When jumping - Size or Technique and do I say anything to this girl?

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Ziggy_

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I used to be a really over confident jumper as a teenager, going flat out into big fences at bad angles and thinking it was all fun (I'm sure lots of you have been there). Anyway when I was 15 I had a bad accident when the horse fell on top of me and broke a few bones. These days, I prefer to keep the jumps small and focus on technique so we do gridwork, practise tight turns etc.

Anyway, theres this 16yo girl at my yard with a 16hh, 4 year old. She jumps 3'6'' upwards on this horse as a matter of course - except always always at a flat out gallop - the girl goes into it riding like a jockey. (that is honestly not an exxageration and its frightening to watch) The horse jumps totally flat and sometimes takes out the entire jump including the wings they look like an accident waiting to happen.

The only thing is , I can't help being a tiny bit jealous of this girls confidence and the size of the fences. She isn't a friend, not by a long way, and her mum is a nightmare but I'm torn on whether to say anything to either of them. Its like looking in a mirror and seeing myself 5 years ago. Much as I don't like her I don't want to see her get hurt but I'm sure if I do speak to them they will shrug it off as jealousy as they are very competitive.

My YO would kill her if she saw her jumping like that so I wonder whether to say anything to her - the thing is this woman and her daughter took a dislike to me right from the start (they have a smaller stable and wanted to move into the empty, larger one - YO turned them down and gave it to me as my horse is taller - they've held it against me since) and I really don't want to look petty, spiteful, bitchy or jealous, but I can see the horse and rider being injured or worse. They are planning to go cross country schooling in the next few months and I hate to think what will happen over solid fences.

What do I do? Do I say something, have them ignore me and say I told you so, do I keep my mouth shut for the sake of a quiet life, or am I actually just jealous and the horse's technique will improve in time and I'm blowing it out of proportion?
 
It sounds like a difficult one. Personally I'd have a quiet word with your YO and explain as you have done your concerns and express its not through spite more concern.
We have a simliar issue at the moment as there is a yong girl on my yard who has the faster little pony on 4 legs. Its very honest and very fast but they are totally out of control. I saw them at a show not too long ago and I couldn't watch - it was terrifying.
The problem in this case is that the girl knows she has no control but her parents are pushing her to jump higher and higher.
A few of us had a discrete word with our yard instructor and she has been doing some schooling with the girl to try to help. The YO has also had a quiet word.
 
I'd have a quiet word with YO - think how bad you'd feel if she had an accident and you hadn't done anything
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They'd probably listen to YO more.
 

Before your accident, when you were a gung-ho cowboy, would you have given a stuff if soemone warned you of the dangers? No, probably not. Maybe they even did but it was of so little importance to you that you don't even remember!

Leave her be, it'll only get people's backs up and create an atmosphere. She'll either grow out of it, learn the hard way or become the next 'big thing'! If it were me I'd let her have her fun and not get involved. We all ride our horses differently an none of us likes un-solicited opinions.
 
I have to agree with Zalacca I'm afraid - how bad would you feel if anything happened? And what's the worst that can happen - they completely ignore the YO - at least you would have tried!
 
if she's going cross country schooling, I assume there will be an instructor there. if so, she'll pick on on this issue. I personally would not try and give help where it obviously isn't appreciated or wanted. It'll just build up bad feeling.
 
Tell the YO. Confidence is great, and I wouldn't be as worried if it was an older horse who could look after itself, but at 4, the girl is going to ruin the horse and probably hurt herself or just totally damage her confidence.

She ought to accept that if you want a youngster, you need to work on smaller fences first to get correct technique - if she wanted something to jump big then she ought to have got a been there done that SJer.

Don't say anything yourself though, they sound like a pretty horrible pair and I doubt they would listen anyway.
 
I'd either stay out of it or have a carefully thought out friendly word with the girl.

I don't like people going behind my back and I wouldn't do it to others.
 
I cringe when I see kids flying out of control at jumps. My YO, who is also the main instructor at the yard absolutely would not tolerate that sort of irresponsible riding. I think you should say something, but try to phrase it in a manner that sounds concerned yet not too critical... if you see what I mean?
 
Why would you be jealous of this girls confidence and the size of fences? TBH I dont think she is confident by galloping flat out to a fence, Id say she's nervous! A lot of show jumpers are confident but you dont see them galloping around...! And with regard to the size of fences, most people and horses are more than capable of jumping 3'6, its probably still just within the level ANYBODY can do badly and get away with it.

If I were you Id tell the YO, or Id try and fix it so that the YO was around when she was riding (maybe ask her to help you do something at a time you know this girl is riding etc.). She's ruining the horse completely, ANY horse no matter how old would be ruined doing this and it sounds like an accident is going to happen soon.
 
I would have a quiet word with the YO and tell her that you are concenered and do not want her to have the same accident that you went through but also feel it is not your place to say.
Leave it up to the YO to decide what to do regarding the issue.
 
Yeah I think it nice of you to be concerned about her safety and the horses welfare but I wouldnt say anything to them personally, to avoid any awkwardness or feeling like you are interfereing etc.

It's up to your YO to make sure indivuals ride safely on there property, look after there horses well etc not yours but I think it would be a good idea to mention your concern to your YO so they know to keep a watchful eye if need be.
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I wouldn't do or say anything - this person is unlikely to take advice from your YO and I think you realise full well that if you offer it it will go down badly.

It is her responsibility not yours to make sure she rides responsibly and her consequences to face up to not yours if she doesn't.

If you feel you have to do something, maybe you could ask the YO to try to be there and see for herself what this girl is doing.
 
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Tell the YO. Confidence is great, and I wouldn't be as worried if it was an older horse who could look after itself, but at 4, the girl is going to ruin the horse and probably hurt herself or just totally damage her confidence.

She ought to accept that if you want a youngster, you need to work on smaller fences first to get correct technique - if she wanted something to jump big then she ought to have got a been there done that SJer.

Don't say anything yourself though, they sound like a pretty horrible pair and I doubt they would listen anyway.

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I agree 100%.

If the horse was older I would probably leave it and let them learn the hard way but as the horse itself is only a baby I would have a word with the YO for the horses sake.
 
Yep deffo tell the yard owner then the girl & mum cant argue with it and she wont neccesarily know it was you who spoke to YO(unless the yard is really small) I dont think saying something yourself will make a difference as there are no consequences if she ignores you whereas the yard owner can warn her or even kick her off.
 
Similar situation on our yard at present- novice rider, young pony + jumps---pony doesnt know how to jump, rider thinks she does hence plenty of smashing through poles. Pony stumbled through a smallish jump the other day, landed on its knees, luckily not the rider. Another experienced livery tried to explain to her about starting off with poles on the ground, builiding things up slowly, grid work, teaching the pony to jump rather than bombing at the fence. She even set up some poles for her to try out.... as soon as her back was turned, kid was back bombing through ( not over) the jump....some people just cannot be told....if you wish to ease your concience have a word, but i doubt it will be taken on board. Possibly not the correct thing to do, but I have learnt to keep well out of stuff, and keep my opinions to myself unless asked for help directly. Good luck - difficult situation.
 
Confidence is one think & recklessness is something else. She appears to be thinking that speed & power are the same thing & they are not.

You already don't have a good relationship with the girl or her mother & as much as you feel she's an accident waiting for somewhere to happen I would not say anything. At some point your YO will see her doing this & possibly then will speak to her. Additionally the instructor at the XC training will see how reckless she is & will speak to her about it. The serious injuries & deaths over the passed year in XC will be something the instructors will be very much aware of & will try to prevent in the future.
 
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