Going to the Beach for the first time (advice please!)

[Law]

I want to take Mr D to the beach but am a bit worried about how he'll react to it. Does anyone have any advice or tips of how to take it?
I want to take him on his own as in company he can get really hyped. He'd be fine with another one but no more than that. I was just going to take him on his own and try and have a helper on the ground.
He's not a brilliant hack on his own as he doesn't really have a lot of confidence- we get out and do it but he poohs himself most of the time, jumping from hedgemonster to crisp packet and back again!

Am I mad for even thinking about the beach on our own?

 

[Alibear]

I'd try and find a good sage sane buddy and rider to go with. You need ot make this as fun for Bud as possible so he'll enjoy it and happily go back again.

I would also boot and put a neckstrap on just for extra saftey.

But then I am a wimp

 

[nijinsky]

I too would dearly love to take my horse/s to the beach for a ride but I'm too nervous. They've/I've never been. I would definitely go with one other, more experienced, calm horse though, I wouldn't dream of going on my own. I too have no idea how mine would react but to have another experienced horse/rider with me would be my priority.

The first time you go you don't need to do anything fast, even if you just walked (sounds boring I know) but you've been & done it then, you can always do more the next time you go.

 

[Alex_kate]

i took joey to the beach, he can be a nutter when we go out, went with my mates horse who is scared of his own shadow basically! they were both really well behaved, settled down brilliantly and we had a great time! just take it slow

 

[WelshRareBit]

Which beach are you going to and when?

 

[Cinders]

first time i took my pony to the beach was with a big group of us from the RC. Big mistake, the little kids all took off galloping the moment we touched the beach and my pony blew her brains and took off as well! Its fantastic riding on the beach though, and definitely a lot of fun!

 

[Nic]

Tape on your boots the sea removes them! REcommend a neck strap as too much wave watching makes you dizzy!

You're not mad just pick a quiet day with not great weather to ensure minimum kids/dog walkers. Have fun!

 

[Halfstep]

I used to go to the beach all the time when I lived close to the sea. In my experience horses love it, once they get over the initial shock of water that moves LOL. Don't boot up unless you desperately need them as the sand gets under them and rubs. Remember that galloping on soft sand can put strain on tendons, but the harder sand should be fine. My horse used to love swimming in the sea and jumping over the waves, but he was bred by the sea and was accustomed to it. It is a wonderful feeling and I miss it dreadfully now that I live as far from the sea as it is possible to be in Britain.

 

[Twiglet]

Check tide times carefully! You don't want to get there and find out you've only got 6 inches of sand to ride on because the tide's in. And depending on where you are, be very careful about currents etc.

If I'm honest, I'd prefer to take Twiglet on my own if I was going to.......I've got more chance of getting him to focus on me without another horse there. Plus he tends to race and if he goes flat out on a beach, I've got a feeling brake failure would be the order of the day.

Don't be surprised if your horse won't go near the water at first, a lot of them are very dubious!

 

[alicedove]

BE AWARE the sand changes texture from metre to metre. Youc could be racing along on the top one minute, then sinking in deeply the next.

I took mine when he was 6 with my daughter and they were both a bit nervy, the waves were scary. But we took it steady and in quiet stages. You can always hack around the beach not necessarily on it if you bottle it!

We ended up cantering knee deep in a pool after an hour or so.

 

[Law]

Ynyslas

having checked the tide tables I was thinking about either this sunday or the one after

Am waiting to hear back from a friend if she wants to take her sensible horse as they went for the first time 2 weeks ago

Thanks for all the reassurance and experiences

 

[showjump2003]

I ride on the beach almost daily with mine. I would advise staying away from the water to start with as the sound of breaking waves can be pretty scary for them. And right from the start work in circles, not straight lines on the beach!

 

[dieseldog]

I used to work on the beach doing horse rides and a lot of those horses were sourced from the meatman. So imagine quite large hairy cobs that aren't the best schooled in the world coming down the lorry ramp and seeing a beach for the first time, it blew their minds, but at least they had the secruity of the other horses.

First time I took my very sensible pony down the beach she was a bit shocked by the open space and refused to come out of the sand dunes.

I think the expanse of nothingness in front of them is slightly scary and if you have got the option of taking someone else I would.

 

[Law]

Thanks

This is the slight worry! First time he went XC it was in a very spacious area where there were fields and fields and hills and he just stood there, if his jaw could have hit the floor it would have, he was shell shocked! He seemed confused as hell

This was a couple of years ago and he's seen a lot more since then but I do worry that the vast space will blow his mind

He's also a lot more chilled than he was back then.

I'll wait to hear back from friend

 

[Blackhawk]

Bring a change of clothes, and good luck!

I've ridden on the beach a few times and it is fantastic. I'm sure you will enjoy it once you're there.

 

[jac47]

I ride on the beach with or without company and my horse is fine. You must check the tide as it's hard going on soft sand. our boy some times won't go into the water and that can be a bit of a problem as you have to cross water to get onto the beach.
enjoy you will love it let us know how it goes

 

[kerilli]

i took my old Advanced mare, the bravest horse i've ever sat on, and she was very spooked by it, froze in horror when she saw the sea, and then kept backing away from the breakers and snorting down her nose in amazement. it took a lot of pony-club kicking to get her in, very unprofessional indeed! this was February, and then the first decent wave broke over my head. i thought it was waist height.
i have never ever been so cold in my entire life. not something i'll do again in a hurry, i think i'll just ponce along the beach next time!

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

I took my girl to the beach last month and I too was nervous as she can get a tad excited! There were 3 of us and she was a total star

Braver than the others and was as good as gold! We had a fab time cantering up and down the beach but on our last run we decided to go on the waters edge as the tide was coming in. We had already walked and trotted up and down the edge to make sure it was safe and thought it was ok to canter. The water must of made the mud under the shingle go majorly soggy as we ended up going over, both of us into the water

Luckily Cropi was ok but I ended up at A&E with a suspected broken hand

It was not broken but its still swollen and I still can't get my wedding ring on so be careful when you are near the water.

It hasn't put me off at all and we are going again soon, to a different beach though! So I recommend that you take some spare clothes, sitting in A&E dripping wet, freezing cold with knickers full of sand was not fun!!

I hope you have a great time, we did

FOLLOWING PICTURE BY NEIL FORTESCUE - http://www.neilfortescue.com

 

[Law]

[ QUOTE ]
sitting in A&E dripping wet, freezing cold with knickers full of sand was not fun!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sorry but LOL!

That doesn't sound so great!

 

[WelshRareBit]

I dont know where Ynylas is - but if its Sunday I was thinking of boxing to the beach anyway so if you give me a rough idea of where (and you want company) then Id be happy to go, Murphy has seen the sea a zillion times so he should be a perfect nanny.

 

[Law]

Aww that would have been brilliant but i'm hours away from you

It would have been perfect!
I'm about 1 and 3/4 hrs from you by car

And Ynyslas is beautiful too, you'd have had a brilliant time

Pic of beach with tide out ynyslas

http://www.picturewales.co.uk/pics/large_images/1517.jpg

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
sitting in A&E dripping wet, freezing cold with knickers full of sand was not fun!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sorry but LOL!

That doesn't sound so great!

[/ QUOTE ]

It was still worth it though

 

[Law]

Also meant to say, I loved your pics

 

[SecretSquirrell379]

Thank you, we got some lovely ones. Hubby came down as did Neil Fortescue and took loads of pics between them. I put one of Neils up that he had already put on here so I'm sure he won't mind. He took some other cracking ones too that I must get round to ordering off of him

 

[sfward]

Beautiful beach...
I would check they don't have any extreme sports going on there like kiteboarding/surfing at the weekends. I took my idiot 5 year old to a beach in Yorkshire once with a few other people from the stables, you couldn't see from the carpark but when i rode him down to the beach there were a load of people zooming about on kite boards. He completely flipped, reared up and I fell off

At least it was a soft landing I suppose but not the most pleasant of experiences!
Also make sure you have brakes, if you normally wear a stronger bit for jumping/XC I would put that on just in case he enjoys himself a bit too much...!

 

[Law]

Thanks

My friends went a fortnight ago and I went to watch them and as I drove up I saw a kite being flown high in the sky

And 5 other horse boxes

Everyone had had the same idea!

 

[sarahs]

DONT DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it was the first time I had cried on a horse in about 20 years ! I took my horse - who at that time had only ever show jumped and had a massive phobia of open spaces and water - so what did bullet here do - take him to the beach ! - Just managed to get him on all 4 feet when I wind sufer came past - and we were off again ! - NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN!

 

[Law]

I don't think people windsurf there as it's a bit rubbish and no normal surfers there either. If I get there and there is a wind surfer I shall carry on driving and go home!

It's only a ten minute drive!

 

[WelshRareBit]

Thats a shame Law, we would have loved to meet MR D!! You have a gorgeous beach, so long and open looking!

 

[Chumsmum]

I went on the beach for the first time recently and it was great! I would try and go with someone experienced for the first time if you can.

I think it's difficult to predict how they will react. I was apprehensive when I went because my usually quiet pony had dumped me twice at our first show two days earlier but there was no need to worry - he was a star and loved it and so did the other horses.

Good idea about the neck strap when walking through the waves - I was all over the place, it was very strange

Hope you have a great time