Taking the horse out for walks

[dappyness]

Ok... i'm relative new to this horsey stuff. I have had my horse for a year now and i have been working on building her confidence riding out on our own.
Now I have read up, looked on forums and asked people about how to help the Bird gain confidence and i took their advice.
So there are times that i stick a bridle on her and take her out for walks.... like a dog...... we love it. Dont get me wrong, I really enjoy riding her and rather do that than walk but she seems to have benifited from it. I was also only able to walk her whilst I had a shoulder injury.
Now the question..... If so many people reccomend it, why do i get so many riders out there giving me funny looks, sticking their noses up at me?

 

[friesian80]

I used to get it too when I was walking my youngster out in hand, they would stop their car and ask why I wasnt on his back

Ignore them, they dont know you or the reasons why your walking her inhand so why does their opinion count!

If you want to take another step to building her confidence without actually riding you could try long reining, its great fun and gets the horse used to walking out in front x

 

[jsr]

Cos they are rude.

I walked my lad in hand for a year because he was sold to me younger than advertised and was only around 3 not 5! Plus he was very difficult to handle so I just gave him time to learn to trust me and learn I wasn't going anywhere!! I would always have people asking 'when you going to ride that horse?' and 'haa haa isn't that a big dog?'. Well I'm laughing now cos I have a fabulous little cob who will follow me anywhere and is confident and brave...I love now when he's asked to lead past 'monsters' while out hacking when the other horses are pratting about!!!

You carry on and enjoy your horse and only ride when you are both ready.

 

[ChesnutsRoasting]

When I first got my mare, who was very immature physically & mentally, I used to lead her from the ground on her first jaunts out. I would tack her up with a headcollar over her bridle and off we'd go! Nothing wrong with doing things safely and slowly. You do what suits your horse

 

[dappyness]

thank you - kind words.

The Bird ( AKA Kestral) was given to me when my aunty moved to another country. She is absolutly fantstic when out with others and considering she was first hacked out when I got her last year she has come on leaps and bounds. Not afriad of traffic, trains, buses or lorries so I'm chuffed really ( I do live in the countryside honest!). I know its a confidence issue for both of us to be out on our own but we are working on it slowly.

I have recently tacked her up fully intending to get on her half way round when we both have settled. now have people panicking that i have fallen off! oops!

 

[Quartz]

Funnily enough I did this with my horse today. For the reason of building up confidence and trust etc. before I get back on him for a hack. It was all good, even stopped and had a chat with a lady and she didn't even ask why I wasn't riding him, just said out for a nice walk together then. Unfortunately she stopped us just by a field with two horses in which seemed rather excited to see my boy!! The lady left and we carried on but couldn't quite find the courage to get him past the field as the horse in the field was galloping up and down bucking and my boy was getting very excited tail up and to the side!!! Farting and trotting on the spot. We stopped nearby instead on a nice patch of grass for a munch and then went on our way home.

 

[Alexa&Tess]

I enjoy walking Tess out in hand too. The comment I get most is from drivers that like to ask "aren't you meant to be riding" or if I'm long reining "haven't you forgotten the cart".


Oh how I laugh

 

[Triggy123]

Ive just bought a little shetland mare which I take out for walks to build confidence and get used to traffic as I want to break her to drive, we tend to get more funny looks cos we're alittle unusual!! Its a good idea to build confidence and teach ground manners, nobody likes being run away with!

 

[Hen]

Could well be that some of those who query what you're doing may well have less control of their horse on the ground than in the saddle! If you're safe and having fun, keep with it!

I recently started walking out my mare in hand and I absolutely love it - not only has it helped me see how she reacts to new things, but we do a lot of arena work and I think it does us both good for me to get off her back, do something 100% recreational and just chill out. I get to see the world from her perspective, she gets to pootle and enjoy rather than drill, and I laugh like a drain whenever dog walkers come along as my horse is 10 times better mannered than any canine, just a joy to 'take for a walk'. So what if people think I'm daft, I couldn't care less, I'm proud of my horse, we're safe, and enjoy what we're doing.

 

[libertylou]

I walked Libby out the other day for a change, was approached by old ladies who insisted on stroking her and muttering "she must be frightened" and "poor thing" I was just stood there think "oook I am standing here you know", Libby didn't seem to mind the attention, we then had the usually "big dog", "shouldn't you be on the horse??" and "wow you must love her to be walking"........

 

[dappyness]

I am very lucky that in the time i have had her she has never bolted. If she see's something she does not like she plants her feet. She is very easy to handle on the ground and is only brave enough to go through puddles if i lead her first.
I have found that since leading her out that she is more the happy to go in front in new hacking areas.
so i'm more than happy leading her once a fortnight or so, i'm just sick of the looks and comments

 

[ChestnutHunter]

3 of us from the yard went out today, mine had to work in walk because shes got muscle tension and the vet advised she does alot of walking... but being an uptight thorougbred she doesnt walk...!! so decided not to ride but walk her out for a change, and she loved it!! 2 other girls brought out there ponies which made a nice change for those aswell!

 

[PennyJ]

We are taking our in foal mare out on walks like a great big dog at the moment. She loves it, likes to see what's changed since her last consititutional. She doesn't want to be ridden now, but she still likes going out for a meander once or twice a week.

 

[RolyPolyPony]

I quiet often walk my lad out. He's 25 so I only ride around 3times a week but he gets a bit stiff so I walk him up the road and back. I sometimes leave his rug on (especially when we had the real cold weather) I got some really dirty looks off people. Some even looked at me as though i'd stolen him! You know why your walking your horse so just ignore other people!

 

[Beatrice5]

I pony walk my 4 yo New Forest and off a head collar - despite protests from some on here He is fab and as I am too big for him when I do start backing him properly I shall have to ride for a few mins then jump off and walk so he doesn't get too tired and loose the enjoyment of getting out and about.

Again when my mare comes back into work I shall ride for a bit but jump off for the mega hills as I can barely walk up them let alone my poor unfit horse lugging an extra 9 stone plus tack I just don;t think it would be fair on her.

Keep horse / pony walking it's lovely and my lot really enjoy getting out and about plus they love having me on the ground with them too.

 

[turkana]

When I first got my anglo arab she was bitten on the back right where the saddle goes, so I used to take her out on foot with the dogs.
It was fine & she seemed to like being dog, we used to jog some of the way, people don't expect to see 2 dogs, a person & a horse going out for a jog but I never got anything but nice comments.
I once passed a guy jogging with a horse, it was clipped out & fit looking; when I was a teenager my pony got a girth gall but I wanted to keep him fit so I led him off my bike along the bridle paths for miles. Not something I would do now but it kept us both fit while I couldn't ride him.

 

[Snowysadude]

I went out twice this week long reining for the first time! My horse is well behaved but I dont have the confidence to keep him going when on our own, I get so uptight and tense its just silly! All was well and no funny looks until two idiots galloped straight past me ...... que my horse leaping around but he was good didnt take off which he would have done when I was on his back! Also I had the saddler yesterday with the intention of buying a new saddle as multiple saddlers have told me current one doesnt fit - I stupidly let her convince me not to buy a new one which I thought was odd but instead just reflock mine at the front which she did and I rode him yesterday and he bunnyhopped down a hill so i had to get off, then got back on and he went to bolt home, no control and i had to run him into a tree to stop him!! So back to long reining I feel and getting the bloody saddler out to undo whatever she did as well as demand a refund! Anyone want to reccomend me a saddler in herts??

 

[ISHmad]

I wouldn't worry at all about whether other riders are sniffy about horses going out for walks in hand or not. The important thing is you and your horse are happy and that is all that matters.

 

[nuttyTBgelding]

I'm walking my lad out in hand at the moment as I had an operation on my knee and I'm not able to sit in the saddle for very long. We get some very odd looks off people as they drive past and they look between me and my boy as if to say 'aren't you meant to on top?' It does look funny when I've got the horse and my OH has our little Jack Russel though. It's like little and large

I wouldn't worry about what people say, just do what feels best for you and your horse. It's nice to just go for a walk sometimes as well

 

[Holly Hocks]

My TB mare has had a bad year of operations and is coming back into work. She has NEVER been on a road despite being 9 years old, so before the second lot of injury and operations, I was walking her out in hand and then I was leading her off my other horse. I felt that it really gained her confidence. I am now long reining her from the rehab yard she is at, and then when she comes home again next week, I will be walking her out in hand again. I really enjoy it and I felt that it really created a bond of trust. Drivers would stop and talk to me, from other yards nearby and it got her used to cars, so I will be doing it again as from next week. I couldn't give a stuff what anyone else thinks!