Do You Ride Horses? V.4

[gremlin]

Hey guys I had a question, I work with horses but no longer ride. we just got a pony at my barn who had ill fitting tack for most of her life, can't chew anything and is in really bad shape, the biggest thing is that she has scars from the tack all over her back, does anyone know if they might be painful to her and if so if there is anything i can do?

[Hime]

@Amy Pond: I don't know how I'll manage when the actual school starts again next week... But at least all my courses from now on are going to be about horses, so that helps.
I'm really surprised how well it has gone with Tý too. <3 He has his bad moments and sometimes we disagree on where to turn left, but other than that he's been really great and I dare to say I may enjoy riding him little more than Heta. Only problem is that he has so much more movement than Heta, that his non-clean tolt is horrible to sit. Like Heta's I can deal with, Tý's... holy smokes I can't keep my but in the saddle. And then L just laughs at me and says wait until you get to ride Feykja.... >_< Our weather suddenly started to turn very chilly. Like the night temps have been just about under 10C most of the week and even day time it's not much over 15C anymore. Which is great as Heta's growing her coat back super quick and I really need to be carefull when and how much I clip as I really really really don't want to rug her during winter. I don't think I will clip Tý, he's not working that hard to get sweaty and he's going to have little vacation time now, so when he comes back to work the weather should be cooler. ^^ He is getting super fuzzy though and currently has some dapples going on due the coat changing and hair being different lenght here and there.
I've tried a drop with Heta, doesn't really make a differance as far as I can tell... Loose ring vs. eggbut, I honestly get the feeling she's more comfortable with eggbutt and with loose ring I just worry about that the corners of her mouth get pinched as she has fairly thick lips... And bit guards I've found all have larger holes then the mouth piece, as Heta likes thinner bits, so then the lip might actually get pinched in between the mouthpiece and the bit guard... I really don't know what's with her sometimes... I supposed she could be just tired (one of the reasons I clipped her), but then again she's pain in the butt sometimes from the start. I almost feel like blaming it partially on hormones (and small part on me as well, as we are both bit stubborn sometimes on which should give...).

@Tenturo: You stay calm for starters, use your voice to try calm her down if you feel like she's not responding to other aids. Sometimes horses need to get that energy out before they can focus on actual work. Maybe lunge her before getting on? Sometimes lack of balance can cause horse to rush as well. Doing some ground work could also be usefull so that she's listening to you. If she was a non-greenie I'd say stronger outside leg and leading rein aids(taking the inside hand to the side). Lifting head up can also be sign of avoiding the bit(or was she bitless, can't remember exactly). But she's a greenie, so hard to say what is miscommunication and what is her not listening. If you are trotting and she's not turning > double check your aids > slow her down to walk > turn. Sometimes it's hard for green horse to turn in speedier gaits(at least that was the case with me and Tý before I figured out his buttons properly) and they may need quite bit of support from the rider to keep their balance. If you feel like you have issues in trot, first sort them out in walk. If she's othervise fine in walk, but tries to rush off, keep her head busy with circles changes of direction and other patterns.

@Castiel: Poor thing... The scars themselves may not hurt if it's the typical white hairs type of tack sores. But the problem might be the muscles under the skin, which could be very tight and tense from trying to avoid the pain caused by the tack. Muscle issues take a while to heal up and might need a massage etc. to help the recovery. Actual big scars from wounds can be painfull or at least disturbing for the horse if they run very deep into the tissue. Like when branding the horse, if the iron is held too long it can cause deeper tissue damage than just the skin, which then is not necessarily comfortable for the horse. So I would have a vet and physio of somesort to check out the areas. People who do fascia massage/stretching are pretty good at finding and treating muscle issues from my experience. Warming muscle relaxing liniments might help with sore muscles (arnica products for example), but if the skin is still irritated from the bad tack then it might be better to wait.
_______________
Clipped pony from last week... But her coat is growing back like a weed I swear.

Vet checked her teeth today, other than some general sharpness on the outer edges which then had caused some soring at the back of her cheeks, nothing bigger. Pretty good I'd say for a horse who maybe has had her teeth checked 3/5 years ago... Ooops... >_< Feykja and Tý got their shots. Tý's also going to start his little holiday, not yet sure how long, couple weeks at least. That way me and R both can adjust to school season starting before adding another horse to the horses to ride list, which for R is really pretty long...

[Whippet.]

Thanks for the tips Amy Pond! She's worked and bridled everyday so after a couple more months it'll be easy peasy. Had the show today and took the bridle pretty well, went very slow with her and was super composed in the ring taking out a 2nd in her breed class was better behaved than my seasoned show mare lol Took everything in her stride and although a tad apprehensive about small things like 'the big bad speakers' or another horse float, trusted us enough to remain calm Only had one issue right at the end when the ribbon came out lol but overall for her first show she was sensational! Would have done her a world of good

[spicy.teaa]

I started my first lesson on Sat and my horse is soooooo bouncy, does anyone have any tips for staying in the stirrups and keep my horse at a steady trot? Thank you!

[tenturo]

I started my first lesson on Sat and my horse is soooooo bouncy, does anyone have any tips for staying in the stirrups and keep my horse at a steady trot? Thank you!

Whenever i started out, i struggled staying still at the trot too >_<
just make sure your heels are down and toes are up - i tend to put more pressure with my thighs and in the stirrups during the trot if im staying in the saddle. Otherwise i'd recommend posting - it makes trotting much more enjoyable for me.
If your horse is starting to slow down during the trot, just give them a little kiss or nudge to keep them moving - my horses always had a bad habit of slacking off. Eventually they'll realize when you want them to trot, etc., they want you to keep at it until you say otherwise

[spicy.teaa]

Thank you for the great advice! I will definitely keep that in mind. My lesson horse is a retired event and show jumping horse so she's a great horse, just pretty bouncy, haha!

[ryukrem]

I had my first fall off Alice.
I'm discouraged and defeated, but I really hurt my back. I rode for the first time today and I couldn't even trot without almost being in tears from the pain.
Pray for me that my therapeutic massage fixes me tomorrow.

[zliti]

@bitanic

I'm so sorry to hear about your fall, and I do hope that your massage does some good! However, I do have to give in some of my own advice here: never let a fall discourage you from something you can enjoy. I don't know your story with this horse, but I do know that when you fall it makes you wonder if it was your fault, or if there is even really a reason to continue. But, in the end it's worth it. Never, ever, ever let a fall get in the way of something that makes you happy.

@everyone

Well goodness it's been awhile.

Everything is well in my horse land, for the most part. I've begun to ride my ArabxQuarter around some barrels, and am hoping to show her in speed classes next fall at our fair. She's a bit older, 18 actually, but still has all that spunk an Arabian does. I'm so happy with her.

I did win Overall Grand Champion at my Doubletree's show! It was my first time officially being in an arena, so it was really a rush! I only rode under saddle once, the rest of it was driving classes, but the time I was under saddle was... interesting. My mule has never been in an arena, and I thought it was smart to throw her in with the speakers going and new horses... Let's just say it didn't end well and I placed last, hehe. But, all's good! I know what I need to work on with her for next year =)

The only problem we're having is with one of our driving mules, Jim. He is so super head shy that we don't even know what to do with him. But see, he's not terribly bad. We can put a rope halter on and off him, and a regular clip halter. It's just when we take that bridle to his face he freaks out when it goes over his eyes. We do know that he's had some bad experiences with the bridle in his past, having to do with jamming the bit in his mouth. It's gotten so bad that he's thrown people up against the barn and bruised a few ribs when they try to put it on him. Keep in mind, he's a big ol' Percheron mule that's built like a frickin tank. I know that getting bunted by any horse hurts, but this guy hurts.

Is there anything that you guys could recommend to help calm him down? Anything helps!!

[Livid-Silver]

@Tenturo; I'd try and be really steady with your body and 'hold' her with your core. Sort of like a half halt. Usually, if your persistent, a horse will match how 'quick/much' your body is moving, so in the trot for example, if you rise slower and smaller, she should slow her steps down to match. Often checking them with the bridle isn't effective in these cases, as they tend to hollow out and resist it anyway, like you said. As for turning, give her heaps of warning, shift your weight to the way to want to turn and try turn her from your thighs. My instructor always tells me to imagine a channel which runs in-between your thighs and that channel is where the horse must stay. Helps you stay more aware if they are swiggling out as well, so hopefully you can correct before it gets to full on drifting and refusing to turn lol If she gets a little uptight undersaddle, try your best to not let that feeling rub off on you. Stay nice and relaxed and she should calm down too. Sometimes breathing really loudly and slowly will remind your horse to breathe too. Gives them something to concentrate on lol

@Hime; Urg I am still holding out for my animal classes! Got another semester before I get to take those lol Least your classes sound like they should be fun! Riding the young horses is so much fun! Just wait another 6 months and I bet you won't even recognize Ty, they progress so quickly. Like just imagine when he gets some really strength and power to put into his stride And fair enough re-clipping. It can be an awful pain with rugging and such, just causes extra work in that department, so if he's not in full work there's not much benefit. Heta's clip looks very cute <3
It sounds like you've tried pretty much everything I would with her bit issues and since none of it really worked, it might just be an evasion tactic for her Which is such a pain! Wouldn't it be nice if everything was an easy fix? Only other thing I could think of trying would be laterals to try loosen her up a bit and lots of changes within the gait and riding different lines/circles/directions so she doesn't get the opportunity to get 'stuck' but I'm not sure how effective that would be Maybe worth a try? Sounds like a tricky one to fix...

@Whippet; Oh I'm so happy to hear she did well at the show! Successful outings definitely help to build confidence!

@Tracer_Trash; You've gotten some great advice already but I wanted to add that sometimes shortening your stirrups while you're learning to rise to the trot can help keep you a bit more secure And also you don't need to throw yourself out of the saddle or push off from your feet, just let the motion of the horse carry you up, which is harder than it sounds! Practice and time in the saddle is key

@Bitanic; If you're in that much pain, I wouldn't be riding. Its not going to do you or Alice any good and if something is hurt, if you happened to come off again you could do some serious damage. If you need to, get checked out by a doctor or physio. As for feeling discouraged, I'm not going to say don't feel that way, because it is human nature to do so, but there is no real reason you should feel that way. One of the risks of riding is falling and its gonna happen on occasion Plus, Alice is only young (if I remember correctly) so you've got all the time in the world to get things done. There is no need or reason to rush things. Take your time, enjoy the journey and all the ups and downs that come with it

@Mickey d's; Hello! I don't remember you, but I have been popping in and out of this thread irregularly because of course work lol If Jim is fine with a halter and only seems to react when the bit is brought into the equation, could you undo the bit from the bridle on one side, put the headstall part of the bridle on and then slip the bit into his mouth and do the cheek piece up? Does that make sense? It just might help to break it down for him so he doesn't get so overwhelmed by the whole process. Or figure out someway to attach a bit to his halter and practice with that. Does his bridle have blinkers on it? You mentioned he was driven, so could the blinkers be causing an issue (if he has them on his bridle that is). Also, keeping his head bent towards you will give you a little more control and prevent him from really throwing his head around, just be mindful his poll would be closer to your face if he did happen to play up.

~~~
Reggle is going good I really want to get some more video of him cause he's progressing rather nicely if I do say so myself. My instructor has done bit of a 180 on her opinion of him, so we must be doing something right lol Main goal at the moment is to help him find his balance in the canter and to continue building up his strength. He picks up on stuff really quickly, but V doesn't want to rush him before he's physically ready (which I agree with) so most stuff is just gaining strength. I've noticed a difference in him over the last few weeks, his gait has changed a decent amount; he has a lot more cadence compared to the start of the year, so I guess it must be working. Also, a slight disclaimer, all of this was written at 3:20am so I apologize for any typos, grammar errors or otherwise rambling sentences which do not make a whole lot of sense

[Keletheryl]

Hi, i need help. Bare with me, it's long but i have some bad behavioral problems i need help with!!!

I have been leasing a young gelding for about two months now once a week. The owner of the horse said he is broke to ride and she trusts him with her 5 year old daughter. I was looking for an easy horse because I'm just getting back in the saddle after 3 years of no horse so am a bit rusty.

He's been pretty good at listening the first month but this month he's been testing me. He was testing me during lunging 2 weeks ago even when i had the whip out. He has started cantering when i ask for a trot almost making me fall off as i was not prepared to canter.

The heat has been really high here so last week i only rode him for a short amount of time and he was good. He listened to my direction really well, and everything ran smoothly.

Well Today was a complete horror show. I went and brought him into the ring and he was doing really well he lifted all his feet for me, stood still, was a good boy. Until i went to put on his bridle. Usually he gives a little bit of resistance but that's normal. This time he backed up, reared his head, and would NOT open his mouth for the bit. I ended up using his halter and decided to lunge him with the whip to see if he would challenge me again during lunging and hopefully reassert some dominance with him. He lunged like an angel so i tied him back up and once again he backed up and tossed his head, flicked his tail at me like an angry cat. He also kept smacking his lips together as well while doing this. I didn't give in though and finally he gave in and took the bit.

I decided to give him a shot and got into the saddle and walked him around the arena a few times. He listened to my directions good so i thought i would try a trot. He did not trot but instead did about 5 little "bucks" like he was trying to get me off. Now worried for my safety and clearly i can see he is not happy with me (maybe because of the bit fiasco?) I decided to get off and let him back into the herd.

Need some serious help here! Why is he suddenly acting like such a jerk?! I dont pull hard on the reigns and i know what im doing. For some reason as of lately he has been testing me but today by far was the worst. I dont think im going to keep on leasing him after this but i would still like to know what he was doing!!