I have a giraffe for a horse!

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Abcdanielle1

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Hello!

My mare decides whenever i ride her that she is a giraffe! I am having lessons on her to correct it and then i am fine but as soon as i ride alone it goes out of the window on both parts.

Recently she has been trying to not stay on the track, wont turn the way i want ect she isnt nasty and doesnt buck/rear she just has a bad attitude! When someone else rides her she will fight them and eventually give in, i am very new to learning about shapes and having an outline ect which she can obviously tell.

On the ground my mare has better manners with me than most people, however when ridden it feels like she has more respect for others, very frustrating.

I know what my problem is, i had a bad fall at speed (horse bolted) and it has knocked my confidence terribly even though it wasnt my mare i fell off of, i am fine to canter after a jump but if i try and pick up canter any other time i tense up and pretty much freeze, i know my mare can sense this which is why she is taking me mick! I want to know how i can get her to listen more which will help my confidence, when her head is down i feel better as i feel like she is listening and not looking to the clouds and going to bolt off, i will not use draw reins but wouldnt object to a bungee or harbridge, would a martingale work? Helppp! I want to enjoy riding again. Sorry for the essay! If you are going to respond with something nasty or rude please dont comment
 
Hi

sorry to hear your having difficulty- just a thought but could someone video you riding when your instructors not there so you can show him/ her? Maybe they can identify the difference in he way you ride? x
 
Hello, Even with someone just standing in the school i am more at ease, and ride better, i know my problem is my confidence but someone cant always be around with me :( x
 
does it need to be someone in the school with you? Like is it the same if there's just another person on the yard or is it that your concerned about riding when there's no one else there at all?
 
Stick a video camera on the fence and film yourself riding alone, then compare with you riding in front of your instructor to work out what to focus on doing differently alone?
 
You've answered your own question really. Being on your own you feel tense, your mind is probably full of "what ifs". When someone else is there, it's a sort of prop for you, you aren't so focussed on yourself but on what the other person is saying/doing etc. Certainly pop on a running martingale if you feel it would improve things, you will also have the comfort of the neckstrap. It quite often helps to loop a couple of fingers into the neckstrap so you have a nice steady contact on the reins and avoid any accidental jabs in the mouth. You should also have a clear idea in your mind of what you want to achieve in your schooling session - just one thing at a time, like today we will stay on the track. Once you are doing this nicely, give plenty of praise and finish on a good note. Keep doing this each session until she goes on the track nicely without a battle, then go onto your next goal.

I believe you can get riding lessons "on tape" so you can pop on earphones and listen to an instructor talking you through a lesson.

Do you hack out at all? If not, your horse may just be getting bored with constant schooling. Could you go for a nice quiet hack with someone on a sensible, well mannered horse?

It might be worth getting a good equine chiropracter out to make sure she doesn't have any back/neck problems which could be making her uncomfortable and difficult, before you go any further.
 
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