Have you ever ridden amongst loose horses?

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3BayGeldings

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I tried it the other day. I have a 12 acre field where I keep my 3 horses (1 ridden, 2 retired) and really fancied a good canter about. Was going to bring the retired boys in, but being just me on my own private yard has made me very lazy and very un-BHS approved :D So I just left them in the field. We all had a blast! It gave the retired boys a good run around (both sound and rather portly at the minute :rolleyes:) and because my ridden horse is such an angel, I never felt unsafe. He is an ex-racer and I remember the first time I cantered him I was terrified I wasn't going to be able to stop - well, he certainly rubbishes all the stereotypes and is the best hacking horse I've ever known. The retired boys were racing eachother from the top of the field to the bottom, having a good buck and bronc, whilst me and my boy followed along behind at whatever pace they set - fabulous fun! I'm very lucky it never seems to enter his brain to buck or bolt or even so much as bunny hop, he's just brilliant.

Would you do it on your horses? Or am I about to get a good old HHO telling off for daring do such an irresponsible thing... :o :p
 
i have done in the past - used to ride the younger of my two horses in with the older mare. If she came over to heard him (she was boss in the field) i'd point my schooling whip at he and she'd go back to grazing. Cantering around wasn't the order of the day with the youngster though ;)
I did do it the other way round but the youngster attempted running into us a few times so gave that up as an unsafe job - my ridden mare was trying to kick him and keep me safe at the same time :rolleyes:
 
No, afraid not. If they were my own horses I wouldn't hesitate but in this country the grim reaper (Health & Safety) does hang about your head going "ooh, you shouldn't do that. What if....." when other peoples horses are concerned.
 
My youngster regularly breaks into my field while I'm schooling / wanders in front of jumps. He soon moves when Fergs nearly crashes into him. It's one thing with your own horses, when they know each other well. It's entirely another if you're riding with other people's horses loose, or if the horses are more likely to fight.
 
My daughter and most of the other liveries at the yard have, the xc jumps used to be located in the fields as are the show jumps in the summer, no harm ever done
 
I do it all the time! I have had a couple of run ins when riding with the colt out but he soon gets bored and it gee's my gelding up. One of my tb's also likes to chase and run about for about 10mins then he gets bored. Kyle is the most fantastic field companion, nothing fazes him and nothing sets him off - except food - until you get on something else in the field and then he tries to round them up :D It's all good fun! And I do get on with working the one I am riding after the others have got bored lol!
 
I have ridden my mare around around our fields with her (then) yearling son and his friend, plus an older nanny.

Just cantered around, with the 2 yearlings wondering what on earth i was doing. I tried to get them to join in, they would follow for a little bit, but they couldnt be bothered and carried on eating.

Came away feeling fantastic.
 
All the time on the forest.

I took my little mare over to the pub the other day and bumped in to one of the stallions and his herd of mares. He largely ignored us, good thing too as he was bloody massive! The majority of the ponies ignore riders, though the foals can be a PITA at this tine of year!
 
I ride on the New Forest and there are plenty of loose ponies there.

I also school in fields where I keep my ponies while the others are loose, but I am not having a mad gallop round. I would be quite happy to do that on the right horse and with the right field mates though.

I have also ridden along a bridleway with loose horses, that I didn't know, which was not enjoyable because they were far bigger than mine and came up close, circling around us.

Many moons ago I can remember galloping bareback around fields at a riding school with other loose ponies in who took absolutely no notice whatsoever. Wouldn't get many riding schools doing that nowadays!
 
All the time here too !! One of the bridleways crosses a field with about 15 horses in, and Shy adores going thru it.....he's mostly just watched, but sometimes he's met, and we have all the "good afternoons" from him ( he is so damned polite, did not get it from me,lol). He puts on his best moves for the ladies and foals !

Another bridleway field has young TB's in, and that is really good fun. We cantered along with them beside us last week, everyone having a blast - then Shy nearly trod on a rabbit hidden in the grass, did a massive handstand, and just carried on cantering - love my boy :D

Very careful not to get too close tho, or let anyone sniff anyone. And I know a lot of riders would not go into these fields (which is not good as they are bridleways).
 
Yep did this morning. Used to separate the TB (friends horse) but he ran through the fence the other day when I was schooling so he has been loose while I ride for the past few days. He thinks its a great game to start with but then he decides its far to much like hard work and gets back to eating, just some times in the bit I want to ride on :rolleyes:. They get on really well and the TB is v playful and does some times come bite mines bum when we stop but he isnt at all nasty and if I wave the schooling whip at him he tends to wonder off looking hurt that he cant join in :p.
 
3BayGeldings said:
I tried it the other day. I have a 12 acre field where I keep my 3 horses (1 ridden, 2 retired) and really fancied a good canter about. Was going to bring the retired boys in, but being just me on my own private yard has made me very lazy and very un-BHS approved :D So I just left them in the field. We all had a blast! It gave the retired boys a good run around (both sound and rather portly at the minute :rolleyes:) and because my ridden horse is such an angel, I never felt unsafe. He is an ex-racer and I remember the first time I cantered him I was terrified I wasn't going to be able to stop - well, he certainly rubbishes all the stereotypes and is the best hacking horse I've ever known. The retired boys were racing eachother from the top of the field to the bottom, having a good buck and bronc, whilst me and my boy followed along behind at whatever pace they set - fabulous fun! I'm very lucky it never seems to enter his brain to buck or bolt or even so much as bunny hop, he's just brilliant.

Would you do it on your horses? Or am I about to get a good old HHO telling off for daring do such an irresponsible thing... :o :p
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:) yes I would and have done it! I used to round up my colt riding my gelding in the field :) such fun! was great for teaching my colt boundaries and making my gelding responsive to my aids... while my 2 mares and young filly watched on and kept grazing :)... good times! :) I firmly believe in having fun with your horse because you never know how long your going to have them for... (I don`t condone recklessness though) x
 
Ferals up on the moors, and through fields with bridlepaths. Usually a bit hair-raising. Especially on my old horse, Mr 'Fight-club' :rolleyes:
Have had a go riding in my own field but it didnt work really. Me in the front trotting figures, with a line of followers bumbling along behind me, too distracting.
 
We can hack along a bridle path which goes along land owned by a nature trust and they've recently had a herd of wild ponies there.

They were a blimmin nuisance! Came along really close behind the mare I was riding and she just couldn't deal with it; don't think they'd been there long and hadn't got their own internal herd structure worked out, which was why I guess they started following us.
 
Capriole said:
Ferals up on the moors, and through fields with bridlepaths. Usually a bit hair-raising. Especially on my old horse, Mr 'Fight-club' :rolleyes:
Have had a go riding in my own field but it didnt work really. Me in the front trotting figures, with a line of followers bumbling along behind me, too distracting.
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:D this mad me laff
 
Did an SE ride somewhere years back, can't remember where, but there were wild ponies to contend with, normally they didn't bother others, but one did take a shine to my lad which did make us both a bit tense.
 
:( well i don't have my own horse now, but years ago, (before we had health n safety :p) my horse used to summer in a huge field with about 20 other horses .. I used to catch him and jump on .. and there was a regular stampede .. great fun and never a thought of danger! :eek: I don't think i would be brave enough anymore .. !! lol ..ah i would love to be young and fearless again!!
 
I used to jump over a fallen tree, with a mare and a shetland following behind loose :D

My friend and i both popped on her horse once with the mare, shetland and the pony i usually rode cantering around with us!

Not sure i'd have the balls now!
 
I have ridden with a herd of cows, does that count?! Probably looked demented, trotting with a herd of 50 odd following, me waving my schooling whip to shoo the cows off but actually just winding my own horse up more and more :o
 
Yep! Neither ridden nor loose horses bat an eyelid.
We did however, ride through a field of a bunch of horses we didn't know. That was interesting to say the least.
 
Yes a few times, It was actually quite effective to exercise the other pony as he would take 'rear file' and follow like a riding school pony :p when one pony had to stay in the manege off grass I happily schooled and jumped a fence in there- the pony was happy to stand in the corner eating his haynet.

Deer and stags are another matter- went to bradgate park and pony hopped on hind legs, used to be the same with cows but now seems a bit better! went for a gallop yesterday through a field as finally found a good stretch of firm but soft grass- herd this great thunder of hooves and found myself galloping among a herd of young cows !!!
 
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