What would you do after a bad ride?

[CatInTheSaddle]

Had a bit of a clanger today out hacking after His Majesty spooked, scared himself and took off across the fields. Managed to stick on and pull him up but not ideal! Really want to maintain my confidence as he's a lovely boy, just very sensitive! Planning to ride tomorrow- school? Go out hacking again? Haven't got many routes available so it would be the same way we went today. Did manage to go back and walk sensibly along the track where we had the issues. Is it best just to pretend it never happened?
(Management wise, he's out every other day, we're cutting down what little feed he already gets and planning to up his workload!)

 

[cold_feet]

Ideally hack and try to visualise what should happen, rather than what did.

 

[Julia0803]

Is there someone else with a saintly horse you could go with tomorrow?


Personally, I’d want to go again, asap, for both our confidences. However, I’d try and set it up to be successful, so going with a sensible hacking buddy and try and pretend it never happened. I’m much better too in company- I can talk to the other person, it takes my mind off the ‘what ifs’.

Good licj

 

[Quigleyandme]

Gosh, It’s difficult isn’t it? Easy for me to say but I wouldn’t revert to the school. I would hack out again. You don’t have to go all the way, just as far as you are comfortable, breathe, sing, consciously relax your body into the saddle, tell yourself nothing happened and you regained control of your horse and managed the incident well which you did.

 

[NightStock]

I'd probably start in the school, get him working and ensure he is listening and then when happy with how he is going take him out. I may also do some sporadic leg yielding whilst out, just to keep his attention and also to give you something straightforward to concentrate your mind on.

Hope you have a lovely ride anyway!

 

[fidleyspromise]

If it was me I would chalk it up to a bad day and take my pony out the same route - however that's the pony I'm confident on.
With the now retired one I was not as confident on her so if I had a bad ride out I would look to take her in the school to build my own confidence back up. If I felt comfortable in the school and horse felt relaxed I would then go out the same hacking route - preferably with a hacking buddy. I'd rather set my horse and I up for success rather than failure and if I'm a bag of nerves heading out that is going to translate to my horse. The other thing I would do is walk out in hand - I do this regularly with each of my horses as I find it relaxing.

 

[planete]

I would have gone straight into the school when coming back from the hack and made him work, then back in the school next day until satisfied he was listening to me before going out.

 

[Leandy]

Without knowing you and your horse it is hard to say what is right for you. If it were me, it would depend on the weather conditions and how the horse felt. I would take him in the school first to assess both these things. If the horse feels particularly sharp and flighty, I would work him hard in the school today and leave hacking for another day. Also I would do this if the weather is particularly bad and blustery or cold and sharp as those could set off a sharp horse also. Then I'd find a suitable day with calm weather and when the horse has a sensible head on to get hacking again. I would also consider hacking in draw reins. Not to force an outline before everyone shouts at me, but because they are excellent for maintaining control for safety reasons. It is quite hard for a horse which is working well forward up to the bridle in draw reins to play silly buggers out hacking.

 

[cauda equina]

Sometimes after a not-gone-to-plan hack I've done the same route again on the same day, either straight away or later on
The horse has been worked enough by then to be sensible and it's put my own anxieties to bed
It sounds as if you did something similar (going along the track where the spook happened) and as he was sensible I'd focus on that, and regard the spook as a one-off

 

[mini-eventer]

If your confident go back and do the same hack, if your not, or he is full of it. Do not set yourself up to fail.

Lunge hard and school until he has shut up a bit. Make sure he has had plenty of turn out

 

[Sossigpoker]

Things happen. Horses spook. Your horse spooked. But you stopped him.
Stop over analysing, get trained , not brave


Take this from someone who a year ago couldn't get on without crying. It's literally all in your head , as it's a matter of psychology and managing your ways of thinking.

The worst thing you can do is over think it and convince yourself there's a problem. Especially this time of year , most horses are a bit lively. If anything, learn how to do an emergency stop - sounds like you managed it but maybe really think about the steps you take to perform an emergency stop?
Like Karl Greenwood says, don't get brave, get trained.

 

[teddypops]

I would go back out on the same hack and try to have the hack I wanted but only you can decide what you are confident to do. My hackamore broke while I was cantering through the woods and my pony tanked off with me out of the woods and 1/2 a mile along the road. It was the most terrifying experience I have ever had! I did the exact same route first thing the next morning soI could forget about the terrible ride!

 

[Red-1]

I don't know you or your horse, for all I know you aren't in control, but, presuming you are generally in control and this was unusual, I would firstly go in the school, make sure he is listening and a little tired, then do the same hack, but with someone in a car to control traffic if necessary.

I am presuming you aren't confident as you posted on here!

 

[southerncomfort]

Things happen. Horses spook. Your horse spooked. But you stopped him.
Stop over analysing, get trained , not brave


Take this from someone who a year ago couldn't get on without crying. It's literally all in your head , as it's a matter of psychology and managing your ways of thinking.

The worst thing you can do is over think it and convince yourself there's a problem. Especially this time of year , most horses are a bit lively. If anything, learn how to do an emergency stop - sounds like you managed it but maybe really think about the steps you take to perform an emergency stop?
Like Karl Greenwood says, don't get brave, get trained.

I'm just reading his book now. Lots of very useful insights!

 

[Ratface]

In the Orange Loon's younger days, he was Spook Central. I used to sing nursery rhymes very loudly, and kick on. I always used a neckstrap and had a little finger tucked under it. I tried to ignore it as much as possible. OL has a warped sense of humour. My non-response took the fun out of it for him.
He does the ears-in-the mouth, eyes-out-on-stalks, legs-twice-as-long bit, but I'm able to distract him more easily. I still have the finger under the neckstrap, though!

 

[Skib]

It happened to me twice on my old share. A habit of hers and it was the reason the staff no longer rode her.
Next ride after the spook and fly, I rode her for the first half of my allotted time in the school and then took her straight out hacking again.

 

[littleshetland]

Do the hack again, but if your nerves fail you, go in the school for 20mins or so, get yourself feeling comfortable on board then head off on your hacking route again.Good luck - you'll fine!

 

[Melody Grey]

Does the way round you go make a difference? Mine is so focussed on getting us home that I tend to save issues for the route home as I know he’s less inclined to spin etc and more inclined to stomp on- they’re all different though!

 

[Sossigpoker]

I'm just reading his book now. Lots of very useful insights!

Last year I had to listen to his hypnosis tape every time before getting on.
But little by little the thought of "i got this" seems to have filtered through.
Obviously having both myself and my horse properly trained helps massively.

 

[PeterNatt]

Do you know what he spooked at?

 

[J&S]

When my NF mare was a youngster a long, long time ago, she made off with me on the forest along a track on the way home. The next day I went straight back to that track and this time I had her pelham bit in rather than her snaffle. All I did was make sure that she stayed at the pace I required with various transitions along the track. It is just a question of establishing the order, but you do need to feel confident that you are in control when doing it.

 

[tiga71]

I am of the philosophy that horses spook sometimes. Sometimes it is a big one, sometimes not. I tend not to overthink it and try to look at the positives from it. Ie, something spooked him, he shot off, you stayed on and he pulled up, you finished the hack. To me, that is end of story. He's a horse, something scared him, he listened to you when you said come back, even if not as quickly as you would like. I would probably hack out with a sensible friend the next time if I was a bit worried.

I remember the first time I hacked out my first horse with a friend. I was a novice (RS lessons for 18 months and 6 months lessons on new horse). Friend asked me to go in front as her horse was a bit nervous, man behind hedge started hedge trimmer next to us, my horse spooked spun and shot back towards home, he pulled up after about 15 metres when I got my wits about me. I thought that was a success. In my mind he was justifiably worried by something, went to bog off home, when I asked him to stop in my novicey way, he came back to walk. I was super happy with that. Got back to the yard and another livery asked how it was, we told her, she said "He's dangerous, I wouldn't be hacking him again." SHe was barmy but it was such an eye opener about how people can look at things so differently and how that can frame your experiences with your horses and affect your confidence.

Hacking is an adventure for me. You never know what you might meet. You have to trust your horse and trust that when things go a bit wrong, he will listen to you and trust you.

 

[J&S]

Agreed tiga71, if you are on high alert all the time it is going to influence the horse you are riding. Predicting a possible problem and riding on is best policy but one can always be caught out by an unpredicted spook.

 

[SantaVera]

20 mins to half an hour in the school then straight out on the same hack as today.

 

[Equi]

After a bad one I usually do something I know we are going to be okay at such as school or hack with my yo who gives me confidence. I don't buy into the "you have to prove it to yourself" thing, I wait until I feel confident enough to do it again.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I'd do the same hack again and repeat daily if possible until the horse completes the route without issue. This probably doesn't mean much to the horse but it makes me feel better!

 

[scats]

I’d do the same route again. I had a dreadful time with Millie spooking when she arrived. She spooked at everything, would spin and run… or teleport. I came to the conclusion that if I dealt with it, didn’t fall off and we continued on our way, it was a win and didn’t require any further thought.
Shes now rarely spooks in that way.

 

[BSL2]

Choose your day. Ie not blowing a hooley. Work hard in school, then take for hack. Do it when you are ready and want to. Good luck. Most importantly stay safe.

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Hello everyone, thank you so much for all your advice! Today went really well, started in the roundpen, then schooled for 15 mins (he felt fabulous), then went back on the bridlepath with support on the ground. I'm not sure what the dog walkers made of two ladies enthusiastically singing hits of the 80s with a bored looking horse in tow, but it worked! And it might sound daft but I imagined you all encouraging me on when I had a wobble and I kept going. No issues whatsoever. Woohoo!
P.S. unfortunately we don't have a round route bridle path from the yard so there and back is our only option.

 

[catembi]

Well done!