Do You Ride Horses? V.4

[Rising]

mental racket: Aww...what a cute pony! I love the fluffy picture up top...fluffy ponies are my weakness right next to the Spanish breeds. xD She looks like a little angel. You must give her a hug from me next time you see her. lol

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Gonna see if I can't take some more pictures of my babies today and post them tomorrow. Just got back from last minute Christmas shopping so no workouts today with them- just gonna tidy up their stalls, brush 'em down, and call it a day. xD Tomorrow if the weather gets a bit warmer, I'm going to try and go for another ride on Sky and try and get Willow a bit desensitized to girth tightening (saw this Clint Anderson flick on how to use rope to do it and I am eager to see if it works xD). May try and work with her on some of her tricks too...been trying to get her to bow but all she does is try and climb in my lap when I get on the ground. She is nothing but a dog in a donkey's body. lol. I'm going to take advantage of this Christmas break since high school has robbed me of my time with my four-legged babies. xD

I'll certainly give Jessie a hug from you. ''Here pony, have a hug from a stranger on the internet, wait, you don't have the foggiest clue what the internet is.'' I think she's a bit of a dog in a pony body herself. I'm in awe of her fluff too because all the ponies at the riding school are trace-clipped. So this is my first winter of extreme pony hair.

I'd love to see some pictures of yours. I'll look forward to it greatly.

[Fortunea]

Whelp, I pretty sure it has been confirmed that I will be attending a dressage stable for a while. If you all remember from way back then, I did western events and freedom for a bit. It runs in my family to do english events such as dressage, show jumping and cross country, so I decided that I would join them in this as I have been studying dressage in my free time and found out that it is actually a very beautiful equestrian event when done correctly <3
Upon this decision, there is a high possibly that I will be leasing a horse (Looks like it's gonna be 16.3 Percheron Saddlebred cross) to do basic level dressage on.

Lucky. I really like dressage, I think it looks beautiful. c: That's a tall horse. XD Tink's only just over 12hh

[VRA]

i just got back from a riding lesson

[Livid-Silver]

@ᴇǫᴜɪɴᴇ; Sorry it took you awhile to find your reply >.< I probably should have broken it up into two posts, but I thought it wouldn't look too cluttered and was wrong Yep definitely gonna be a big boy, looking to get over 17hh at this point. All his siblings sit around the 17.2hh mark and I think there was one who was 16.3hh. I'm tall myself though and I like big horses so it all works anyway lol He has got a heap of bone on him though, I swear his legs are nearly as thick as Donny's xD

@ξƞçɧαƞtєđ; Hahaha I have no idea if I'll actually be able to go, but I'm hoping so. I'm not sure if they actually use guns at this club or not, but I know they have the hounds and its more of a mock hunt. However, we're on day two of the new paddock and he's still in there, so hopefully he'll stay in there lol I definitely agree, humans could take a page or two from the animals' book, a lot of people would be a lot happier being able to let go of hurt feelings.

@mental racat; Aww Jessie is so adorable! I love her dapples <33 She looks like a pony a friend of mine has, same kind of dappling and everything lol

[Rising]

I could do with some advice.

So there is this group of four girls in the village who often take Jessie out during school holidays and weekends. They are all slightly younger than me, about 11-13. Two of them at least are very nice but I've only met them a couple of times. The problem is that none of them are knowledgable about horse care. They don't do anything to hurt Jessie, they obviously care about her a lot. But they do things like piling hay onto the floor to sit on (which is fine because the floor is clean) then leaving it there for her to eat as well as feeding her chaff and more hay in a hay net. They don't always put her saddle on correctly. When they ride her they just mess about trotting and cantering around the fields. Basically they don't take it very seriously and they just want to have fun.
The question is: How can I politely but firmly tell them not to feed her so much? That's my main worry as she is fat. I'd also like to tell them about putting tack on properly and maybe a bit about riding her better. However I don't want to come across as a rude snobbish know-it-all. I don't want to stop them having fun, I only want to make it a bit safer for Jessie. She likes the company and especially the food but I don't want her to over-eat or get excited and start bucking, for example. Also I look quite young for my age so even though I'm older I don't have much natural authority.

Two of the girls, Sophie and Jess, have met my mum before and she reports that they are very open to instruction. I like them but the other two I'm not sure about. They are ok, but even less serious and they seem like they might have a rude side. I'd like to work out a plan for them to have Jessie some days, me on others, but I ride her on school days too and they can't so it seems a bit unfair.

What would you do in these circumstances?

On a happier note Sophie decided I could have use of Jessie tomorrow. In the UK it's the shortest day, the winter solstice. So I'm going out with a friend who I've been teaching to ride. We're going to set off at about 7:45 which is only just getting light where we live. We are taking lunch and Jessie will be having a grazing break. We plan to get back at about 2:30 and it gets dark at 4 so we'll be riding for nearly all the daylight hours!

[Hime]

@Tuffie:
You've only ridden three times. Does the instructor already make you trot? If yes, then I'd say it's way too soon.

As to this, I don't agree. I don't see anything wrong with trotting the first time you ride as long as they are short trots.

From my experience total beginners don't have the balance and skill to trot on a horse after just 3 rides, at least not on their own if they like to keep control. If someone runs along the horse and acts as a brake and stearing if needed, then that might be okay. I understand it's lot about how fast the person picks up things and also how the horse is they are riding, but in general I've never seen a person be really ready to trot on their 3rd lesson ever.

@GrimeBear: I think someone already mentioned, but get her mouth checked first and making sure the bit is fitted correctly. It might not hurt to check her back as well, since bucking and running sound more like back/pain issues... Then I'd try riding her again with the bit, since horses can have odd days and if she had had lot of time off it might have been partly her having excess energy. How ever if you know for sure she does better in hackamore in general, why not invest into one of your own. Other option is trying out different bits to figure out if it's her current bit she doesn't like or things in her mouth in general.
What kind of bit she has now?

@Amy Pond: That's what we though(added one row of line to the bottom originally to prevent them from sneaking off), but they still squirmed under. XD Though some of the lines were bit loose and they did 'lift' them out of place after they had gone under... But if he really did jump, and since he's done it before it does seem more likely, then woah. You're gonna have a serious jumper when he grows up more. Oh! You could try free jumping him when he's little older(if you have a suitable place for it).

@.drizzled.mango.: Haha, that's exactly what I ment. Not at my sharpest there, even if off meds. ^^'

@Stonefly: If he has appetite that's really good sign and I'd gradually rise the food amount, since he can afford to eat a lot at the moment. Plus he's a TB and those tend to be not so easy keepers, but obviously you see and can assess the situation best. Luckily young horses tend to bounce back quick, though on other hand they also grow some still(not sure though do TBs still grow at that age, seeing I'm more experinced with cold bloods who are pretty slow to grow). Good to hear he's well behaving though, since that probably makes things much easier in future as well.

@mental racat: Judging from to bottom pic, Jessie doesn't appear super fat. Chubby maybe, but it's really hard to tell without getting hands on her. lol Some just look fat without being actually fat, or have hay belly...
As for the situation with other people... Firstly do any of you have to mark up anywhere when Jessie has been ridden? Like if someone were to ride her early on the morning and then other person would show up later in the evening, would the second person know she's been ridden? If no, then you guys need to figure out som sort of schedule(if you all want to keep riding her), so that by accident Jessie doesn't end up over worked.
Second, the owner's oppinion on all of this. Since personally I'd very much like to know, who is riding my pony and when. Do all the kids have permission to ride Jessie and when ever they please?
Third, the extra feeding. Didn't she colic just while back? I'd be more concerned of her colicing again because of the excess food(plus the kids probably can't tell if the hay is good or bad either) rather than her gaining weight. Colic is serious business, so if you explain why feeding Jessie outside set feeding times is bad(unless they are told by the owner/person in charge to do so), and they are smart and really care about the pony, they stop feeding her and clean up the hay piles after themselves.
Fourth, actually teaching them. Well... If you have more experience than them, you could casually suggest keeping a lesson for them? Like either horse care+riding, or just riding lesson. Usually also when explaining how things are done correctly, it helps to also explain why is it done like that. Usually horse lovers are very eager and open to learn more about horses and how to take care of them right. And the ones that don't want to learn... Well, they usually don't care enough about horses sadly, so it might be hard to get through them.
If they don't really want to listen to you or you really don't feel comfortable getting into their business, then speak to the owner or maybe your mom, if she visits the place when the other kids are around and can get them to understand.
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Speaking of fluffy ponies... Brings back this one from last year. XD

[Rising]

@mental racat: Judging from to bottom pic, Jessie doesn't appear super fat. Chubby maybe, but it's really hard to tell without getting hands on her. lol Some just look fat without being actually fat, or have hay belly...
As for the situation with other people... Firstly do any of you have to mark up anywhere when Jessie has been ridden? Like if someone were to ride her early on the morning and then other person would show up later in the evening, would the second person know she's been ridden? If no, then you guys need to figure out som sort of schedule(if you all want to keep riding her), so that by accident Jessie doesn't end up over worked.
Second, the owner's oppinion on all of this. Since personally I'd very much like to know, who is riding my pony and when. Do all the kids have permission to ride Jessie and when ever they please?
Third, the extra feeding. Didn't she colic just while back? I'd be more concerned of her colicing again because of the excess food(plus the kids probably can't tell if the hay is good or bad either) rather than her gaining weight. Colic is serious business, so if you explain why feeding Jessie outside set feeding times is bad(unless they are told by the owner/person in charge to do so), and they are smart and really care about the pony, they stop feeding her and clean up the hay piles after themselves.
Fourth, actually teaching them. Well... If you have more experience than them, you could casually suggest keeping a lesson for them? Like either horse care+riding, or just riding lesson. Usually also when explaining how things are done correctly, it helps to also explain why is it done like that. Usually horse lovers are very eager and open to learn more about horses and how to take care of them right. And the ones that don't want to learn... Well, they usually don't care enough about horses sadly, so it might be hard to get through them.
If they don't really want to listen to you or you really don't feel comfortable getting into their business, then speak to the owner or maybe your mom, if she visits the place when the other kids are around and can get them to understand.

Thank you for your answer, also that's a lovely photo!
Although there is no system for recording whether Jessie has been riden that day or not I can always tell if these girls have been in as they move things around. I tend to leave everything in the same place so I don't think they'd be able to tell if I'd been. They usually come earlier than I do though. I think since school's broken up I will leave notes for them if I don't see them.
I know Sophie and Jess have permission to ride Jessie, they have done for a while. Steve, Jessie's owner, knows about the other two so I think they have an assumed permission at least. However Steve's wife, Helen, told me a while ago that she didn't mind Sophie and Jess riding Jessie on their own but she wasn't mad on the others coming. But Steve is the one who does most of Jessie's care I think, so it's up to him really. So basically they all have permission.

The extra food. I don't think her colic was related to it but it's not impossible. That's my biggest concern really. I'm definitely going to speak to them about it, I'm just not sure how to phrase it so I don't seem too stuck-up.

As for teaching them, if I was to teach them anything riding-related it would just be basic stuff like rein length and leg position. I'm not an expert rider myself but I am definitely more experienced than they are. Really I think I'd focus more on horse care since it's so much about common sense. I don't see why they shouldn't pick it up.

I think in a nutshell I'm worried about seeming to put them down too much. I don't want to be aggressive about anything I tell them, or make them feel stupid.

[Mercury.Muses]

Bwhaha! I haven't been posting, sorry guys. But I realized something yesterday, I use foot cues on my dog like I do with the horses xD! If I touch my foot to his side and press he stands, and if I put my foot in between his front legs and nudge upwards he stands up on his hind legs xD I find it hilarious.

[Rising]

Bwhaha! I haven't been posting, sorry guys. But I realized something yesterday, I use foot cues on my dog like I do with the horses xD! If I touch my foot to his side and press he stands, and if I put my foot in between his front legs and nudge upwards he stands up on his hind legs xD I find it hilarious.

Reminds me of when I'm walking my friend's dogs and I start clicking my tongue at them and telling them to ''walk on!''

[YeehawYall]

@GrimeBear -Does she get regular turnout or exercise? If she's been cooped up, she'll have lots of excess energy that she needs to release, so running and bucking might be why that's happening.

@My rides -Riding's been pretty good lately. Nothing extraordinary has happened, just some new horses and lots of good rides.

she lives in a big open feild, not a stall, so she can let energy out whenever