Is it worth it?

[moli]

I have been riding for over a year now and have just taken a 13.2hh pony on trial loan. She is 19 years old but behaves more like 5. When I first asked for trot she was determined to canter - I have managed to correct this with lots of schooling but I am now having problems with canter transitions and the speed at which she moves.

When I ask for canter she seems to take off into a very quick canter making me more nervous and bouncing around in the saddle which obviously makes her go faster. I don't know if I am doing something wrong in my transition or if she is just too fast for me. I have only been working her in the school as I don't feel confident in taking her out as I feel she would just bolt.

Is it worth persevering or should I find something more calmer?

[Mossy]

She does sound interesting. In this position there are several questions that I would ask myself
Do you like her, as a "person" and do you want to persevere? Listen to your gut instincts. I know she is not yours but do you click. If that initial chemistry is not there you may be facing an uphill struggle.

How long have you had here and why was she for loan? It will take a while for you to get used to each other so don't take any decison hastily. Do you have a trusted instructor who can assess her and you on her. A practical eye on the ground can sort out all sorts of worries. You sound faily novice and an older horse is not necessarily a calmer one. It can also have all sorts of ingrained bad habits.

How long is the loan for. Do you want to spend time and energy schooling a horse for somebody else. Granted you will learn a great deal in the process. An instructor can teach you the theory but the horse will soon tell you precisley where and how it does or does not appreciate an aid being applied. Learnng to listen to a horse is a skill born of experience.

Finally we all have days when we seriously wonder if that "thing in the field" is worth the time energy and money it costs and want to jack the whole thing in, and take up crochet! Having said that you sound fairly new at the game and if after advice you are overhorsed, you would not be the first, or the last, and it is best to admit it before you or the horse get hurt.

Icannot answer your question but I hope I have made some usefull suggestions

[Sharon H]

The best advice I can give you would be to first of all, get the mare's teeth and back checked over. Then get a saddler to check that her tack, particulary the saddle fits properly. Don't assume that if she came with her own tack, that it fits her. Once you have eliminated any physical reasons for the mare to behave in the way that she does, you then have to decide for yourself whether she is too sharp for you as a fairly novice rider. There is no point in having a pony that you're too frightened to ride, on the other hand you will probably learn a lot from this mare, providing you have some help.

[moli]

Thanks for the advice Mossy.

I do like the pony - she is being very patient with me as I know sometimes she is confused with what I'm asking of her. However, if I ask her to trot and then try canter and if I ask her back to trot she starts doing a side trot and almost hopping to get back into canter which unnerves me.

I have only had her for 1 month - I realise it will take a while for us to get used to each other. Her owner has another horse so she has been giving me lessons until I get used to her. She has admitted that she is very stubborn and hasn't been properly ridden for sometime.

I feel that it may be worthwhile as I take riding lessons but riding school ponies are completely different to real life. However, I don't want to be put off for life either.

Thanks again.

[LindaAd]

It does sound scary, moli. I had the feeling when I was trying ponies. Could the bounciness be just because she is quite small and short-striding? Or could she be one of those ponies who just leaps into canter and then settles down? I don't know if you can school them out of it - I expect you can, but I've never owned one.

I think if I were you I'd be going much more slowly - ride her out just at a walk and don't trot until you are more confident of controlling her. Then try just a few steps of trot, and don't canter until you are confident at trot.

And yes, follow Mossy's suggestion of having lessons on her.

You don't say how experienced you are, but if she is your first pony, perhaps you should look for something a little steadier instead.

[moli]

I think you might be right Linda.

I had a problem getting her into the field yesterday, I don't think it helps that her stable mates are in another field and she thinks I'm taking her away from them so she keeps looking at the gate the whole time.

I tried walking her and then asking for trot. She was fine for a while but then went back to her old ways of trying to jump into canter. As I held her back to trot she starting throwing her head around and just being a real nightmare. It probably didn't help that I was a bit nervy as I don't know what she's going to do next.

I also feel that once I get in the field I don't know what to do - it's fine when someone is standing telling you. Maybe I should write it down beforehand.

Anyway, her owner is giving me a lesson on Saturday so I think I will decide after then if to keep at it. Sometimes I just feel over-ponied.

I am also having a lesson on Sunday with my Instructor who I am going to ask her honest opinion if I am fighting a losing battle.

Thanks for the advice
moli

[LindaAd]

I hope it goes well at the weekend, moli. Let us know what happens.

[moli]

I had an interesting weekend. On Saturday Amber's owner gave me a lesson in the field - surprise surprise she behaved like an angel for most of the time. She was better on one rein than the other - due to the gate I think. I had her going quite well but I didn't attempt canter as she started being a bit funny with me. I still wouldn't feel confident about going out with her though.

Anyway, I had a lesson yesterday at the riding school that I go to and my instructor was not happy with me. When I started going there I had a bad habit of gripping with my knees and after a few months she was pleased that I was losing this bad habit. However, yesterday I was back to gripping and she thinks it's due to the fact that I am losing my confidence with Amber and gripping on.

So I now have a dilemma - do I keep Amber on loan and struggle on or do I just concentrate on my lessons? I am learning a lot with Amber and she is different from the school ponies but I don't want to be put back.

[Mossy]

Hi
I am going to be very rude and answer a question with a question. What do you WANT to do and what do your gut instincts tell you to do. Not necessarily the same thing. I would discuss it at length with your instructor and go by their advice. You have advice on the ground so if you trust it take it. However remember that some equine relationships have to be worked at rather more than others.
The pony is on loan so you do not have the heartache of selling and questioning her home and destiny. What does her owner think? She will not be happy if her pony is being ridden by somebody who is not yet sufficiently experienced for her. It will not do the pony any good.
Sorry if you were after a do this or do that answer but without seeing you I would and could not begin to have an active opinion.
Good luck

[moli]

I know that you're right Mossy - I am simply looking for an easy answer. My gut instincts tell me that I could be fighting a losing battle as the pony is 19 years old and so it will be hard to get rid of bad habits. I also feel that I will never trust her 100% as her owner told me on Saturday that she bolted with an 11 year old who used to have her on loan and she ran across a main road. Her owner puts it down to the fact that the girl didn't pull her back and she seems to keep saying that I'll be fine as long as I can pull her back.

The reason that I am struggling to make the decision is because I have become quite friendly with her owner and I wanted to try loaning before I bought my own pony as I thought it would be a good learning experience.

Her owner doesn't seem too worried but she doesn't want me taking her out until I am happy. I don't have to worry about returning her as she is kept in her owner's field - it would just mean that she wouldn't be getting ridden.

Thanks for all the advice.

[judyl]

Hi Moli

I bought my first horse after having her checked by a Vet which was fine. I also rode her out with one of the women who worked for the dealers where I bought her and was told she was a really quiet horse and if she had been any quieter, she would have been dead!

Anyhow. I got her home and within 3 weeks she had bolted with me. She did share the field with one other horse who always had been with a companion and had been alone for about 2 months and then Misty arrived so I think she was totally possessive of her. As I rode out of the field she neighed and neighed and neighed. I went up the lane and Misty turned round and trotted back down the road. I thought, no, she musn't get away with that so turned her again but this time, she turned and cantered downhill! This time she didn't stop at the gate but carried on towards a really main road which was always very busy. I somehow managed to turn her onto the pavement and we cantered off along it - thank goodness there was no-one walking to the bus stop!

To cut a long story short - I totally lost my confidence and would only ride her in the field or out in company. I persevered for a year but we never ever trusted each other. I think you have already made your mind up about this pony. At least she has an owner who cares for her and she probably doesn't mind not being ridden and having all that time to laze in the field and eat!

Carry on with your lessons and sometime in the future, another horse will come up on loan or you find to buy, and this other one could well be the one for you!

Good luck, Judy.

[Sarah Jane]

If you decide this pony isn't right for you, find out if you can loan one of your riding school ponies. I recently bought my favourite riding school horse and you can learn a lot from them (they are very different when taken out of the riding school environment).

The advantage is you may feel more confident with a pony you already know fairly well and are happy that you can handle.

good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[marge]

One day I was looking at my three horses as they grazed and much as I love them, I do wish that I had taken the money I've spent and purchased one or two nice very "well trained " horses. If I was younger maybe the challenge of working with two green broke horses would be appealing but at this stage in my life I'd settle for a nice reliable trail horse. I bought two of these horses at an auction in very poor shape as three yrs old and green broke and have definitely developed a love for them and it would be very
hard for me to part with any of them. But I would've enjoyed the past years more if I had thought things out first.

I think everyone should look at what they really want to do with their horse and what they can do and buy one from that angle instead of thinking things will change or you can change things. I look at it as sort of a marriage where people think if or when they marry a person they can change them. It seems alot of horses are what they are, if you can work with it fine, but it's a lot easier to start with a horse that from the start you are satisfied with....Marge

[Sian]

Hi,
I've recently had a new pony and even though he isn't an angel, I knew as soon as I rode him that he was the one. I feel as though I've ridden him all my life.
I think that you just know when you've found your pony,
Good luck!