*Very long* I don't know what to do...

If this horse acted like he wanted you to ride him then stick with it by all means but he clearly doesn't so I think you should be finding him a rider he does want on his back and you can concentrate on finding a horse more suitable. Life is too short. You clearly like riding other horses so although I can understand you are attached to him I simply cant understand why you are putting yourself and him through this when its not working.

Good luck with your decision and I hope you don't get a few years down the line and regret keeping him (which I think you will) and I hope he doesn't start to escalate his dislike for you riding him even more and become dangerous and then be unsellable.
 
It's not giving up if you have tried and found it's not working with you but is with other people.

Everyone is different and this is a hobby for most of us so enjoyment is key for the amount of money we are shelling out.

I'm a stubborn sod the more a horse plays up the more determined I am that it will do what I want, so a tricky horse doesn't bother me but I have friend who just cannot deal and therefore couldn't ride the same horses as I could. Doesn't make them a better nor worse rider than me and vice versa it's just different people need a different type of horse.

Good luck in what ever you decide but don't let your heart rule your head, if it's not working it's not working x
 
Pearlsasinger said:
After your reply to my previous post OP, I was going to say 'then you have the wrong horse' but now I think you have the wrong instructor. She should be boosting your confidence and giving you strategies to deal with his behaviour not saying 'don't end up hurt'. No wonder you don't relax. Find a new RI, who will help not hinder.
Click to expand...

To be fair to her, it was after another fall, and I was sat in tears saying I was going to carry on and keep going, he'd also been very naughty the day before, and it was more a cautionary, you can carry on but don't do it at the expense of your health.

She is very supportive of elvis and I but she's honest, I say I want to carry on and she accepts that and helps us but when I ask her for her opinion she says he isn't the horse for me.
 
Thank you everyone.

I don't think it's that Elvis doesn't like me riding him, I just think he's stubborn and can get away with it with me, and a better rider will be able to work through it with him. He gives up quite quickly so I think once he realises he can't get away with anything he'll cooperate. I accept that he'll never be some superstar horse but he has the potential to dressage to at least elementary and maybe event to novice level, but I can't see that happening with me at least not until he's in his late teens (he's only 7)
 
You sound like you really love him OP but he sounds a bit like a bolshy git under saddle, if youre not confident pushing him through his antics i agree with those who suggest getting a pro in to do some intensive work with him over a few weeks or send him off to a pro for a few weeks, but either way someone needs to be confident enough to ride him through his tantrums and expensive as it is to get a handle on the issues it might be the way to go. Then get lessons from whoever has ridden him through it to coach you in dealing with it if he trys it on with you again, and get yourself a gel out saddle pad :-) good luck
 
Elvis said:
Hmmmm obedient of the leg is difficult, forward yes but he's lazy, sideways not so much, that's often when tantrums come out. He had a long break over summer until October through injury, so has had plenty of time off from schooling. We've tried breaks from schooling, we've tried intensive schooling, we've tried just hacking. Nothing seems to make a difference. He's better when jumping, so we try and incorporate poles whenever we can, he's now on 2xschooling, 2xhacking, 1xlunging. He likes cross country so I'm sure he'd enjoy hunting, but I expect he'd be very excitable and although I could find a rider to take him out, I think he'd then be a bit sily when hacking with the yard staff, as the hunt is very local to us and use the same routes etc.
Click to expand...

Are you saying he protests when asked for lateral work? What was the injury during summer? It could be that he aggravates the injury when bucking especially under saddle. A pro will ride him through this but it won't necessarily solve the cause. I don't think it's just you.
 
Flame_ said:
This is the crucial point for me. you don't have a confidence problem, you have self preservation. If you carry on as you are you could get seriously hurt. Even if you keep telling yourself "man up, kick on, get better, etc", that fact remains. I wouldn't have another horse I knew could or would put me on the floor, its so, so much nicer to have one that tries to look after you, you feel like a team which is much nicer than trying to prove something that isn't worth proving IMHO. I'd chuck it in IIWY.
Click to expand...

I agree with this .
There is a huge difference between a lack of confidence and knowing both logically and in your guts that the horse can get the upper hand .
Being aware that a fall is a distinct possiblity and not wanting to get hurt is not a confidence thing its your sixth sense telling that you are taking your self into a potentially harmful situation.
Of course there is always potential for injury every time you get on to every horse but there's a a real difference between say riding cross country and accepting the risk and getting onto a horse in the situation OP is in .
Personally all I can say everytime I have ignored my sixth sense I have gone on to regret it .
There nothing that says you have to slog through with a horse who does not want to do what you want to do .
Elvis sounds like he might enjoy a hunting / jumping type home and OP would like a horse who enjoys the flat work / jumping type life ,having lessons on a horse who 'gets ' the fun of flat work is just so so so much nicer .
 
In my opinion a horse that will test his rider will always test his rider regardless of the amount of schooling he receives.

Yes in the right home he has the potential to become an easy ride, straight forward and easy to do, however put a bag of nerves on his back and he will tell and revert back to the horse he once was.

Doesn't sound like he's the horse for you, no shame in that, I've had horses in the past that I've given up with, that's life, it's hard to find mr perfect.
 
Haven't read all of the replies, but it is a tough one. I remember in the end of summer, both Daytona and I were going through a similar situation at the same time - Daytona sold her boy and got a lovely mare who she looks like is having a FAB time with, and everything she learned with her boy is helping her get so much out of her mare now. I got a different instructor, changed my approach to riding him and learned a few good tricks for switching his focus, and did LOADS of breathing exercises and grounding meditation work, and lastly moved yards to somewhere that suits him much better - and now my boy is as sweet as pie and really coming along. Neither of us made the wrong choice, and both of us were wracked with guilt at the time, but both of us are super happy with where we are now. There is no wrong decision, unless you are continually unhappy or get badly hurt.

It's like being in a relationship - you can get through the arguments and the bad times IF they are the right one, and you are both working hard to change. If not, then it's not worth being unhappy. Only you will know, and you are the only person you need to justify anything to.
 
Fellewell said:
Are you saying he protests when asked for lateral work? What was the injury during summer? It could be that he aggravates the injury when bucking especially under saddle. A pro will ride him through this but it won't necessarily solve the cause. I don't think it's just you.
Click to expand...

He severed an artery in his pastern, no tendons or ligaments were involved, and he was never lame, he just had such a long time off as he'd removed so much skin so it needed to be bandaged to heal. So nothing to do with his ridden behaviour. It was just a flesh wound.
 
Goldenstar said:
Elvis sounds like he might enjoy a hunting / jumping type home and OP would like a horse who enjoys the flat work / jumping type life ,having lessons on a horse who 'gets ' the fun of flat work is just so so so much nicer .
Click to expand...

This is pretty spot on, I think he'd love to event. He loves xc, can do the dressage, and isn't bad sj. And he's the kind of horse I'd love to have in his late teens once he's slowly down and is a bit of a school master.

And yes at the moment I really want something that enjoys flat work, I'm really enjoying improving my riding and I'd like the horse I'm riding to reward me every now and again. But Elvis won't give anything until you are 100% correct then he works nicely, hence why pro's get the best out of him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top