Not a novice ride??

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Lolita

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So I went to look at a horse and it sounded great, they said it was forward goings not a novice ride and I already own a very forward horse and I wouldn't class my self as a novice so it sounded perfect. Then I went to try it out and it bolted, full gallop around the school nearly 8 times until I had to jump off and abandon ship(as soon as I was off it stopped!). There excuse was it's not a novice ride, so what is everyones idea of a novice?
 
Tbh I was going to advertise my mare as not a novice ride to discourage the "i'm buying for my 8 year old daughter who'd been to two riding lessons" calls, but I wouldnt expect it to take off around the arena with you and I would have expected a warning if it was likely to do that! Someone at my yard advertised a horse as strong and not a novice ride and I watched an experienced teenager's look of terror as it failed to stop in canter but it only took a few seconds to get it under control and a novice would still have been cantering now!
 
It can be forward going but have brakes. Not for a beginner or first horse would to my mind be a not a novice ride.

sounds like a bolter and I bet they chirped"its never done that before"

Glad u r ok shaken????that is awful they must have known
 
o dear doesn't sound good :S I'd class a novice as someone that can walk, trot, canter, gallop, pop a small drop but doesn't really know about the correct way for a horse to work e.g in an outline or someone that can't improve a horses basic schooling. Hope that makes sense?
 
Dizzyblonde99 said:
o dear doesn't sound good :S I'd class a novice as someone that can walk, trot, canter, gallop, pop a small drop but doesn't really know about the correct way for a horse to work e.g in an outline or someone that can't improve a horses basic schooling. Hope that makes sense?
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That's how I would class a novice too as someone that was maybe use to kicking a horse on and can be a bit heavy handed but knows the basics. I've just been out off now and I find some people seem to think your either suited to a steady cob or you have to want a strong quirky thoroughbred!
 
indie999 said:
It can be forward going but have brakes. Not for a beginner or first horse would to my mind be a not a novice ride.

sounds like a bolter and I bet they chirped"its never done that before"

Glad u r ok shaken????that is awful they must have known
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Yes they soon mentioned it has never done that and it was due to my inexperience (I'm 16 but I've been riding 5 years). I've just been out off now as I've seen a few horses and they never match the descritption and I'm quite nervous trying one out now too. I'm really confident with the horse I already own but it's just trying them out! Althoughi did see it later readvertised as a "happy hacker and a steady saint on the roads" and now it's been advertised again as a bolter when leg is applied (although I never applied any leg)
 
OP i wouldn't class that as "not a novice ride" i would class that as "has a tendency to be mental" :rolleyes:

Did they ride the horse first??
I learnt my lesson when I got on a pony & it went lovely in walk & trot so asked for canter & instead got bucks across the short side, around the corner all the way down the long side before ending in a rear! :eek: (was a SJ yard & ~ 40 X 60m arena) Funnily enough got a "its never done that before" yeh I b****y bet it hadn't :mad::rolleyes:

I would class my mare as not a novice ride as she's not the easiest of rides & will occasionally decide what she wants to do is best! Not hard to stop but could worry a novice. She also has a habit of going nose first into jumps & needs a cheltenham gag which I wouldn't like to see in novice hands.
 
One of the big disadvantages of owning your own horse after a couple of years of riding is that you rarely ever get to ride other horses so trying something new i always an 'adventure'

I would not class anyone who has ridden less than 50 horses of various types and standards as anything more than a novice.
 
Lolita said:
Yes they soon mentioned it has never done that and it was due to my inexperience (I'm 16 but I've been riding 5 years). I've just been out off now as I've seen a few horses and they never match the descritption and I'm quite nervous trying one out now too. I'm really confident with the horse I already own but it's just trying them out! Althoughi did see it later readvertised as a "happy hacker and a steady saint on the roads" and now it's been advertised again as a bolter when leg is applied (although I never applied any leg)
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Being 16 myself I sympathise completly! I think I tried 13 horses before I found my horse and he wasn't even advertised :S It irratated me how on the phone I'd mention my age and then the seller would pressume I was inexperienced when I've been riding most of my life and have been given several rides over the years. Keep looking something will come along in the end (: I found when I rung about horses just saying exactly what I'm looking for in a horse before asking anything about theirs really helped, sellers that genuinly want a good home for their horse will instantly say if they don't think you'd suit. I also told the sellers my level of riding and at what level I compete atm and was honest about my lack of confidence following completly over horsing myself. Anyway goodluck there are lots of great horses out there!
 
Foxhunter49 said:
One of the big disadvantages of owning your own horse after a couple of years of riding is that you rarely ever get to ride other horses so trying something new i always an 'adventure'

I would not class anyone who has ridden less than 50 horses of various types and standards as anything more than a novice.
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Riding a new horse is always an adventure & more so is horse buying! ;)

Well I would be classed as a novice then! I've only ridden about 20 horses (i think - tried to do a quick count) but at 22 got plenty of time to get up to 50. Would be nice to ride some higher standard ones for the rest though! :p
 
The problem with labels, like "novice" or "experienced" is that things arent that cut and dry. I agree, that most owners are novice riders, as they havent got the experience of many different horses. I would still class myself as novice, because I find it difficult to get on a new horse and immediately get the feel with how it should be ridden. However if im given the time to adjust myself, I can handle most things. I need a horse that is forgiving enough to let me go through that adjustment phase.

This is why I prefer to buy from the sales.... I dont have to try lots of nutjobs. You pick the one you want....Take it home....and get on with it at your own pace.
 
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If I ever see "not a novice ride", I ask them to explain specifically why as somethings I can deal with, some I can't. If they can't properly answer then I just lose interest.

To me anything that's broncs, rears, bolts, serial napper, poor with traffic is not a novice ride. Yes novices by above definitions deal with such things all the time......?
 
Foxhunter49 said:
One of the big disadvantages of owning your own horse after a couple of years of riding is that you rarely ever get to ride other horses so trying something new i always an 'adventure'

I would not class anyone who has ridden less than 50 horses of various types and standards as anything more than a novice.
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I agree I think your a less experienced rider when you haven't ridden many horses. I doubt ive ridden 50 but I own a grade c show jumper, and I've had a youngster and an endurance horse and ridden many shapes and sizes. I get nervous when trying a horse out because you never know if someones lied to you and you have no idea what your getting on really.
 
sprite1978 said:
The problem with labels, like "novice" or "experienced" is that things arent that cut and dry. I agree, that most owners are novice riders, as they havent got the experience of many different horses. I would still class myself as novice, because I find it difficult to get on a new horse and immediately get the feel with how it should be ridden. However if im given the time to adjust myself, I can handle most things. I need a horse that is forgiving enough to let me go through that adjustment phase.

This is why I prefer to buy from the sales.... I dont have to try lots of nutjobs. You pick the one you want....Take it home....and get on with it at your own pace.
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I completely agree that we shouldn't really label riders. A guy I know has been riding for 20 years and he was awful riding my horse wheni first tried him out but he rode for me like a dream. I find it difficult because I'm a really really light handed rider and this dissent suit all horses. Are horse sales any good for finding a good competition horse? Sorry I've never been to one.
 
A few years ago I sold a horse as "not a novice ride". She was quite wilful and you really had to get at her for her to do anything, but she had been "the boss" off her nervous, novice owner for over 2 years!
 
Lolita said:
So I went to look at a horse and it sounded great, they said it was forward goings not a novice ride and I already own a very forward horse and I wouldn't class my self as a novice so it sounded perfect. Then I went to try it out and it bolted, full gallop around the school nearly 8 times until I had to jump off and abandon ship(as soon as I was off it stopped!). There excuse was it's not a novice ride, so what is everyones idea of a novice?
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I had a similar experience once, I did manage to stop the horse eventually, got off and said, politely, I think he is too strong for me, not interested. That was it. I thought OMG if he is like that in an arena, I can't imagine what he would be like any where else, like for example X country. It would be nice to know before you get on.

I agree that you need to watch the people ride first, it was a long time ago, and I cannot remember whether I did on that occasion.
 
It's a difficult one though. I know of a mare, quite lazy normally, several of us have ridden her with no bother. A few new people have been for interviews and have ridden this mare and she has taken off round the school with them - the first time completely unexpectedly. The only reason she has done it is because they are novicey riders with poor balance and no idea how to bring a horse back under control the minute it tries it on. Yet I wouldn't have classed her as 'not a novice ride' as nobody had any idea she would take advantage until a more novice person got on board.
 
Look for the taletell signs when viewing. Went to a viewing with a friend who was looking for a sane TB. The horse we saw was unfit and the owner couldn't ride because of a 'bad back'. Owned the horse for a year but could only give sketchy details of what she had actually done with it.
Asked to see it ridden before my friend got on and this resulted in surprise by the owner, who then ran off to try to find someone who would get on the thing.
A fellow livery who was an RI took it in the school and we watched the horse do the wall of death for 10 minutes while the instructor hung on and rode it forward. All credit to the rider, but it was very clear, the owner was scared of riding it and wanted rid.
My friend had turned white at the thought of riding it but didn't want to 'offend' the owner. My advice was, you aren't going to buy it, so don't waste their time and if offending them means you live to ride another day, so be it.
TBH, I think the line of liveries who had gathered to watch the spectacle would have been surprised if my friend had got on it after that.

Part of the pre-riding assessment when looking for a horse, are the clues you can pick up before you get to the stage of getting in the saddle and if the owner can't find someone to ride the horse on the day, walk away or come back another day.
 
There's two types of horses I would sell as not suitable for a novice - one because they are 'too good' (ie. very sensitive to the aids, need a light seat etc) and one because they do something that would make them unsafe for a novice (ie. strong, bucks, naps etc). Often its a combination of the two.

The horse I am selling at the moment I wouldn't let go to a novice rider. He's absolutely fine in the school for pretty much anyone to get on and w/t/c around and pop a small jump - and he's good to hack, xc, whatever you want to do with him. In most cases a novice could get on and if the circumstances were right, would be absolutely fine.

However he's quite sensitive, and needs confidence from his rider, as he can get wound up quite easily. With me the worst he gets is a bit strong, or quite bouncy - he never bucks, rears etc. But I would be worried about what might happen if he started getting wound up with a nervous or novice rider on him - if they weren't able to sit quietly and keep him calm, then there would be a risk of the situation escalating and becoming dangerous.

I think lots of horses are like this - very sweet and genuine, but could go horribly wrong ridden by someone who isn't equipped to deal with a sharp, sensitive horse.


As to the definition of a novice - well its not black and white at all, which is why its so difficult. I guess to me I would say it is someone who cannot yet ride with finesse - adapting their aids to whatever they are riding, even very sharp horses. Confidence is also part of it, though the two things are not necessarily linked - but not being confident enough to exude authority and calm to the horse, and deal with whatever situation arises without panicking and going to pieces.

OP - the problem with these cases is sometimes a horse will be perfect for its owner or an experienced rider, and then someone more novicey will get on and suddenly something goes horribly wrong. However it does sound like this horse is just a bit of a nutter and they are underplaying it by calling it "not a novice ride"!
 
I really don't see how you can say that an experienced rider is somebody who has ridden over 50 horses. (as opposed to a novice riding less than 50).
A person could spend their riding life in a riding school, and a trekking centre and rack up that number of horses. Does that make them an experienced rider?
I realise that this is slightly 'Off Topic', but what makes the ability to 'pop a small drop' turn somebody into an 'experienced rider'?

To me, an experienced rider can get on a strange horse and find it's buttons. An experienced rider has got a range of strategies to deal with what's going on underneath them and remains calm (or looks it anyway :D).
An experienced rider knows when to call it a day, and makes the decision rationally - or can see a 'diamond in the rough'.
 
Actually if I saw an advert with Not Novice ride, as much as I am not a novuce, I wouldn't bother going to look. I actually think it means more than just no novices.
 
It's quite a tricky one, the 'not novice ride' thing...I agree in that anything that needs very correct riding to go well (say something that was schooled by a pro?) is not normally for a novice. Nor is something that has too many behavioral quirks, so it bucks etc.

I have a TB who on a good day looks like he could be anyone's horse (on a bad day though, he looks like a bit of a monster admittedly!), but my instructors are all in agreement that with a novice or nervous rider he'd be all over them in a second. As soon as he senses nerves or feels like the rider is unbalanced or pulling too much etc, he's up on his back legs, and will stop at jumps with you if he's on a bad stride or you take a pull and it puts him off.

As for classifying a novice...I don't know really, I think it's somebody who hasn't been riding that long, can't adjust their riding to different horses, might sometimes lose balance or make a wrong snap decision, something that could result in an unsuitable horse reacting badly
 
Foxhunter49 said:
One of the big disadvantages of owning your own horse after a couple of years of riding is that you rarely ever get to ride other horses so trying something new i always an 'adventure'

I would not class anyone who has ridden less than 50 horses of various types and standards as anything more than a novice.
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Maybe don't agree with the number 50, but I do agree when you own your own horse you end up riding it the way it wants to be ridden, if you're riding several different horses you learn to ride rather than being manipulated over a couple of years to ride how they want to ride.
I noticed it when I moved away from the yard I was orginally on when i was a kid, we all had fat, hairy ponies and we all rode each others ponies, then moved to a yard where that didn't happen, you don't actually notice it happening until you then ride another horse later that doesn't recognise the aids your giving or takes offence at an aid, again once you start riding several different horses you get back into the way of things but not everyone has this opportunity.
However doing a runner with you not really acceptable and it can knock your confidence for new horses. Keep looking I always like the old saying 'Whats for you won't pass you by' true for my mare, had agreed to buy another horse and was literally drag into the car by my mother to go and see her, was totally against it, changed my mind when I seen her over the door....18years later I still have the old bag and she is now teaching the children how she likes to be ridden!!!
 
JustMe22 said:
I have a TB who on a good day looks like he could be anyone's horse (on a bad day though, he looks like a bit of a monster admittedly!), but my instructors are all in agreement that with a novice or nervous rider he'd be all over them in a second. As soon as he senses nerves or feels like the rider is unbalanced or pulling too much etc, he's up on his back legs, and will stop at jumps with you if he's on a bad stride or you take a pull and it puts him off.
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My mare is like this as well, the kids are young and fearless so great with them quite happy to ditter around the school, however a few years ago a friend had a lesson on her and because she was nervous the whole lesson was done in canter or walk, she couldn't get the trot and the horse had her evactly where she wanted her and just took the p!$$
 
Janette said:
To me, an experienced rider can get on a strange horse and find it's buttons. An experienced rider has got a range of strategies to deal with what's going on underneath them and remains calm (or looks it anyway :D).
An experienced rider knows when to call it a day, and makes the decision rationally - or can see a 'diamond in the rough'.
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good definition:D
the problem with trying to pigeon hole riders is there are just too many variables!
I guess i class myself as past novice but not experienced to the above degree, but i wouldn't class my big girl as a novice ride, she's too bloomin smart and will take the pee out of a nervous rider:rolleyes:
 
If advertising "not novice ride", I would put is some sort of explanation eg needs more flat-work, forward going, needs ridden regularly, keen type, competes etc.
If the horse is a nutter, then sell as "project horse" to experienced home only, further explanation [has been ruined by complete novice etc] if there is a definite reason.

I always ask for someone to ride first, if only to see what it looks like.

You have to be aware that very inexperienced persons may not realise what you mean, and just make an appointment anyway, at which stage you should grill them, one lady was very nervous bringing my mare [quiet type] out of the paddock, she bought the mare without riding it [ice and snow], I thought this meant she could cope with anything!
 
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