Need motivation, please?

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Ahrena

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Argh halfway through my session today Lacey just decided to flip and prat around the rest of the ride. Just switched in the middle of what was being a lovely lovely canter to taking off with me, bombing around. She wouldn't settle after that. Ended up having to canter a small circle on a tight rein with them bridged to stop her tanking (and yeah I do use my seat and stuff). I got pretty upset (though didn't take it out on her, I never do!) and my mum thinks we have too many bad sessions and I should sell her...She isn't like this all the time, and I'm aware it's almost certainly me, but gah she's so hard to ride!

I just counted and since January we've had about 30 bad sessions (give or take a few as I was counting) because I'm sad and record my rides. Bearing in mind that does NOT include shows, nor PC camp. But that is when she was awful because she wasn't being fed enough.

When she IS behaving, or she's that raring to go, hyper little hacker/jumper, she's my dream horse..When she's like this, I just have no motivation. Though it isn't her, I know I have a lot to do with this. I love her so much, can't imagine life without her, can't seem to live with her.

She's always been like this by the way, from the day I got her til now, very inconsistant.

She gives me so much joy but is it really worth all this? Sometimes, although I know I have a lot to do with it ridingwise, she just feels like she doesn't try, and doesn't want to try - Willow and Rio both never upset me like this because they always tried to hard.

Gah. Sorry just needed to vent, need to take the good with the bad really.
 
chin up, its always horrid when its not great, although 30 bad days since Jan isnt to bad!! Ive had worse records!!

May be give yourself and her a little break?
a friend had similar issues with inconsistancy in a mare and they had a 'wisperer' out and it did help, plus a hormone suppliment.
 
Yeah I was quite surprised it was only 30 actually -laughs-

She had a holiday in July, well, 2 weeks off then a week just hacking before I went to PC camp.

Oh well..One day I'll learn how to ride her properly. I just wish she'd sometimes want to TRY a bit harder!
 
heya, I think I know you from youtube
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Lacey is a sweet sort of girl, even if she is a bit of a challenge. You guys have done amazingly - she is still only a baby really and when coco was her ago he wasn't all that plesant to ride either! She has so much potential and you seem so able to handle her moods, just try and work through it hey? I find with my boy that if I vary what he does like if I don't just school everyday, but jump one day, go on the tracks another day and school the next day, then he is soooo much more willing to work for me because he is stimulated. Obviously they are all different but perhaps varying what you do with her a bit would help, if you don't already do that
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And schooling doesn't just have to be schooling, use lots of poles and perhaps put up a little jump at the end so she can think back to it as a fun lesson rather than a boring one.
I hope that helps, it helped us
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Ah glad I'm not the only one who has this. I guess she's just this age, and then I get fustrated because I know she can do it, and then she gets fustrated with me.

I do vary what we do, hate doing 2 things in a row as she'll just get fed up. Unfortunatly poles, are, of course, one of the most exciting things in the world -_-''. Maybe a little bit of polework to end each session will make her realise there's no need to be mad.

Oh well, she'll get a day off tomorrow as I'm busy then hacking on Sunday then back to business on monday - joy!
 
Chin up, remember reading on EW what problems I was having with BB? I'm the first to admit that somedays I just think 'what's the blooming point?' I've thrown 2 years into him, feeding him up, then his box rest, then his virus, then another injury, riding him once, another 10 weeks of box rest....and he can't even walk in a straight line for me....As has already been said, she's still young, testing the waters, maybe seeing what she can get away with, pushing the boundries....I think you handle her brilliantly.
 
I've kept track of your posts through another forum.
TBH, i feel you and this pony do not get on, you expect too much from her, and she's done too much too soon. She's trying to tell you this.
If i were you, id turn her away/only hack over the winter.
Give the young thing a chance to take in the huge amount of things you've asked her to do over the last year. She's a horse. Not a machine.
 
Boodle - I can understand how you think that, but she's been like this from day 1. If she hadn't, then I'd be thinking I've ruined her and would most certainly have sold her/given her away to somewhere where people can do justice to her. As it is, I'm just learning to ride her still as she's so complex.

She's not jumping for a while as I feel she needs a break but I don't think I've asked her to do that much over the year, and she's had a lot of breaks in between. (besides pushing her too far which I have admitted to).

Also, if she was like this every time then again she'd be turned away but as it isn't everytime, or near that, I don't really think it's the answer. Thanks anyway
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Thanks Heidi, been told from another forum that welshies don't mature mentally until they're about 9 so :P Maybe one day she'll grow up -laughs- Anyway I feel better now that I've vented a bit, just wish my mum would stop going on about selling her!
 
Well then, accept she's not a machine, accept that all horses have off days, accept the hard work has to be done to achieve the goal, and get on with it.
 
I was just a bit upset, that's all. I'm sure plenty of people post on here after they've had an off day - I did say in my post it's most likely me, not her.
 
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