Youngsters lying down in the middle of being ridden....

[Berkeley]

My friend and I took our youngsters out yesterday for a little hack around the fields.

Half way round my friend’s mare stopped and reached for her leg. My friend thought she was trying to have an itch so gave her the rein. Next, her mare proceeded to lie down (with my friend still on) and tried to roll. My friend got off (quite quickly!) and in a stern voice told her to get up. She then remounted and we rode home.

So, is this a way of getting rid of the rider i.e. was she being naughty? or perhaps she was tired? Maybe something else?

Is this common in youngsters?

 

[scotsmare]

How old is youngster in question?

 

[Berkeley]

She's 4 - same age as mine.

 

[Ezme]

never let her do it again! It's one of the worst vices possible as its almost impossible to cure becuase it works so well! It's the last evation a driving horse can do, throw itself on the floor, as you can't get them up if they don't want to! Slightly easier to stop in a riding horse though before it becomes an issue

 

[welshied]

There was one at my yard that did this and it can be quite dangerous she ended up getting a crushed leg. We always put it down as naughtyness.

 

[Berkeley]

I am glad you guys say this. My friend gave her a stern GET UP! a crack on the nose and a point with the finger. I think her mare knew she was not supposed to do it.

 

[Booboos]

My instructor's youngster did that once in the middle of a sponsored ride, so had to hop off and gave it a telling to (it was lucky the saddle didn't get broken), but it never did it again. We put it down to the horse being a bit dim and not realising it shouldn't roll with a rider on

 

[Hedgewitch13]

Mine did that once when I was lunging her. I went to change the rein and she said 'no' and threw herself flat on the ground. She then lifted her head and stared at me as if to dare me to do anything. A few stern words and a poke or two of the whip soon got her up and we continued as if nothing had ever happened. She never did it again though!

 

[josiesmithuk]

I was once competing at a the FPS breed show, was riding a 4 year old. Came forward in front of the judge and the mare just laid down cue lots of laughter!!

She did it at home the next day and got a big telling off!!

little bugger x x

 

[sillygillyhorse]

I had one who tried this a couple of times when he got hot out hunting. Second time he did it I stepped off him, gave him a swift kick in the ribs and a whack round the backside with my stick. He got the message loud and clear and never did it again. Agree with others rolling with riders on board is not acceptable behaviour and needs nipping in the bud.

 

[Theresa_F]

As others have said stop this now - even if she was tired it is a very bad vice.

Our Exmoor was a little sh*t at times, if he had enough of being ridden he used to do the same lie down and give me enough time to get clear or get rolled on, as a small kid I was helpless and he always did it when out of range of my mum.

As an adult I did ride another pony that did this and gave him a hefty crack up the backside as he tried to go down, pulled up hard and then a pony club kick to get moving. People might not agree with this, but after the second time of receiving the same, he realised with me that trying this on was not a good thing to do. There was nothing wrong with him, he had learnt how to get rid of his rider when he fancied it.

Obviously try to avoid doing too much with a young horse so they feel the need to do this, but try and stay on top and the minute they start to go down, do everything you can to get them up and forward. Reward them when they do get on, and if it is that they are tired, I would get off and walk them home after they had gone on for a few minutes of ridden work.

 

[Sarah1]

A mare my sister had years ago did this - she too was 4 yr old.
If she hit soft ground she would just try to get down, on the occasions she did manage it my sister had to jump off & kick her up!
She broke her saddle doing it but with a combination of stopping her doing it and giving her a good telling off if she did get down she ended up growing out of it, luckily!

 

[MrsMozart]

The three year old has done it. She has to be ridden due to clicky patellas. Got a good telling off, and if we'd known it could progress to being dangerous then she'd have been poked harder! She's a clever little thing and learns very quickly..., the bad as well as the good

. Will keep an eye on it now! Thanks OP for the post

.

 

[Cyberchick]

Very very bad and i'm afraid I would now have to be really firm and give them a good crack to make sure they didnt do it again as this is how I broke my leg in 2 places many years ago.

 

[fatpiggy]

I knew a young RS horse that did this. A month or two later she produced a lovely colt foal much to everyone's surprise. I think she was just tired by the lessons. There was also a wily old gelding who would get down for a roll, on the hour every hour - he was famous for it. Definitely something to nip in the bud.

 

[Annagain]

I knew an iron grey riding school pony who would roll every time he got wet, regardless of where he was - even on the road! You had plenty of warning to get off as he would start by rubbing one back leg up against the other, but the school still decided to sell him as he was a novice's ride in all other aspects but they couldn't use him for novices if it rained as they wouldn't recognise the leg rubbing.

Years later, and forty miles away a woman on my yard who was a very nervous rider had an old grey pony who was a saint. She bought him as a 20 year old but knew nothing of his history. I'd noticed that she never rode in the rain but just put it down to her being a fair weather rider. One day I was out with her and we got caught in an unexpected shower, five minutes later the pony started rubbing its back legs together and she jumped off in a hurry, he then rolled on the road. His owner said "I've been warned not to ride him in the rain, apparently he does that all the time when he gets wet." I was flabbergasted - it was the same pony! His name had changed and he was a lot lighter by then, so I hadn't recognised him. We'd never have known without that shower that day!

 

[Bowen4Horses]

[ QUOTE ]
I knew an iron grey riding school pony who would roll every time he got wet, regardless of where he was - even on the road! You had plenty of warning to get off as he would start by rubbing one back leg up against the other, but the school still decided to sell him as he was a novice's ride in all other aspects but they couldn't use him for novices if it rained as they wouldn't recognise the leg rubbing.

Years later, and forty miles away a woman on my yard who was a very nervous rider had an old grey pony who was a saint. She bought him as a 20 year old but knew nothing of his history. I'd noticed that she never rode in the rain but just put it down to her being a fair weather rider. One day I was out with her and we got caught in an unexpected shower, five minutes later the pony started rubbing its back legs together and she jumped off in a hurry, he then rolled on the road. His owner said "I've been warned not to ride him in the rain, apparently he does that all the time when he gets wet." I was flabbergasted - it was the same pony! His name had changed and he was a lot lighter by then, so I hadn't recognised him. We'd never have known without that shower that day!

[/ QUOTE ]

that's such a lovely story!

 

[karenjj]

I had a similar thing happen to me last year, let my mare stretch down as we'd been on a long hack, and thought she was just sniffing a mud patch next min..crushed ankle! She was just hot and didn't realise not to do it with me on, I now ride her much more positively and keep good leg and rein contact and she hasn't done it since!

 

[Tnavas]

I broke in a Dartmoor that did that - I put it down to not wanting to be ridden so it got a serious get up with the lunge whip - she never did it again.

Another time I was working at a harness horse stud and they were working some of the youngsters, one laydown in the shafts and wouldn't get up so the boss tipped somewater in its ear - It got up quick as a flash.

 

[ribena73]

The cob I used to ride tried to roll once with me on his back. I think he forgot I was there, I jumped off straight away and he looked a bit confused ad stood straight back up!

My son was in a group riding lesson once when three out of the four ponies in the class all got down an tried to roll, apparently they let the ponies into the school for a roll as they are kept in a barn during the winter. Not a good idea clearly!

 

[legaldancer]

I had a pony try to do it in a ploughed field when hunting & sweaty once.
But a friends pony actually lay down whilst waiting in the collecting ring once! He didn't intend to roll, just have a nap!

 

[Lippyx]

I think it must be a baby thing, but saying that, when we had a new school built, with a new type of suface, one of the older "should know better" horses, went in there, and rolled with a rider on her back! It was obviously because of the surface, but has never done it since!

 

[Berkeley]

I will have to keep check on my boy as this seems to be common amongst our youngsters.

It is dangerous in terms of injury - but I have to say - the look on my friend's face as she sank lower to the ground was absolutely hilarious. She was caught totally off guard and got completely confused. When they hit the ground she crawled off and along the ground 'army style' to safety. I laughed so much I cried!