Riding ‘on the buckle’... minor rant

blitznbobs

blitznbobs

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What is it about my face that makes people think they can give me their unrequested advice ... or opinion?

i was hacking home from a lesson with a friend... it was a lovely afternoon and the horses were chilled as ****. my boy had worked quite hard and was a little tired and we (my friend and I )were mooching alOng on the off road restricted byway nattering about a bit of gossip we’d heard. I had my feet out of my stirrups and my reins in one hand holding onto the buckle... when a woman who Was walking the other way stopped in front of me and gave me a lecture about having no control because I was barely touching the reins... I was about to give my lecture about stopping horses with weight and your back being more effective than hauling on the reins when I realised the correct response was Somewhat similar to “f off”

so my question is ... is it ok to hack out (off road) ‘on the buckle’? Did she have a point?
 
Since i was doing the same this morning except I kept my stirrups and I was on a single track road and i was talking to myself, yes of course its okay ?

Off road? I think I'd have told her where to go in a very short sentence ?

I did once have a driver get out of her car and ask how I expected my nappy horse not to nap if i didn't speak nicely to him ?????
 
I don’t tend to have feet out of stirrups except when I’d broken my ankle and it ached but I hack on the buckle or with one hand on reins 90% of the time on a forward buzzy horse. If a car or hazard comes our way I take the reins back up just in case of a spook though.

I’d probably make an effort to shorten the reins somewhat or pick them up if passing a person however relaxed my horse was though.

I think anyway.. it’s a subconscious thing I guess!
 
She has probably had 6 one to one lessons at the local riding school back in the 20th century so obviously is an expert and knows far more than you will ever know. How ungrateful can you get when she has very kindly taken the time and given you the benefit of her superior knowledge and experience. :rolleyes:;)
 
Theres riding on the buckle with no control should the horse spook or jump( and we all know how unpredictable horses are) and theres riding allowing the horse to stretch and have his freedom but still keeping a contact.
IMO if other people are around or you are on a public highway you should always be in control, so a stretch with a light contact is fine. No contact means a horse has an extra couple of seconds to spin or spook and isnt really sensible.
I wouldnt have a go at a stranger for it though!
 
I'd probably have put my mare to stop, rein back and spin without picking up my reins to prove my point. All mine hack on the buckle, or one handed, chilled or bouncy, their manners prevail regardless*.

*well, if they're going to be knobs, they'll do it regardless - my authority isn't affected by how short my reins are!
 
So yesterday I had two ponies in a carriage, at stand still, rein completely loose whilst a HUGE tractor and cultivator squeezed past us in a very narrow passing place. It was so close there was a serious risk of the cultivator catching on the harness.
Was i in control? Of course I bloody was, because I know my ponies.

On the buckle. When it suits you and the horse, of course. As for stirrups / saddle, well if you've half a seat it makes very little difference. Woman is a clueless idiot, and just one of those who likes sticking her oar into other people's business.

That said, of course there are horses who prefer a contact, and are much spookier without... but then you'd have them on a contact, wouldn't you?
 
scats said:
I regularly rode Diva off road with my feet out the stirrups and on the buckle. I’d have ridden her blindfolded with my arms tied behind my back if I had to, we practically had a telepathic connection!

Millie or Polly? No chance!
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exactly you know the horse. I did however get a very serious lesson in keeping my feet in the stirrups. I had cantered up at track where admittedly I should not have been. Turned round to walk back down, feet and reins hanging loose and horse took off flat out which was totally unlike him. I eventually got my feet back and regained control. I turned round to see what had spooked him and there was a man with a shot gun pointing it at me. We carried on with the flat out bit. :oops:
 
I used to ride my old boy for miles on the buckle (and bareback). He was better at stopping to weight aids than a bit. Connie mare wanted contact all the time else she'd fret. Whatever works for your horse is fine.

Sounds like a know it all idiot who can safely be ignored!
 
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Seems rather odd of the woman to give her view when you are off road, unless of course you mowed her down due to being out of control (obvs.!).

To me, part of the joy of hacking a good horse is when you can totally relax with feet out stirrup and one hand on the rein buckle. My top tip is not do this on a relatively green 5 year old - she’d behaved amazingly all ride and I forgot how young and green she was. Still, got her back in a few strides so no harm done!
 
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Just a Festive Troll in the Dungeon said:
*well, if they're going to be knobs, they'll do it regardless - my authority isn't affected by how short my reins are!
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This. In fact, the shorter they are the more likely he is to be a total muppet.

Grey pony has on occasion had his reins clipped to a carabiner on my saddle bags, while I shoved food in my face with one hand and held a map in the other as we trotted down a track...
 
Pear Noël said:
This. In fact, the shorter they are the more likely he is to be a total muppet.

Grey pony has on occasion had his reins clipped to a carabiner on my saddle bags, while I shoved food in my face with one hand and held a map in the other as we trotted down a track...
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I have a special clip/strap on my breastplate so I can let go of my reins and not lose them over their head if they put their head down (QH low head carriage in canter, or standing around snacking!). Ostensibly this is for hanging around at archery, but in reality I use it hacking so I can do other things ;)
 
Just a Festive Troll in the Dungeon said:
I have a special clip/strap on my breastplate so I can let go of my reins and not lose them over their head if they put their head down (QH low head carriage in canter, or standing around snacking!). Ostensibly this is for hanging around at archery, but in reality I use it hacking so I can do other things ;)
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Oooh that sounds better than tucking your whip under your thigh and looping reins over whip!

Most of my hacking is on road, I rarely hold the reins with both hands or on a contact. Horse knows her job and listens to weight aids, we're safe.
 
She would have loved me too I ride with mid length reins on the way out then on the way back I slop along with long reins sometimes even on the buckle reins. Often in one hand with my other on my knee. Very occasionally I take my feet out usually if I've been across the field and my legs ache. Obviously if a car comes I'll shorten them, I dont wear headphones so I'm constantly listening out. Considering he wouldn't hack alone when I got him I see it as progress. I also believe I am quick enough to snatch them up if anything happens

I think he got a shock the other day he was being really stuffy and backwards on the way out so I rode back with a proper contact and made him do some lateral work

If the hunt are out and he has heard them however I go full on bridged reins with a proper contact as he jogs along. Met a young rider on the way back recently when he heard them or the fact he had passed a horse set him off who knows but she commented "he looks excited!" As he jogs past head stuffed in the air reins bridged!
 
Kat said:
Oooh that sounds better than tucking your whip under your thigh and looping reins over whip!
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It is - I do that if I'm wandering and have decent length reins on, but it's difficult to orchestrate the "whip under knee, reins over" thing while getting sorted to shoot things, so I introduced the gadget...

I don't pick up my reins for traffic either. I just swing them sideways onto the neck and the pony steps onto the verge for the car to pass.
 
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Just a Festive Troll in the Dungeon said:
I have a special clip/strap on my breastplate so I can let go of my reins and not lose them over their head if they put their head down (QH low head carriage in canter, or standing around snacking!). Ostensibly this is for hanging around at archery, but in reality I use it hacking so I can do other things ;)
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I may have added the carabiner (and replaced thin continental reins with slightly heavier rope ones) after my reins went wandering and I had to emergency dismount at trot to prevent playing chase with a horse in the distance...

It's on a relatively long strap so it stays clipped to the slack of the reins at all times when we're out, so I don't have to faff about when I want cake. I do usually have one hand on some part of the reins, but snacktime is snacktime and cannot be ignored.
 
Off road? Yeah, I think that’s ok and yes, depends on the horse. When my warmblood was feeling feisty, the best thing I did whilst trying to get him back into a routine/school him after a long break was to ride him on the buckle at the start of a session.
 
Id Have told her to feck off as well.

I regularly ride On the buckle and also at times with my feet out of the stirrups as I have to stretch my hips and legs down when riding just now as I have SI joint issues. Been doing it for years on a variety of horses, yet to be splatted.
 
ycbm said:
I think 'control' on a horse is an illusion. We can never control them unless they allow us to. I've found many horses much less likely to spook if the rider is relaxed with long reins.

It's up to us all to know our own horses, I guess.

.
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Yes, when they have more freedom to look around and check for sabre toothed tigers in their own time and their own way without any restrictions they seem to be much less spooky.
 
Oh this made me laugh.. years ago my son was hacking out on his Polocrosse horse, who was very responsive to voice and slight leg or neck rein commands, a dog walker said something similar, He was in a stock saddle too.. he promptly made horse do a neck rein spin and 4 backwards steps with the slightest of touches, dog walker just stared.. there is no control on an untrained horses and full control on a well trained calm chilled out one
 
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