horse in the world, so I wanted him kept ticking over so I can just hop on when I'm ready. If you leave him too long between rides he gets stroppy and hunches his back when you get on (been checked out, back ok, teeth ok, saddle made to measure), but settles eventually. If you lunge him first, he's fine when you get on. But he can be naughty on the lunge so YO doesn't like to lunge him. If he's ridden at least once a week the back hunching doesn't happen at all. He is a horse with many, many issues - most psychological! He had only ever hunted before I got him, so really doesn't enjoy his schooling much.

YO is now finding it difficult to get the time to ride my lad. I can't see me being able to ride him again much before February. He had 6 weeks off last year when we had strangles on the yard and was fine afterwards. YO says she will ride when she can, but won't lunge him first so I worry that he'll be a sh1t for her and that he might have her off. I don't think YO actually likes riding him at all, but has done him to help me out.

In my position, would you:

a) Carry on with YO riding as and when and worry that he might play her up?

b) Give him time off until I can start riding again?

Thanks if you've read this far!!! All input gratefully received.
 
Id give him the time off, could you rug him up and turn him out for the Winter? Cut his hard feed and just leave enough to keep him ticking over. He might appreciate a holiday I know I do
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Good luck with baby.

Hb
 
Neither I would try and look for someone else to ride him who has more time. He might be a bit quirky, but Im sure there are some "prof" riders out there who would ride him for you if you dont mind paying!
 
I think time off would be the best thing, from the sound of it the whole thing is rather stressful for you, which isnt what you need at the moment, turn him out for the winter and then find someone to give you a hand getting him back into work when you have had the baby xx
 
I would give him some time off - you're going to be busy enough when your baby arrives. Get him brought back into work when you have the time to ride again, but I would rough him off for now. Best of luck with your baby.
 
I agree with HBII, give him a holiday and take the pressure of yourself so you can concentrate on the baby until you feel ready to bring him back in work. Sometimes giving them a break does them the world of good and to be honest only working a horse twice a week isn't going to acheive much, especially if YO doesn't 'click' with him in the way you do.
 
i'd give him the time off. cut his hard feed right back to a balancer and chaff and sugarbeet, just keep him ticking over.

if he goes a bit on the lean side it won't matte much esp if he's kept warm with rugs over the winter, and it might mean that he's less inclined to be silly when you bring him back into work.

have fun with baby! xx
 
I'd just turn him away for the winter and then bring him back into work when you have the time next year.

I used to have a very difficult horse for many years and she couldn't miss one day off otherwise she became a complete lunatic; therefore if I knew there was even one day that I wasn't able to ride her, I would just give her a month off as I knew that she would be insane whenever I got back on her, regardless if it was the day after or a month later. Gave me a bit of a holiday away from riding too, which I felt was much needed as although I loved her with all my heart, I sometimes found her a bit draining to be perfectly honest.
 
I would turn him out. He will take no harm from it and it might mean he forgets some of his difficult ways.

Very few people jump strait back on and ride off like they used to after having a baby. Your stomach muscles are wrecked and your joints and ligaments will be much looser for a couple of months afterwards. If you end up having a caesarian then you won't be able to ride for a couple of months or you could burst the wound open
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It could be more of an ongoing situation than it apears at first sight.

Turning him away then bringing both of you slowly back in to work and fitness would probably be a very good thing.
 
Turn him away and by saving what it costs you at the moment, maybe you could pay a professional to bring him back into work when you are ready to ride again.
 
Out of those two options I'd give him time of until the spring... but if money isn't an issue, I think I'd pay somebody else to school him and ride him, so that when you do get back on some progress has been made to his schooling... then you have something to look forward to when you can ride again...
 
Thanks for all the replies. The trouble is where we live there are very few people, professional or otherwise, around who could come out and ride him for me - I've been down this road before when I wanted to bring my other horse back into work. I find that people just aren't committed or reliable, and stop turning up or make excuses not to do it - even if you're paying them! I think I may just give him the time off, try and bring him back into work when I'm ready and if I have problems then maybe send him away to be done.
Thanks again, folks! You've helped me make my mind up.
 
If you know someone you're happy to ride him then I say keep on with the work for a while longer. The maybe rough him off for a holiday until you're ready to get back on him.
 
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