its not right

[tarkia]

this isnt right or fair.
my friend owns a lovely well manered dales pony that jumps fine but she makes it as if hes being naughty.
as she approches a large jump she flaps her legs as if shes smacking the horses sides but with her legs which does put her horse off then she whips him like mad at least 5 times and very hard.
I cant see him doing anything wrong what can I say to her as i dont like to see such a good pony getting hurt and told off for no reason

[lamprellsarah]

ask her first why she is doing this??
ask her if he would jump it without her doing this??
if the pony doesn't need this i would have thought it would get flustated or speed up does it not do either of these??
does she have lessons?? does anyone esle more experienced watch her who maybe she would take it better from??

sometimes on a x country jump, i have to give my horse a few smacks and nudges, to get her bouncing because it is a big jump and i know i haven't got her full concentration or a i approaching the jump flat!! my mare is older and very long backed she needs this extra sometimes otherwise we would hit the jump, but we have won, and been placed in x country more than anything esle!!

[maverick927]

My pony is really slow on the flat and needs the whip a lot but show him a jump and he's fine, I've learned to leave him alone, but it was quite hard to get out of the habit of kicking..

Do you think though that maybe your friend has ridden a horse in the past that has refused which maybe put her off and she doesn't want that to happen again? you should tell your friend to leave the horse alone and just see how she goes over the jump. If she doesn't jump you'll know why then, that she needs pushing on.

[Dizzy]

Over the past few weeks I have really had my eyes opened - firstly I don't know whether you read my post about BSJA, but I have seen the most appaulling abuse of the whip - which I have now complained about.

But I have also watched just recently a jumping lesson at a livery yard that a friend keeps her youngster at (she wasn't taking part). The lesson was being instructed by, to my knowledge by an AI. The 2 kids could hardly raise a consistant trot without kicking so hard you could hear the sound from the other end of the arena (which was admittedly small) but the sound sent shivers down my spine. I waited for the instructor to teach them how to teach the horses to respect thier aids - but she didn't. She actually encouraged more kicking and a whip round thier backside to inspire them!

I was really disappointed, as the young lass I teach stood and watched this, she has also been taught the same kick to go method in her previous riding school, and has found my teaching hard work. And with that I don't mean anything skilled, all we work on is walk, trot and steering, she has very poor balance, relies alot on the riens and pommel, but had been jumping in her previous 'riding school'!!

I think there are serious questions to be asked about how riding is taught. I know you may find my reply slightly off topic, but it all depends upon the way your friend has been taught - obviously by someone very similar to the lesson I witnessed.

Lesley

[ridingstar]

In my view a horse or pony should not normally be hit hard before a fence. A smack to wake him up on the approach can be useful or occasionally, a good whack on take-off can help in an emergency, e.g. when impulsion is suddenly lost at the last moment. Yesterday I saw a lovely piece of riding when an experienced eventer approached a drop fence over a stream and, sensing the horses hesitation, she quickly span the whip around in her hand and gave her horse a really hard whack which sent him flying across the stream in a wonderful jump.

Five or more very hard whacks before a fence, though, is excessive and I would think suggests that pony and/or rider are out of their depth and need re-training.

When I watch my instructor schooling her young horse over fences she occasionally hits him really hard on the bum as a reprimand after a disobedience such as a refusal, but never more than three whacks and never in temper.