Really upset

kayleigh_and_rocky

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 December 2005
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5,542
Location
Hampshire
www.kayleigh-nicholls.piczo.com
One of my new clients has hired me to ride her horse 3times a week and get it fit again as has been off work for 18months - i came up with a fitness programme for her etc and owner was so nice, told me to treat horse like its my own, if i need anything just ask and i'll get it etc, overly nice really but hey i wasnt complaining! Was told horse was perfect to handle and impeccably behaved - well that was a downright lie. Horses answer to everything on the ground is to rear up and strike out at you, or to bolt. Got on it, only to quickly get back off it! Person watching came over and got a lunge rein and lead me round on it a couple laps then i got off again and called it a day. Got talking to this person only to be told this horse has had several different riders over the last 6months all of which were chucked off within the first five minutes of riding it!
Greeeeeeat. Suffice to say im NOT riding this horse again. Tbh it just needs to be restarted and is a looooovely horse but i would need someone on the ground to help me do that and i just dont have anyone that could do that - and getting on it or working with it on my own would be suicide!
Very disappointed as really is a beautful little mare but its just too dangerous to work with on my own
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Sorry self pitying sort of post really, and want to know if i did the right thing walking away. I dont need the money as i have plenty of horses to ride now and i dont need the ride as once again plenty of horses and of course my own boy. I jsut cant risk getting injured.
 
i can see where you are coming from. there is no point in yourself risking your life for someone elses horse. especially as they lied.

i think that horse would benifit being turned away then re backed again as if it was a 4 year old.
 
Its back rises up to warn you then it bucks twists rears twists and then bolts...and has done this with every rider its had...
Would like to know what you are suggesting with regards to rocks seeing as he did it a grand total of about 4times each time i rode him through it and is now a perfect angel
 
you poor thing, you are definitely doing the right thing not riding the horse!

I cant believe she was so nice to you, did she not realise you would notice it was not quiet!
 
If you ride klots of other peoples horses etc then its not worth the hassel. If anything happened to you then you could loose rides and money not tomention you wouldn't be able to ride your own horse either.
 
Rock isnt difficult at all to bring in from field...hes difficult to catch every now and then but never ever been a prob to bring in from field. And he reared over xmas - he IS only 5 and had clearly found out what rearing was and used it as an aversion tactic...still does it sometimes when hes having a strop but a quick smack and hes over it.

And according to the only person allowed to bring this horse in from the field (wasnt told this, doesnt that suggest something) its gotten loose when being lead in 3times in the last week due to just rearing then bolting off.
Im finding more and more out about this horse and its scary that this lady told me it was impeccably behaved when she herself has been put in hospital twice since xmas because of it
 
has the horse had an MOT? sounds like it could be telling them something. thats not your decision though, glad ur ok, but it makes you wonder why the mare has done this repeatedly?....
 
i was thinking that, has it had its back/teeth/tack done etc? Most horses that behave in this sort of way have a reason behind it, whether its pain or purely psychological.
 
there could still be some problems there. even if the vertabrae (SP!) in the back are fine, there could be muscular problems etc. do you know how the horse is to lunge/longrein?
 
Very well behaved to long rein and lunge which is odd, just v v naughty to handle when you're close to it (as in leading it) and obviously pretty dangerous to ride. Like i said though, if i had someone on the ground to help me then i would be more than happy to restart it but i just cant do it by myself! Its just too dangerous and not practical!

to think this lady was happy for me to take it straight out on to the main road on monday....
 
TBH hun, if they have asked you to re-break/school this horse id ask them who did its back - just say you are interested to see who they use as you think there might still be a problem there. I cant see why they would mind you asking, as it shows that you are trying to get to the bottom of the problem
 
You must do what you're comfortable with. If you have so much business lined up that you don't need the money then walk away....it could cost you a lot more in terms of time off due to injury. However, i would see the horse as a challenge and would be interested to see if i could help sort it out
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That's not to say i would be reckless, but i really would want to get to the bottom of the problems....as someone else said, it could just be 'remembering' that life used to be nasty...........
 
I would do if i was going to continue working with the horse but i'm not, not on my own.
I'm just really angry that this woman was so irresponsible, if she had just told me! I told her i was going to hack it out on monday and she was going to let me...to do this we have to cross a busy main road...thats just dangerous
 
am i right in saying this horse has been off work for 18 months??? if so how come you were even contemplating taking it out on the road on monday (as i am assuming if it had been well behaved you wouldve done).

for every month the horse has had off you do one weeks worth of walking, which means around 18 weeks at walk for this horse........starting at around 10mins a day, in hand, in an arena for at least a week........i wouldnt even suggest lunging it until its fitter, as it is much harder for it to balance on the lunge, espeically if it has a back problem. I would even suggest just walking it in hand, in its tack for the first week so it gets used to everything again.

just how i would do things tho, i suppose im to careful tho.
 
Yep you're right and i'd love to be able to work with it, but there is no way im going to handle that horse on my own with no one else with me and theres no way im getting on it again without someone holding on to it on a lunge rein. And i just dont have anyone that is experienced enough to be able to do that.
 
Yes well i was actualyl only taking it out hacking 10minutes at a walk - i have a v good fitness programme for this horse if it was as behaved as i was told - and walking in the school would be a lot tougher on it than on the road and i would not even contemplate working the horse in the school for at least four weeks as its too tough on the legs - only went in there today to get used to it - thank god i did really. You think you could do a better job go right ahead ange.
 
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I would do if i was going to continue working with the horse but i'm not, not on my own.
I'm just really angry that this woman was so irresponsible, if she had just told me! I told her i was going to hack it out on monday and she was going to let me...to do this we have to cross a busy main road...thats just dangerous

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I don't mean to be harsh here, but if you are selling your services as a 'professional' jockey, you need to be prepared to work out for yourself what these horses are like
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Believe no-one, and trust no-one...you'll be fine. If the horses were all straightforward their owners would be doing the riding....not paying you
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