Riding in front of people/ trying horses - advice needed

R

RachelB

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 December 2004
Messages
6,881
Location
back of beyond
Visit site
I am in desperate need of some tips on how to ride in front of people! I always get very nervous and ride like a numpty (last time I rode a horse in front of its owners was at work, one of the hunters in for fittening/ schooling, owners turned up unexpectedly and my boss who was riding with me at the time whispered "it's his owners!!" - which was rather unnerving!).
Anyway I am hopefully going to view a potential share/ loan horse next week, an 11yo 15hh Lipizzaner mare who I'm hoping to do some riding club training and some unaff/ aff dressage if she proves any good. Her owner seems to think she's pretty talented but she's not very experienced, having been a field ornament for a while and only having been ridden 3 times a week all summer. I'm hoping she can be a bit of a project for me to keep me ticking over until my horse is back in work and I can afford to buy a new horse.
So how do I go about riding someone else's horse in front of them? Do I get on and ride quietly, get her working softly long and low and throw in plenty of transitions and circles and see what she can do? Or do I approach it completely differently? I'm worried I'll either attempt too much and the horse won't work very well, or I'll not try enough and she'll plod round and I'll look useless!
Any advice appreciated!
 
say a few prayers, and hope for the best.....

smirk.gif
 
Why not ask the owner for advice on the best way to ride her. And try not to worry too much - most people know how nerve racking it is to ride a horse in front of the owner. I went to try a share horse and couldn't ride one side of her. I thought the owner with never let me near her again and she thought I'd never want to ride such a naughty horse, but we sorted it out and I rode her for a couple of years until I got one of my own.

Good luck!
 
I did wonder as well, whether I ought to stop worrying so much and just get on and see how it goes...! Hopefully the share is too perfect an opportunity for either of us to miss, but I'd rather know how to approach riding a new horse than sit on and hope for the best.
smile.gif
 
I'd ask the owner to ride her first, and ASK the following;
1. How do you normally warm her up? Is it on a long rein?
2. What sort of things do you work on for schooling - does she do acute transitions? What lateral work can she do?
3. Does she have any particular schooling issues/problems?
4. Is there anything you'd rather I didn't do with her?
5. How long do you normally cool her down after exercise?
And once you've ridden her, even if she rides like a pissed arthritic hippo, say 'what a lovely horse - I really like her XXXX, thank you so much' (fill in the blank with canter/shoulder in/attitude or anything you can think of, if you need to use mane or tail you're in trouble).
S
smile.gif
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not sure how long the rider has been riding her for (owner doesn't bother with her much apparently, hence why she's up for share) but hopefully should be able to give me an idea of how to approach her.
Fingers crossed I won't show myself up, or do what I did with one share which was perform seamless walk-canter transitions in front of the owner, who wasn't impressed that I'd only been riding him a few months and I could do it better than her
crazy.gif
laugh.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top