Interpretation of gets confidence from its rider

[SO1]

So after loosing Homey last year I am in the sad situation of looking for another pony.

It is quite a midfield interpreting adverts and understanding what sellers mean. I have my own advert out as well as responding to adverts.

Viewings and dealing with sellers makes me feel emotional as I am still grieving for Homey and he is a real hard act to follow.

I have viewing number 4 on Saturday. After each viewing I am gaining knowledge on things to ask now before viewings. I hope the one I try on Saturday will be suitable as the viewings make me feel emotional in that they remind me that Homey is no longer here and also I feel bad if they are not suitable as the owners and ponies so far have been nice.

Someone responded to my ad with a pony that sounded perfect but on more questioning she said he does everything that I need but gets confidence from his rider. So many adverts seem to say that and I struggle to understand what that translates to in practical situations. I am presuming this means the pony is of a nervous disposition. It is 11 so not young.

I am going to go back to the seller to ask what this means in terms of day to day situations. How would others interpret "gets confidence from their rider"

 

[Snow Falcon]

Can be slightly nervy and needs a hand hold in certain situations. Or could just be as simple as "get on with you, nothing to see here". At 11 though I would have expected them to have been desensitized properly.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I must admit to being wary of this. It could mean nervy and spooky or worse nappy. I agree it’s hard to know as confidence is all relative. You can only ask how this manifests and level of rider when it does. Up to a point most horses take confidence from their rider and may behave differently with different riders.

 

[dottylottie]

i think it’s just as individual to the sellers as it is to us! for a youngster, i would expect it to mean it’s a bit nervy and needs you to hold its hand and push through, but isn’t dangerous - but if you wuss out, so will the horse.

for something older, i would expect it to be more of a “you can’t just sit there and daydream” situation where the pony will crack on with a bit of a push and no drama.

i think my interpretation would be simply that i’d expect more theatrics from a youngster when this is said! but saying that, lily is 10 this year and we definitely have the theatrics of a youngster when she takes a dislike for something - little bit irrelevant but we long reined past a bench that had been moved a few metres the other day and she tried to make a beeline to hide with the cows

it doesn’t necessarily put me off, but as you are doing i’d be asking for some real life examples of said confidence giving!

fingers crossed it all goes well for you, i understand how difficult it must be to find something that can fill homey’s boots!

 

[Barton Bounty]

The meaning of that is, ‘if the horse spooks or gets a fright and the owner starts to panic=disaster waiting to happen’

IF the rider is confident and can calm the horse down just by sitting quietly not pushing them then you will be fine.

 

[scats]

I think it means that it’s the type of horse to sometimes react to things, whether this be spooking or napping, and a confident rider is needed to deal with it. Basically not the type of horse you can just sit on and expect it to take you out on a hack with no issues.
If someone mentions something like this in an advert, I’m of the opinion that it’s a fairly regular issue. The reality is that most horses will rely on their riders guidance at some point, that’s inevitable. The need to mention it is a bit of a red flag to me.

 

[LEC]

I use it to stop nervous riders, what it means for me is that the horse is pretty normal but occasionally has moments where it needs its confidence boosting not taking away from. Out hacking might be something different so rider needs to be calm and patient and have tools in the box rather than start getting all anxious, tense etc because the horse is worried.

 

[Patterdale]

Means it naps

 

[Red-1]

It means if you buy the horse and have a problem, it isn't the seller's problem.

Or, it could mean you need to be able to plug into the horse and answer all his questions as they arrive, before a little worry becomes a big worry.

Or it could mean it is nappy.

Could be phobic about something too, such as traffic.

 

[maya2008]

Could be anything.

For mine, what it means is that with a confident rider they are perfect - no spooking, obedient at all times, jump nicely etc. With a less confident rider they are less forward going, spook occasionally, might stop or run out of a jump. Our cob will always be like that as he’s just a more anxious sort. He’s amazing and my novice husband loves him, but he needs an adult who can tell him everything is ok.

In a selling situation, it could mean anything from the above to something that naps or spooks or runs off a lot.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

It means if you buy the horse and have a problem, it isn't the seller's problem.

I was going to say this! It can be used as a massive get out jail free card for the seller. Horse is a spooky nightmare, but it’s the riders fault!

All horses get confidence from their rider. They are herd animals and if we freak, they will react, unless they are very laid back or have learned to tune us out. Which makes them feel quite switched off to ride.

Mentioning it might just be a way of screening out nervous/novice riders who want an ambulatory sofa. But it would be a red flag for me.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

It would apply to both mine, but I wouldn't put it in an advert. I would just say no novices, not novice ride. My wb, before retiring, had a spin in him, so if you weren't confident riding forward you would end up facing the other way in the blink of an eye. My tb loves a relaxed confident rider, he doesn't like being grabbed, will go buckle end anywhere. So both of mine would get confidence from the rider.

 

[w1bbler]

I went to try a loan horse where the advert said that.
Horse was angelic & I questioned what she meant.Turned out he had been returned froma loan home where he had started to take charge of the loaner. He was perfect for me (slightly nervous but experienced), it was just that if his rider / handler was unsure what they were doing he would take charge. This could be by being nappy, bargy etc.
Have a good discussion, seller may just be weeding out complete novices.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I'd say B takes confidence from rider. She is quite bold and a well mannered hack, fab with dogs, bikes etc etc.
However, if you meet something out of the ordinary when out hacking, occasionally she might stop a second to peer at it. I just encourage her on and no drama.
A friend rode her before Christmas and did the opposite despite being told to not pick up the reins and really close legs on - and also go 'what the hell is that'. B fed in from rider and then got in a tizzy, was unsettled for much of the rest of their ride. (As reported back by her escort).

Sometimes its a simple thing as above, other times it really can be an issue.

 

[Trouper]

I honestly think that how a horse behaves depends entirely on how much he trusts his handler/rider. Herd animals need a leader - if you are not that person a middle-ranking or lower herd member will worry. You won't be able to assess this at a viewing because it will take time to build up that trust.

You are probably going to be upset with me over my next comment because the sentiments you are expressing in your question makes me wonder if you are quite yet ready to look for another horse.? You admit you are still grieving but you also seem to be about to compare every horse you view to Homey. Truly, I don't think this is fair on the horse - or you. I think you need your mindset to be on genuinely moving forward with a new horse partner and not on looking back to the past. Homey is in the memory box - you need to be ready to make new memories.

 

[Goldenstar]

At eleven it means probably nothing good a six I would view if it ticked other boxes like if it was a lovely mover with a great jump and if I was capable and had the facilities to deal with .
i think it’s a term that can used in many ways .

 

[J_sarahd]

I could’ve said this about my pony when I advertised him. He is very good and rarely spooked but when he did spook, it was dramatic and jumping, he would need a confident rider to hold a proper line and actually ride, even if he felt like he was really going into it, because if you dropped him he would take any opportunity to just dart out the side. I think I just put no novices on his advert

I think it means different things to different people/sellers so I’d really ask questions to determine what they mean by it.

 

[throwawayaccount]

needs reassurance in certain situations-- rider needs to ride positively and confidently/provide reassurance and not be a nervous nellie.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Not suitable for a nervous/novice rider, who won't be able to give the horse confidence.

 

[mustardsmum]

It’s one of those terms that’s very open to interpretation. I would say my forester gets confidence from his rider in certain situations he has never come across before. I can imagine it could be an issue with a less confident rider who may unintentionally escalate those odd moments when he does ask a question (not that he does anything other than stand and look scared!!) because they misread him and start flapping and worrying. But I just accept he’s only been with me six months and every now and then he has a “I can’t do that moment”. So to me - that’s where he takes confidence from and needs a bit of help. So in some cases the only thing to do is to go see the pony and assess whether you feel you can deal with them. I must admit though, takes confidence in traffic is the one no no for me.

 

[millitiger]

I think you'd have to ask them to expand what they mean.

I think all horses get confidence from their rider to perform at their best- my boy is perfectly safe and never spooks but if you want to do a good dressage test or ride him xc, he will expect some leg and some support from you.

 

[Nasicus]

I think you'd have to ask them to expand what they mean.

Yeah, I'd just ask them.
'I noticed you said he gets confidence from his rider, what does that mean to you for this pony?'.
Try get it in writing if you can (text, message etc), because if they say 'Oh, to me it means he just looks at things sometimes and needs a firm push otherwise he won't move' and it turns out the pony actually loses it's absolute mind over everything, then at least you've taken away the ambiguity of the phrase and got evidence of that.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I'd say B takes confidence from rider. She is quite bold and a well mannered hack, fab with dogs, bikes etc etc.
However, if you meet something out of the ordinary when out hacking, occasionally she might stop a second to peer at it. I just encourage her on and no drama.
A friend rode her before Christmas and did the opposite despite being told to not pick up the reins and really close legs on - and also go 'what the hell is that'. B fed in from rider and then got in a tizzy, was unsettled for much of the rest of their ride. (As reported back by her escort).

Sometimes its a simple thing as above, other times it really can be an issue.

I'd say my NF is like this.

As long as you give him a few seconds to go 'Oh, OK, that's cool' if he wants to look at something he'll go past anything with no drama 99.9%* of the time usually on a very casual rein . He might sometimes snort but nothing I'd say was remotely dangerous.

*The only exception to always going past is benches. For some reason he hates benches and I do fairly regularly need to get off and lead past (we have some lovely ornate benches carved out of trees on regular routes that he particularly hates) But again, no drama to it. If he says no, he just stops, stares, shuffles back when I put my leg on so I jump off, lead past, jump back on again and away we go.

If you let him look at things, he has gone past and had come past him everything from tractors, coaches, running races, cycle races, wheelchairs, prams, cows, sheep, moto cross bikes. He's seen hang gliders, hot air balloons, canal boats, goes over and under motorway and train bridges, goes through tunnels, doesn't bat an eyelid at loose dogs .... you name it & he'll go over, through or around it (benches aside).

If you got in a tizzy I think he'd revert to very old form of spinning out hacking (but he never actually went far in the other direction) and then be a bit nappy but he'd still be a long way from dangerous. You'd probably just have to lead him past.

I think I'd still add 'no novices' or 'takes confidence from his rider' if I ever needed an advert for him because combined with his cheeky native pony character, he could have a field day with some riders!

 

[SadKen]

Means it’s spooky, nappy and liable to react immediately and likely beyond my skill level. Means it’s not for me under any circumstances. I’ve lost confidence before, it’s a fragile thing, and I don’t have patience for reassuring horses about plastic bags, shadows or any other daft evasions (I do for genuinely unusual things like low flying helicopters or big wagons). I’m grateful to sellers who put this on their ad, because I wouldn’t touch a horse so described with a barge pole; I don’t have the mindset or the skills to deal with it.

I want my horse to give ME confidence as I don’t have any to spare

 

[AntiPuck]

I use it to stop nervous riders, what it means for me is that the horse is pretty normal but occasionally has moments where it needs its confidence boosting not taking away from. Out hacking might be something different so rider needs to be calm and patient and have tools in the box rather than start getting all anxious, tense etc because the horse is worried.

This is exactly how I would use the phrase as well - indicating that the rider shouldn't be the type to panic and flap if the horse reacts to something, but needs to have the ability to deal with the situation calmly.

A horse you sometimes have to reassure and show the way to, rather than one that will show you the way and give you confidence. Not for nervous, novice riders, or those with poor balance.

 

[gallopingby]

I’d be a bit wary, l think you need to ask more questions. It could mean lots of different things but l probably wouldn’t have it top of my potential list. I’d want to know why they’re selling and how long they’ve had the pony for.
On one hand it could be something quite simple such as he’s hesitant jumping but if you’re confident and push him on he’s fine. Alternatively could be if you’re not confident he’ll panic and this is our ‘get out’ clause.
SO1 l’m pleased you’re getting out and about meeting new ponies, buying and selling are equally stressful so good luck and l’m pleased the sellers have been nice, l think if you’re a genuine buyer, as you are, then the majority of people will try to be helpful. I have recently sold a pony to a lovely family who aren’t very knowledgeable but have been very honest and taken advice offered both by me and by other people who l don’t know but are known to friends of mine. It certainly makes the process much easier.

 

[LEC]

It also stops repercussions in selling. The first 6 months with any horse is a getting to know you phase and horses take longer to settle than people give them credit for.

 

[paddi22]

I always took it as one of two things - some horses absorb stress, and some horses get wound up by it. or else the horse needs a rider and not a passenger. some horses are happy to take the lead and potter down a road, some horses need to be told what to do.

I don't think good riders realise how much riding they are actually even when they think they are just sitting there. a simple flex or leg squeeze at the right time can stop a problem before it kicks off on some horses.

 

[JoannaC]

I take it to mean in certain situations you need to take control. e.g a huge noisy tractor and trailer are coming towards you which means you need to "ride" pony past rather than assuming it will trundle past no problem. Beau was like this, he was fine if I took control and rode him forward but I couldn't show my inner panic of oh my god what's that coming towards me!

 

[rowan666]

This is exactly how I described my arab because... I am a nervous rider which in turn makes him a little nervous and he gets a little bit looky/spooky/stops or runs out at jumps etc but with a confident rider (even a complete novice as long as they are genuinely confident) he is a totally different horse, nothing fazes him at all! He's rising 15 now so not an age or green thing. He just takes his confidence from his rider because he's very trusting in nature. He assumes if his rider is worried then there is something to be worried about and if rider is confident then he trusts everything is fine and there's no issues.

I will add he is always perfect in traffic no matter who the rider is, it's just daft things he looks for to spook at with a nervous rider