Would you let someone with a 'hot seat' ride your horse?

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EquiGirl1

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Its listed as a question but I think is more of a vent! I'll try and keep it short... I would in most instances let someone ride my horse providing they were respectful. I always say I would rather a novice (within reason) who was aware of their abilities than someone who thought they were gods gift but are actually the opposite.

I keep to myself at the yard I am at, am generally first up and last up due to full time work and am always the last to hear of any yard politics, however recently I've been noticing a lady at the yard who seems obsessed with riding other peoples horses. She complains her mare is too fizzy and that she can never have a nice calm, collected canter on a hack as the mare has 2 speeds, jog or gallop. This would be fine and I hadn't judged until she came back a couple weeks ago from a ride quite down and said "oh what I'd do for a calm canter" so a new livery who just gotten back from a ride was like "here take mine (17yo ex racer) and go for a calm canter round the field", thinking she'd do just that. She came back 20 min later on the horse who was dripping in sweat proclaiming how much fun she'd had going flat out and that she had "never pushed a TB to go flat out before and boy could he move". The owner was mortified, and pretty upset that someone who had said they wanted a calm canter would go flat out on ground that was pretty boggy. I made a mental note never to let her on my mare. Since then I've just noticed that she seems to be a 'hot seated' rider (with no respect) with everything, whether its getting on the children's ponies and making them go flat out, getting on others horses and cantering fast into big jumps, to running/jogging with her mare in tow when she is bringing in/turning out, leading anywhere!

Anyway there is a SJ comp coming up and a selection of us are entering as teams in 2 classes, the 70cm and the 90cm. She wants to take her mare but cant (abscess) so has been asking to borrow other peoples horses. She text me a few days ago asking if she could take my mare and enter her for the 90cm... she is only a baby and has been out to a clear round all of 3 times at 70cm! I'm only entering her in the 70cm myself :confused::confused:! So needless to say my answer was a pretty blunt "no sorry". The lady ignores me at the yard yesterday and this evening which I honestly couldnt care less about. She has also asked 3 other people to borrow their horses, all have also said no, and she made a couple of smarmy remarks to one of them which made them quite upset. It's a shame really as I quite enjoy messing around in the school at the weekends with some of the teenagers (all with more nerves than me!) and would happily let them ride my mare and pop a couple of jumps, but don't because I cant be bothered with the hassle of "you let X ride her so why not me"... I'd like to point out this woman is in her late 30s with 2 kids so it's not like she is a reckless child.

Well done if you got this far and thanks for reading... I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being too self-righteous by just saying "no" but having just put it in writing I think I'm going to sleep better tonight knowing she isn't riding my horse as opposed to riding her..!
 
I only have 2 rules before I let someone ride my horses; 1, they must be able to cope safely with the horse, and 2, they must ride with consideration and respect.

Your friend did neither and she is incredibly rude. I wouldn't have any qualms about upsetting her sensibilities- because she doesn't have any.
 
Just tell her the truth that you think she has a "hot bot" and your mare would react badly to her way of riding, if she doesn't take the hint be really honest with her. My hubby has a "hot bot" he switches them on and luckerly I switch them off.:D:D
 
Urgh, she sounds like a liability, also know how you feel about wanting to let other people on in front of her. Well at least you are in the fortunate position that you won't see her much and it seems you're not too bothered if she ignores you, so I would just be up front and say you only like certain types of riders on your horse who aren't going to rag her around like you have seen her do, so no she cannot ride your horse and that's the end of it, you even have the incident of that poor sweating horse as an example! She has her own horse who clearly could do with a bit ofl
laid back treatment itself.

If someone came up to me and directly asked why I let someone else ride my horse and not them, I would give them an honest answer and let them deal with it, I would happily let a sensible rider on my horse so would need a reason not to do so.
 
I wouldn't let someone disrespectful ride my horse full stop. The fact that they have asked to ride someone's horse for a quiet canter, then galloped the crap out of it would mean they never went anywhere near my horse.
I wouldn't allow it to spoil your enjoyment of messing around and letting others ride your horse when it suits you, just be prepared to be blunt if she gets funny.
 
Thanks everyone :D she is not a friend, I just like an easy life but have no issues telling her the truth... you have just given me the encouragement to do so should I need to!
 
I'd probably let her ride mine - after checking her health / life insurance was up to date. My mare will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her, and quite happily lands anyone she doesn't like on the floor. Luckily me and her get on very well ;)
 
I wouldn't call her a rider with a hot seat. Given that a lot of schooling issues stem from the horse not actually going forwards a hot seat is often a good thing, & to me means someone who gets the horse thinking forwards, not just racing around like a loon. The word you are looking for to describe her rhymes with hat & is similar to twit.
In your shoes I would have no issues letting others of my choice ride & refusing her. And if she questioned it, I would openly tell her its because she rides like a ****.
 
There's a difference between having a hot seat and having no respect. I'd love to find someone with an electric bum to sit on my lad once in a while just to wake him up, but no way would anyone like that be going anywhere near him.
 
I hack with someone who claims she's got a hot seat..she hasn't ! She just kicks and whips.

I have seen someone ride who genuinely has a hot seat and she could make the horse really perform and not in a bad way. Just great energy.

And, no . I would not let anyone like you describe ride my horse.
 
I hardly let anyone ride either of mine and if they do I am always with them either on a hack or in the school, I wouldnt let that kind of person anywhere near my horses, makes me angry when people who gallop there horses about on a daily basis then complain they are nuts, also dont feel bad about letting other people who you trust ride your horse its your choice, people like that are really not worth bothering with.
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
There's a difference between having a hot seat and having no respect. I'd love to find someone with an electric bum to sit on my lad once in a while just to wake him up, but no way would anyone like that be going anywhere near him.
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This is my thought too no problem with a hot bot but a lot of trouble with the lack of respect and the mad rushing about that is not a hot bot but a blatant disregard for the horse and its welfare
 
If her toy is broke , tough..... She is old enough not be disappointed......

Think its a cheek to text you...... When you hardly know her. No way don't let her anywhere your youngster.
 
I'm slightly evil, I love letting people on board my mare :D
Those who can't ride a chestnut TB mare are off pretty quick, either by choice in utter horror/fear or she refuses to move, or if they are really terrible she will threaten to rear.
Soon as they are off she goes back to calm and quiet :D
Those who can ride do cope!
 
Woman's an idiot. Keep her away from your mare. You don't have to justify why you pick whoever to ride your horse. Good luck in your competition.
 
What a nightmare! I only ever let people ride dee if a) i had seen them ride before and b) i knew of their abilities before hand. Ignoring the attitude aside, if she got hurt that would be my insurance she would be claiming on, therefore i would be paying for her mistakes!

She sounds like she needs to grow up quite frankly. If she doesnt like her horse, sell it, although i suspect she likes the drama of it all :rolleyes:
 
You are absolutely right, I have a rule it is: I don't let anybody who I deem worse than me to ride her, people who ride her should neither harm her nor undo my hard work. She's only been ridden by a handful of people in 4 years. Stick to your guns - it's your horse and u pay the bills too xx
 
She doesn't sound like a 'hot seated rider', just a rider with no respect, perhaps, for their horse - and someone who could do with some instruction on how to ride properly.

So, no - she wouldn't be going anywhere near my horse.
 
Pfftt … not a chance would her let her in the stable with any of mine! You did right – your horse, your rules – end of, you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone! ;)
 
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