Worst ride ever today

Armas

Armas

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2012
Messages
1,331
Visit site
Today I went on an organised ride it was a glorious day, lots of people st to be a fun day. Setting of at about 10am and returning at 4.30pm with a stop in the forest for a picnic lunch. The day started of with Armas standing on my small toe not his fault as we were both looking at all the other horses about 20 riders plus a number of carts ;-)
However once the ride commenced Satan had clearly entered my horse. He caused no problems with the other horses, however I just could not get him to walk. Walk ended up being piaff or jogging on the spot trot turned in to collected canter and so on. Gallops turned him in to the TGV and not wanting to stop. The whole ride was a fight constantly on the bit and pulling on my hands. He normally is very soft and I can walk on a lose rein and hacking out is a pleasure. I do normally ride with another rider and have no issue. However today he was a total **** in the company of the other horses.
After lunch we set of alone slow walk soft contact etc that lasted all of 10 mins as soon as the other horses caught us up ;-( From then on in the ride back to the start point was hell. My hands are so sore from fighting with him.I just could not slow him down, I tried backing him up small circles shoulder in lots of different things. But he would not relax ;-(
Any suggestions ? As summer is here and there are lots of fun organised rides but I cant take another day like to day :(
 
has he ever been ridden in a group before?

if not i would get him used to riding with 2 or 3 other horses before taking him out on such an exciting day again, if he gets het up i would not be cantering and galloping you need to calm the day down more.
 
Jools2345 said:
has he ever been ridden in a group before?

if not i would get him used to riding with 2 or 3 other horses before taking him out on such an exciting day again, if he gets het up i would not be cantering and galloping you need to calm the day down more.
Click to expand...

Ditto this ^^^
 
I ride him out normally with 2 or 3 friends and on occasion 6 or 7 other horses. However the ride was very spread out so I was normally only with 3 or 4 other horses.
I let him have a long gallop in the begining in the hope that would that would take out some of his energy this did not work.
The rest of the ride was spent with me trying my level best just trying to get him to walk or the odd trot and trying to get him to relax with out any success.
 
Far too exciting for him then ;)

Just get him out as much as possible in groups of other horses until he gets used to it.

Don't not go on the rides as that's letting him win. Take him and make him listen to you - you're in charge!

Were you tense? Sounds like it which wouldn't have helped.

Armas satan? :eek: He's certainly got some character ;)

p.s. hope the toe's ok!

pps - Spring grass is coming through which doesn't help
 
A syringe of calmer for a start.

(For readers, the French ride like their ARE@@s are on fire and I had to stop taking my mare.)

My tip is to arrive early at the Rallye, set off on your own while they are still swigging their coffee and nattering, and keep a steady pace to remain in front.(assuming it is a rallye and the route has been marked?)

He will get better, but I suppose its the most exciting group thing he has done for a while?.

Good Luck, I have been there myself.

JC
 
JCWHITE said:
A syringe of calmer for a start.

(For readers, the French ride like their ARE@@s are on fire and I had to stop taking my mare.)

My tip is to arrive early at the Rallye, set off on your own while they are still swigging their coffee and nattering, and keep a steady pace to remain in front.(assuming it is a rallye and the route has been marked?)

He will get better, but I suppose its the most exciting group thing he has done for a while?.

Good Luck, I have been there myself.

JC
Click to expand...

It is the most exciting this in a while as this was the first organised ride of the year. The local's were not to bad I must confess ;)

Nicnac said:
Far too exciting for him then ;)

Just get him out as much as possible in groups of other horses until he gets used to it.

Don't not go on the rides as that's letting him win. Take him and make him listen to you - you're in charge!

Were you tense? Sounds like it which wouldn't have helped.

Armas satan? :eek: He's certainly got some character ;)

p.s. hope the toe's ok!

pps - Spring grass is coming through which doesn't help
Click to expand...

The toe is a fab shade of dark red :eek:

Dam that spring grass, I keep cutting it to keep it to a minimum.
 
I'm not by any means saying give up but sometimes horses just jog. Andy for example jogs everywhere and if you drop your reins he'd gallop off and hold his mouth too much and he'll get very agitated and starting cantering sideways. I've found a good hunting brestplate both hands and yank as hard as I can often works. Little so and so. This is out hacking alone though I would never dream of taking him on a plesure ride, we'd kill everyone! :L
 
Delicious_D said:
I think the horse needs schooling tbh. By this i mean not cantering around your garden and jumping bareback, i mean he needs to understand to wait for you by the use of your seats and not your hands. I imagien his mouth is just as sore as your hands. It is veyr annoying when a hot horse wont settle, but i think you need to get hom thinking of riding as calm, make him wait for you and go out with a group of calm horses in preparation.
Click to expand...

I know you two have history....but ouch!! Why not just not comment if all you are going to do is have a dig? :confused:
My mare jigs the entire way around fun rides - not because she isn't schooled but because she is EXCITED!!
Armas has said he rides him out in groups at home.

Armas - unfortunately sometimes horses just are like this at organised rides. I don't know how they work there, here we set off in 2s or 3s at staggered intervals?
But I would say just try and take him out to a few, he will probably settle when he realises it is just another "thing he does". Atleast he wasn't a bucking bronco or anything! ;)
 
Armas I feel your pain! During his eight year career as an endurance horse my horse never ever settled at rides. Schooling, different bits, change of diet...nothing worked, he was a great endurance horse but it was a white knuckle ride of terror every time. The excitement was too much, it just blew his mind to be in a group of horses and I came to conclusion he was never going to change and gave up the sport (much to my family's relief). I think that type of thing just doesn't suit some horses, the shutters go down, all their 'run with the herd' instincts kick in, and they simply stop listening to you...even if you've got a great partnership in other areas. Hope the toe recovers soon.
 
Delicious_D said:
I think the horse needs schooling tbh. By this i mean not cantering around your garden and jumping bareback, i mean he needs to understand to wait for you by the use of your seats and not your hands. I imagien his mouth is just as sore as your hands. It is veyr annoying when a hot horse wont settle, but i think you need to get hom thinking of riding as calm, make him wait for you and go out with a group of calm horses in preparation.
Click to expand...

You can not help your self can you just can't resist a dig. For your information my horse is schooled twice a week without fail. Cantering around the garden is fun jumping bare back is fun not schooling. Owning a horse is fun.
This is the first time in a year that he has been so hot.
The ride was organised and calm, however he was rather excited and being a typical PRE.
Again I do not get why you bother to reply to my posts. Sorry.
 
I don't think it has anything to do with schooling personally - some horses are just "hotter" than others. My ex racehorse is a pain in the arse on fun rides and awful hunting. Keen the whole time (he's not a really strong horse and has a lovely soft mouth generally but is relentlessly keen when his blood's up, never known a horse make my arms ache so much!), won't walk, won't stand, runs with sweat. I always come back more knackered than he does though!


I don't hunt him anymore but do take him on the odd fun ride and have to just accept that he's probably going to be a bit of a pain. He's not dangerous just hard work but at 17 now, he's pretty unlikely to change! As I said, just a hot type of horse .... which is why I got myself a lovely ISH as well who is much more chilled about things like that and consequently makes those types of outings a bit more fun :)
 
Nothing to do with more skooling, some horses are naturally hot headed in large company, my horse is skooled, but hacking even with 3 or 4 is not always a pleasure ! But has you state that you hack with groups regularly, perhaps he's just feeling too good :D
 
In terms of long distance rides some horses :

1) Prefer to ride with a partner.

2) Prefer to go first and stay in front of the other riders.

3) Need to get a few rides under their belt to get to grips with it all.
 
Even my horse sometimes gets hot in company. I had an unstoppable pacer type trot on one memorable hack! Not fun and most unexpected from a horse with fabulous brakes who normally listens carefully. Just an exciting and unusual situation.
 
I would say it's a normal reaction to a sponsored ride, especially if it's the first one of the season (with some spring grass thrown in) or if they haven't done one before.
It maybe something that once he's done it a few times he'll settle down, my friends cob is quite a forward ride and loves to be up front, otherwise he sets his neck and puffs away like a train! He jogs quite a lot of time and also causes her sore hands! It's quite annoying and she doesn't always have a good ride :(
Maybe take him to a local Forrest to recreate your own ride and see how he gets on, and find some decent gloves :D
 
Don't suppose you watched the Scottish national from Ayr yesterday but one of the police horses who tailed the winner back to the parade ring was being a total nuisance to his rider. Seems he too caught the silly bug just from being around racehorses.:rolleyes: You'd not have expected a police horse to behave like this.

I bet Armas's account of the day would be quite different and right now he's complaining to his little friend about how you were a total spoilsport :D
Best wear good gloves next time ;) :)
 
Treat this as if you had been going out hunting..it is at that level of excitement! And just for the record, schooling will not always solve the issue of one very excited horse! Try again with your friends and try to replicate the ride environment. Some can't ever cope though..
 
Fun rides can be more exciting than hunting at least with hunting everyone stops and starts at the same time. My little TB is fine on a fun ride as long as no-one overtakes him, even in walk! He's really well schooled but if he's overtaken he is just a lunatic. I can't hold him in any bit but once he doesn't have a horse's bum in front of him, he's fine. I don't do fun rides anymore cos they just aint much fun!
 
I had a spooky ride today, and I wasn't even on a fun ride. Ended up having a complete change of plan and working on not being stupid about things already seen many times before...
You mentioned that you keep cutting your grass to keep it down. Is that a good idea? It means you're always promoting new growth.
 
Delicious_D said:
I didnt mean it as ouch at all. Dee used to jog for sunday! A pain in the ass for it. I have noticed since going bitless she doesnt jog at all. Before in a snaffle/pelhame/double she would piaffe/passage instead of walk.
Click to expand...

Didn't you only go bitless last week though? Is that enough time to make such a conclusion?

I'd agree with others on the repetition front although I do think some never settle. A short one hand reminder followed by a very relaxed loose rein has worked for stompy in the past but likely wouldn't work for many.
 
Silly Armas, I doubt its lack of schooling judging by your updates. Heaven forbid you would allow him to do anything other than schooling.

I reckon he will have got the worst of it out of his system and be better in a few more attempts if you ever want to do it again. Hey you made it back in one piece after all! Is he quite fit at the mo and therefore got all the stamina required to back up the enthusiasm?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top