Purple_Alien
Member
Any one out there able to offer some advice??
I regularly ride at local riding school, and usually get on well with their large 16'3" warmblood mare. She is a sensitive soul, and you have to ride with gentle hands and a soft, calm voice. If you're too heavy handed she'll fight with you and gets stressy
Normally she is fine, but this time of year we do local competitions, and here is where is all goes wrong. She HATES ponies, so warm-ups are always interesting, and you need eyes in the back of your head to avoid the oblivious kids wizzing past your legs. I try and warm up away from everyone, and often am last to go in a class, so we've had the warm up space
She'll do the first couple of jumps fine, softly softly, and then she will launch at a jump and basically ****** off with you when she lands. All the usual things which normally worknow don't, and you end up doing a high speed wall of death around the arena. I do the 'wiggling' of the bit on alternate sides, half-halts, speak calmly to her, but it takes a while to regain control. You'll then do a couple more ok, and then boom! off we go again
We are not jumping huge, so its not because its something she cannot do... ( 2'3" 2'6" )
Unfortunately this is not my horse, so my input into changing stuff (feed, tack, etc) is fairly limited. She is in a snaffle bit, and has a soft mouth.
I am 5'4" and I admit I don't have huge upper body strength, but any other things I can try??
Thanks
I regularly ride at local riding school, and usually get on well with their large 16'3" warmblood mare. She is a sensitive soul, and you have to ride with gentle hands and a soft, calm voice. If you're too heavy handed she'll fight with you and gets stressy
Normally she is fine, but this time of year we do local competitions, and here is where is all goes wrong. She HATES ponies, so warm-ups are always interesting, and you need eyes in the back of your head to avoid the oblivious kids wizzing past your legs. I try and warm up away from everyone, and often am last to go in a class, so we've had the warm up space
She'll do the first couple of jumps fine, softly softly, and then she will launch at a jump and basically ****** off with you when she lands. All the usual things which normally worknow don't, and you end up doing a high speed wall of death around the arena. I do the 'wiggling' of the bit on alternate sides, half-halts, speak calmly to her, but it takes a while to regain control. You'll then do a couple more ok, and then boom! off we go again
We are not jumping huge, so its not because its something she cannot do... ( 2'3" 2'6" )
Unfortunately this is not my horse, so my input into changing stuff (feed, tack, etc) is fairly limited. She is in a snaffle bit, and has a soft mouth.
I am 5'4" and I admit I don't have huge upper body strength, but any other things I can try??
Thanks
