Horse too strong?

[Fiftyshades]

Does anybody ever feel like their horse is too strong for them?

I have a 16.2 loan horse who gets very, very strong at the back and it takes all my strength to hold her. She flys jumping, half halting her all the way but one slip up and she tanks me.

I have been recently riding my friends smaller boy and he seems so 'easy', not over powering me at all and really feel safe and secure.

I am quite weak anyway but would you say I am 'over-horsed' or is this something that people work with?

 

[Cortez]

ALL horses are stronger than we are. It's not a matter of strength; it's a matter of correct training and riding.

 

[Fiftyshades]

Yes get your point. I guess my real question is 'Am I not a good enough rider for my loan horse' haha. But I assume the answer is yes!

 

[Barnacle]

Yes you are not good enough for this horse... But also the horse is not well-trained enough. Really, it sounds like this horse needs a rider good enough that he/she can also act as trainer to improve the horse in turn. Most riders are at the point where they can improve themselves and different horses can help them improve in different ways - but here you need a rider who can return the favour, if that makes sense?

There are various things you can do to work towards that but I'd suggest getting an instructor first of all to help you with this in a more contained environment.

 

[Fiona]

My TB mare was too strong for me to hunt so I gave up taking her and made hubby do so instead.

If this is a constant problem though, I agree that you should get an instructor involved ASAP.

Fiona

 

[Fiftyshades]

Yes completely understand what you mean. She's amazing with the really good riders and I have been working with 3 different instructors to help me improve over the last 5 months but I think I'm just getting a bit down on it now as to hack and canter/gallop behind someone is not fun at all and we all know those people who refuse to go anywhere but infront

I'm just thinking that perhaps I could be better suited to something like my friends pony. Well behaved, knows the ropes and makes me feel secure while I'm trying to improve.

 

[Irish gal]

I agree Fiftyshades, you need a horse that is not so strong and as you say something like your friend's pony. There's absolutely no need to be suffering like this on a horse you can't stop. This is your hobby after all. And it's not just down to riding as people have said.

Watched a great doco on Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, sometime world number one jumper. She often gets her much stronger husband to ride and school the big horses as he's much stronger, simple as, she then jumps them. If you're not the biggest get a nice handy sized loan horse for yourself, way easier to turn and generally to ride, and far more enjoyable