My 5th lesson on Stumpy the Wonder Horse

[Imzadi83]

And she is a wonder horse in so many ways. Just not any of the ones that involve moving :( She really is the safest horse they got and I feel safe on her. But I also feel her intense resntment at having to work for another hour with a 125lb woman on her back.

Maybe it's me? Maybe I have pushover on my forehead? Or maybe it was because it was stormy and distracting outside. I dunno but she was better for the little girl who rode her in the class before me. The little girl had to give her a kick but not nearly as many/much as I did and she was trotting over jumps! :( Not big ones but still...

I tried to apply the aids in a gentle progression. I squeezed and she walked but after that she just did not want to listen to me. The rest of the class was trotting all around me and I was in the middle of the arena fighting to make Stumpy go. And I do mean fighting. When I turned her rein she turned her head and glared at me. She moved her hind legs (I could feel it) like she just wanted another horse to come by so she could kick her frustrations out. That's kinda mean really, taking it out on the other horses when I'm the one she's mad at.

I finally kinda "won" before the last fifteen mins of class. We sorta trotted over some downed jumping poles and cantered a few strides. My RI was very nice. It seemed she was ok with getting me to do "new" stuff even though I hadn't really done much the rest of the class. And she was helpful and encouraging about getting Stumpy to go without being mean or seeming dissapointed.

Some of my classmates had a rougher time then I did last night so in the end I was thankful that my "Wonder Horse" was so safe. Even if she seem to save all her day's frustration to take out on me. Off her back her impeccible ground manners (when she's headed home anyways) shined and she went in her stall fine and even a few peppermints richer. Still I know I'll ask for another horse next class. Stumpy and I need a break from each other and I want to try riding someone with a little more get up and go.

[horseygal90]

Unfortunatly most riding school horses have become used to riding school life and knowing they can get away with hell with most people! Did you have a crop/schooling whip? I carry one with Steppy, I'm not saying turn to it immediatly but it's very useful when he has his moments, just to remind him who's who with a tap. Often, it's best that you are a bit firmer at the beginning of a lesson and ease it off as they listen to you than taking a softly softly approach which makes it hard to win any respect from them.

[Midnight Rose]

Some horses you can't fight with, they'll just fight back.

How were you feeling while riding? It sounds a bit airy fairy but I swear it works. If you were getting more and more stressed and annoyed she would react to that. The best way to get a horse going, I've found, is to be all excited yourself. Act like you really want them to go forwards, picture the going forwards don't get stuck in the frustration of her not going anywhere.

I never ride with a stick yet you should see some of the ploddy horses go! :D


The little girl was probably concentrating more on what she was doing and just expected Stumpy to do what she asked. The amount of times I've ridden horses with little quirks and I didn't know about the quirk and the horse didn't do it. I just wasn't expecting the quirk to happen and was thinking about another part of the riding, I think that's all it was. I don't think I was firmer or kinder or softer or harder on those horses than anyone else, I must have just asked them to do things in a way that made it easy for them to give me the right answer.


ETA: Never flap and repeatedly boot a ploddy horse, they will just get more and more dead to your leg. Only use the strength required to get a reaction and once they react reward them by sitting still. It might seem a bit daft to a human to reward a really ploddy step forwards, but she gave you what you wanted. The more she understands that squeeze/nudge means go forwards the more forwards movement you'll get. It's really hard to get this on a RS pony I know, because you feel that's not your job and you should be learning to ride not school, but it's very worthline learning this and it might be worth trying it next time if the RI is happy to let you do your own thing in the middle. Maybe hire just Stumpy and the school for a bit and see what happens?

[Imzadi83]

Thank you both for the advice. I was considering a crop but was afraid I'd just end up dropping it. But that's interesting about being firmer in the begining. I'll def try that next time I ride her.

As for my state of mind, I was tired but still very excited to be riding and looking forward to riding Stumpy. I did get very stressed very fast when she wouldn't go. I acutally had to have a good cry today over the whole thing she put me through. I was expecting her to act up though.

As soon as she started trotting I started to post and then she would stop. *sigh*

[Skippys Mum]

It still sounds to me like she just knows her job and is trying to look after you. Even the turning her head to make sure you are allright sounds like it. And it would suggest that she knows the little girl was able to do that little bit more and she knew it too.

I would agree with carrying a stick though. You dont have to use it but sometimes just the having it is enough to make them wake up slightly.

One other thing, does your yard do hacks - out of the school? If so, could you try one of them because you will probably find she will be more lively out hacking and you would maybe get to grips with her a bit better.

Or failing that, why not try a private lesson to get the pair of you going?

Trust me though, safe is good:D:D

[Midnight Rose]

Don't look at her if she's annoying you. I don't know if you were, but if you're all tense because she's not going anywhere and you're glaring at the back of her head you are sending a lot of 'dont go' signals to her. Look up and direct you both forwards. Think 'we are going forwards! Exciting!' and look at where you want to go.

Might help :) I find that if I'm not too bothered about where I'm going neither is the horse.

As my first RI used to say to me. Look where you want to end up! And that includes the floor :D

[palmerlover52]

Ditto all the others, but maybe she was just tired, if she had a lesson before? Food for thought ;) Good luck :)

[Imzadi83]

I think you're all right. She's definatly tired. She's their safest horse and I'm sure she'd been working all day.

And I do tend to stare at the back of her head. And I'm always watching her while she's watching the other horses take their turns around the ring. I'm trying to connect with her on an emotional level and she's just not interested in bonding. I guess since I don't take control of her she may just assume I'm incapeable and doesn't trust me to do it when I try.

My RS does "practice lessons" but I don't think you can take just one and I can't afford to sign up for a lot. They do leasing but not in the summer and it still doesn't guarante you're gonna get to ride *your* horse. But yeah I wish I could work with her one on one. I try to in the begining when it's just her and me and the others are tacking up their horses but Stumpy is a follower and she won't do anything then either.

[dizzybee]

Ditto all the others, but maybe she was just tired, if she had a lesson before? Food for thought ;) Good luck :)

Maybe she is like us all and was having a female moment as someone who owns the original stroppy mare keep your chin up as when Moss is in a good mood she is brill