People who lie about their riding skills

[horse.love92]

Has anyone had this happen to them ? I had a friend who told me that she had evented, then said she did BE , then decided no it was unaffiliated stuff , then she said she sold her eventers and doesn't like to talk about them. Now she has a little pony .
She took him to a show ( his first ) and didn't know how to jump around a course of jumps or what the bell was for !
She then told me later on she didn't agree with riding in an outline and said it was rolkur .
Does this sort of thing happen a lot in the horse world ? I've never experienced it in my 15 years of riding before ! Seems such a shame people feel the need to lie and can't be honest I do feel sorry for her

 

[rema]

Oh dear...The one thing about telling porkies is that you either have to have a damn good memory or have emigrated to a new country because you will always get found out..

I find it quite sad that people need to big themselves up to be able to fit in..I guess she thought she would never get found out and once she started she could not stop..

 

[BethanT]

Oh GOD yes! People on my yard do it all the time, and people I was in college with. Frequently would overestimated the height they had jumped or the level they had competed in or the placings they won! It became very apparent who was lieing though when I was with in a lesson with them or helping/teaching them in the school when I asked them to perform excercises and they had no clue what they were, or to jump a jump and see them get uptight when it was supposedly smaller than what they competed at and won! Funny world really.

 

[Cortez]

One of the reasons I really love horses; you can lie to a person, but you can NEVER lie to a horse

 

[Gloi]

When my friend was selling her horse, which was quite sharp but reasonably sensible she had a man come to view him. He said he was a good rider and liked showjumping. After she had ridden him in the indoor school to show him off the man got on and the first thing he did was boot the horse hard in the ribs. He set off at a gallop and the man clung on with his legs gripping the horse's sides which was keeping him going full pelt.After several circuits he eventually stopped. The chap got off and gave him back to my friend. He said "That was exciting, I'd have had to pay £5 for a ride like that at the fair."

 

[Fjord]

When my friend was selling her horse, which was quite sharp but reasonably sensible she had a man come to view him. He said he was a good rider and liked showjumping. After she had ridden him in the indoor school to show him off the man got on and the first thing he did was boot the horse hard in the ribs. He set off at a gallop and the man clung on with his legs gripping the horse's sides which was keeping him going full pelt.After several circuits he eventually stopped. The chap got off and gave him back to my friend. He said "That was exciting, I'd have had to pay £5 for a ride like that at the fair."

OMG, you're kidding?!?!?

 

[Polos Mum]

Some I think are genuinely confused - 'advanced' lessons at a riding school are walk trot canter on both reins independently - novice simpler than that, compared to 'novice' BE !! I've said to people I aspire to some novice BE and they've asked why I'm not better than a novice having been riding for several decades!!

But proper fibbers do seem more prevalent in the horsey world - when I worked in Africa taking riding safaris - it was 8/9 hours a day in the saddle, lots of fast work/ jumping and if you fall off litterally a lion could eat you, or an elephant stamp on you - it isn't disney there are no glass walls!!
All this was made very clear before booking, but people would turn up and look scared when presented with a mounting block, or couldn't hold the reins properly One lady told me she rode once a week, had done for years, during the first ride i asked a few more questions, turns out her weekly ride was being lead around hyde park in walk !!!.

I saw one guy with blisters the size of dinner plates from holding on with his knees !

why lie in this situation - I honestly have no idea.

 

[DanceswithCows]

I lie about it....usually the other way round though to be on the safe side!!!

 

[Gloi]

OMG, you're kidding?!?!?

Nope! We've laughed about it ever since.

 

[Shantara]

This is why YO would test people who said "Oh yea, done a bit of everything". You could see a glint in her eye
Most would admit rather quickly that they did in fact, not know everything.

A friend of a friend said she'd ridden and hacked Ned out lots...oh? When was this!?! Turns out she was just trying to sound cool. I just don't understand why she would tell my best friend and not expect me to find out!!

 

[spike123]

sadly have seen quite alot of this. Had someone come to try a horse I had for sale who told me that they regularly rode a tb ex racer. My horse was a schoolmaster type but not a total novice ride and I had stated that clearly in his ad. Needless to say he got on and my horse just got faster and faster in the canter whereby the man ended up hanging off the side. I could almost see the glint in my horses eye of ' haha sussed you out quick mate '
More recently we had a girl come to help out who said she had been to an equine college and done her stages 1 to 5 which instantly got my attention. She then watched me school my horse and said she would have liked to give me a lesson. Needless to say she had been at college less than 2 weeks and was almost totally clueless. Let's just say after a session in the school with me she was very red faced.

 

[Silvermiyazawa]

I am going on a 2 hour hack tomorrow with a riding centre. When I phoned to book the chap asked if I could walk, trot and canter. I felt rather sheepish saying yes as I bet he thought "yeah yeah", I bet they get loads of folk saying they can ride. I'm very excited though, it's ages since I hacked - I'll walk funny later!

 

[Ali27]

I openly admit that I'm not the most technical rider and I am rubbish at dressage! However I am confident and will pretty much get on anything and usually manage to stick on I'm definitely not as confident at jumping as I was as a kid but will happily jump 90cm and admit this! I can't understand why someone would lie about their abilities! I know several people who have issues with confidence and try to cover it up! On the other hand, I know one person who has confidence issues who is so up front about it that with help from all us on yard and a fabulous instructor has come on so far and is now cantering and doing small jumps! I so admire her for that and think it is down to her being so honest with herself!Then there are the people who think that their chunky cobs are the naughtiest ponies out when actually they are kick a long plods! Why do people have to make these things up? Haha - our 14.2 chestnut mare is a little psycho pony but with the right rider, she can be a little angel on her good days!

 

[mulledwhine]

Some I think are genuinely confused - 'advanced' lessons at a riding school are walk trot canter on both reins independently - novice simpler than that, compared to 'novice' BE !! I've said to people I aspire to some novice BE and they've asked why I'm not better than a novice having been riding for several decades!!

But proper fibbers do seem more prevalent in the horsey world - when I worked in Africa taking riding safaris - it was 8/9 hours a day in the saddle, lots of fast work/ jumping and if you fall off litterally a lion could eat you, or an elephant stamp on you - it isn't disney there are no glass walls!!
All this was made very clear before booking, but people would turn up and look scared when presented with a mounting block, or couldn't hold the reins properly One lady told me she rode once a week, had done for years, during the first ride i asked a few more questions, turns out her weekly ride was being lead around hyde park in walk !!!.

I saw one guy with blisters the size of dinner plates from holding on with his knees !

why lie in this situation - I honestly have no idea.

I know what you mean , but my daughter. ( who is 7 ) is cantering on both reins and by no means could be called ' advanced ' !!!

She is not even a novice , I think that comment does a dis service to riding schools !!!

 

[Jinx94]

Not riding, but I know someone that applied for work experience at a stud and told them that she had a tonne of experience with stallions and youngstock when actually her horsey experience was limited to the lesson a week she'd had for a year.

Muppets, the lot of them - in some cases things could go so badly wrong!!

 

[mulledwhine]

Meant to add , I think some people are put into a false sense of security because if there ability at riding school level

Some ponies are difficult, and rightly so , but a while kettle of different fish when asked to ride an independed pony

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

If anyone has a situation where someone has boasted about their riding ability and "thinks they can ride"....... then send them along to my place coz there's a very simple solution to see if they can ride or not:- bung them up on my traddie cob and stand back and watch, coz by god if they think they can ride (but can't), he's got a special corkscrew buck reserved for such individuals and will pretty soon dump them and hoon off with an evil face and his tail up, like hee hee look what I've done, whereas if they're a total novice and don't know anything he'll carry them as gently as a basket of eggs.

 

[mulledwhine]

Polos mum - apologies for my post, read it all and I agree whole heartedly

 

[Ella19]

I work at a riding school and get this all the time. A quick assessment sure enough soon shows their true ability which is why EVERYONE new to us is assessed first!

This week had a lady come and look round who wanted to book in for a hack, said she could wtc. Ok says I and think right well we will assess anyway, however I always like to get an idea, so lady starts chatting about having dressage lessons then jumping. She talked the talk so I asked how big she was planning on jumping. ....... "Oh 4 or 5 feet she replied!!! Something like that or perhaps smaller" as she noticed my eyes raise and snort of laughter as I showed her exactly how high that would be!

 

[J1993]

Meant to add , I think some people are put into a false sense of security because if there ability at riding school level

Some ponies are difficult, and rightly so , but a while kettle of different fish when asked to ride an independed pony

I definitely agree with this. I started riding when I was young at a riding school at about 7..I rode there and moved up to the highest class they had doing cross country, jumping and all that stuff. I stayed there till I was about 14. After I finished school I didn't know what I wanted to do so did a year at an equine college.. At this point I thought I was the bees knees at riding and asked to be put in the advanced riding group(embarrassingly!!). When I was told I wasn't good enough for this class I was really shocked.. They wanted to put me in class 2.. 1 being worst.. 4 being best and I managed to blag myself onto the 3rd. Whilst in this class every rider was brilliant.. I didn't know how to ride correctly.. I didn't even realise what a horse riding in an outline was! I learnt so much in the year I was there, it made me realise what a rubbish riding school I went to. But more importantly I improved my riding and by the end of the time there I was jumping higher than I'd ever jumped.. Riding horses that they even admitted would of put me no where near at the beginning and understanding how to make the horse I was riding work properly. They all said i had come on so much since i started . I finished there when I was 17 and I am now 20 and have a lovely horse on full loan and looking to buy my own soon.
So I do feel sorry for people who get persuaded into thinking that by riding the naughty riding school pony and jumping a cross pole that they could cope with a horse classed as 'not for novices' as I know I did! I do think there is a difference between those who think they are good cos no one has told them overwise.. And those who lie about what they are capable of..

 

[TandD]

ive had to view this from another side... recently writing a cv for a horsey 'job' (working pupil placement) i wanted to sound like i have had a wide range of experiences (which i believe i have had) but i dont have vast knowledge or years and years of experience in the equine industry (im only 17...not really a 'lifetime').... its all about getting the balance right. i found i was truthful but expanded on my experiences with what i had learnt..... but under no circumstances did i say i could go and do 1 times changes with piaffe shoved in! :S

 

[Once was lost]

Have seen it allot!
At the riding school we have general rule for what is to come by what a new client says on booking and arrival about either their ability or more often their child's, the ones that phone up saying how great they/their child is and how confident and talented they are will be the ones that don't know which way round to sit and have modelled their seat on the old hunting portraits while the modest ones who say honestly they haven't done much or their child can walk trot and canter but the canter is very much a work in progress, they are the ones who ride very nicely and/or have a genuine talent. Never known this rule to be broken!
Two recently where the child who was brought on the day of her 4th birthday after they had constantly been calling about how their child was special, had done loads with a friends pony and the rules about age surely don't apply to them. The day of the lesson they call and say they want to bring a friend of the child (also 4) but this child was going to be really nervous, had never been near a horse and would generally hide in the shadow of the prodigy birthday girl. Sure enough when they arrived birthday girl didn't have the first clue and bless her heart she was so nervous she was literally shaking head to toe while mounting. Birthday girl spend the whole half hour with every muscle tenced showing no signs of ever having been near let alone sat on a pony before. The friend however was a natural, for a 4 year old having her first ever lesson she showed buckets of potential and had a smile from ear to ear while she rode asking really sensible and thoughtful questions.
The other resent one was the girl who transferred from another riding school into my 8 year olds lesson. They are walk, trot, canter level and starting towards jumping. Start of the lesson they take to ponies the long way round to the outdoor to walk them in a bit, I walked at the back just as an exrta set of eyes and ened up being thankful I was there (as not working just there as a parent) when pony the new girl was on stuck his head down to try for a mouthful of grass. The girl hung onto the reins for dear life letting herself get pulled right off over the head, this happened show enough for me to come from two ponies back and catch her by the body protector as she rolled down. Have to admit I was pretty speechless! Girl went on to just not have the first clue, had no idea what a diaganl was among other things and could barely manage an idedipendent trot let alone canter. Have no idea what her old school had been playing at as luckily her parents are nice sensible sorts who even as non horsey could see her level was not what they had been led to think (my guess is she had been put on ponies that would walk trot and canter in the right places rider on board or not), a few weeks on and girl is making steady progress.

Myself I am guilty of the other way, I under sells self, I am a bit embarrassed of saying the level I used to ride at as I know after many years off and several serious injuries I will never ever ride at anywhere close to that level again although I have been told I not the disaster I say and think I am, I just think they are humouring me though!

 

[slumdog]

In regards to jumping I do find a lot of people who seem to exaggerate just have no concept of height! Someone I know regularly "jumps 1m-1m05" when its actually about 80cm. I thought she was exaggerating until I really did jump 1m05 in the school (I measure mine for personal best records lol) and she saw the jumps left up and asked who had been jumping huge. I said it was me, and it was 1m05 and she said "oh no, it was much bigger than that, it was nearly top of the wings"
She's harmless, she just genuinely doesn't know how big 1m05 is!

 

[MiniMilton]

I would usually tend to underestimate if anything. I was on a holiday with hubby. He decided to book a nice leisurely hack for us as a treat. When I arrived at the yard the instructor requested that I warmed up the horse in the arena first and she proceeded to stare at me intently, clearly analysing my every move. Then out on the hack I was telling hubby how odd she was. It turns out that when he was booking the hack and was asked our level of experience he had told her I was a 3 day eventer!
I was mortified. Hubby didn't realise there was a difference between that and low level riding club ODE's

 

[Fidgety]

Oh dear...The one thing about telling porkies is that you either have to have a damn good memory or have emigrated to a new country because you will always get found out..

/\ /\ This. And in the Google age, it's no longer enough to emigrate to prevent the truth being discovered. As I discovered about one person's 'when I was competing' days. :biggrin3:

 

[poiuytrewq]

I lie about it....usually the other way round though to be on the safe side!!!

Haha me too! I always say I'm not a strong enough rider, in actual fact I'd be fine I can ride decently. I just have little confidence in my ability- just in case! And so make out I'm rubbish in case something go's wrong and I look stupid. It's a perfect clause at work as I'd be thrown off breakers etc regularly if I was good enough to get on them ( I'm not- I like it that way!)

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

see it on here ALL the time.....the thing is , you cant hide a BD record so why people do it i dont know!

"came 1st and 2nd in the mediums at the weekend" (with 55%)
"won both his classes" (you were the only one in it)
"schooling PSG" (puts up a vid and it cant even do a single clean flying change)

best one was someone who banged on and on about how her classical german training was better than anyone in the UK, how shows in Germany were scored 10% lower than in the UK so her 61/62% were really 71/72%.....................then moved to the UK, never broke the 64% barrier and ended up paying someone else to ride her youngster because she couldnt sit one side of it, with it being classically simultaneously behind the leg and pulling her arms out!

ridiculous......

 

[Goldenstar]

The thing is I think for a lot of people riding is about dreams.
Then there's the people who think it can't be that hard its just sitting there ,those are the ones who go to trekking centres and riding holidays and wildly over sell their ability.
Parents often overestimate their children's talents in many fields.
Just cut everybody some slack and worry about your own abilities .

 

[Cortez]

In our business we often provide horses for actors, who ALL say they can ride "expertly". It's quite sweet to see them trying to "act" riding, based on all the other actors they've seen riding horribly in films. Trying to teach them how to stay on, steer and look like a king/knight/hero at the same time is quite some job I can tell you. Actors also always say they can skydive/ski/fence/shoot, etc. Surprised any of 'em survive at all, really!

 

[Polos Mum]

I taught a friend to ride in an emergancy after he got an acting job that involved a cavalery charge - he'd told them he could ride! He'd not been near a horse before! I'd forgotten about that - amazing what you can teach in a weekend! He did live somehow.