Scaredy cat rider

[pistolpete]

I’m currently bringing my highland back into work hoping that if I do everything slowly and carefully I can get more confident riding him. I’m having an instructor walk with me for now and walking out in hand as well. Tip tips much appreciated in training horses to become a plod! I just want a calm happy hacker. Oh I’m booked in for hypnotherapy too!

 

[Bernster]

Intrigued to hear how the hypnotherapy goes! I’ve been trying sports psychology and it’s helping but takes a while and not foolproof. Would be awesome if hypnotherapy was the answer.

 

[pistolpete]

Intrigued to hear how the hypnotherapy goes! I’ve been trying sports psychology and it’s helping but takes a while and not foolproof. Would be awesome if hypnotherapy was the answer.

I go next Friday. Will let you know.

 

[JFTDWS]

To make a chilled out riding pony? Take a chilled out youngster, don't screw up the breaking in, expose it to new situations with a competent, confident rider, and give it every experience you can, in as controlled circumstances as possible. Lots of calm, incremental progress, repetition, and firmness where necessary, and softness where possible. Manage them for sanity, don't over-feed or underwork. If it's basically sensible, basically capable of the job and understands what you want, you should have a nice, chilled out ride (which is what I'm choosing to read as "plod").

The rider is pretty much the same - just keep getting on and doing little bits, and building on them when you can - repetition of small positives leads to confidence. Far better than trying to throw yourself in at the deep end and getting worked up about it.

 

[meleeka]

Another who’s interested to know how the hypnotherapy goes.

 

[pistolpete]

To make a chilled out riding pony? Take a chilled out youngster, don't screw up the breaking in, expose it to new situations with a competent, confident rider, and give it every experience you can, in as controlled circumstances as possible. Lots of calm, incremental progress, repetition, and firmness where necessary, and softness where possible. Manage them for sanity, don't over-feed or underwork. If it's basically sensible, basically capable of the job and understands what you want, you should have a nice, chilled out ride (which is what I'm choosing to read as "plod").

The rider is pretty much the same - just keep getting on and doing little bits, and building on them when you can - repetition of small positives leads to confidence. Far better than trying to throw yourself in at the deep end and getting worked up about it.

Yes that’s kind of the plan. The problem is I’ve been scared by the reactions.

 

[JFTDWS]

The horse's reactions? Have they been disproportionate? Some horses aren't cut out to be plods - one of my highlands isn't. He's a lovely, sweet boy, who's anyone's ride in an arena or in company, but spooky and silly to hack alone.

 

[eahotson]

Make sure you have the right horse foryou.

 

[milliepops]

The horse's reactions? Have they been disproportionate? Some horses aren't cut out to be plods - one of my highlands isn't. He's a lovely, sweet boy, who's anyone's ride in an arena or in company, but spooky and silly to hack alone.

^^ this. The earlier post was a great one. Ultimately that will get the best out of most horses. But some just aren't wired that way and will always be a bit more reactive.

 

[pistolpete]

The horse's reactions? Have they been disproportionate? Some horses aren't cut out to be plods - one of my highlands isn't. He's a lovely, sweet boy, who's anyone's ride in an arena or in company, but spooky and silly to hack alone.

Yes I wonder if he’ll ever be up to solo hacking. Meanwhile I’ll keep working on me.

 

[smiggy]

I do think highlands have a reputation for being solid plods, but in many cases can be quite quirky. I have had three and two were not good in traffic at all,despite being fairly bombproof in other ways . It really wasn’t me, the one I had from a baby was good in traffic.

 

[Mule]

Imo relaxed horses are a bit like relaxed people, in that they are naturally non worriers. I think it's mainly nature rather than nurture. I think with horses we can at least desensitise them to things that commonly tend to scare them (plastic bags and similar). You could try that with your pony. Just train him to be ok with the obvious spooky things. That should help.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

I tried hypnotherapy and it didn't work for me.

Then, in a morning, I read the book by the guy from the centre of horseback combat, terrible book, waste of time. I went and did my first solo hack that afternoon ....maybe the book wasn't that bad after all.

I'm still a nervous rider with a saint of a horse, but I make sure I'm not the only one to ride him. He is ridden at least once a week by a 'normal person' because I don't want to turn him into a nervous horse.

 

[Bob notacob]

Being apprehensive of having a pet that weighs as much as a car is not cowardice in my book. Its common sense.

 

[Bob notacob]

I would also say that having known my horse Bob for most of his life,last night he scared me . We were doing some stressage schooling in the rain and gale. Unfortunately there was alo a massive firework display some 20 miles away across the london basin . couldnt hear it but bob clearly did. We could see it at letter c of the school. He went into Irish draught battle mode.It was the first time I have ever got off a horse rather than face what was coming mounted . It was a nightmare.

 

[JulesRules]

Don't know what your highland is like, but I find the trick with mine is to keep his little brain busy.