Should novice riders be banned?

S

Shilasdair

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Hello
I've read a lot of threads condemning heavier riders, and the appalling damage they do to horses' backs by the excess weight.
Is it now time that we don't let anyone without a minimum qualification own a riding horse?
In the same way that you need a driving license to drive a car, perhaps we need to impose a minimum BHS Stage 2 pass before you may ride without supervision?
I'm sick of seeing novice riders continually behind the movement, and thus landing heavily on their horses' poor back muscles, failing to have an independent hand, so socking them in the teeth or 'sawing' them into an outline. Horses are sentient animals, and they certainly didn't evolve to be ridden.
And don't even mention lunging - which seems to be a wall of death experience, whilst the dimwit owner cracks whips behind the running, stiff-backed horse.
Your thoughts?
S :)
 
I get what you’re saying but you could literally say that about anything in life...... what about prospective parents getting a qualification in parenting before they have kids or prospective dog owners learning how to care for a dog before they can own one. We were all beginners once and I’m guessing that most of us learnt to ride on real ponies and not simulators?
 
I see worse horsemanship by 'competent' riders who bit up, spur and whip their horses and over-jump them. Novices wobble around on kind and patient animals at walk or trot. They generally have long reins and they generally don't ask very much of the horses. I doubt the animals are bothered.
 
Its not just the novices either saw some pretty poor riding at Aston-le Walls Advanced BE today including an under 25 who rode in front of a judges box then went behind it as there was already a horse in "her" arena. The judge jumped out and went to the steward. 4 minutes later the moronic rider re-appeared and went in front of the same judges box as Andrew Nicholson was trying to do a halt, immobility and rein back!!! I could hear the judge yelling at her to get out of the way!!!!!! It was number 503 in the Under 25 Advanced Class. I hope someone has a stern word with the silly girl namely Mr Nicholson as her actions caused his horse to spook!!!

Edited to add the silly girl then did a 53.84% test (46.2 penalties) having just checked BDWP.
 
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I agree, early stages of riding should be taught on a simulator.

The riding school I learnt at, the ponies had it good, they only got used in lessons on the weekend and then it was only two hours of mostly walk with the odd trot and canter. The rest of the week they were turned out 24/7.

The horses however had an awful deal. No turnout. They only left their box to be ridden. There was a big 17.2hh odd horse there called Genius. He was in his thirties if I recall. He was ancient. He would weave all day and pull faces at anyone who walked past. He has these two overweight twin girls who regularly rode him, he was so sour to the school that they used to literally have to beat him round in canter. I was too young and naïve to see it then but looking back the existence this horse had to endure was sickening. The poor old chap should have been out in a field somewhere with friends, maybe a quiet hack if he was up to it, not the torture they had him endure so they could make money.
 
Would it be as effective as the law requiring passports and microchips?

I would not mind a licence to keep a horse, but have seen plenty of stage 2 riders who would not be balanced with an independent hand. Some stage 3 riders come to that, so I don't think that exam system would be the best way to proceed. It would not accommodate people only interested in Western riding etc. I don't think a riding exam per se would be practicable, who decides what is acceptable or not?

Not sure why a novice learning on a private horse is any more cruel than a poor school horse having stacks of riders. Spread the pain! I did try to hire a simulator a few years back for a Police riding course for previous non riders, to spare the horses from endless lungeing. It was deemed too expensive.

I could see a road riding qualification could be useful, to include being able to make the horse stand still and go, then stop. See plenty of horses and riders out who could not currently comply with that!

I also agree that the worst cruelty I have seen was actually by well educated riders who let the goals and ego get the better of them.

Maybe if the regulation of cruelty cases etc was not left to charities then cruelty in all guises could be better tackled?
 
But a simulator doesn’t do
Anything unpredictable- a horse does the unpredictable all the time - I’ve ridden lots and lots of horses and probably 3 simulators - none of which felt like a real horse - a simulator never comes behind the leg, spooks at a blade of grass, lifts its head to
Look at something... if you start on a simulator then you’ll have to learn to ride twice. However a minimum qualification to own a horse (or any animal) is not a bad idea in theory but prohibitively expensive I imagine in practice - also if we are going to have animal owner’s licenses then I also feel ‘parent licenses’ should be issued before people can have kids.
 
Ambers Echo said:
That's nothing to do with him being ridden by novices and everything to do with him being mistreated by riding school staff. Who were no doubt very experienced. At 17.2 the fact that the twin girls were overweight is unlikely to have been any issue for him.
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Yes, you are probably right.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Novices wobble around on kind and patient animals at walk or trot. They generally have long reins and they generally don't ask very much of the horses. I doubt the animals are bothered.
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Ha. If only. Bloody overweight novices on small, overweight, unfit, young ponies, wellying them round a field and squealing that they're about to fall off... It's like bloody welfare bingo out there!
 
Probably would be like the ‘law’ to have all dogs microchipped. And all horses chipped and passports. Who would enforce it? In an ideal world things like this should happen, but in the real world they just don’t.
 
I guess there are novices and novices!! The novices up at the riding school are lovely. But they are generally adults. And generally a bit nervous. Perhaps that is why they have chosen to be on livery at a riding school. It's the over-jumping kids who drive me nuts. Jumping their ponies over 1m30 and galloping over stony ground.
 
Velcrobum said:
Its not just the novices either saw some pretty poor riding at Aston-le Walls Advanced BE today including an under 25 who rode in front of a judges box then went behind it as there was already a horse in "her" arena. The judge jumped out and went to the steward. 4 minutes later the moronic rider re-appeared and went in front of the same judges box as Andrew Nicholson was trying to do a halt, immobility and rein back!!! I could hear the judge yelling at her to get out of the way!!!!!! It was number 503 in the Under 25 Advanced Class. I hope someone has a stern word with the silly girl namely Mr Nicholson as her actions caused his horse to spook!!!

Edited to add the silly girl then did a 53.84% test (46.2 penalties) having just checked BDWP.
Click to expand...

OMFG!!! Bet the poor girl was mortified!! Oh dear!!

But to reply to the thread and points which OP makes: whilst I applaud the sentiments - haven't we all seen a novice being tanked with at a show, out hunting, or whatever - having over-horsed themselves with something which is totally unsuitable and you wonder who the hell was stupid enough to sell it to them in the first place.

But I don't see how this would ever, could ever, work practically??

Who would police it? If novice turns up say, at the average dealers yard, or goes to a market and bids (god help us, but it happens), who then has the power/authority to turn around and say OK lovvie let's see your BHS Certificate of Competence?? From owning a budgie/cat/dog - through to having a kid, there is nothing to stop anyone from cracking on and doing it!!
 
Completely agree about lunging. I have a friend who thinks she 'lunges', but it really is just him running around and wall of death feats are the norm. To me, it's about introducing or reinforcing transitions and self-carriage.
 
The trouble with your idea OP is that as always happens, it would only be responsible owners that would be inconvenienced. I can’t image a traveller taking a basic horse care course, since all the ones I’ve known think they know it already! I think dogs have a pretty rough deal too with people who don’t have a clue.

If we can’t even enforce the laws we have there’s really no point in making more sadly.
 
blitznbobs said:
But a simulator doesn’t do
Anything unpredictable- a horse does the unpredictable all the time - I’ve ridden lots and lots of horses and probably 3 simulators - none of which felt like a real horse - a simulator never comes behind the leg, spooks at a blade of grass, lifts its head to
Look at something... if you start on a simulator then you’ll have to learn to ride twice. However a minimum qualification to own a horse (or any animal) is not a bad idea in theory but prohibitively expensive I imagine in practice - also if we are going to have animal owner’s licenses then I also feel ‘parent licenses’ should be issued before people can have kids.
Click to expand...

I disagree. The hard part for the horse is the real beginner. They have to get up there to start with! they have to repeat and repeat to learn how to control landing on the horse's back. They have to learn to sit there and get the idea of being up on a horse, do "around the world" generally move their bodies around until they get acclimatised. Kids may learn that quickly but adults take a lot longer and provide a lot more discomfort for the horse. How much easier for them (and the horse) for them to use a basic simulator to learn the very basics rather than be dragged round on a leading rein trying to get everything at once. As for the horse spooking real beginners are a long way off worrying about that.
Some of the Heather Moffett videos showing trotting and cantering on her simulators and they seem to be pretty good and realistic.
I have always thought that with a good selection of simulators (basic to very realistic) on one side of the riding lessons and then horse handling/leading the horse type exercises/ recognising horse behaviour on the other side of the lesson beginners could learn quite a lot about horses and riding without causing the horse too much discomfort and could progress more quickly.

No problem in agreeing the licenses' for kids part.
 
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