Scary Riding Lesson!

I had to ride a privatly owned horse because most of the school ponies were at a show. Anyways, his name was barney and he was a beautiful bay gelding. (I was thinking he was either TB or for some reason Trahkner..sp?).

But Anyways, he's not very old. I goton him and I had a crop, so I was figuring he would be a little lazy. And he was, when we were walking and trotting. But the second I asked hm to trot after we droppedour stirrups, he went so fast and was so unbalanced he stumbled 2 times before I got him slowed down. And cantering was a NIGHTMARE! He had a fast canter, but it wasn't hard to ride. Whe my trainer asked us to walk, I pulled back slightly because it had worked in walk/trot. Oh no.. He pulled bakc and kept cantering. So I started pulling harder and stuff,trying to get him to stop. He wouldn't. We went around the arena 3 extra times before I got him down to a walk. Then we cantered in the other direction, and the same thing happened. So I'm shaking because he's a big boy (his shoulder is above my 5'6" head) and he's not listening. So my trainer, Jess, tells me to get off. I hop off and she mounts. She canters him in both directions, working until he drops to a trot and then walk right away. Then I get to mount. From the ground. On this giant beast of a horse. It wasn't very graceful, but I managed to get back on. After that, it was a lot easier to slow him down. Until we got him outside to cool off. He started trotting and I had a reallyhard time stopping him. Then we were walking and he started spinning in circles, without me telling him to do anything. Gee I was soooo glad when I got off of him!

Have you guys had this kind of a lesson? I have a feeling I'm gonna be riding Barney a lot this summer, and I would love to have some input on what I can try to do to make him listen

:]

Wow that would be scary, I hate it when you feel a horse is starting to take off on you and won't stop when you want it to, my heart starts pounding so hard. And well it just never ends well lol.

Barney sounds exactly like my friends horse. His name is Rhiszo. She just got him not too long ago, and at first when she walked him he was a pretty lazy horse, he was the slowest walker, but as soon as she got him to go faster he really wanted to go, and he was very fast too!

Right now I think she's trying to keep him below a canter, but if he does start cantering she tries getting him to stop by pulling each rein back and forth making his head swivel and if he doesn't stop to that, she tries pulling the reins back slowly and further until he slows down.

If that still doesn't work, then you could try putting one of those straps on him that hooks from the bridle to the saddle to keep his head down. I hope he gets better for you soon:)

yes i had that problem with a horse named forbes at pine gate farm. he was a very sweet beautifull boy. one day i got on him and he decided to do the opisite of what i asked. i have no suggestions thought.



sorry.

yup! temperamental retired grand prix jumper named Rummy, My shareboarded young ex-racer TB Player, even a qh with the cantering. You just need to remember to sit deep and keep your heels down if they start misbehaving or won't stop. Also, turn their noses into the wall if you are asking and they aren't stopping. You just need to get used to disiplining them. I love those kinds of horses, especially when you can train them to listen.

Thanks everyone. I was actually trying the swiveling of the head and to the wall towards the end of the lesson. They worked, but that was because he was behaving much better.

I'm ridign again on tuesday, i actually want to ride Barney again so that I can try this. Yes, I know I'm probably crazy.:]

:D If you're crazy, then so am I!

I had the same problem when I started riding at this new place I go to. I rode a bay thoroughbred mare named Pearl. The first time I rode her she took off with me while we were doing our arena exercises. I was trying to get her into a trot but she wouldn't so I tapped her with the crop and she took off to the other side of the arena in a canter (i was lucky I knew how to canter or I would have been on the ground). I tried getting her to trot over cavaletti and she decided to jump 2 poles that were a good 4 feet apart...and I didnt know how to jump then. And I ride english so it's particularly uncomfortable when your trying to trot a jumping horse. so she did it again the next time too.

I started taking control of her...If she started to go one way I didn't want to go I took charge...thats the thing...I became a much better rider when I took control...because if the horse doesnt get that idea it thinks it can get away with it again. So I just wouldnt let him do it anymore. Stop him if you have to.

(How many hands is he really? because unless hes a draft he wont get higher than 18 hands, and if hes taller than you and your 6'5, then hes 19.2 hands which I think is prettyyyy big for a tb or trahkner. sorry...im like obsessed with tall horses and a horse bigger than 6'5 at the shoulder is a little unbelievable)

A horse that can't be stopped, needs a VERY experienced rider, some serious training, and probably a change of bit and some restraining gear in place. It's an accident waiting to happen and, when it does, a wheelchair awaits more often than not. Please do not ride Barney again under existing circumstances.

I'd question the judgement of your trainer to allow you to mount an undisciplined horse that you obviously can't handle yet. That's just asking for trouble.

Callie

Addie - I said 5'6", not 6'5"! haha simple mistake!

i ride english, too.

Callie - This is the second time I've ridden him. The first time was...I think last year? Now, I've been riding for 4 years. And his owner went away from collage, and he's just not made to be a school horse. (BO is taking care of him while owners gone). He likes to have the same person ride him constantly. I guess, since I haven't ridden him in a while, I was afraid to be too strict with him? So I really didn't want to pull hard or anything. Once my trainer got on, he started acting better. Plus, he's not that old.
I really didn't have a chance on whether I wanted to ride him that day or not. All of the normal school ponies(that I can ride) were at a show, and Obie was being used later. So I had to ride him, and I guess since I was one of the most advanced riders she had on friday, I got stuck on him. But I won't normally be riding him(I hope). And if she puts me on him, she obviously thinks I can handle him, so I can't really back out of it. Though i think I could...I did once with King...
And since he's privately owned, I don't think they can change his bit or anything. He has his bridle and a martingale.

i am not the greatest rider or anything but i have been riding for 2 years now and i know quite a bit. It sounded really scary. I havent had something like that but i have had a horse rear above me before. I think he might of gone fast if you tensed up at. To slow him own you needed to relax and show him that you where there and there was no reason to canter madly. Sorry i sound like a boffin but i am just trying to help!!! Good luck if you are going to ride again!! :)

stormiebaby - yeah, I was pretty tense. I had to work really hard to get him to canter, and once we got started, he didn't want to stop. But he really started to calm down near the end of the lesson, which is good becuase thats when we were jumping.

I don't know whether I'm a great rider. I'm good, but not AMAZING. I've ridden for 4 years, and been jumping for maybe 1.5 years? (Had a crappy trainer for 2 years who never pushed me or anything). Last tuesday, I rode jr and we jumping 3 ft(my all-time high). I normally jump like 2'6" or sometimes 2'9". I've ridden stubborn horses (JR!) before, and spazzy horses(JOEY!) and even reeeeaaaallllllyyy lazy horses (OBIE!). But they always slowed down eventually. Barney went on forever. Until he stopped (which isn't forever but whatever!). idk, it was like I couldn't ride when I was on him. It was really wierd.