SparkleB
Active Member
OP have pm'd you.
Conniegirl-I have ridden many more than just the share. I wasn't saying I was experienced, I was saying I knew the basics of riding and was t a beginner. I don't want to continue to argue, I have tried to avoid commenting but I refuse to sit here and be bullied
if you put the area you are in (not the exact location) in a post someone here may know or may even be an instructor in your area who can help you. otherwise without seeing you or the pony it sounds as if you both need to learn how to ride and be ridden from the seat and not the hands or legs. if you have a friend who has a quiet and fairly slow pony it would be worth them lunging you on it and doing walk/trot/canter transitions with no reins and your hands on your head then gradually do it without stirrups as well and no gripping with your legsRespectfully, all horses are different, and if you were to come and ride him, you'd know exactly what I mean
I could have asked your question when I was your age with my first horse, a cob, who simply wouldn't stop. He had been badly treated and badly broken before I had him and he simply didn't understand the bit so he kept on going, Not dangerously bolting which is a very different thing but not stopping. When we were out on the common like that I felt I had no control.
I was given loads of advice by well meaning people all of which I ignored. I removed the bridle and put a pair of reins on a headcollar. No training, no teaching him, I just did it. I had instant control. It only required a small amount of pressure on the reins, no pulling. At last he understood. So I rode him for miles like that, then I moved onto an English Hackamore which I felt looked better out riding. All the time I rode bitless I taught him voice commands. "Ho" meant stop immediately which he did. After a couple of months of this I removed the headcollar and put a just neckring on. We rode miles around the roads and over the common and jumping that way.
This was long time ago with less traffic on our quiet lanes so I wouldn't suggest anyone did that on busy roads. If you try removing the pressure of pulling you may just find he is happier. All you have to do is put reins on your headcollar in the school. If he is going to run away with a bit then it is no different if he does it in a headcollar. Perhaps have someone around to keep an eye on you the first time. A couple of times around the school you will know if it has possibilities. If it does then you can do some in hand training to teach him commands eg back and Ho and lots of walking around cones and stuff to get him used to turning.
Really sorry, I made a new account that I planned to use in a few weeks but forgot I was logged in on my laptop! I was going to get rid of this one after this had blown over
of course I didn't want to give out my real name.. I made a mistake, im sorry