How can I help her improve

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FfionWinnie

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I have someone riding my 13.2. Probably on average 3 times a week with a half hour lesson from a qualified instructor as well. I don't have a school and its so wet now I can't have her riding in the field so we just hack. Prior to riding my 13.2 she had 7 years of riding school lessons. She has been riding with me for 4 months.

The pony is in my opinion a responsive, fun ride, cheeky, safe type of welsh pony. My daughter rides her on the lead rein and she is perfectly behaved, even in new situations.

When out on a hack she is constantly well behind me. I am constantly telling her to trot to catch up and not to let the pony run up the back side of mine. I have to tell her this multiple times on every hack. Today I thought right, you need to go in front so I told her I wanted her to trot in front and continue to trot any time it was dry enough, so that I didn't catch up. Constantly had to tell her to trot on. Then we had a canter (I was leading) and the pony which naps to my horse when she rides it, passed me in canter and she started screaming. She was leaning forward and clamping her legs on the pony and not actually trying to get her to stop. I stopped because I knew the pony would be looking for us following and shouted to turn her up the hill. She had stopped shortly after that. She was crying and basically terrorised. I explained that the signals she gave the pony were to go faster, and that the pony was not running off with her. I then got her to hold mine and got on the pony and galloped her past her demonstrating if I leaned forward she would go faster and if I sat up she would stop. I actually dropped the reins and stopped her with my seat, that's how easy she is.

So what to do?? I feel the pony is in danger of being ruined, she is nappy now which she wasn't before (she would stop occasionally when I rode her out the first few times but soon learnt to keep moving, I rode her alone for 4 months before she started riding her).

She doesn't like squeezing her with her legs or tapping her with a stick "in case she takes off" either so the pony is getting away with the napping.

I bought this pony for my daughter for the future so I want her to be good not wasted.

Both I and the instructor are scared we are going to make her cry when she is riding yet she says afterwards she enjoyed it.
 
Firstly how hold is the rider & most importantly has the Pony up till the past 4mths always been a Lead Rein??

Its going to be tough to help the rider if you don't have an arena to work out of, you may just need to get someone with a bit more confidence that can ride the pony through napping etc but I know thats easier said than done especially if its a small Welshie:)
 
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showpony said:
Firstly how hold is the rider & most importantly has the Pony up till the past 4mths always been a Lead Rein??

Its going to be tough to help the rider if you don't have an arena to work out of, you may just need to get someone with a bit more confidence that can ride the pony through napping etc but I know thats easier said than done especially if its a small Welshie:)
Click to expand...

No as I said I rode her out for four months with no issues at all prior to her riding her. Rider is 14. Pony has only been a lead rein occasionally for my daughter who is only 3 (but her pony died the other day so she will be her lead rein all the time as well as being ridden by this girl). The pony wasn't a lead rein before I bought her she was ridden out by a teenager.

I can ride the pony through it but there (was) nothing wrong with the pony, she is taking advantage of the rider being completely ineffective and to be fair on the pony I think she is a rather good pony as she doesn't take much of an advantage really considering!
 
Sorry, mis read re 4mths. Tbh If pony just taking advantage and the child if freaking out its prob not the right combination. As it will be your daughters future pony would get a better rider otherwise pony could develop bad habits which in turn could cause probs in the long term. Welshies I've found have very strong personalities and need competent and non fearful riders. We have a section A who thinks she is a 16.2 tb at times:)
 
TBH, I would slap her on the lead rein and take her back to very basics while riding alongside her, make sure she is absolutely competent to control the pony in all paces (let her give the aids to stop/go into another pace and you ride to her tune if that makes sense but then you know she actually can control that pony even if still on the lead rein) without having to be worried about being on her own so that she can enjoy it completely. I used to have to teach a lot of children this way at one riding school and they always learnt better when they weren't scared and were having fun out of the school, it gave them far more confidence than being inside four walls.

Just seen how old she is so if she feels being on a lead rein is beneath her I'd tell her she can't ride any longer, sorry, it's your pony, you don't want him ruined. You could try lunging her of course, that might help too.
 
Consider both horse and riders safety.
Had a similar problem with a girl who had only been riding 2 years before getring a loan pony at our yard. Her mother pushed her upon me and a friend and so we hacked out with her. Poor girl did not have enough experience and so cannot control pony well. She has an armchair seat, reins too long, feet to far in stirrups, hat doesnt fit her, she can only stop by hauling on poor ponis mouth. When she rode with us she could not stop her pony either using my horses arse as a buffer of barging into us from each side at a trot or canter. I dont mean to sound patronisimg of the girl but i did not want to be responsible for her out hacking. Im only 17 and she is 12 so of corse if she fell off it would be blamed on me.
My fear was that she would fall off and get her feet caught in the stirrups or that she would get belted by my horse who doesnt like having her personal space invaded or being bumprd like a bumper car. In the end I dod not feel safe being out with her especially when using roads to cross into different woodland and access different routes. I had a quite but firm word with both mother and girl and then put the matter to my yard owner. Girl still rides very poorly but now is on the leadrein with her mother. In this situation I feel sorry for the pony. Her pony is now ruined through poor riding and I fear this could be a possiblity for your pony to also be ruined OP.
Please speak to all parties involved and firmly say what you think, the pony is yours so you are quite within your rights to stop her riding him.
Hope this is some help and/or a cautionary tale
x
 
Just thought I'd update this thread.

I couldn't put her on a lead rein really as my horse is only 4 and I don't want to create more problems. I don't think she is that bad that she is a danger, the pony is very very sound tempered.

She has had a couple of lessons with new instructor now who put her on the lunge last week. WHAT a difference! Today I long lined the pony on a circle before she rode and then she rode her in walk on her own, and I lunged her in trot and got her working without reins. Then I had them cantering on both reins too. Dramatic improvement now she has realise pony isn't going to run away (she was quite lazy on the lunge so I had to keep at her which demonstrated that the pony will do nothing bad if she gives her a tap etc).

Also doing pony good as she likes to nap towards me and cannot on the long lines.

Feel like we have really cracked it and can finally move forward.
 
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