Following on from "If someone rode your horse" post....

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But I do admit that Star is a total cow to strangers and probably wouldn't be caught by one
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A slight understatement I think
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You love her really!!
 
Maybe, I'm the exception but if anyone got on my baby horse and wasn't a particularly good rider there would be a chance that she would act up. She hates heavy hands and will go up if your too heavy. My other horse is old and very clever, he would probably be difficult to ride, but certainly not dangerous.
 
All comes down to one thing - overhorsing. Rather than buy a 15 year old cob folks so often buy a 6 yo TB and 1 week later discover they can't ride it or it scares them. So rather than selling it on they keep it, arm themselves to the teeth with every horsey safety gadget and then wonder why their horse is nuts and just to be sure lets feed it performance mix when we only hack out at weekends.
 
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All comes down to one thing - overhorsing. Rather than buy a 15 year old cob folks so often buy a 6 yo TB and 1 week later discover they can't ride it or it scares them. So rather than selling it on they keep it, arm themselves to the teeth with every horsey safety gadget and then wonder why their horse is nuts and just to be sure lets feed it performance mix when we only hack out at weekends.

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I think you are hitting the nail on the head, BBF- that 6yo TB's and 15yr old cobs are suitable for entirely different types of rider.
My 18yo TB is not, and never would be suitable for a novice rider...she can, at times, be a rider frightener...as if they sock her in the teeth, she will go up with them, if they kick her in the sides, she will shoot sideways or forwards...
With a competent, confident rider, you couldn't get a better ride...safe in traffic, polite, well schooled and responsive - in the 14 years since I backed her, I've only come off twice and she has been ridden almost every day (until the last couple of year when work demands took over). But the schooling and responsiveness are exactly why a novice rider couldn't clamber aboard, kick merrily, haul themselves up and down in rising trot...without trouble.
Others may pride themselves on having horses so unresponsive, that no matter what you do to them they won't react...but that's not what I look for in my own horses
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. But that's my choice...now if I couldn't ride her...that might be a different matter....
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There does seem to be a lot of "problem" horses around, but I don't know if that's because people expect machine-like behaviour from them or because there really are more basket cases!

My YO has been riding my horse for me and she doesn't get on with him. But her style of riding is very different to mine and I don't think my lad particularly likes it. I wouldn't say he was a one person horse - I have let others ride him - but I think I've learned to compromise with him so we both get something out of it. I don't think many other people would actually enjoy riding him, but he's not a nutter - just quirky.

My mare is typically hormonal and can be unpredictable, but I wouldn't have any problems letting someone capable ride her.
 
I think most people ride Bailey better than I do!
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He seems to play up for me more than he does for others but then the only people who ride him besides me are my instructor & niece - both of whom are far better riders than I so probably take less messing from him!
I'd be ashamed of him if he played up for anyone else! He's an angel for the most part so I don't think it's something I need to worry about!
I do agree though that amongst horsey circles (not just on here) it's standard practice to make your horse out to be more badly behaved than it is to make yourself sound like a much better rider...personally I don't see the point!
 
Flash gave me my confidence back, so I'd consider him to be absolutely fine for most riders in the school. He's very difficult to get much out of, but he will happily wander round very slowly or just stand there with anyone on him. The first person to ride him after he'd been off for 2 weeks was a 5yr old who had never ridden before, and he plodded round like a saint! When he tries it on its by not moving, not bombing off, bucking, rearing or anything like that, he's far too lazy!

As someone mentioned tho, I would be VERY unhappy if someone rode without my permission, it has happened before when somebody FAR too heavy took my very senstitive little pony, raced her round then moaned at me that she was naughty. She'd really hurt her back and I was left with a pony that reared when you got on!
 
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There does seem to be a lot of "problem" horses around, but I don't know if that's because people expect machine-like behaviour from them or because there really are more basket cases!


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I think it is because there appear to be so many more people owning horses who, quite frankly, don't have a clue what they are doing....and, all to often, the one who pays for this ignorance is, sadly, the horse.
 
I thought this - I would never be violent about it, and my horse would be highly unlikely to hospitalise them! I've had everyone from a very top rider to my OH who has sat on a horse twice (noth times on my horse) on him, and despite him being a 'competition' horse, everyone is fine!

I would describe him as not novice ride int he sense that a novice wouldn't get the best out of him, but frankly I'd be embarrassed if you couldn't stick just about anyone on him and know they'd be pretty much ok (barring total randomness).

I would also be highly embarrassed if someone else rode him for half an hour and 'ruined' him as some people seem to think would happen - I would hope my schooling of him to date is good enough that I could get on and fix an issues in about five minutes flat!

Mind you I'm not at all precious about him and most people can ride him if they ask nicely!
 
Absolutely anyone could get on and ride Sam in most situations.

My last horse was a different kettle of fish and there deffo would be a possibilty of someone inexperienced ending up in hospital if they randomly hopped on him however that's not me in any way shape or form 'bigging myself up'... he put me in hospital on an alarmingly regular basis!!!
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I could potentially hospitalise the tresspassing rider
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My mare really is anyones ride AS LONG AS they are confident around/on her .
She doesn't do weak nerved people
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Mine is fine with others riding but will test them b y napping a little but is fine when he realises that he isnt going to get away with anything
 
The horse I loan's owner put it brilliantly when she said “he would look after any beginner perfectly, its just when somebody thinks that they can ride he starts to show them up.” That was a few months ago and I am still wondering what that says about me, seeing as I can never say we had a dull ride/hack/competition in 2 years!!
 
It almost seems fasionable to have a 'difficult' horse
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, which won't go for any other rider. You hear of Judges refusing to ride and TBH I don't blame them. I expect any horse I ride to have basic manners and be safe. Sadly I've ridden far too many that don't
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Riding is meant to be a pleasure, so why anyone would have a horse which couldnt be ridden by someone else (say the rider was out of action and the horse needed exercising) is beyond me. I would be mortified if that was my horse and certainally wouldnt brag about it.
I often wonder if it's the rider that's made the horse like that? Or if the horse is as bad as they make out? A good, decent rider will either school that horse and spend time teaching it manners and NOT to turn itself inside out or make the decision that the horse is totally unsafe to be ridden.
 
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It almost seems fasionable to have a 'difficult' horse
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, which won't go for any other rider. You hear of Judges refusing to ride and TBH I don't blame them. I expect any horse I ride to have basic manners and be safe. Sadly I've ridden far too many that don't
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Riding is meant to be a pleasure, so why anyone would have a horse which couldnt be ridden by someone else (say the rider was out of action and the horse needed exercising) is beyond me. I would be mortified if that was my horse and certainally wouldnt brag about it.
I often wonder if it's the rider that's made the horse like that? Or if the horse is as bad as they make out? A good, decent rider will either school that horse and spend time teaching it manners and NOT to turn itself inside out or make the decision that the horse is totally unsafe to be ridden.

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Not all of us want a horse that can be kicked, socked in the teeth, thumped up and down on by novices (unintentionally, of course)...some of us like forward thinking, responsive rides.
Now if you're a competent rider you could ride, and enjoy my horse. But if not, not. Simple
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I have no issue with any one riding my horses.

I do however, ensure that they are competent before they can get on, as if someone lies about their compentency then accidents are usually swift in coming. All it takes is an unbalanced rider, a spook and a bad fall then it is an ambulance trip. I realise that this senario can apply across the board but I hope you can appriciate what I am trying to say
 
That's true. It's also (usually) true that if you had a horse on full livery or were paying someone to ride it you wouldnt expect a novice rider... so what we're actually talking about is wether a horse is truly a one person horse (ie it would even try and kill a rider of decent ability) or wether it's exaggerated by the owner. .
 
Well the way I read that previous original post, neither the horse nor the rider were inexperienced, therefore no harm done apart from the fact that the rider may or may not have had permission to ride the horse. I don't believe we were ever told whether the horse was on proper full livery, meaning that exercise was included in the livery charges...

It was further posters who started to make idle threats about what would happen to riders if they got on their mad and crazy horses, whether that be the owners doing the damage or the horses.

I may be alone here but the implication of those stating that their horses would kill any other rider who mounted them, was that all other riders (apart from them) were cr4p riders, which of course is utter tosh! There will always be a rider who is just as good or better than ourselves - if you have a quirky/dangerous horse you just have to find that rider.

I know full well that someone who rode in a similar fashion to myself would have enjoyed riding my old girl; nothing to do with how "experienced" a rider they were, they would just have had to be sensitive and understanding of how she was.
 
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Not all of us want a horse that can be kicked, socked in the teeth, thumped up and down on by novices (unintentionally, of course)...some of us like forward thinking, responsive rides.
Now if you're a competent rider you could ride, and enjoy my horse. But if not, not. Simple
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But initially this wasn't about letting a novice ride your horse, but anybody. With many replies saying that nobody else could ride their horse except them with no reference to the standard of the rider.
 
I think there are two different issues here
1. Are all horses suitable for all riders?
2. Do you get horses who only perform for one rider, even if another rider is the same ability/level?

My view is that not all horses are suitable for all riders, in answer to the first point,
To the second point, I'd say that you can sometimes get horses who do only perform for one rider...either because they are at the top level of their sport...and little changes unsettle the horse....or with more general riding horses, when they've had previously bad experiences.
I'm not precious about WHO rides my mare...but I am careful about HOW COMPETENT they are...for their safety.
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Not all of us want a horse that can be kicked, socked in the teeth, thumped up and down on by novices (unintentionally, of course)...some of us like forward thinking, responsive rides.
Now if you're a competent rider you could ride, and enjoy my horse. But if not, not. Simple
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Not all novices ride like that and some experienced riders can be incredibly heavy handed and haul themselves around!
Who's to say that forward thinking, responsive horses are unsuitable for novices? I have ridden horses like that but put you can a novice on them and they're like a different horse, steady and calm. Of course these are riding school horses mainly so are used to being ridden by different people....
 
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Oh, I don't feel my normal Satanic self today...

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No I had noticed a certain "normality" to your posts today - are you feeling unwell?
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Yes, but that wasnt what the OP was about... of course not all horses are suitable for all riders.

The type of person in the OP making these statements didnt come across as Olympic riders, just normal every day riders.
 
Good point Shilasdair..

In response to Christmas Kate, I'm starting to think that more and more people think it's fashionable to have a content 'robotic' type of horse with oh so 100% perfect manners
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Do they exist
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If so what am I doing wrong
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I like to see some spirit and fire in my mares belly now and again otherwise I'd suspect she was on valium
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Who's to say that forward thinking, responsive horses are unsuitable for novices?

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Totally agree with you here SF. All of my horses, including the trail horses, are definitely not thick, dumb, ploddy or unresponsive horses. They are nice forward-going but safe horses and not your usual trail horses; they think, they respond however if they feel that you haven't a clue what you are doing then they will look after you and tolerate incorrect messages.

I ride all of my trail horses once in a while out on their own, and I keep them up on their movements, training etc. These horses of mine were not trail horses before I bought them and they won't be sold to trail riding places hence I still keep them very much as personal horses so that they are always totally saleable.
 
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Not all of us want a horse that can be kicked, socked in the teeth, thumped up and down on by novices (unintentionally, of course)...some of us like forward thinking, responsive rides.
Now if you're a competent rider you could ride, and enjoy my horse. But if not, not. Simple
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Not all novices ride like that and some experienced riders can be incredibly heavy handed and haul themselves around!
Who's to say that forward thinking, responsive horses are unsuitable for novices? I have ridden horses like that but put you can a novice on them and they're like a different horse, steady and calm. Of course these are riding school horses mainly so are used to being ridden by different people....

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I agree - all novices ride differently...we all have our own special faults (apart from me, obviously - I'm perfect). And sometimes forward going horses are suitable for novices....but my point was that you have to consider whether horse and rider match each other. You can't just pop any rider on any horse; it has to be carefully considered for the rider's ability at that point in time...and their confidence (as confidence and ability levels are often very different).
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