trundle
Well-Known Member
I've had Ella for about ten weeks now, and i absolutely love riding her. She isnt the easiest ride in the world, but she's very genuine and will always try her best. When i got her, her owner toldme that she wasn't spooky at all, which was abig issue for me, as my previous horse could spook for England and as such was NOT a nice hack. Ella stands and looks at things, until she's decided that they are safe, and hten she walks on. I feel very confident riding her.
In the last few days, though, she's begun to spook at EVERYTHING, from the plants growing around the edge of the school to people walking around the track...everything. They are only little spooks and they don't worry me at all, but its new behaviour. She's also had several episodes of planting herself in the field, and refusing to leave. i solve this either by just tapping her bum with my schooling whip, or reversing her out of the field and up the path to the yard, but I am worried that she's upset about something, and i am just making it worse.
Our livery is on a working farm, and they are cutting the grass for hay, haylage, silage etc at the moment, so there are loads of tractors, balers, trailers and assorted bits of loud machinery moving around all the time. There is also a shooting club that meets on the farm, and obviously the gunshots do upset the new horses 9the old hands hjust ignore it totally).
Do you think she is just upset by all the tractors and machinery moving around, or is there likely to be something wrong? I've got the back lady coming out on Tuesday, just to check her over. I am inclined to beleive though, that its more about Ella "testing out" a new rider, and seeing where her boundaries are- does this sound plausible? Would you expect a horse to settle insufficiently to start testing its rider in ten weeks?
In the last few days, though, she's begun to spook at EVERYTHING, from the plants growing around the edge of the school to people walking around the track...everything. They are only little spooks and they don't worry me at all, but its new behaviour. She's also had several episodes of planting herself in the field, and refusing to leave. i solve this either by just tapping her bum with my schooling whip, or reversing her out of the field and up the path to the yard, but I am worried that she's upset about something, and i am just making it worse.
Our livery is on a working farm, and they are cutting the grass for hay, haylage, silage etc at the moment, so there are loads of tractors, balers, trailers and assorted bits of loud machinery moving around all the time. There is also a shooting club that meets on the farm, and obviously the gunshots do upset the new horses 9the old hands hjust ignore it totally).
Do you think she is just upset by all the tractors and machinery moving around, or is there likely to be something wrong? I've got the back lady coming out on Tuesday, just to check her over. I am inclined to beleive though, that its more about Ella "testing out" a new rider, and seeing where her boundaries are- does this sound plausible? Would you expect a horse to settle insufficiently to start testing its rider in ten weeks?
