Have you ever known a horse that regularly gets rid of riders?

[marmalade76]

Just because it can/ for something to do/ out of boredom/ for fun even? Thoughts, please

 

[Winters100]

Horse no, but about 40 years ago I had a pony who regularly did this!

 

[marmalade76]

Well, it's a cob, 14.2 so technically a pony.

 

[HollyWoozle]

When I was tiny we had a family pony, Pepsi, who used to use trees to remove her jockey.

 

[millikins]

I think ponies are definitely smart enough to work it out as an evasion but you'd have to do all the usual back, tack, teeth etc checks before deciding that's what is happening.

 

[marmalade76]

I think ponies are definitely smart enough to work it out as an evasion but you'd have to do all the usual back, tack, teeth etc checks before deciding that's what is happening.

Ha ha! It was only a matter of time! He's on loan and was loaned primarily as a companion, the fact that he was rideable was a bonus. If I'd loaned him for riding, I'd be sending him back right now. His teeth were checked recently, all good, no I haven't had his back checked, I might, I might just relegate him to companion only and ask his owner what she'd like me to do. I'm going on instinct and experience here, I honestly don't think it's a physical problem, a couple of the incidents could be put down as a fright, one incident was most definitely a tantrum, but after today's (unsuccessful) attempt, I'm thinking it's just for the hell of it, he knows it usually works, he'd had enough of going round the school so he thought he'd chance his arm.

 

[Bob notacob]

My first horse. He had to put everyone who rode him on the ground at least once. It was a matter of honour. But he wasnt a violent or nasty horse and he always did it in a manner that the rider could cope with . For example 14 yo kid taking him hunting . He did the slowest lower himself onto the ground and threaten to roll . She simply stepped off. On the other end of the scale , a supposed show jumper and course builder tried to pop him over a couple of fences (I allowed this out of shere badness). First time round he had horse between hand and leg , Ears back , the Ba....d can ride. Goes over fence, sudden change in horse ,ears forward ,practically smirking. I said to my frend ,watch this ,he,s up to something and its going to be spectacular. Horse had figured that his moment of freedom was while airborne. Next time round he did something I have never seen any other horse do . In athletics they call it the Fosbery flop . Ne jumped but landed on his side. Cunning git!

 

[marmalade76]

???

Love horses that think! I actually quite like this one and I think he likes me but one of my biggest issues is my confidence and having a horse I don't trust not to chuck me off when he feels like it is not going to help.

 

[wispagold]

Horse no, but about 40 years ago I had a pony who regularly did this!

I was about to say the exact same thing. My first pony was an 11.3hh sec A. She was great on the lead rein but would try and dump everyone off lead rein. My best total was 7 times in one session. We use to be on a livery yard that backed onto a country park. She knew her way round so well that when she had had enough she would just dump me and go home and I would have to walk back.

 

[luckyoldme]

I believe my horse was like this.
The first time it happened he seemed a bit shocked by it and then it was like a light bulb moment for him as he realised I was a crap rider.
I got dropped left right and center.
I bought an Australian stock saddle and rode in that for a while and he stopped bucking when I stopped coming off .
I got a nice saddle and after that we lived happily ever after !

 

[Elno]

Yes, my tb.

He was (well is, he's not dead) a beautiful horse who was lovely to handled and ride 90 % of the time. After a brief settling in period he started dumping me out of nowhere by performing a dirty spook with dropping his shoulder and spinning 180. If you happened to still be sitting he would finish you off with a buck. I spent a fortune trying to figure out what was wrong. Saddles, teeth, vets, feed... everything. Then I came in contact with the people who knew him when he was in training and apparantly he had been doing the same trick since beginning of time. He broke some of my bones and shattered my confidence completely before I sold him to a friend who liked him for a symbolic sum. Gorgeous horse though. Think about him often when my foot aches.

 

[asmp]

Had a pony for my daughter like this. Would drop his shoulder after going over a jump and she would go out the side door. Happened 5 times in one lesson. Gave her a better seat than mine though!

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

Just because it can/ for something to do/ out of boredom/ for fun even? Thoughts, please

Yes at Park Farm in the 70's we had many ponies do this,

Sky - would just bolt off with kids
Ni66er - yes that was his name, would get down and roll with kids on
Oddie - would wait till the kids left ft in stirrup and flail his near fore in a backward motion to catch the remaining leg
Robin - would just stop dead
Wireman - would wait while doing roiund the world and bronc you off when facing backward (horse)
Jamie - alsop would just gallop off
Jigsaw - too just bold off dump kids.

Prop more to early in the morning

 

[poiuytrewq]

There’s a horse by me who my partner or I have just happened to be driving past on the roads as it’s ditched it’s rider 4 times, I figure if between us we have seen that it must be a regular thing!

 

[Errin Paddywack]

My sister's 12hh welsh perfected a dirty stop over show jumps that removed my sister at least once. He would prick his ears and accelerate into the jump then jam the brakes on and sit down on take-off. Our brother took a great photo of her balanced on his ears just about to descend over the top. That was pure mischief. His name was Mischief-maker, wonder why? Lost him to cushings at 30 back in 1994 and we both still miss him.

 

[AnShanDan]

We had a pony that could ditch the rider if he felt they were a bit unbalanced. He would just drop his shoulder and spin. He was, apart from that, a total superstar, only 13hh he was a very successful WHP, pony club eventer, won up to pony foxhunter SJ, and in his later years, became a top games pony. So not much wrong with him except cheek!!!

 

[Gloi]

Had a pony that would jump a jump and stop dead on landing and put head down leaving the rider to fly on.
Shitland though, if he wasn't closely watched would turn his head and pull rider off by their foot.

 

[Tash88]

Yes, I own one but he retired at 11 because of this. Lovely, lovely horse but sharp and developed a habit of spinning and dropping his shoulder before he was backed. I was young and brave when I bought him at 5 and thought I could find the reason and reduce it, but having had all the investigations done and trying many different things, I couldn't. He was generally fine to hack but less keen on schooling, and was unmanageable if there were poles in the school, even on the ground. He was supposed to be a show jumper and I think he was overfaced when he was too young. He was a strange sort, he'd be fine for about 9 months and then would try (and often succeed) to throw me off every day for about 2 weeks, then go back to being okay again.

Over the 6-7 years I rode him my confidence diminished, and after a horrid fall when I hurt my face my confidence was shattered. I love the horse and he was happy living out, so he's been retired for coming up 4 years now. He's the happiest he's ever been

 

[marmalade76]

Thanks for the replies, some great stories ?

This cob has got rid of everyone who's ridden him since he's been here (got him in August), so it's only me who rides him now. He's had YO off twice (experienced but older lady), my daughter who's not much of a rider but will come out with me for a plod now & again, one occasion being on the lunge last week (and he lunges beautifully without a rider so I thought "what could possibly go wrong?") and me once in a tantrum then tried to deck me again yesterday by stopping dead from canter in the school. This didn't work on me, after years of sharp/spooky horses, I don't fall off easy but I've never had one that actively tries to remove me and I am wondering if he will up his game and try harder next time which is worrying me a bit. I've been put off jumping him because in the last loan home, he got rid of the kid by accelerating away from a jump then stopping dead.

After the tantrum incident, I took him hunting a couple of days later and he was a dream! Keen & up for it (he's a slug most of the time) with manners to die for. He's a dream to handle too, loves attention and cuddles, he's got form for being naughty to catch but he's not done that here, he actually trots up to me in the field now so he does have a fair few good points.

 

[maya2008]

Our old New Forest thought it was a great game in her youth. It was called, “How many bucks can you sit before you end up on my ears?”

Later in life we changed to, “Nah I don’t fancy this jump, do it yourself!” - she would go to take off, front legs off the floor so the rider leaned forwards, then suddenly duck down, head down in front of the jump. Worked nearly every time!

She grew out of the cheekiness though and became an amazing first ridden for my son in her teens!

 

[dorsetladette]

Section B stallion used to drop a shoulder an dump me in nettles when the opportunity arose. And I had a Welsh A that would purposely catch my knees on the steel framework of the indoor school. I love a quirky pony!

 

[Prancerpoos]

I was offered an ex-racer for free, but apparently he ditched his jockeys by galloping straight at the walls of buildings . Strangely, I declined! Not quite nominative determinism, but he was called State of Siege.

 

[fankino04]

When I was tiny we had a family pony, Pepsi, who used to use trees to remove her jockey.

I knew a hunter that took to doing this, he also rolled with his rider when crossing a stream out hunting one day, owners thought he was going blind as it was always the same side he knocked them off on. Got him a new rider who wanted a slower pace of life and he was happy as Larry going out with them.

 

[smolmaus]

A little fella called Fuzzy Wuzzy at my old RS had a great time tipping kids off doing dirty stops at tiny crosspoles. Usual story I popped on as the lightweight teenager to "sort him out" one day and got dumped 4 times in 10 minutes. Class wee pony.

 

[Tarragon]

Yes, a little Welsh Section A would scrape riders off at the nearest tree when it had had enough

 

[littleshetland]

Many many years ago I had riding job involving riding a horse called Simon....he would zigzag his way through the woods with me deliberately finding low branches in a effort to knock me off.

 

[Rosemary28]

The innocent looking beast in my avatar had me off in several interesting ways - the combination of Dartmoor x Welsh A has made him a cunning and stubborn little creature who likes his own way! He used to dump me in the field and then refuse to be caught... He is much better behaved as a driving pony!

 

[Snowfilly]

My childhood Shetland had an impressive dropped shoulder, spin and take off - she o lay used to do it if she heard Mum getting the feeds ready, or something interesting like a horse box arriving. She’d dump me in the fields and fly up to see what was going on.

I had another one who used to bronc on grass canters. Not pain related, he’d buck for joy playing in the field and these were the same great, exuberant leaps. 50 / 50 if you stayed on or not.

 

[SEL]

Welsh Sec A called Pip when I was a tiddler who would get bored, buck me off and trot off back to his stable.

I learnt to ride on a saint of a shetland but the owner had another part-bred shetland who was as fair away from sainthood as possible. Called Zeus he would stick his head down to eat grass, small child would be pulling and kicking, head would come up, he'd spin and drop the child then go back to eating.

 

[Translationsneeded1]

One of mine has to get everyone off once. Once you’ve fallen off, he’s fine after that. Little git!!