why are people so concerned

'Borrowed' a rope halter from Raz's yard (no H & S there!), over to Hornchurch aerodrome to capture a gypsy pony, jump on and - yippee! Never did show Mum the bruises...... Not sure what she thought I was up to all day (I come from a non-horsey family - they had no idea!)
 
I think PC mounted games is the only fun thing left for kids nowadays.
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used to love hacking out for hours, no mobile ph, galloping over stubble, jumping hedges just having lots of fun
When my kids were younger they too used to go away on their ponies, older one was to look after younger one haha. One day they came back seperately as they had had a fight, another time not sonovicebythenbutnotexperienced and older sister swapped ponies in a stubble field, bear in mind elder one had an ex racehorse. I have only recently been told some of what they got up to on these hacks but hey they survived, had fun and said it was the best summer ever when they had those 2
 
Seriously lmao at this thread! Good memories or what! I too used to dismount with a backflip, couldn't do it now tho!

Years ago before family and proper paying jobs came along I was a riding instructor, I used to love getting kids doing round the world at all paces, running alongside and Indian vaulting on again, riding bareback, always good for a laugh. It's a shame kids today don't get those chances because of H&S.
 
cold_feet said:
'Borrowed' a rope halter from Raz's yard (no H & S there!), over to Hornchurch aerodrome to capture a gypsy pony, jump on and - yippee! Never did show Mum the bruises...... Not sure what she thought I was up to all day (I come from a non-horsey family - they had no idea!)
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Ah memory lane or what!

Back when it was one lesson a week at the local riding school for me, I used have withdrawels during the week of not riding......so down it was to the local field of gypsy ponies left there to hop on them bareback and have a ride around the field on them!!

*Bear in mind was a field of a mixed herd ranging from 5-20+, from yearlings to older 10+ year olds, all unbacked mostly. No hat, no tack, not even a headcollar....My unhorsey parents never found out about that until recently lmao*
 
fallenangel123 said:
Seriously lmao at this thread! running alongside and Indian vaulting on again, riding bareback, always good for a laugh. It's a shame kids today don't get those chances because of H&S.
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Omg.I had a video of somewhere of our failed attempts at that vaulting....On one day i must have tried about 10 times landing on my arse and failing each time until I FINALLY managed it.....and then fell off from overdoing it and going straight over the other side again!!! Haha XD

And riding my friend horse sitting backwards bareback and which point it had a broncing rodeo session round the arena and my steering was just ****** haha XD I stayed on though and learnt that broncing bucking fits are a lot easier to sit to when facing backwards!!! ;)
 
haha this thread is awesome! :D

I had the most awesome 13.2 chestnut mare, she was the most stubborn, cheeky and down right outrages little mare on the planet.

She had a white swastica on her back, wasnt a freezemarek was completely natural! :eek::rolleyes:

I decided when i was 12 that i was "a great rider" and could take on anything,:rolleyes: we had her as a pet for about 7 years and i chucked a saddle on to see what happened.

It went..... Trot trot buck, trot trot buck, trot trot ground.... back on... trot trot buck, trot trot buck, ground... you get the idea.

I got chucked off everyday for around 6 months... until I had managed to develop a good seat, good position and able to withstand any buck! :D

Even to this day, when a horse bucks with me, i mutter "you gotta do better than that to beat stacey" :o

Sadly stacey was pts lats year - my true riding instructor - forever in my heart :(
 
I used to grab ryan or stacey, canter from the gate to the shelter (200yds up the field) without any tack/head collar etc ( just a mane lol) to feed them. They didnt mind cause it meant food lol!
 
Ah, round the world, scissors.... all nostalgic now! Anyone else have jumping lessons without reins or stirrups? Also remember lessons with saddler's thread instead of reins so we had to use legs and seat. Those were the days - can you imagine suggesting that in a lesson nowadays?
Seem to remember falling off pretty regularly too, but then that was considered part of the learning process in those days.
Fortyodd years on I feel athletic if I manage to get on without a mounting block!
 
yes i remember no reins and stirrups going down a jump lane lol, omg id forgotten the fun i used to have

i havent even ever sat on any of my current 'proper' horses without a saddle or bridle. maybe i should get a pony? haha
 
Love all these memories.

My favorites were going out all day to god knows where with 10p for the phone, a hoof pick and a piece of baler twine incase your reins or stirrups snapped, Im not quite sure why we were paranoid something would snap or what we would do with a piece of twine if they did, but that was our survival kit from the age of 8.

My friend reminded me that we also used to knock on doors if we thought our ponies were thirsty and get washing up bowls of water from total strangers.

Living in Italy we used to catch a "wild" pony we called Max in the mountains and ride it with a piece of string tied around its nose, we used to climb up some rocks to get on cause we were all too small to give each other leg ups, we usually had a lizard in our pocket as well.

I was stig of the dump growing up i now realise haha
 
fireflymac said:
Ah, round the world, scissors.... all nostalgic now! Anyone else have jumping lessons without reins or stirrups? Also remember lessons with saddler's thread instead of reins so we had to use legs and seat. Those were the days - can you imagine suggesting that in a lesson nowadays?
Seem to remember falling off pretty regularly too, but then that was considered part of the learning process in those days.
Fortyodd years on I feel athletic if I manage to get on without a mounting block!
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Never done the around the world in any more than walk, feeling jealous now :eek::p


Loved the jumping without a saddle or reins tho, really taught you where your position should be :p if you want to stay on!
 
twobearsarthur said:
Love all these memories.

My favorites were going out all day to god knows where with 10p for the phone, a hoof pick and a piece of baler twine incase your reins or stirrups snapped, Im not quite sure why we were paranoid something would snap or what we would do with a piece of twine if they did, but that was our survival kit from the age of 8.
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Good point!

I always got told the baler twine was for gates if you couldnt shut them back up again properly....out hunting anyway?!
 
twobearsarthur said:
My favorites were going out all day to god knows where with 10p for the phone, a hoof pick and a piece of baler twine incase your reins or stirrups snapped, Im not quite sure why we were paranoid something would snap or what we would do with a piece of twine if they did, but that was our survival kit from the age of 8.

My friend reminded me that we also used to knock on doors if we thought our ponies were thirsty and get washing up bowls of water from total strangers.

usually had a lizard in our pocket as well.

I was stig of the dump growing up i now realise haha
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10p for the phone = check
string = check (i dont know how a bit of string might mend tack either btw :))
asking random strangers for water for me or the horse = check

lizard = nope... i often had a small hamster called gemini in my pocket :lol:
 
Jumping lanes minus stirrups and reins, plus a different animal noise over each fence = best thing ever.

It makes you suddenly realise how good those ponies were!
 
Gosh yes, I'd forgotten about the vital piece of string. I always thought that with all those rein and stirrup free lessons I'd have been OK anyway had anything snapped (lol)! It seemed always to be the girth straps that people thought might go. Not sure if my piece of string would have been long to wrap all the way round pony and saddle but at least it was there in my pocket if required. Think I'll start carrying some now - you never know......
 
fireflymac said:
Gosh yes, I'd forgotten about the vital piece of string. I always thought that with all those rein and stirrup free lessons I'd have been OK anyway had anything snapped (lol)! It seemed always to be the girth straps that people thought might go. Not sure if my piece of string would have been long to wrap all the way round pony and saddle but at least it was there in my pocket if required. Think I'll start carrying some now - you never know......
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HaHaHa I'd forgotton that my magic piece of string could fix girths too.

I cant believe my mums only concern was whether I had a piece of string in my pocket, not at all worried that we would disappear for days at a time, with only 10p to our names.
 
Bailer twine repairs everything, you should remember that from childhood, we also went out riding with 10p, bailer twine, hoof pick and a rough time to be back.
it was complete freedom with less traffic and more amiable farmers.
my first pony was a complet cow bag, 12.2 welsh, fab little pony would jump for fun, but there was one bit of common ground on the ride that she would bolt off and do everything to dump you then head to the other end and stand eating and wait for you to get back on.
you knew you was on the way to learning to ride when you rode to the end of that common and did not have to walk half way lol
 
LOL - another memory!!

Riding across fields with a friend and we come across a fence we can't get around - so we do what was the norm back then............ take off our coats, hang them over the wire and jump it!! Trouble was, my pony left his back feet behind and we broke the wire :o

We had to go to the farmer's back door and apologise!!
 
We used to scrumping apples on horse back, one of us would hold the others pony and the other would stand on the pony's back and pick the apples, remember one day we got chased by the owners in thier car, we were scared but at the same time couldn't stop laughing, happy days :-)
 
shysmum said:
I did round-the-worlds at canter, and scissors at trot - bet they're not allowed any more. Mind you, the sand was very soft as I remember..

My mum still rues the day she let me join her on a donkey ride when I was 1 1/2 years old. Tut, she shouldv'e known better !
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All surfaces get harder as you get older :( no matter how much padding you accumulate!

We got up to some stuff when we were younger. Hack in headcollars in shorts and tshirts. Galloping whilst carrying my dog in front of me on my horse etc etc
 
Sneaking into private fields to jump their cross country course was another favourite. We never did manage to pluck up the courage to sneak onto the race course at Twesledown though - just looked at it longingly from the woods.
 
I remember the baler twine !!! I also remember my first riding pony, a chestnut mare, the cheapest pony we could find...absolutely no brakes, a good buck and a nasty attitude. It was lurve!

Did anyone have to try and stand on the poor pony's back ? Achieved only once, and god only knows why the instructor thought it was relevant. There was another pony there who really bit me on the shoulder, I still have the scar, but of course I never told anyone...Like I say, I went back to that place and cried that it'd gone.

When I was ten, I used to "work" at a riding school for absolutely nowt, not even a free ride. No-one had ever told me about deep litter beds, so I spent all my time digging them out, and then having to run the barrow up a very thin piece of wood into a skip, about four feet up. And then groom and tack up an evil (bite and kick) pony called Magpie - I was terrified !

Oh the memories are flooding back now :D
 
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