is there anything that indicates to you, if someone can ride?

i havent read whole thread but am i right in thinking because i ride java in overreach boots and brushing boots all round, that, that indicates I cant ride!!

that i have to say is a little stupid, did the person who wrote that ever stop to think the horse may actually need them?

I have to say I dont ride in trackies and always wear jodhpurs, with chaps and short boots, and a hoody and bodywarmer with my hi-vis tabard/vest one

And the post that said about people who turn up to see a horse in all new things, maybe they just want to come looking some what respectable!!!
 
Kirsty+Java said:
i havent read whole thread but am i right in thinking because i ride java in overreach boots and brushing boots all round, that, that indicates I cant ride!!

that i have to say is a little stupid, did the person who wrote that ever stop to think the horse may actually need them?
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Sorry that was me that said that! Not everyone who has all the boots on - just the ones walk slower than my grandma. ;) Don't see how they would need them at that pace! I'm not really a boot person though.

Please don't take this thread too personally, I don't many poeple could read this post and not fall into some categories people have picked up on!
 
LeneHorse said:
?? I wasn't getting at you - sorry?? But there are loads of people round our way that seem to think their horse should be in an outline at all times. Thats what I was getting at.
And I'm afraid my horse naturally walks quite slowly so I'm still a bad (or lazy) rider anyway. It takes all kinds.
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Ambling along at a snails pace if you feel like it is goooooood......so carry on!

Horses need to be able to chill down as much as us.

Sod the outline...poor horse does it all the time when working....

When out Treccing....people always comment on how muscly and toned my mare looks, so I wouldn't worry, obviously the mixture of work in the school and snail-walking with the odd sniff of a dead rabbit works fine....

:D
 
I'm a fairly decent rider and I ride according to the horse. Sometimes, if I'm riding my boy in the summer we plod along on a long rein as he is totally relaxed and sometimes it's nice to just ride along and enjoy yourself and not have to think about schooling them. Don't be fooled though as this is the pony who can spend the whole day out hunting up at the front behind the master! ;)
 
ShowJumping Superstars said:
I'm a fairly decent rider and I ride according to the horse. Sometimes, if I'm riding my boy in the summer we plod along on a long rein as he is totally relaxed and sometimes it's nice to just ride along and enjoy yourself and not have to think about schooling them. Don't be fooled though as this is the pony who can spend the whole day out hunting up at the front behind the master! ;)
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See my point above - walking on (to me anyway) has nothing to do with going in am outline or schooling.
 
Starbucks said:
Sorry that was me that said that! Not everyone who has all the boots on - just the ones walk slower than my grandma. ;) Don't see how they would need them at that pace! I'm not really a boot person though.

Please don't take this thread too personally, I don't many poeple could read this post and not fall into some categories people have picked up on!
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haha sorry i dont know why but im in a mood today :D

i normally hack java in an outline as he is very nosy and if i didnt he would find something to spook at haha although i also do short hack's after my lessons to cool off so just let him have a loose rein :)
 
This might sound daft, but I cannot stand it when people cry on a horse (I don't mean they've fallen off, but getting asked to do something and then randomly bring out the tears), or when an instructor tries to help someone and all they get back is a mouthful of cheek which screams "know-it-all" in my head.
 
JenniferS said:
This might sound daft, but I cannot stand it when people cry on a horse (I don't mean they've fallen off, but getting asked to do something and then randomly bring out the tears), or when an instructor tries to help someone and all they get back is a mouthful of cheek which screams "know-it-all" in my head.
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Don't think I've ever cried on the horse - but when I was a kid at shows if I ever looked like crying if things were not going well, my dad used to go mad at me and it was pony back on the lorry and home for being a spoilt brat!
 
I couldn't care less what anyone else does on a horse, or what kind of equipment they use. The more people riding and enjoying horses the better. Sometimes I get my lad in an outline hacking, sometimes I just let him ramble if he has had a hard week. I couldn't be bothered making judgments on others, some people don't have the cash for equipment, or are happy to potter along, some people are only learning and it's their first horse. The horse world can be so snobby and judgmental I just try and stay out of it sometimes! Each to their own, once the horses are happy and well kept they can be wearing Ann Summers finest on them!
 
i am a happy hacker, i do no schooling, i wear jeans, we all wear hi viz to stay safe (and not invalidate insurance) including flashing lights just in case the weather turns or it gets dark whilst out. sometimes i ride my cob through the village without any reins or stirrups doing head shoulders knees and toes or the macarena, turning round looking behind me to see my daughter relaxing and laughing having fun on her pony, which is what it is all about, enjoying our horses and having fun.
 
I think its a crazy idea to judge whether someone can ride or not on a hack!!! And everyone has a different riding style that suits their horse/their discaplines etc.

For instance, im the speed demon type, i hunt/hack/xc. I have done for years. My friend that i hack out with loves dressage, and she gets terrified in open spaces, much preferring the confines of a school. She goes white, grips with her knees, leans forward etc. But then get her in a school and youd be in awe!!! (well i am)

Neither of us are better than the other really, were just very different!!! If we went to an event together, wed probs do equally well, id score better XC and shed score better BD.

Also, i love HI-Viz, and if i drive past anyone on a road not wearing it i think they obviously dont care enough about their horse!!! I wouldnt wear it if i didnt hack on roads though....
 
Misleading title SB. :confused: The obvious (to me) indications are balance and being relaxed no matter what the horse throws at you.

After reading some of the replies, I can't abide a horse that slops along at any price, they are dire and have been sold for it but it doesn't mean others can't ride it just means to me, their horses are naturally idle. I like a horse to walk for England as that is the pace I ride at mainly so agree with your comment -

Starbucks said:
See my point above - walking on (to me anyway) has nothing to do with going in am outline or schooling.
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paddi22 said:
I couldn't care less what anyone else does on a horse, or what kind of equipment they use. The more people riding and enjoying horses the better. Sometimes I get my lad in an outline hacking, sometimes I just let him ramble if he has had a hard week. I couldn't be bothered making judgments on others, some people don't have the cash for equipment, or are happy to potter along, some people are only learning and it's their first horse. The horse world can be so snobby and judgmental I just try and stay out of it sometimes! Each to their own, once the horses are happy and well kept they can be wearing Ann Summers finest on them!
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:):):) Hallelujah ! - Somebody else who doesn't judge a book by its cover.
 
I tend to judge someone from the very moment I see sit a horse - I'm constantly shouting at the telly when some idiot actor has been given a riding scene having never been near a horse before - "you've not done much of that my friend! Like a pig with shovel."

It's a whole body balance thing - coupled with knowing what to do with the knitting! There used to be an advert which featured part of a dressage test with the byline "One instinctively knows when something is right" - and this one certainly does.

Don't start me on fellow Horseys that should know better when out.

For starters - if you cannot control the basic movements - you shouldn't be out in the first place! Go back to school or leave you poor horse in a nice safe field.

Generally I reckon all the hi-viz to mean - "got all the gear and no idea." There's also far too many folk relying on it - it's you: the rider, who must be aware at all times and out on public roads it's essential.

The roads are too dangerous for mouching now - if you want to do that, go in the woods and even then on a long rein, yes but never on a loose one. I never let any horse eat with a bridle on - a very bad habit to start let alone tolerate.

Personally, I have never gone on a road off the bit - that's mainly because I have always ridden horses trained to accept it from an early age and in fact, when I first owned her, my mare would stop if I dropped the contact - I once rode out with another guy from our yard whose horse bolted with him down the High Street!!! Utterly ridiculous!
 
Gotta say, i'm the same with the plod thing. My friend lets hers plod as soon as they're out of the school. He's a heavy cob and he moves beautifully in the school but the second he gets out on the roads and tracks he's more or less tripping over his own feet he's dawdling so slowly! Her riding does let him down quite a bit. It's not that he doesn't understand - he's taking the piss cos if he plays dumb, you let him get away with it!!! It annoys the hell out of me, especially because my horse walks out really fast (ex-racehorse), so we go in front and then hers will speed up, come past then slow down. And she doesn't even catch on - it annoys the fluffing hell out me!!!
 
If I see someone in prestine clean jodhpurs, boots and chaps (unless at a competition) then I think they must be a novice, weekend rider.

Anyone who is a competent/regular rider are usually wearing mud/poo stained boots, worn/rubbed chaps, jodhpurs covered in horse hair and/or hay, oil/molassed feed stains and the odd hole in boots, chaps or jodhpurs.
 
Only a rider very unbalanced, or looking terrified would make me think novice rider,
I have 2 youngsters i am breaking in at the mo, one is all legs and can literally fall over himself so is booted as much as possible, saves on some scarring.
Hi-Viz again loads of, yes i am always very aware of other road users, but a youngster that does not yet leg yield will not aways get out of the way, so i want other road users to see me as well.
I also let the horses amble along on the way home, so me thinks I must be a terrible novice, gosh and i have been at this game for 30yrs now, ooops maybe time for a career change
but i do manage the jods, with poo/mud and obligatory holes, boots are whatever colour under the mud and will stay like that till they fall apart.
 
pink123 said:
i am a happy hacker, i do no schooling, i wear jeans, we all wear hi viz to stay safe (and not invalidate insurance) including flashing lights just in case the weather turns or it gets dark whilst out. sometimes i ride my cob through the village without any reins or stirrups doing head shoulders knees and toes or the macarena, turning round looking behind me to see my daughter relaxing and laughing having fun on her pony, which is what it is all about, enjoying our horses and having fun.
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All the hi viz in the world won't save you if your horse is spooked by a car while you're playing stupid games on the road without any reins or stirrups. Teaching your daughter to do the same is bloody stupid as well. Risk your own neck but don't risk the innocent car driver who expects riders to be responsible, paying attention and using the proper gear while on the road.
 
attheponies said:
Can I start the argument now?!! I always associate skull caps without silks with jockeys exercising racehorses (and therefore very competent and confident riders) and thought using a silk was a bit girly, but maybe i'm out of date!
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The same also applies to the Agisters who look after the stock on the New Forest. 5 of them, all men. Those guys can really ride, but favour the numpty crash hat look too... Actually I don't think they would wear hats, but they have to these days when they are doing the annual round ups, along with body protectors, all in the name of Health and Safety...
 
Samantha008 said:
I think its a crazy idea to judge whether someone can ride or not on a hack!!! And everyone has a different riding style that suits their horse/their discaplines etc.

For instance, im the speed demon type, i hunt/hack/xc. I have done for years. My friend that i hack out with loves dressage, and she gets terrified in open spaces, much preferring the confines of a school. She goes white, grips with her knees, leans forward etc. But then get her in a school and youd be in awe!!! (well i am)

Neither of us are better than the other really, were just very different!!! If we went to an event together, wed probs do equally well, id score better XC and shed score better BD.

Also, i love HI-Viz, and if i drive past anyone on a road not wearing it i think they obviously dont care enough about their horse!!! I wouldnt wear it if i didnt hack on roads though....
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You do judge people though - you've just said that if you see someone with no Hi Viz then you think XYZ - that is judging someone out on a hack. :)
 
Personally I don't really pay attention to whether i think they can ride or not. Not everyone can be brilliant whether they have been riding 40 years or 4 months. As long as they and their horse is happy then that's good enough for me.
I also have no idea what i look like, nor do i particularly care, my horse is always well groomed and my tack clean etc and i mostly ride in jods and boots as that is what i feel comfortable in.
 
MMMMMM plodding along on a hack??? to me nothing wrong with that at all if the horse is in control - I have done it - always with a contact - sat there loving feeling my baby mare beneath me the sun the peace and quiet with my daughter on the big lad just enjoying our time together no rush to get back to the real world lol mmmm ppl in trackies no hat trainers no high viz any of them annoy me so much
- plodding on a hack doesnt mean they cant ride just enjoying some "me" time
 
and ohhhh ps to my post neither are my are plods both very forward going if asked - just hacks are for relaxing in a control manner - and personally that they are both chiled on a hack is pure bliss
 
chestnuttymare said:
Personally I don't really pay attention to whether i think they can ride or not. Not everyone can be brilliant whether they have been riding 40 years or 4 months. As long as they and their horse is happy then that's good enough for me.
I also have no idea what i look like, nor do i particularly care, my horse is always well groomed and my tack clean etc and i mostly ride in jods and boots as that is what i feel comfortable in.
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Oh it doesn't bother me at all, as long as someone is enoying themselves then that's great - doesn't stop me thinking they can't ride though!

Well done on the clean tack and horse - shamed to say I haven't cleaned my tack since I went hunting last in November! :o
 
babymare said:
and ohhhh ps to my post neither are my are plods both very forward going if asked - just hacks are for relaxing in a control manner - and personally that they are both chiled on a hack is pure bliss
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Why can't a horse be relaxed and controlled while walking at normal horse pace? Or can they only be so at grandma pace?
 
Teehee, I'm going to admit that if I'm hacking out on road I do wear high viz stuff :o it still doesn't slow traffic but worth a try. I also wear dodgy trackies at times ( and mudruckers) if just exercising but dont worry folks....I can look rather dappa in my pikeur show gear. I'd like to say I don't judge people on what they wear but I have done. I might also add that some people that can't ride do have the right second hand gear to make them look the part. :rolleyes:
 
For me its riders who look like they are sitting on a chair rather than a horse. You just know they are so out of balance that if the horse did anything slightly untoward they would fall off

I used to like a gentle amble out on a hack sometimes, me and my mare would mooch along on the buckle and if she fancied snatching a little bit of hedge as we went past then that was ok (as long as she didn't stop or think about eating grass :D ). We also liked a good old gallop and sometimes I would ask her to work, but sometimes its just nice to plod.

I almost always wear jeans with chaps over, or in summer have been known to wear long shorts with chaps :D
 
Starbucks said:
Why can't a horse be relaxed and controlled while walking at normal horse pace? Or can they only be so at grandma pace?
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Lol i agree! tho my boy is either snail or jogger, he never has a happy medium! he enjoys winding my friends wb up by walking like a donkey, then the wb walks like a donkey... que my mate doing circles backwards in the middle of the road as she asks her lad to walk on... n i just sit there lookin smug while my boy stands watching patiently! :) it depends on the mood i'm in as to how fast we walk, but i do agree ppl who wear loads of hi viz do seem to be nervous or new riders.... i'm terrible for not wearing any!! :rolleyes:
 
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