Joggi71
Member
Hi, I recently advertised for someone to exercise my horse for me during the week, in an effort to get her fit and keep her active. She is a 16hh, 17yo, Appaloosa, who I have had for 10 years. I found someone local (who I know a bit) and two weeks ago she started riding her on weekdays while I am at work. She came to try her initially and I walked out with her to check she could ride. My feeling was that she was a tiny bit novice, but as she was just doing walk / trot work in the lanes and my horse is fantastic in any traffic I figured she couldn't go far wrong (we have no bridle paths to speak of locally so difficult to get off the lanes).
Prior to her starting riding two weeks ago my horse had been pretty much out at grass except for an occasional hack as my job is very busy. I explained that she needed fittening slowly, starting mostly in walk then building up trot work over a few weeks, a minute or two to begin with and building up longer trot work after 3 weeks, then incorporating hill work.
Today a friend rode out with her and she has told me that she trots everywhere flat out, and cantered her on the road twice, the first time for a minute and a half, and the second time for half a mile, up hill, followed by a flat out trot another quarter mile to home.
I am livid, but can't decide if she is just an utter idiot, or more of a novice than I thought and I should have been clearer in what she could/could not do? I also have a tendency to react before I think, so am trying to be cautious in my reaction and give it 24 hours before I decide how to handle this.
So, WWYD? Try to educate a novice rider that this is unacceptable (my horse has some sidebone which I have for 10 years been very cautious with, especially on hard ground/roads) and explain the reasons why this is unacceptable. Or just tell her it's not working out and cancel the arrangement.
Thanks for your input!
Prior to her starting riding two weeks ago my horse had been pretty much out at grass except for an occasional hack as my job is very busy. I explained that she needed fittening slowly, starting mostly in walk then building up trot work over a few weeks, a minute or two to begin with and building up longer trot work after 3 weeks, then incorporating hill work.
Today a friend rode out with her and she has told me that she trots everywhere flat out, and cantered her on the road twice, the first time for a minute and a half, and the second time for half a mile, up hill, followed by a flat out trot another quarter mile to home.
I am livid, but can't decide if she is just an utter idiot, or more of a novice than I thought and I should have been clearer in what she could/could not do? I also have a tendency to react before I think, so am trying to be cautious in my reaction and give it 24 hours before I decide how to handle this.
So, WWYD? Try to educate a novice rider that this is unacceptable (my horse has some sidebone which I have for 10 years been very cautious with, especially on hard ground/roads) and explain the reasons why this is unacceptable. Or just tell her it's not working out and cancel the arrangement.
Thanks for your input!
The cantering on the road, however - or even just trotting a lot on the road, if that's what she is doing - needs to be stopped and is idiotic. With that though she may genuinely just not realise the damage it could cause. If this were my horse, I'd confront her and go from there. I'm not sure outright ditching her is fair or wise if she's been working for you otherwise as good sharers are hard to come by and I'm sure she means well. On the other hand, I would not commit to educating her either... See how she reacts to bring confronted and then decide if you want to continue dealing with her.
