Horse very strong when I ride.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Some of these posts are so rude and condescending.

I hope you all receive helpful and constructive advice, whatever your stage of riding - lots of people know far less than they think they do.

OP, there is no magic trick that will make your pony settled and obedient and I'm afraid there is no substitute for knowledgable eyes on the ground. You need to find some way to get instruction.
 
To be honest OP, a 14.2hh Newfie pony naturally born to roam and live out in the big wide world is going to be one big pent up ball of fury being kept inside 24/7 without interaction. Absolute tragedy to keep a herd animal in this way in this day and age.

Seriously in your shoes I would walk away from this share as clearly the owner has not a jot of sense of how to keep ponies happy, if he is aggressive to others in the field then damn right there will be a reason for it, poor sod doesn't know where he stands and if he doesn't settle then they aren't the right companions for him, small mixed sex herds can work well, mares usually sort the jumped up too big for their boots geldings out.

I own Newfies, I have stables, I pander to their every need but they live out 24/7, they are in if they are ill or I need to do something in the field or if it's flooded or covered in snow 24/7 so no forage out there or if I just fancy bringing them in to dry or clean, they are happy to come in and happy to stay out but keeping one in 24/7 with no interaction with their mates is a whole different ballgame and yes you bet they can get aggressive both towards the others and humans.

Keeping my biggest gelding in for any length of time results in field squabbles like you've never seen as he is ultimate herd leader and so needs to re-assert his authority out there every time.

No amount of schooling, tack changes, instruction etc etc is going to help you on this one, the pony needs to have a proper pony life and left to settle and sort himself a place in a herd, a happy pony is an amenable one for everyone.

And yes I do know of many people that stable 24/7 but clearly this is not working for your share pony, either that or he is in considerable pain and the only way to stop it is to get rid of the person on top holding onto him as fast as possible.

And yes I have been there with a bolter, a blind bolter, a stop head first into a tree knock you out bolter......... your pony isn't bolting, he is to coin a phrase 'knobbing off with you' if he was bolting you'd be through that arena fence, that brick wall, those indoor school doors would mean nothing to a true bolter.
 
southerncomfort said:
BUT if your 'riding' consists of being tanked off with around an arena for half an hour each time then neither you nor the horse are learning anything. It's not 'quality' riding time.

I don't say that you can't ride but I do say that this horse is not right for you at this point in time. I don't see much value in continuing with the share as it doesn't sound much fun for anyone least of all you.

You honestly would be far better ending the share, having lessons for a bit and then looking for a more suitable horse. I'm sorry if that isn't what you hoped to hear but it is the most sensible thing you could do.
Click to expand...

Incredibly sound advice... You are paying for this part loan, and as much as you may love the pony, you would have more fun on something more suitable for your current experience. Otherwise I really cannot stress enough how it is worth paying out for lessons with a good instructor.

Auslander said:
If you stick around once half term is over, you'll find that there are a lot of very experienced people on this forum, many of whom are also instructors. It's actually very easy to tell how competent someone is by the questions they ask, the way they post, and the grace/humility with which they listen to the advice they are given.
Click to expand...

Agree. This forum is full of brilliant people with thousand of years of experience between them.

Rolocookiepepsi said:
Until you've come to the yard, and actually seen me ride, please keep your opinions on whether I'm a novice or not to yourselves. Some aren't the best at wording things online, yet that doesn't make them any less experienced at what they do?
Click to expand...

No offence intended, but you come across as a novice. Of course, different people have different ideas of what a novice rider is.

amymay said:
This is one seriously unhappy and dangerous (possibly) animal. The owner needs to step up and make some serious changes, and help this poor animal. I would step away before you get badly hurt.
Click to expand...

Again, sound advice.
 
Last edited:
Rolocookiepepsi said:
Until you've come to the yard, and actually seen me ride, please keep your opinions on whether I'm a novice or not to yourselves. Some aren't the best at wording things online, yet that doesn't make them any less experienced at what they do?
Click to expand...

To be fair OP, 7 years is no time at all in the grand scheme of things. My daughter has been riding for 10, she's 15 and still has a huge amount to learn. I've been riding for 39 years, I don't class myself as an expert, I turn to my more experienced and very talented instructor if I have an issue with my complicated gelding. You have come on to a public forum to ask for advice, and have become agitated at the mere suggestion that you may be overhorsed. I doubt your share horse is bolting, I expect he is strong and maybe a little anxious with something you are doing. But as you keep reminding us, we clearly can't tell how well you ride and how above lessons you are, from a forum! So I won't tell you to look for a decent instructor because there's clearly no point, as you obviously don't need one!
 
Please can you keep you opinions to yourself. I don't want to get into anymore arguments but you are clearly trying to start something.. Your comment is rather rude. As the OP, i request for no further comments to be made on this thread.
 
As you have already been told, if you stop commenting (reacting) to what people say, the thread will die. However, you seem to be unable to walk away because you keep insisting on defending yourself and resurrecting the thread every time it goes quiet.
 
thats the thing, it had gone quite, but then someone commented, so i thought id just ask people to stop commenting so that the tread could be left alone, but obviously i didnt make myself clear.. :(
 
If I were to ride my horse with a tight rein he would blow up in my face. The rein is a way of communicating with the horse, not a way to "hold" him.

OP, you really do need lessons before you hurt yourself, and the horse. Many people are commenting as it is disheartening to hear you are riding on a tight rein, going into trot and being "bolted" with. It is upsetting to think of the horse's confusion and discomfort, and the danger that you yourself are in.

If you are genuine in what you say, and not just winding us up, then it is simple to see that you are inexperienced. Have a look at the "What makes an experienced rider" thread.

Please get some help.
 
Sorry but the cardinal rule of riding any horse perticularly a strong one is never to get into a pulling match with it.
You simply can't win.
What I think is going on here is that you are tensing going into canter (as you are expecting the horse to take off with you) therefore gripping with your knees and lower leg which pops you out of the saddle slightly unbalancing you. You then use your hands for balance, the horse panics at the pain in his mouth (a twisted snaffle is designed to inflict pain, it is not a bit for any but the most experienced hands) and he tries to run from the pain. You grab hold and try to haul him up which creates more pain in his mouth resulting in a nasty circle of running/pulling.

Personally I'd ditch the twisted snaffle, get the horse in longreins and teach it that it doesn't need to fear the bit.
Then you should get some lunge lessons where you have no reins at all and learn to develop a truly independent seat.

But again this is only a guess since I can't see what is going on, an instructor on the ground would be better placed!
 
Rolocookiepepsi said:
Respectfully, all horses are different, and if you were to come and ride him, you'd know exactly what I mean
Click to expand...

I'm stumped to understand what you're after with regards your original question, as every suggestion/piece of advice has been disregarded.

I suppose it's all rather moot at the moment, however, as the horse is unwell and off games for a while. Hopefully the outcome of that will be a review of his management.
 
thankyou connie girl, will take your advise, but the rude comment at the end is unnecessary.

amymay-the post was describing what would happen, or what you would do with *their* horse, and assuming that i was 'holding' him that way. I am all for taking the helpful advice, although it may seem like i'm ignoring most negative posts, alot of them are actually insulting, and are nor helpful or related to my question.
 
Rolocookiepepsi said:
thankyou connie girl, will take your advise, but the rude comment at the end is unnecessary.

.
Click to expand...


Please enlighten me as to which rude comment is in Conniegirls reply. I must have missed it.
You ask for advice and that post is full of good points and no criticism if you cant work that out you may need to go back even further!

This will most likely go over your head or be ignored.However take heed. ' when in a hole ,Stop digging '
 
Last edited:
Rolocookiepepsi said:
For gods sake, I can ride! How on earth can you tell me I can't when you've never even met me?
Click to expand...

Rolocookiepepsi said:
Example of when he last 'took off'

I was riding round the school and he was actually behaving unusually well. He was trotting very nicely so after a while I asked to canter on a corner, after a few strides he sped up and completely ignored anything I was doing, I tried to pull him up ASAP as there was another horse in the school and it was making it dangerous for everyone. We weren't planning to jump at all, just flatwork. One emergency dismount later he slowed and came to a halt next to the other horse. I got on again, with the reins tighter this time, did some circles and picked up canter and he was much better. Next time I rode I kept the reins much tighter and to see if the cause of the previous week really was just by giving him his head, I let the reins slip a couple of inches through my fingers when in trot and he yanked off into canter across the school, luckily this time I was able to pull him up as he didn't get too far
Click to expand...

OP with all due respect the above reply is possibly why people feel you're rather novice and might benefit from sharing a more sympathetic horse. This isn't about how formal or eloquently you explain yourself but more to do with what you say and your thought processes.

I know this is a sweeping generalisation but I tend to find those that lack experience are the first ones to shout about how they know how to ride and dismiss advice thinking they know better. How well you ride and whether you're a novice or not is so subjective though as you don't know what you don't know so I'd say don't get too het up on the labels. There will always be people who ride better or have more experience than you and sometimes it's best to open your ears and shut your mouth, even if you don't necessarily like what they're saying. It's part of the learning curve and as you progress you'll become more aware of what you don't know. After 24 years of riding there are still things that stump me and many people with far more experience that I'll happily turn to in those situations. If anything I think this makes me a better/more experienced rider/owner than someone who is naive to their limitations or ability...which can be quite frankly dangerous at times.

As for first hand experience, my boy has a tendency to knob off, generally when he's feeling a bit too well in himself. He is by no means a bolter...more like driving a car with spongey brakes. He tends to evade the bit by setting his neck and just running through the bit. On particularly bad days this'll start with a squeal and some rodeo style broncs, on a good day we end up trotting at warp speed. The way I deal with this is to sit deep, wrap my legs around him and focus on using my core muscles to block his forward momentum...if I clung to his mouth or tightened the reins we'd either end up in a tugging match that I'd have no chance of winning or he'd wind himself up like a tightly coiled spring and then explode.

From what you've said it either sounds like this horse is taking the pee out of you as he knows he can get away with it, or he's confused by what you're asking and reacting accordingly. It sounds like you're driving him forward with your leg but by holding his mouth so tightly you're not allowing him to go forwards. If you haven't already I'd ask the owner to watch you ride and offer some pointers on how to manage his behaviour. If this doesn't work I'd try to save up some pennies and have an instructor come watch you ride him and see if they can help. Often a lesson on your own horse is cheaper than a lesson at a riding school, even more so if you can find someone at the yard to share the lesson with.

I won't go on about the horse's management as I'm sure you're aware that keeping a horse in 24/7 is unacceptable and definitely not sustainable. I suspect you'll have more behavioural problems in the coming weeks/months if he continues to be kept in this way but as a sharer you may not have much say in the way he's kept.
 
Op I haven't read all the posts just quickly scanned through the thread.

I don't think this sounds like a happy pony and IMO his management is far from suitable and verging on cruel - however as his sharer you don't really have a lot of say.

You seem to be determined to stick with him so my advice would be;

Has pony had his back, teeth and saddle checked recently?

As previously suggested ditch the bit & when he is able to be worked long lining would be a good place to start.

You could also look online for some ground work exercises to do to build on your relationship with him.

As he is out of work atm and you aren't getting to ride could you try and negotiate the price and put the savings aside to get a lesson or two on him or if that's not an option is there anyone at the yard who could be your eyes on the ground?
 
Rolocookiepepsi said:
'But again this is only a guess since I can't see what is going on'
I take this as quite sarcastic and something linking on to my previous comments
Click to expand...

You'd also benefit from growing a thicker skin if you want to get the best out of the forum. FWIW I didn't read the above as rude or sarcastic, more an observation or caveat that their advice is based on what's been said and may not reflect what's actually happening.
 
I really didn't mean to sound snobby, it was just the people calling me a beginner that was getting on my nerves. I understand that it may look like my sentences are badly written, but I can sometimes struggle with words.. putting sentences together etc.. but please don't take that as an excuse.

wills-I really am, the owner is lovely and the pony is such a lovely character, even if he can be cheeky! Its a great yard and there aren't many shares available around me so I was lucky to find him. I don't think I will be able to negotiate on price as I get the feeling the owner actually needs the money to keep him, as she has recently asked to up the price because she was struggling. I suppose I could save up to get a lesson with the instructor that comes to the yard, but it would only be a one off x
would riding bitless help? if he is fighting the bit an running away from pain, if the bit is taken away, then surely he wont run?
 
Saving up and getting a lesson would be a good start, instructor would be able to give you some good pointers to work on, get some one to film it if you can so you can watch back. Are you able to long line or lunge? Teach pony there is no need to run from the bit. If there is the slightest chance he is in pain then his owner needs to get his teeth looking at.
 
It sounds like you are just generating a tug of war. Horse's are only strong if you give them something to pull against. How good are your half halts?

Also people aren't saying you are a beginner, they are suggesting that you aren't that experienced. These are two entirely different things on a huge scale of experience. There are people on this thread that have ridden to Grand Prix and have years of experience having been trained by some top people. I'm still a novice compared to them and I would listen to their advice all day long!
 
I really wouldn't advise riding an already strong horse bitless without having an instructor or someone experienced on hand to help. The horse will need to learn and understand pressure and release and you may also need to adapt your riding style...taking a tight grip to the reins would result in the horse having no release and would be just as bad as inflicting pain via a bit in my opinion as the horse would still be seeking to evade the source of discomfort.
 
The biggest assets common to all really good riders are a bit of humility and an open mind. The ability to look at a problem from the horses point of view and work out what they may be doing to cause the issue or exacerbate the issue. This humility comes with time and experience and a realisation that learning to ride is a journey without an ending. We never, ever know it all and we are always learning. I've been riding for 35 years and I know I'm still not that great a rider! :) But I have learned to listen to my horse and know that extreme behaviour needs investigating with an open mind. Sometimes when we ride the same horse all the time we fall in to bad habits without even realising it and this is where lessons with a really good instructor are absolutely essential if you want to be a good rider and not just a passenger. I can guarantee that almost all of us on here have lessons, at least every now and then, to make sure we are doing the best we can for our horses.

My guess is that you are like I was when I was a teenager, desperate to ride any horse no matter how loopy or unsuitable it was! :) Trouble is you can only get away with it for so long especially if you don't yet have the skills to deal with extreme behaviour. And that is essentially what people are telling you here: you can ride, but you do not yet have the skills necessary to deal with this particular horse. And you need to show that humility required to have the makings of a really good rider and admit it to yourself. This horse will not make you a really good rider, but you could make his/her problems worse by not reacting to his behaviour in the right way. That isn't a criticism. It's just where you are at in your riding journey right now.

Please do the right thing for you and the pony. Walk away. Get some lessons and then in late Spring/early Summer start looking again for another share. Many more people start advertising for sharers later in Spring, in fact I plan to start looking for a sharer for one of mine in a few weeks. So don't give up. But don't compromise either and don't accept an unsuitable horse just because you are desperate for riding time.

Best wishes.
 
The first thing people will recommend with any 'problem' is getting back, teeth and tack checked.
If the pony is a share then you may have to pool resources to get all these things done. But it's a must.

My saintly pony ditched me on New Year's Day; this was the first time in the three years I've had him. He has the dentist every nine months, but this week she found a problem with his wolf teeth. It's very likely that this is causing him some considerable pain. I've stopped riding him and he will be having the teeth extracted on Friday.

The bridle set up (twisted snaffle a grackle) sounds very severe indeed. Bitless is not necessarily the solution, the pony needs checking by an expert.

Sorry, but I would not under any circumstances be riding a pony that rears on the roads. The consequences don't bear thinking of.
 
So I am going to stick my pennies worth in here too, but firstly I want to make a few observations.

1) Some people have been unnecessarily harsh on this forum, chill out.

2) OP - ditch the attitude and accept help. I have been riding 20 years and I still get lessons, you do NOT know everything and neither does anyone else here and they will accept that.

3) OP - No one on here has the nerve to say "I know how to ride". You know why? Because unless you are some sort of Carl Hester type god of riding, we all pale in comparison to that ridden wise (Bar a small few on here who are just freaking amazing).

Now to my advice.

There seems to be a lot of behavioural issues with this pony. He isn't happy. End of. A horse who is aggressive to others then behaves like that under saddle either has physical or mental issues, or even both.

Get lessons, either ON the pony or at a riding school. Almost everyone on here who wants to improve their standard of riding has lessons, it is nothing to be ashamed of, and you will not get better unless you admit there is more to learn, there is ALWAYS more to learn. When I was competing I had two lessons a week totalling over £50 ontop of the £200-£300 per month to keep my horse. If cost is an issue to you, find a riding school that will allow you to do a few hours work for a free/discounted lesson.

I would also have serious concerns over this ponys welfare. Is he just going to live in a stable all his life? A horse is designed to be out, moving grazing, socialising, it is in their DNA and there is nothing anyone can do about that.

Where are you based OP? There is possibly some freelance instructors that will come to your yard and are nowhere near as expensive as a riding school.

Lastly, that horse needs a vet, a physio, a saddle fitter, a dentist and a behaviourist to give him a full physical and mental MOT. I would not be happy riding a horse with these issues until I knew that there was no underlying problem causing him pain. As you care about this horse, that should be both your priority and the owners priority, not if you can ride him. (It would be like asking you to do PE even though your back is on fire, or you have a tooth abcess, its going to make you moody).

I would also be wondering if there is a possibility of this horse being a rig. But that's just me.
 
FestiveFuzz said:
You'd also benefit from growing a thicker skin if you want to get the best out of the forum. FWIW I didn't read the above as rude or sarcastic, more an observation or caveat that their advice is based on what's been said and may not reflect what's actually happening.
Click to expand...

Quite!
There was nothing sarcastic meant by it just that as I can't see what is going on I can only say what I think may be going on, and an instructor who can physically see them would be far better placed to give appropriate advice.

OP seems to have decided that despite only having 7years of riding and having only 1 non riding school horse , she no longer needs lessons! Arrogance in its highest form. Unfortunately arrogance that is likely to end up with the OP badly injured and the poor horse ending up with a badly damaged mouth from the severe bit the rider is using with no regard for the action of that bit!
Twisted bits are well known for causing damage and even badly cutting into the toungue causing the poor horse permant damage and permanent pain.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top