Riding school horse keeps pulling the reins out of my hands

[cassiesmith22]

Like the title said, I've only had about 5 lessons until now and the horse that I ride keeps pulling the reins out of my hands. My instructor tells me to just pull them back up but obviously the horse is stronger than me? I try my best to do it but it just leads to my hands hurting. I try kicking her on whenever I suspect she is going to do it but that doesn't really work either because it's hard to spot it every single time. She also does this while trotting and yanks the reins out of the hands of the person holding her and then proceeds to canter.

My instructor said that it's good that I'm starting to learn how to ride on a horse that isn't very cooperative and although I agree to a certain extent, I do want to take it easy on a few days and not play tug of war. I rode a very gentle cob on my first lesson and it was really pleasant. He suggested that I invest in some gloves and that I need to have a hard grip on the reins. I grip them as hard as I can but the problem doesn't stop.
Any advice on how to stop her from doing this?

 

[honetpot]

It's tough to know where to start. When you first learn to ride, you are not only using muscles that perhaps you wouldn't think you needed, your back and your stomach muscles, you also have to learn to anticipate what the horse is going to do before it does it. This all takes time. Basically the horse is not really suitable to teach beginners, you not have enough skill to cope with it at this point, which is completely normal. It's like trying to learn to ride a bike with a wonky wheel and no brakes. I do not know what you're paying for your lesson but what ever you are paying it's not value for money.

 

[Amun]

I'm very curious what the others will say but in my personal opinion, horse that proceeds to canter without asking and even instructor calls him "not cooperative" is not suitable for a total beginner (5 lessons so far). I've been riding in a place with a similar attitude so I might be biased but it really doesn't seem ok to me. What I did is that I went elsewhere and it was the best decision I could do.

 

[smolmaus]

Yeah this sounds like a very bad match for you just starting out. You'd expect any school catering to beginners to have enough ponies who are actually suitable for beginners who aren't going to tank off from someone holding a lead rein.

"I'm not enjoying lessons on this pony, I don't feel like I'm learning anything positive from this so I won't be continuing to take lessons unless it is on a suitable horse." Easier for me to type out than for you to say of course. I'd be shopping around for a different school. And some gloves, that is good advice anyway ? after one lesson when I was about 12 on a little shit of a pony who did the exact same thing constantly and ending up with blisters like you wouldn't believe I never ride without gloves. I was well able for said little shit of a pony though and had been riding about 5 years, not fair to expect you to handle it after 5 lessons!

 

[HeyMich]

Yes, get some decent gloves. And no, it doesn't sound like a suitable horse to learn on. But get some gloves anyway!

 

[coblets]

Part of me suspects the instructor's only said that she's a good fit for you because there's no better horses available... It sounds like you're doing your best with her though, just a matter of figuring out when she's going to act up, and getting quick at taking the reins back.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

It is better to ride in gloves but this horse does not sound suitable for teaching a beginner on. If your current RS can't find you a more suitable mount, I suggest looking for another RS.

 

[cassiesmith22]

Thank you everyone, very helpful! I chose this riding school because it was the closest to my school but yes, she's probably not the right horse for me. I definitely could progress better if half of the lesson wasn't spent on me trying to pull her head up. I agree that it is probably because there aren't better horses available, they mostly have ponies which are suitable for younger children but almost no horses/ponies for older people.

I'll get a pair of gloves, I was thinking of getting a pair of jodhpurs on Friday anyways. I still have 4-5 (can't remember) that I've prepaid for but I'll start looking at other riding schools in my area.

 

[Spirit2021]

The horse isn’t suitable for you and the riding instructor nows it. I would be looking for a different ride school if I was you.

 

[Kat]

You should really have been told to wear gloves from the beginning, they are basic safety equipment.


Some riding school ponies learn that there are tricks they can use to make their lives a bit easier. They aren't necessarily dangerous but can be unpleasant until you learn how to deal with them. A good riding school should either be able to swap you to an easier ride some of the time or deal with the horse another way for example by putting on a daisy rein to stop the pony snatching away.

Have a chat with the owner/manager and see if they could put you on a different horse for a while.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

As you have prepaid, I suggest that you ask to ride a different horse, one that you can make progress on, in your lessons.

 

[Landcruiser]

Here's a tip though - if the horse tries to take the reins, keep a tight hold ON JUST ONE REIN and let the other slide. You have a hell of a lot more leverage this way, plus it unbalances the horse (only use this at walk). Let the tight rein go as soon as horse stops pulling, and just carry on as before. Horse will find this uncomfortable and not very satisfactory, and hopefully very quickly learn not to do it. Try not to stress about it, horse is just taking advantage of your inexperience, you'll soon learn to deal with this very common issue.

 

[PurBee]

When i went to my first RS i rode a pony like this. Constantly putting her neck down, suddenly pulling my arms/upper body forwards - me constantly pulling her up!
By the end of the hour and for days afterwards my arm muscles really hurt!
No-one wanted to ride this mare. 13.2hh welsh cob, black, bit other horses - always had to be at the end of the group line!
She became my favourite pony! - but i never did manage after years of riding her to stop her lowering her neck....just rode her with a loose line, no contact, while going round and round the arena in lessons, until it was my ‘turn’, then tighten reins for contact and ask her to trot/canter.

Now, i realise, with more experience she must have had either a bit problem or teeth issues, or back issues. There’s no way a horse would feel comfortable fidgeting so much, without a pain trigger causing the behaviour.

I gave this mare a no contact very loose rein and she still did it....so tight reins/mouth/bit issues perhaps less likely than back issues. She never did it without a rider.

I loved that mare though - lovely personality and she was great communication to ride aside from the neck lowering issue.

 

[cassiesmith22]

Thank you for the tips! They'll help as I've decided not to change riding schools.
I'll try both techniques on Tuesday

 

[ihatework]

Thank you for the tips! They'll help as I've decided not to change riding schools.
I'll try both techniques on Tuesday

If you are going to persist at this school, and if you are going to continue riding this horse, then ask them to put a rein on the horse - this will stop the horse snatching too low without you needing to pull against the horse. I’m surprised they haven’t done this already

 

[Lois Lame]

... But get some gloves anyway!

Gloves are a particularly good idea if you wear any rings on your fingers. Rings, gloveless hands and horses are not a good mix.

 

[Paddy&Me]

just from a purely riding perspective (I agree with many comments above re the suitability of the horse/school) when riding your horse you are in charge (not in a nasty way but the horse must listen).If the horse is yanking the reins from you there could me many many explanations some pain related etc etc but as a novice it is also likely that your seat is not developed yet, the horse just isn't listening and taking the mick a bit. Try working hard on your position, if the horse is bitted correctly and has no other issues which is possible then using your core, putting your weight in your heels, sitting straight and using your body weight rather than pulling on the reins might solve this.....it's almost impossible to say without seeing the pair of you but it could be objecting to bad aids and cantering off just to get away from what you are trying to do. Don't give up, riding like everything is something you continue to learn from the moment you start but get the basics down before you start cantering round and round! It really will make a difference once you feel in control and it is listening to you. I'd say overall don't give up, some horses do yank their heads down if they are being naughty and without a lot of experience you are just in a tug of war! But go with your instincts, if you feel they are just putting you on anything without giving thought to your learning then look elsewhere. Riding school horses/ponies have their pros/cons, you could alternatively look for a day or two a week riding share suitable for a novice, like a happy hacker that will do light schooling. Good luck!! x

 

[Paddy&Me]

and gloves 100%!!!!!

 

[cassiesmith22]

Don't give up, riding like everything is something you continue to learn from the moment you start but get the basics down before you start cantering round and round! It really will make a difference once you feel in control and it is listening to you. I'd say overall don't give up, some horses do yank their heads down if they are being naughty and without a lot of experience you are just in a tug of war! But go with your instincts, if you feel they are just putting you on anything without giving thought to your learning then look elsewhere.

Thank you, that's really kind of you I was actually losing confidence in riding but this was very encouraging! I'll ask my instructor on how my position looks because so far the only thing he said was that I need to keep my heels down.

 

[cassiesmith22]

An update to the situation by the way - I've been riding on another pony who is an angel and so eager to please after I told them that I didn't like riding on the other horse My instructor agreed that the other horse was slowing down my progress but my trot on the new pony has massively improved and I'm going to start cantering in my next few lessons - very exciting!

 

[Jules111]

Nice update Cassie. Riding should be fun, It's too expensive to feel like you're suffering. Once you've got all of the basics under your belt you can start Dressage, that's when the pain really kicks in . Sounds like you've caught the horsey bug, your life has changed forever. Welcome to the club.