Pony tryout trauma ends at casualty

Abby is an experienced jumper having jumped and won at local shows for two years now. Even the best jumpers take a fall every now and then. She is fine, cheerful, if a little battered and bruised. She is coming with us to watch her sister jump at Beaver Hall this morning.

We let the pony sniff the jump with the coat on - walked up to it very slowly - and let it really examine it.

To be honest it wasn't the jump with the coat that up set the pony. It was when Abby was thrown forward onto it's neck it got unhappy and panicked. It then tripped over it's own feet and almost fell throwing Abby off.

It was a lovely pony and it wasn't really the pony's fault that Abby was hurt. But I don't think you would buy a pony that you came off twice on a try out.

As to the coat - I am not an expert - but as the pony was somewhere it had jumped loads of times we had to do something to make the jumps look different to see how it reacted when it was unfamiliar.

We decided against the grey because the advertisement said 9 and the passport said 11 and as we are only keeping the pony for two years we want something a little younger.
 
I think on the whole ponies/horses are either stoppers or they're not. 3 stops at a fence would end the conversation for me - as it did you. I am always chucking coats/sacks etc under & on fences, expect them to jump it too.
The pony looked a little stuffy to me so didn't want to comment, but glad you're still looking

I would seriously go and look at this pony on Horsequest:(Competition Ponies)
SIMPLY STIRLING

144cm grey gelding, 9 years old

Recently BSJA reg in April, already won £152 actual £72 not - In limited outings, unbeatable at local level!

Qualified Scope and Trailblazers 1.05 final.

Placed 5th POYS

2nd Unextowerlands Derby

Very scopey pony with loads of ability and very careful - Hates to hit a pole

Presently jumping Newcomers, 1m opens with ease, has jumped 1.10/1.15 courses and has the potential to go much further - Very quick in jump offs

Has done all Riding Club teams, this year has qualified for the final - Last year was junior RC show jumping champion

He also loves cross country, sponsored rides and has hunted with previous owners

Stirling hacks on his own and in company, is a lovely pony to have a round, never nasty, has never bucked or reared

Very easy to handle - box, clip, shoe, traffic

We are only selling as Emily is now concentrating on horses

£6500
 
Glad to hear that Abby was not seriously hurt in the end - I hope it hasn't dented her confidence too much. At least you found the problem whilst trying the pony out, not once you had bought and paid for it!

I told you I prefered the grey
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Hope your duaghter has a speedy recovery, sounds painful!

I have a very sppoky pony, he runs a mile from his shadow, plastic bag, napkin, a wrongly placed leaf lol! But he is the best jumper i could imagine, he would jump anything. We have tied plastic bags all over the fence before, put florensent coats on them and he doesn't even look.
Glad you found out before buying!
 
I am glad Abby wasn't badly hurt and hope she finds a pony soon.

I must admit i'm not a fan of putting coats on show jumps and personally I think it was asking for trouble on a young pony. If it had been a schoolmaster or an 'expereinced' show jumping pony, I wouldn't do it myself but wouldn't think badly of someone who did BUT I think with a young horse you could shatter their confidence with a bad experience and therefore shouldn't be looking at trying to get them to spook or stop. All new things like new fillers and trays should be gradually introduced and everything should be done with the pony's confidence in mind.

2 of my JA's i've had won't jump a fence with a coat hung on the wing (when you've got hot and taken it off and hung it on the wing rather than the floor), imo I just don't see the coat on the pole trick being a reliable test of a pony's boldness and ability, when you are looking for a show jumper, alot of the better ponies are careful and not so bold.
 
OMG..how frightening Nuala!!!! You certainly do need nerves of steal. My daughters has only done the odd clear round jumping at a local show and thats bad enough.lol..
Luckily for me I'm not an hysterical person. In a crisis I tend to get a calm come over me..its quite useful especially around children.

It sounds to me like a really unfortunate accident and tbh, I can't see that anyone really did anything wrong. You tested the pony thats all and she's not for you but she will be for someone..

Good luck with the hunt and I hope you daughter is not feeling too sore. It sounds like it'll take more than a few knocks to put her off
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Glad your daughter is ok.

I'm with the people who would not have put a coat on the fence. Think it was actually a bit dangerous as your daughter didnt know the pony and vice versa. It was only a young pony after all.

However i can understand that you wanted it to jump something it hadnt seen before and that is difficult when a horse is being viewed.

Have you got any polyblocks you could take to the next viewing? You could use them to create a different stlye filler. I think this might give a better idea of how a pony reacts.
 
I thought this looks fab!
Edgar144cmStirlingCompJuly.jpg

144cm grey gelding, 9 years old

Recently BSJA reg in April, already won £152 actual £72 not - In limited outings, unbeatable at local level!

Qualified Scope and Trailblazers 1.05 final.

Placed 5th POYS

2nd Unextowerlands Derby

Very scopey pony with loads of ability and very careful - Hates to hit a pole

Presently jumping Newcomers, 1m opens with ease, has jumped 1.10/1.15 courses and has the potential to go much further - Very quick in jump offs

Has done all Riding Club teams, this year has qualified for the final - Last year was junior RC show jumping champion

He also loves cross country, sponsored rides and has hunted with previous owners

Stirling hacks on his own and in company, is a lovely pony to have a round, never nasty, has never bucked or reared

Very easy to handle - box, clip, shoe, traffic

We are only selling as Emily is now concentrating on horses

£6500

Tel: 01223 897935 or 07739 425290 Email: diana@edgar9816.fsnet.co.uk
 
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A good horse (even my spooky pony will do them) should do them.

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I'd disagree with that TSH.. I know several novice-advanced eventers that wouldn't jump a showjump with a coat on it, doesn't make them bad horses, does it? As Horsegroupie stated, if the pony was advertised as a schoolmaster then that would be a different story, but it's only 5. IMO such an exercise with a new partnership is asking for confidence to be dented.. Not Nuala or her daughters fault, but if I was in the sellers position, I wouldn't let someone hang a coat on the fence and I expect I wouldn't sell the pony to anyone that wanted to!
 
Hope your daughter is ok.
I'd find a new instructor...yours seems too good at damaging precious children and frightening young ponies
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If it was a schoolmaster/mistress, you can do that...but no 5yo is a schoolmistress.
I suggest you get something safe, and steady, perhaps mid teens that an experienced child has competed if you want a bombproof horsey to keep daugher safe.
S
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I would yes - with time and training. I introduced water trays to my youngster by first of all walking him over one, then trotting and then a little cross. Within minutes we were jumping a metre and it wasn't an issue for him - but it was done carefully and without scaring him. He now realises water trays aren't scary. I do think that it was a step too far for such a young pony with a young jockey on board. I would not count 2 years at local level unaffilaited SJ to be an experienced rider and to then go and expect this of a young horse is a recipe for disaster. I will always class myself as novice and have competed elementary BD, Disco SJ and BE PN but all on a horse I've had for 5 years. I have ambitions of jumping up to Fox and advanced medium dressage with my new horse but always class myself as a novice rider as I don't do it professionally and will always need guidance from more experienced people. For me Freshman's son is an experienced rider despite his age - and this is why I would expect Freshman to expect a horse to do this for what they would be looking for but not a young teenager who is relatively inexperienced. In this case and for Nuala's daughter to gain confidence and experience SJ at affilaited level a "been there got the T-shirt" pony would be far better for a couple of years - or a very, very genuine youngster.
 
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We want to get a pony that doesn't spook.

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Is there really such a thing as a pony that doesn't spook, ever?
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Patches is bombproof as is Tweenie but they will spook from time to time. I can see the instructors thinking but if she was trying to make the pony spook, perhaps she should have been the one in the saddle, not your daughter.

Patches will jump anything, anywhere but it will be interesting for me to see if she will jump a fence with a coat hung on it. I'll try that.
 
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A good horse (even my spooky pony will do them) should do them.

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I'd disagree with that TSH.. I know several novice-advanced eventers that wouldn't jump a showjump with a coat on it, doesn't make them bad horses, does it? As Horsegroupie stated, if the pony was advertised as a schoolmaster then that would be a different story, but it's only 5. IMO such an exercise with a new partnership is asking for confidence to be dented.. Not Nuala or her daughters fault, but if I was in the sellers position, I wouldn't let someone hang a coat on the fence and I expect I wouldn't sell the pony to anyone that wanted to!

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I feel exactly the same shaab, if prospective buyers want to try the pony somewhere other than home then we tell them to hire the showjumps at a local EC and take the pony there for them to try but they will be supervised to what they do with the horse/pony, at the end of the day the seller has to be careful that someone doesn't bugger their horse doing silly things.

I let someone take my 1.10 mare on trial, they were a friend of a friend and they were told she is a 1.10 horse thats it, she doesn't jump any bigger she just takes them with her legs if you are looking for something that will jump bigger she's not the horse for you, they said no no they were quite happy jumping 1-1.10s, anyway they rang me up pleased as punch because they had her jumping 1.30 at home, I got the horse back off them absolutely discusted, the horse had turned into a jibbering wreck even at 80-90cms and she has never been right about jumping since, so she is now a glorified lawnmower come happy hacker. Learnt my lesson there, no trial periods, you can come and try as often as you want but no trial periods.

Also I heard that one of Geoff Glazzards International Grade As that he use to ride wouldn't jump a cross pole, would flat refuse and he tried to pop a cross pole at Hickstead in the warm up one year and the horse decked him on the fence and he cut his forehead. I heard this from a reliable source but can't guarantee its a true story as i've never spoken to GG myself but the point being good horses don't always jump everything!
 
I hope your daughter is ok Nuala.

Have to say if I was selling a 5yo that had previously been jumping well, i would be SERIOUSLY unimpressed that someone would put a coat on a jump (the horse is only 5!!!) and caused it to stop. I would be furious that a pony previously jumping everything is now stopping.
Yes if it was older, a schoolmaster or if you had bought the horse and was a few months down the line when horse and rider knew eachother better, but in this situation i think it was a silly thing for your instructor to suggest.
And like others, yes i would expect horse to stop once and then jump it second time round - IF the horse knew me!!!!!!!!! If the horse didnt know me then of course I wouldn't expect it to do new things straight off, it was probably awfully confused!!!

Having said that - i sincerely do hope abby recovers well and finds the right pony for her.
 
hope daughter ok, hope hasn't knocked her confodence, but i also would never have put a coat in the jump, seems very silly and dangerous, i have a v experienced mare who i BSJA'd and she would prob spook at that and she's seen it all...hope it hasn't completley knocked ponies confidence too poor thing must have been v scared, i certainly wouldn't let someone do that who was trying my youngster
 
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IMO such an exercise with a new partnership is asking for confidence to be dented..

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This is pretty much what i was trying to get at.

Im not saying that the use of sacks, coats, water trays shouldnt be used (I use them all the time at home and my 5 year old jumps them really well) however, i wouldnt have expected to have been jumping such stuff when i first purchased him. Personally I want my horses to learn to jump for me, because they trust me, it would be sods law my new horse would put in an awkward jump and i lose balance etc (which obviously happend with Abby) and pony become nervious.
At this age is so vital you build confidence as it can be easily lost.
5 year olds are still weak, Snoop on Friday was popping over the course of fences ive had up all week, jumping the water tray happily, i came for a 5th time and for some reason he put a hoof on it, and slipped or spooked himself and stumbled throwing me around his ears.
I had to come again a few times to regain confidence and he was flying the rest of the course happily.
The trust he puts in me now, yesterday someone was pumping water from their house through huge hose pipes across the road, snoopy and winston both had to negotiate these hazzards and did without question.
He wouldnt jump the things eventing if he didnt trust me.

This is all im trying to say.

Freshman, your son is a true professional and wouldnt think twice of jumping such hazzards on a young horse if he was trying it out for the first time. He is strong enough and experienced enough to stay in perfect balance if a horse should put in a funny jump or dirty stop and is equiped to deal with this.

Interesting tho, my 12 year old has a real problem with water trays, and jumps it as green the 13th time of jumping it as he does the first time.
But this horse has no fear of water, ditches or trakehners! hes just a spooky bugger and often puts in a jump over such fences (or stops) with me left hanging off his ears
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I hope that your daughter is okay, I am sure she will back in the saddle in no time. I also hope the pony hasn't had its own confidence knocked, as it was jumping lovely the last video we saw.
 
Poor Abby, but at least you found out now and before you bought it.

I didn't think the pony was completley straight from the video of it jumping and they and set the jump up with the little cross. Don't think it was a bad idea putting a coat on a fence, if you jumped down here the pony wouldn't have lasted long as we have pig shaped fillers, giant chess pieces and other weird and wonderful stuff, far less scary than a coat on a pole.

The pony that Siennamum and FMM both said about looks really nice.
 
My trainer put a coat on a jump when i tried my 4 year old - who didn't bother at all. He was bought to event and I wanted to see if he would still go if he wasn't sure.
I often put something strange under/on a fence when I am looking at a horse.
Not sure I would though if a child was riding it - maybe if it was a schoolmaster.
Hope she feels better soon.
x
 
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The pony that Siennamum and FMM both said about looks really nice.

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Whoops - didn't realise we were both admiring the same pony - should have read SM's post more carefully before putting mine up!
 
Nuala, I hope your daughter is okay.

I'm not experinced with SJ but my gut instict would tell me to nOT out a coat on a jump for a girl trying a 5yo pony for the first time.
I'm all for thinking a young horse should see all it can, and agree that no horse is 100% bombproof or doesnt spook. But these things should be done with a rider it trusts and has confidence in, not a totally new rider. If your instructor insists on seeing ponies jump different things then get the seller to jump it first. If it will jump it with another rider, who knows itwell, then it will do with your daughter once she's had time to get to know it.
 
I understand there are very different view on the coat on the fence trick.

Firstly, the owner of the horse was there and she put the coat on the jump - after we had suggested it - but she was the one coaching Abby round. (Our instructor couldn't make it.)

I know the pony is young - but it was being sold as a fairly experienced jumper - not a green pony.

Abby is fine - she's a little bruised and battered - but it wasn't the first time and it won't be the last.

Abby was not thrown off the horse going through the jump with a coat on - it was a perfectly plain wooden straight pole jump - at about 60cm. The pony hesitated - wasnt going to jump - and then decided she would and went through the fence. This threw Abby up on to her neck and unbalanced her. The pony then spooked at Abby's position, tripped over her feet and threw Abby off.

I have said before, the pony is a lovely pony, just not for us. Abby is perfectly up to riding it and if she had more than 18 months in juniors we would consider it as I am sure as it gains confidence it will become a very proficient jumper. The girls said it had lovely paces.

Patches - as to whether there is such thing as a non spooky horse - then probably not - but our current pony, lovely though she is, will spook one day and not the next. So maybe I should have said we are looking for something more consistent.

Although I have no real experience to make a judgement, everybody tells me Abby is a lovely rider who has real potential. She is used to riding a variety of ponies and horses and is rarely unbalanced.

At the end of the day - you can't ride horses without having the odd fall - some are worse than others. At least she is not badly broken.
 
5 & pretty expensive.
However Nuala has now made it clear that the accident did not happen due to the coat on fence. It was elsewhere.
But will somebody please tell me what is the difference between a coat draped over a fence & a coloured filler under the fence?
From what I saw of Abby jumping the other pony she is a decent rider & in my view at 15 is not a mere child.
I think her Mum is handling the whole subject very well.
 
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But will somebody please tell me what is the difference between a coat draped over a fence & a coloured filler under the fence?

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Freshman, I understand what you're getting at, if I may I think BB's response answers the above question well.

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Im not saying that the use of sacks, coats, water trays shouldnt be used (I use them all the time at home and my 5 year old jumps them really well) however, i wouldnt have expected to have been jumping such stuff when i first purchased him. Personally I want my horses to learn to jump for me, because they trust me, it would be sods law my new horse would put in an awkward jump and i lose balance etc (which obviously happend with Abby) and pony become nervious.

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In addition I personally would only practice with things I'm actually likely to see out on the course as the risk of a coat moving in the wind to me, is a little risky. As I said before I know some advanced horses that wouldn't jump a fence with a coat on it, and they're worth a lot more than 5k.

I agree Abbey looks like a decent little rider, however, a new partnership can be easily dented, regardless of both horse and rider ability.

I know your son is a fantastic, experienced rider but as BB's said he has the experience, confidence and balance to put new training into practice with young horses.
 
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For those who asked - here is half of the damage - as you can see she is fine. Her biggest moan today was that she wasn't able to compete at Beaver Hall and she had to watch her sister instead!!
 
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