pulch
Member
Please forgive this absurdly long question. I think it important you have all the details so you can help me work out a diagnosis.
I was born in a racing yard, so rode before I could walk. After thirty years away from horses, I got a lovely thoroughbred mare, ex-racing, ex-polo. The polo yard belongs to a friend, and he keeps his horses very naturally and they are all beautifully tempered and relaxed and happy, so much so that his small children can ride many of them.
I am retraining the mare in natural horsemanship; bit of Monty Roberts, bit of Parelli, bit of Warwick Schiller, bit of Mark Rashid. I take whatever works best for both of us. She was very tense and spooky when she arrived, separated from her big herd, suddenly in the wild Scottish mountain country instead of the calm leafy south. After five months of groundwork, I can groom her, rug her, feed her, catch her and walk round the field with her without a headcollar or rope. She is so happy that she will doze for twenty minutes at a time with her head on my chest.
Because of the weather and various other factors, our riding has been interrupted this summer. We have had some good rides, but she developed a tendency to get fussy with her head. All physical factors have been checked: back, teeth, feet, new saddle specially fitted. I have put her in a bitless bridle. When she is going well, she will neck rein, respond quickly to leg, do the lightest of transitions, and do collected canter on a loose rein. But in the last ten days, as the rain has stopped and I have got her back into daily work, she is putting up fierce resistance. The head goes up, the neck sometimes shakes about, she breaks her stride, there is a bit of circus wildness in her.
She is a spirited but unbelievably nice horse; there is not a mean bone in her body. She has a stubborn streak and a mind of her own, but responds very well to firm, gentle leadership.
I suspect she is testing me in some way, as if she knows what I have on the ground, but wants to see what I have got on top. The gentle schooling I envisaged seems to bore her, so I am lately trying something more like the polo she was used to: tight fast circles, serpentines, making up obstacle courses in the field. This is partly to get her mind on the job, and partly to show her she cant faze me and that I am the boss. I use hands and heels and seat and leg; no whip. By the end, she will come back to me, and we always end by walking gently on a long rein, like two old cowboys. The moment I get off, she is as relaxed and affectionate as ever.
My question is: is this to be expected with a new horse? She was ridden by one of the best horseman I know, and as a pro, he is fit as a butchers dog. I am rusty, after years out of the saddle, and although my muscles are growing, they are not yet what they should be. I have a good seat, but my legs definitely leave something to be desired. I would love to know if anyone has had a similar experience or has any brilliant insight into horse psychology which would help. We always do end on a good note, and get there in the end, but it is a bit of a battle at the moment. Luckily, I love a challenge, and because she is such a nice horse, she never alarms me. Id just love the key to unlock whatever is going on in her horsey old head.
I was born in a racing yard, so rode before I could walk. After thirty years away from horses, I got a lovely thoroughbred mare, ex-racing, ex-polo. The polo yard belongs to a friend, and he keeps his horses very naturally and they are all beautifully tempered and relaxed and happy, so much so that his small children can ride many of them.
I am retraining the mare in natural horsemanship; bit of Monty Roberts, bit of Parelli, bit of Warwick Schiller, bit of Mark Rashid. I take whatever works best for both of us. She was very tense and spooky when she arrived, separated from her big herd, suddenly in the wild Scottish mountain country instead of the calm leafy south. After five months of groundwork, I can groom her, rug her, feed her, catch her and walk round the field with her without a headcollar or rope. She is so happy that she will doze for twenty minutes at a time with her head on my chest.
Because of the weather and various other factors, our riding has been interrupted this summer. We have had some good rides, but she developed a tendency to get fussy with her head. All physical factors have been checked: back, teeth, feet, new saddle specially fitted. I have put her in a bitless bridle. When she is going well, she will neck rein, respond quickly to leg, do the lightest of transitions, and do collected canter on a loose rein. But in the last ten days, as the rain has stopped and I have got her back into daily work, she is putting up fierce resistance. The head goes up, the neck sometimes shakes about, she breaks her stride, there is a bit of circus wildness in her.
She is a spirited but unbelievably nice horse; there is not a mean bone in her body. She has a stubborn streak and a mind of her own, but responds very well to firm, gentle leadership.
I suspect she is testing me in some way, as if she knows what I have on the ground, but wants to see what I have got on top. The gentle schooling I envisaged seems to bore her, so I am lately trying something more like the polo she was used to: tight fast circles, serpentines, making up obstacle courses in the field. This is partly to get her mind on the job, and partly to show her she cant faze me and that I am the boss. I use hands and heels and seat and leg; no whip. By the end, she will come back to me, and we always end by walking gently on a long rein, like two old cowboys. The moment I get off, she is as relaxed and affectionate as ever.
My question is: is this to be expected with a new horse? She was ridden by one of the best horseman I know, and as a pro, he is fit as a butchers dog. I am rusty, after years out of the saddle, and although my muscles are growing, they are not yet what they should be. I have a good seat, but my legs definitely leave something to be desired. I would love to know if anyone has had a similar experience or has any brilliant insight into horse psychology which would help. We always do end on a good note, and get there in the end, but it is a bit of a battle at the moment. Luckily, I love a challenge, and because she is such a nice horse, she never alarms me. Id just love the key to unlock whatever is going on in her horsey old head.
