Riding school bucking… novices???

[Luclila]

I rode a horse at a riding school who I rode many times before.
he always had a small bucking problem when you where say wrong on his back but one lesson when I went into canter he continuously bucked all the way around and I lost control. I managed to get in control half way through but as soon as i did he bucked again. This happened multiple times.

when I first did a small jump it was on him and he was always my safety horse.
my instructor was laughing and trying to hold it in but in a semi nice way i think???

then a couple weeks later I rode my instructors favourite horse who I ride before and loved she’s quite forward going but safe.
She seemed in a bad mood straight away and didn’t want to do anything I managed a few circles and a canter.
Then we did small jump cross poles, before on her i cantered up to them as advised and was told to do again but she wouldn’t do every time I ended up trotting. One time she abruptly stopped right before the pole and I fell on her neck then slid off but tripped and fell onto the jump.
My instructor asked if I was ok then said she thought I would move backwards back into the seat and not fall.
It got quite awkward (my BFF was there and did it even comment or lookand she then said she was surprised as she’s so safe and no one ever falls. On the incident report later she said it was because we were going too slow???
after she would stop at every jump and ended up being leis rein over once.
did bareback in her after but both of these incidents I’ve found my canter position has worsened.
Any tips or comments?????
I’ve also moved riding schools but am now thinking it may have been a bad move as the lessons aren’t the best at my new place.
Please can I have some advice ?????

 

[Shay]

Its hard to advise when we can't see but almost everyone hunches forward a bit when they are a bit nervous or have lost a bit of confidence. That puts you in a different position in the saddle which might press on the horse's back and cause discomfort - also if you tip forward most horses will slow down which might be why you struggled to get the canter and why you were a bit slow to the jump. Many horses coming in too slow will take the excuse to stop and if you were forwards she might have found herself unable (or at least unwilling) to lift up to jump. Being tipped a bit forward also makes you much more vulnerable to coming off forwards. I can see from your other posts that you have already identified that you are hunching forwards.

Everyone goes through a phase in learning / re-learning when it feels like everything is going backward. Sometimes changing schools - or instructors is a good idea - but often it isn't becuase the other instructor knows you and knows where you have been, what you need to work on etc. It might be worth going back to the previous instructor, talk to them about what happened and ask why. You already had suggestions of lunge lessons and work on a simulator.

Honestly it reads to me that you have lost a bit of confidence, your position has deteriorated a bit and that is having a knock on impact on the horse. But becuase you can't get the horse to do what you want you loose confidence and it becomes a bit of a cycle. Take a deep breath, pick the school you like (or have lessons at both!), tell yourself it is one of those things and push on. It can help to sing - you can't hold your breath if you are signing (another thing folk do when they are tense) and it helps keep your shoulders up. You feel like a twit - but it works! And remember we have all been there at some point. As novices and as experienced riders. Anyone who says it hasn't happened to them is either covering up or it has't happened yet....

 

[Luclila]

Thank you!

 

[JackFrost]

Your post refers to Novices. Riding school horses should not be bucking all the way round, and instructors should not be laughing.

 

[Luclila]

That’s what I thought, he apparently can buck in first part of lesson but it was later on. Just had a lesson at new school and it was amazing, definitely better and the instructor and people in general were so much nicer. Didn’t tense as much either

 

[Starzaan]

Ok, I don’t know this riding school, and I’m aware that there are some crap ones out there.
However, as an instructor, I often have people saying ‘oh he bucked’ ‘he broncs’ ‘he bolted’. If horses actually did this, they would not be riding school horses. Often novice riders mistake an excited fly buck, or over-exuberant transition for lethal bucking. Or a horse shooting off round the school as a ‘bolt’. Until you have actually sat on a bolting horse, you don’t know what a bolt is. The same for bucking.
To me, it sounds as though your confidence has dropped a little, and your position is impeding your stability in the saddle. Remember that your position also tells the horse what to do, so you may be inadvertently giving the wrong signals.

 

[Luclila]

I agree, it was definitely more than an excited buck though, I have ridden the horse before and sat through his bucks as it’s usually in the first trot as he can get cold back but it was definitely worse this time. Rode somewhere else today and was a lot better.

 

[Birker2020]

Ok, I don’t know this riding school, and I’m aware that there are some crap ones out there.
However, as an instructor, I often have people saying ‘oh he bucked’ ‘he broncs’ ‘he bolted’. If horses actually did this, they would not be riding school horses. Often novice riders mistake an excited fly buck, or over-exuberant transition for lethal bucking. Or a horse shooting off round the school as a ‘bolt’. Until you have actually sat on a bolting horse, you don’t know what a bolt is. The same for bucking.
To me, it sounds as though your confidence has dropped a little, and your position is impeding your stability in the saddle. Remember that your position also tells the horse what to do, so you may be inadvertently giving the wrong signals.

I agree. I hear this all the time at work when someone finds out I have a horse and then says "I rode one once on holiday and it bolted with me" when it did a few trot strides, or "it threw me off" when it put its head down to graze and they slid out of the front door.

Doesn't sound an ideal school when the horse is cold backed and the instructor thinks its funny if someone falls off.

 

[Widgeon]

Bucking that much doesn't sound right, or helpful. Likewise an instructor laughing at you. Good to hear that the atmosphere at the new place is much nicer, hopefully that will be enough to give you your confidence back. Good luck

 

[Luclila]

Thank you

 

[JackFrost]

If the horse really was bucking as much as you say, you have awesome stickability for a 'novice'.
For most horses going over even small jumps you need to be more than just a passenger. The horse really needs to be going forwards, whether in trot or canter, with you in balance and riding it over the jump to the other side.
I would stick with the riding school where the horses don't buck. It doesn't take much to fall off from bucking or running out at jumps. Whatever your instructor may think, falling off is NOT funny!

 

[Luclila]

Thank you!