How long to form true partnership with new horse

[canteron]

Lucky me, I have a new horse. It hasn’t really put a foot wrong, but it is so very different. When she tenses and stops, I don’t know whether that’s just her thing - if that happened with my old horse I would be facing possible death.
it also just makes me realise how straight and obedient my old horse is - this one is wonky and doesn’t understand basic schooling moves. She now has a new job, she was a teenagers fun horse, I have to retrain to an older persons safe hack and low level dressage person.
I believe she has the temperament, is great in traffic and I don’t think taking off is in her nature and she has been and done a lot, but still, how long to give to form a partnership?

 

[KikiDee]

I think after 6 months you should know enough to know if they’re horribly wrong for you, but for me it’s a good 12 months before I’ve ever really felt like we’ve worked each other out fully and have a relationship.

 

[Meredith]

I had written a reply but deleted it as I realised you were asking about a ridden partnership. I'd replied about an emotional, if that's the right word, one.

 

[mariew]

If you are actually asking how long until she is trained well enough to respond to you, how long is a piece of string if you have to unlearn things too. Have some lessons, see where you are in 6 months to a year. If she fundamentally has a personality that suits you the rest will come.

It's always difficult when you go from a horse that you know inside out to a new one, especially if they have quite different characters.

 

[Sanversera]

lots of walking inhand and scratches and gentle grooming works for me and mine.

 

[BSL2]

Id still say a year. Work through all seasons, to see their true personality.

 

[Kirstd33]

We’re only 10 weeks in with a new horse, and a pacing standardbred to boot! To further complicate matters he’s a share between my daughter and I so we both ride him and the bad weather over Xmas vetoed about 2.5 weeks. Anyhow we’re defo building a bond, he follows us round and is definitely pleased to see us/his feed bucket. To ride he’s obviously incredibly different to our retired cob and I think his myriad of gaits is going to keep life interesting for some time! For the foreseeable we’re hacking, hacking and more hacking as he needs condition and muscle then in the spring we’re going to head for some lessons together. Trying to remember it’s a marathon not a sprint, quite literally as we’re hoping to do endurance and most of us enjoy the process and not get worrying about anything yet.

 

[Skib]

she was a teenagers fun horse, I have to retrain to an older persons safe hack

I am an older person. For some years I shared and hacked an elderly mare who was no longer ridden by young fast riders. But my two other long term shares have both been RS horses ridden by teenagers.

I wonder why you feel that the demands are different? I am an idle, old lady rider and I dont want to waste energy kicking a horse along. I like her forward going to trot and canter on a small cue and perhaps a word to confirm. She would always canter unless I confirm with a spoken "Trit trot" . And if it is right to canter I use the word too, Yes canter.

She is safe, She doesnt spook, but when we go forward, I keep my legs on her to remind her she is being ridden and that her mind should be on me rather than looking for dangers.

The teenagers allow her much more choice than I do for I know she will buck if over excited and I believe she does it bcause the teenagers are somehow giving her a message that they enjoy it. She has never bucked when out with me and I think that is because I have never asked for silliness or excitement. When ridden by me she has become so like my previous share that I sometimes call her by the wrong name.

I think we create the horses that we like to ride and thus my present share has over the years become so similar to her predecessor that I sometimes absentmindedly call her by the wrong name.

 

[PeterNatt]

Two years.

 

[Korg]

It seems to take me about two years to get fully comfortable, and vice versa, with a horse. About 6 months to see if there's a chance we will actually work out ideally, can be more. This is also why I don't really see test riding as that important for myself, I need to get to know the horse with time anyway.

 

[Burnttoast]

I suppose it depends what you mean by true partnership. Before I owned my own (so 30 years of riding) I rode a lot of very varied horses, but very few frequently for the period of time being mooted above. However, those I rode on a semi-regular basis for a few weeks, say, I would generally say I knew well and was comfortable on them (not sure that exam and uni team riding count - can you get round a 90cm course on a horse you met 20 mins ago!? ). I can only think of a couple of horses that I was genuinely pleased never to get on again and there were a few who I really did not enjoy riding, though I was able to do what was required safely. Perhaps there's a bond that goes beyond knowing a horse well that I've never been in the position to experience.

 

[Lady Jane]

Tricky I would say between 3-12 months but it sounds like she is not how you expected her to be - are you really asking how long does it take to form a harmoniuos riding partnership?

 

[Boulty]

Depends on you and the horse really…

I’d say it took me a couple of years to realise how special the horse I had as a teenager was / to feel like I “got” him although would stay things were starting to come together in terms of being slightly more competent / having slightly more say in things after a few months.

It took a few years (& a trip to Exmoor for barefoot rehab) to start to build a functional relationship with the orange one. We both had trust issues and we each kept doing things to each other that damaged that trust. (I kept taking him to see vets & farriers & putting him in situations he found scary and he kept reacting in borderline dangerous ways when he panicked about anything)

The fuzzball I had a decent relationship with on the ground from quite early on (apart from ongoing personal space / shoving/ biting issues) but despite owning him for roughly 5 years we never really clicked properly ridden (granted he was probably only rideable for about 18 months of that)

Have owned current baby pony about 4 months, not sat on yet due to age. Getting horse of a lifetime vibes. Slightly terrified by the potential implications of this as feeling quite a lot of pressure (from myself) not to stuff things up with him (& hoping to god I’m right about how I think he’s going to ride… also praying he does grow and fill out a bit at some point)

 

[Carlosmum]

I've had my mare since july 25. We have spent our time hacking out and one pole clinic. I don't feel we are as one yet. Looking to do some flat work with her soon before we hit the show circuit and try a bit of dressage. We have our 'moments' but I almost trust her not to do anything too horrendous.

 

[Nari]

It depends is the only answer I can give.

I've only bought horses Ive felt an immediate draw to, and in the case of two of them they showed a marked response to me straight away. With those two the partnership was there from the start, it was the fine tuning that took time. Of the others one was my first pony and realistically what little girl isn't immediately in love with her first pony? The other was bought primarily as a companion and if it took a bit longer to form a relationship wth him that was largely because he was bought on a different basis and although I liked him from the start he was chosen more because I felt he'd work with my other horse.

How do you feel about your new girl, because to me that will govern how long you give yourselves to form a relationship. Do you like her enough to put the work in, or pay someone else to? If you aren't that fussed then maybe it would be easier to look for something that's ready made to your wants and then sell her on - the fact that you're asking makes me think you feel you've made a mistake and if that's the case there's no shame in moving on.