One Person Horse?

L

LittleSoph

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 June 2008
Messages
822
Location
Essex
southeastriders.myfanforum.org
Has anyone had a horse that was a real one person horse??

I've only had my neddy for three months but he has only ever been ridden by me and the two people that I bought him from, who backed him.
I've mentioned it in another post but... yesterday a friend came to ride him and he bucked her off and then when I got on to try and get him to behave he bolted and I had to bail out.

He is NOT a nasty horse and has never put a foot wrong before this. It was utterly out of character, the only thing different yesterday was the friend riding him. He hasn't been ridden by anyone else in the three months I've had him. I've had a vet out who's ruled out physical pain... so the next option was that he is simply a mummies boy (which is a pain in the bum but at least it might be the route of the problem)

Just wondered if anyone had had such dramatic reactions from a horse who only liked to be ridden by one person??
 
Daisy is fine for other people to ride but thoroughly unpleasant and devious if other people try to lead her to or from the field. Doesn't bother me too much because I know anyone that tried to steal her would get hoofed.
 
Hiya sorry to hear your having problems. my pony lucy is a real mummys girl she always looks for me when others ride her she doesn't buck them off but will stand next to me and refuse to move and if someone is handling her she will tow them to me. I have owned her for 11 years and when i bought her she tried to kill me as she had been beatern in her first 2 homes so i'm not complaining!!
 
Pip generally hates other riders, and is totally indifferent to other drivers, not that many have driven him...3 I think, all professionals, and they couldn't get him to play. Kinda funny
blush.gif
I don't think it is him,I think it is as he is so different to the average pony with he various subtle quirks they don't get enough time to understand him. He hates anyone with fixd hands, and can't cope with riders who are poorly balanced and deals with them how he deems appropriate.
 
mine wont let other people catch him unless they are really pateint and wait for him to give in!
 
I've met horses who haven't thrived in envrionments where the are many people doing the day to day work but have when they've moved on to a one/few horse home. Scroogie was a bit like this, he was always fine for me and lee but played up something awful with the others. Although with him it was ground manners, he was a lovely drive
 
My horse did this a while ago, has had a few owners and ridden by various people, including 2 friends since i've had him, but has only been ridden by me for the last 6/8 months and my sister was down a few weeks ago (who rides occasionally) and asked if she would like to ride him. Only offered as he's good as gold, but as soon as she got on he tanked up off the field and bronced her off before i got chance to catch him. Can only assume he did this as my sister is bigger than me and i'm the heaviest thats ever ridden him so must have been a bit too much on his back. Is your friend bigger/heavier than you? If so it may have been coz your ned wasnt used to the weight.
 
My pony is a bit like this, she will quite happily be ridden by anyone as long as I have allowed it, ie been there the first time thet sit on her. If someone new tries to ride her for the first time when im not there she refuses to move and if they push her she bucks that is if they have managed to get on her in the first place as she refuses to stand.
 
Sounds to me like he scared himself with the incident with your friend and was still unsettled when you got on him. He was probably reacting to the situation rather than the rider. It would be scary for a young horse to suddenly find their rider on the floor. I would take him out of the school, he will be associating it with something that has unsettled him. Jumping off him when he bolted may have seemed like the best thing to do at the time, but the only time I would consider doing that is if my life is at risk. He doesn't sound like the sort of pony to think 'hah, I got her off, I'll do it again', but he may have the same reaction again in the school through fear. Mind you, these gypsy cobs can get very cunning. we have one on our yard that is as sweet as ninepence, until she decides she's had enough.

I would get him out hacking and enjoying himself, he may be becoming stale in the school, he's only young and too much schooling will blow his mind. Don't resort to using stronger bits, or any other gadget, it'll ruin him.

Get some lessons from a good instructor, you will get more confident in your ability to ride him, and he will become a more confident, more balanced pony. Some of your pictures look like you are forcing an outline, he will begin to get behind the bit and then you'll have no hope of either stopping him from bucking or stopping him from bolting.

Good luck
 
I am convinced that my girl is now a one person horse, as she seems to be very picky over who rides her. she made it very clear that she wasn't going to tolerate any sharers after little_flea Her most recent sharer that lasted beyond 1 day started to report odd behaviour which is out of character, which makes me wonder whether she is going to last much longer
 
My horse is a one person horse. He has a series of party tricks for others that get on him, but usually starts by being really sweet for the first few times they ride him. Then he naps, bucks, bolts and aims for arena fences, turning at the last minute. However, once you've earned his trust he's amazing!

Sue
 
lhotse, thank you, but that didn't really answer the question of why he bucked in the first place... you say he was reacting to the situation, but there was no 'situation' other than a new rider... He has never bucked with me before and only once when he was backed.

I'm not 'forcing him into an outline'... I've had some problems with him that we're working on and I've struggled with getting him to engage his hind quarters, but like I say, we are working on everything. But no, I wouldn't consider stronger bit or gadgets. I want to find the route of the problem, not just cover it up.

Getting him hacking isn't that easy when I have in my head that he may bolt. I've had my confidence knocked badly before now and just got back to feeling confident and this has knocked me for six! It was the hardest thing for me to do to get on and be lead round the school in walk today, hacking isn't going to be that simple at the moment. Which is a shame as I've just moved yards partly because the hacking wasn't safe enough for me to get him out regularly on my own. The new place has fantastic hacking and I just hope I can get back to where we were soon and start making the most of it.

Re. bailing out... there were a few reasons that I feared for my safety... one was because he isn't very balanced in the school yet and I felt he might fall at the corner any second. Which could have been nasty if he were to land on me... secondly, a few times he was eyeing up the fence and I thought he was going to jump it... again, as he's young he isn't experienced with jumping and this could have ended up messily. I couldn't stop him and the only thing I felt would stop him was if I was nolonger on board.
 
A horse I used to own years ago was really headshy and nervous when I bought her, she ended up really trusting me and my hubby. One day I swapped rides with my friend and she reared up twice, then was ok. My friend rode her again and she ran off. My friend was a bit heavy handed and I think she didnt like that. She was fine when I got back on her.
 
Fair enough, but he probably bucked initially because he is only young and maybe the other rider gave him an aid a bit differently than he is used too. It doesn't mean that he'll never accept another rider in the future though. If you felt that bailing out was the best thing to do in the situation, then that's fine but just be aware that it may have frightened him. That is why I suggested taking him out of the school for the time being, maybe into a field where it is safe and if he does decide to take off again, you can stay with him and take the time to pull him up safely.
I wasn't having a go about your riding, but a few lessons would do you the world of good, both of you would come out feeling a lot more confident about the partnership.
 
No, I agree with that entirely. I have been offered help from quite a few knowledgable people so hopefully I'll be able to take some of them up on their offers and get lessons with them, one in particular that will be an invaluable help.

I do wish I'd handled it differently and pushed him on, but pushing a horse on that is already going way too fast isn't easy, lol. So I just acted on instinct with a split second decision...
 
I have one who was a one person's horse (he is retired now as he is 31). He couldnt cope with different riders and it sent him into a blind panic as a youngster. He bolted with and threw off some very experienced riders. In hindsight I think he was just confused and that was his way out. He actually was desperate to please. He was eventually a fab little horse for me and would do anything I asked. But I was never able to put just anyone on him. On the odd occasion someone had to ride him they had to constantly tell him he was a good boy, stroke his neck etc and he would be as good as gold! I guess he just needed reassurance.
wink.gif


So maybe you need to allow people to ride him but dont let them ask too much.
smile.gif
Let him stay in his comfort zone for now.
 
That's interesting too dozzie... Freddie is such a tryer at everything I've asked of him and loves to please.
The only 'tantrum' (when I say tantrum, he backed up a bit and put his ears back) was when I was trying to teach him to leg yeild and he didn't understand what was being asked. He only got cross because he couldn't do what was being asked of him and he was frustrated.
This is the absolute worst I've had from him. And we've jumped, been to two shows, hacked alone and in company and moved yards twice... so it isn't like he hasn't had the oppurtunity to misbehave.
 
My old mare was sort of similar to this if a rider got on her and rode her as i said or was a complete novice she would be a complete angel, but when i had to give up riding for a while a few (i am very experienced riders) offered to ride her and competely ignored how i told them to ride her and rode how they thought best to control her, needless to say she dumped all 5 different riders and on 2 occassions took herself home.
Owner always knows best, did your friend ride your horse maybe with really short reins, nag with her legs this is what used to drive my old mare mad
 
Isnt the horse only 4 years old? I'd say it's just one of those things, hopefully a fluke. Especially since you've had the vet check him. Things can get on top of a 4 year old, and just because he's not done anything wrong up to now doesnt mean that he's a bombproof ride who can take everything in his stide unfortunately. Just try and look at it from a positive perspective - like, maybe it'll serve as a reminder that he's just a baby - albeit not a very nice or subtle one!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
but there was no 'situation' other than a new rider...

[/ QUOTE ]

You answered your question - this was a totally new situation for a young horse.

Chancer exploded once with me - he had not been backed long and I had asked him to do a turn into the corner of the school he was wary of, put my leg on firmly and pushed him more than I had to date and all hell broke loose. I stayed on for three huge bucks before going into orbit.

He was terrified - shaking and very concerned about me. I got back on but we went back to square one - instructor led me and then on the lunge and then solo in the space of 15 mins - he needed to be reassured that I and he were ok. We then did the turn fine.

He has never done this since. I have heard of a fair few gypsy cobs doing this as youngsters, one major explosion and then never again. Stinky does occasionally put in the one buck when I have annoyed him but head up and never more than the one - he panics if I fall off - have done so twice now.

The difference between Chancer at 4 and now at 5 is huge in terms of his acceptance and confidence, I have spent since he was 16 months getting him used to everything.

Take a step back, go back to simple things and then go forward. Get in a very good instructor to help you and also ride your horse for you so they get from early days to having different people on, but ensure that anyone who rides is very balanced and confident and a better or as good a rider as you are.

I did this with Chancer and again first time he was ridden by my instructor, I walked beside him to start with as he was concerned for the few first strides that he had someone different on him. Now anyone can get on him, novice or advanced.

Gypsy cobs are highly intelligent and whilst quick to train, are also quick to learn that they can walk over you. Take things slowly but firmly and remember that although they are often unphased by anything, they are still at times scared young horses and need a lot of reassurance. Your chap not only had the first rider fall off, but then you bail out - very frightening experiences, hence go back basics next time you get on.

Good luck with him.
 
I have a lovely natured cob who can be silly outside at times (she is rising 7), she has reared with 3 people outside (2-3 years ago now) when she has become unsure of something but never with me and I am not the most confident of people when hacking, each one I can imagine took a tight hold of her as a reaction to her tension, hence the only way to go was up. If someone else rides her I can see her looking at me probably thinking if you are there who is on my back....cobs are quite bright!!
 
Theresa, thank you, that was really helpful.
I got on yesterday and just walked round the school after I'd lunged him. I got my OH to lead me round on him for both our confidence... and he seemed quite chilled out. So I will just take it one baby step at a time and restore both of our confidence in each other slowly.
When I fell I got straight up and went to him, he was standing looking at me like 'what the hell you doing down there mum?'
I gave him a big cuddle and he just leant right into me. But we had an hour or so grooming and cuddling afterwards, which I think helped to calm him and me tbh.

I might walk out on a hack on a lead rein tonight, with someone I trust leading me out. I have no reason to rush anything and have all the time in the world with him to take things gently.

Beechwoodbutch, he did look at me when I put this friend on his back as if to say 'erm, howcome you are still on the floor?'

I guess you live and learn and now I know to be more careful. How could I have known before when he had never ever played up with anything I'd asked of him. But I've definately learnt from the experience to be more picky about who I allow to ride him and what I allow them to do with him.
 
I can't ride for a few weeks, so all of the horses are being worked by the grooms and by my mother. Most of them are fine with this, but Horsk just won't. It's not that he fights it, or that he bolts, the second someone gets on him, he plants his feet and refuses to do anything. If people can get him to work, he does as little as possible, and puts no effort in.

Hopefully once I can ride him again he'll go back to being wonder-horsk.
 
If your chap is anything like mine, he will forgive you when you do daft things - I would image a lot of people would shudder to see what Stinky has put up with when I have not realised how young he is - hence I have regular lessons to try and keep me on the right track.

You have done the right thing, get your confidence back and he will follow you. I would get others riding sooner rather than later, but as you now know, make sure they are the ones who can give him confidence and won't get phased if he mucks about.

You may never have this happen again - as said, I know of a fair few of these little chaps who have the one major explosion and then never again.

If you can ever get over to Epping, I would gladly take you out with one of mine, both are very good and steady to go out on, specially Farra the clydesdale - yet to find anything that has upset her.
 
Well I'm glad I am not alone
My mare works really well for me, but with my instructor and alot of other people she will barely move and will not put any effort into whatever they ask.
She wants here Dad!!!!
 
he doesn't sound like a one person horse to me- he sounds like a typical 4yro!
ocasionally even the most sensible 4yro will have a blip about something or nothing- it does help a lot if the rider stays on though!
is your friend a good rider, experienced with youngsters, nice light seat? if not, i'm afraid i wouldn't be offering rides on my youngster out.

he will have been very scared by 2 people hitting the deck in quick succession and you are right to go back to square one with him and reassure him but i really would recommend finding a good instructor for you both who will be able to ride him as well.
imo, it is not very good for a youngsters confidence if the person on top is scared or worried and he may benefit from a few rides with someone who will install some confidence in him
 
millitiger, unfortunately I was lead to believe that this girl was more capable than she turned out to be. Otherwise I wouldn't have even considered letting her ride. You live and learn don't you.

At the moment I don't have the cash for regular lessons, but I have some people coming to help me for free, which will be beneficial for now. Although I will be investing in a good instructor hopefully by the end of summer.
 
My last employers horse was definately a one person horse he broke him in at 3 and at 5 a few well known pros tried him and got straight off and one person he walked straight back into his stable. He's retired now at 16 but he was a successful grade A jumping trials until this year but since he was 5 only my boss rode him. My horse just doesn't like strangers it could have been that yours got upset by the extra attention, Mine is completely different even if it's only my mum watching us
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top