Novice rider/riding school horse bucking

KK557

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29 October 2021
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Hi,

hoping someone can give me some guidance about a recent experience.
Sorry about the long post!

I have always loved horses, but growing up was never in a position to have riding lessons. I was, however, fortunate enough to live in a rural area where lots of my friends growing up did have horses. Therefore I got to experience riding and got to the point where I could walk trot and canter on one of my friends safe horses.

Before Covid I decided now was the time to develop this passion and started riding lessons at a lovely stables where I explained I needed to go back to basics and learn properly as apart from kicking the horse, rising in trot and being able to stay on in canter, I didn’t really know what I was doing!
They worked with me on technique and I had worked my way back up to having a few canters when Covid hit. I managed to have some ad hoc riding lessons on the owners horse but unfortunately for them they changed the way they ran the riding school (sold most of their horses) and I had to find a new riding school ?

I have had 3 lessons at a new riding school and the first two times I was on the same horse. I could barely get him to walk and when he did it was to pull back to the instructor, or basically go wherever he wanted to. After about 45 mins I eventually got a few strides of trot. The next time on home was the same. They said it was because I am a novice (true) and that I need to learn to handle a stubborn horse (also fine). not the experience I wanted but I am there to be a better rider so appreciate I can’t be on steady cooperative horses to achieve that.

However on my last lesson I was on a different horse, I was told he was better than the previous and should enjoy him more. When she was adjusting his saddle I noticed him stamping his front foot quite hard and laughed him my head “he doesn’t look less stubborn”. He was fine for the first couple of minutes but wasn’t responding to leg so she told me to be harder, he bucked but I managed to stay on. Her advice was to ‘ride through it’. She instructed me to do various things to get him to move on in a quicker walk, harder kicks, squeeze, waving the crop and sometimes was fine, sometimes buck. All in all he bucked about 5 times during the lesson. It was a car crash as he either wouldn’t listen or buck. At the end abs explained that because he bucked at first and then I was less confident with him, he got his way and he managed to get out of working harder so next time I need to come back more confident.

Whilst I agree with all this in principle, I abs explained to them that I wanted to go back to basics and learn to ride properly as I feel I am the equivalent of someone who has been taught to drive a car by their dad.

is this a good way for me to learn and I should stick with it or is the horse unsuitable for me (as my partner is suggesting)?

apologies for the long post but I don’t want to give up, appreciate i am a novice, but likewise it has knocked my confidence.

many thanks
 

AdorableAlice

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OP, you should not be on a horse that is bucking or showing any signs of being dangerous to ride or handle. There could be any number of reasons for the behaviour, ranging from tack not fitting, back pain, lameness or just a rotten temperament unsuitable for hired horse.

Riding schools are highly regulated and part of that regulation is ensuring the horses are suitable. Please speak to the owner of the school or most senior person and tell them you are not able to ride a difficult horse. A lot of hired horses will be behind the leg and need encouragement, but the school should be recognising this and altering the work pattern of the horse.

If you are not treated with respect find another school.
 

My_old_warmblood

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11 April 2020
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Hi,

hoping someone can give me some guidance about a recent experience.
Sorry about the long post!

I have always loved horses, but growing up was never in a position to have riding lessons. I was, however, fortunate enough to live in a rural area where lots of my friends growing up did have horses. Therefore I got to experience riding and got to the point where I could walk trot and canter on one of my friends safe horses.

Before Covid I decided now was the time to develop this passion and started riding lessons at a lovely stables where I explained I needed to go back to basics and learn properly as apart from kicking the horse, rising in trot and being able to stay on in canter, I didn’t really know what I was doing!
They worked with me on technique and I had worked my way back up to having a few canters when Covid hit. I managed to have some ad hoc riding lessons on the owners horse but unfortunately for them they changed the way they ran the riding school (sold most of their horses) and I had to find a new riding school ?

I have had 3 lessons at a new riding school and the first two times I was on the same horse. I could barely get him to walk and when he did it was to pull back to the instructor, or basically go wherever he wanted to. After about 45 mins I eventually got a few strides of trot. The next time on home was the same. They said it was because I am a novice (true) and that I need to learn to handle a stubborn horse (also fine). not the experience I wanted but I am there to be a better rider so appreciate I can’t be on steady cooperative horses to achieve that.

However on my last lesson I was on a different horse, I was told he was better than the previous and should enjoy him more. When she was adjusting his saddle I noticed him stamping his front foot quite hard and laughed him my head “he doesn’t look less stubborn”. He was fine for the first couple of minutes but wasn’t responding to leg so she told me to be harder, he bucked but I managed to stay on. Her advice was to ‘ride through it’. She instructed me to do various things to get him to move on in a quicker walk, harder kicks, squeeze, waving the crop and sometimes was fine, sometimes buck. All in all he bucked about 5 times during the lesson. It was a car crash as he either wouldn’t listen or buck. At the end abs explained that because he bucked at first and then I was less confident with him, he got his way and he managed to get out of working harder so next time I need to come back more confident.

Whilst I agree with all this in principle, I abs explained to them that I wanted to go back to basics and learn to ride properly as I feel I am the equivalent of someone who has been taught to drive a car by their dad.

is this a good way for me to learn and I should stick with it or is the horse unsuitable for me (as my partner is suggesting)?

apologies for the long post but I don’t want to give up, appreciate i am a novice, but likewise it has knocked my confidence.

many thanks
Find a new riding school. Horses don’t buck out of laziness and it’s likely the horse is in pain- my first pony was like that, told to “ride through it” turned out he had horrible back pain and it took years to get right.
 

Cutgrass

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9 May 2020
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Hi,

hoping someone can give me some guidance about a recent experience.
Sorry about the long post!

I have always loved horses, but growing up was never in a position to have riding lessons. I was, however, fortunate enough to live in a rural area where lots of my friends growing up did have horses. Therefore I got to experience riding and got to the point where I could walk trot and canter on one of my friends safe horses.

Before Covid I decided now was the time to develop this passion and started riding lessons at a lovely stables where I explained I needed to go back to basics and learn properly as apart from kicking the horse, rising in trot and being able to stay on in canter, I didn’t really know what I was doing!
They worked with me on technique and I had worked my way back up to having a few canters when Covid hit. I managed to have some ad hoc riding lessons on the owners horse but unfortunately for them they changed the way they ran the riding school (sold most of their horses) and I had to find a new riding school ?

I have had 3 lessons at a new riding school and the first two times I was on the same horse. I could barely get him to walk and when he did it was to pull back to the instructor, or basically go wherever he wanted to. After about 45 mins I eventually got a few strides of trot. The next time on home was the same. They said it was because I am a novice (true) and that I need to learn to handle a stubborn horse (also fine). not the experience I wanted but I am there to be a better rider so appreciate I can’t be on steady cooperative horses to achieve that.

However on my last lesson I was on a different horse, I was told he was better than the previous and should enjoy him more. When she was adjusting his saddle I noticed him stamping his front foot quite hard and laughed him my head “he doesn’t look less stubborn”. He was fine for the first couple of minutes but wasn’t responding to leg so she told me to be harder, he bucked but I managed to stay on. Her advice was to ‘ride through it’. She instructed me to do various things to get him to move on in a quicker walk, harder kicks, squeeze, waving the crop and sometimes was fine, sometimes buck. All in all he bucked about 5 times during the lesson. It was a car crash as he either wouldn’t listen or buck. At the end abs explained that because he bucked at first and then I was less confident with him, he got his way and he managed to get out of working harder so next time I need to come back more confident.

Whilst I agree with all this in principle, I abs explained to them that I wanted to go back to basics and learn to ride properly as I feel I am the equivalent of someone who has been taught to drive a car by their dad.

is this a good way for me to learn and I should stick with it or is the horse unsuitable for me (as my partner is suggesting)?

apologies for the long post but I don’t want to give up, appreciate i am a novice, but likewise it has knocked my confidence.

many thanks

As others have said, go for a different riding school. A decent school will build your confidence up rather than endanger you.

I also just wanted to say well done for approaching learning to ride so thoughtfully. I think you will learn very quickly in a positive environment. Good luck!
 

Gloi

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Is this riding school a BHS approved one? It doesn't sound very good as they are highly regulated these days unless someone is running it under the radar.
You should look for a different place though.
 
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