how to train a horse to stop when u fall off...

[barebackqueen76]

does anyone know how to teach a horse how to stop when * fall off?

i ride bareback everytime i ride and i fall off every now and then and its sOoOoOoOoOoOo annoyin when i have to walk ALLL the way to the front gate to get my horse. especially when i have to walk up a huge hill!!!

if anyone has any ideas *** tell me c** i could use them really badly!

thanks
~barebackqueen76 aka Rachel

[Tina&Dale]

Don't let go of the reins!! lol

That's all I can suggest. :D

[chewitmonster]

My instructor told me a story about him and his 18hh baby horse...every time my instructor went to his horses' stable he'd whistle so that the horse knew he was coming and he started to pop his head over the door to welcome my instructor. (the back of his horses stable looks over the school and if the back shutter is open his horse will watch him all the time and sometimes call to him if he hasn't whistled to say hello) One day, while out on a hack on their lonesome, his horse spooked, threw my instructor and bolted down the road. My instructor straight away started to whistle and his horse stopped, looked round and trotted back to him.

Maybe you could hum a tune, or whistle, or something so that your horse can recognise you?

Just a suggestion! :) xxx

[entreat]

I don't know if this works, but I heard this recently from a trail outfit owner (he trains all his own horses). I'm also not sure if I would want to try it.

He said to sit a big bag of sand (say 20kg?) on the saddle & attache the reins to them. When the horse moves off & the bag falls off, it's meant to be too heavy for him to drag too far & the yank on the reins would also discourage him from running away.

The more I think about this, the more I think that not only is it very painful for the horse, but also 20kg is not much for a horse to drag around if he set his mind to it.

Now I'm beginning to realise why his horses are so hard-mouthed!!

[Yann]

I certainly wouldn't want to try it, it sounds horrible.

Your horse will be more likely to stop if you have a good relationship with it and it sees you as someone to trust and rely on in a situation. Some horses are more naturally inclined to be like this anyway, Rio has always stopped and waited for a faller.

You can work on it though, one of the benefits of join up for example is that the horse tends to be more inclined to stick with you if something unexpected or scary happens.

[entreat]

my old stock horse would stop right next to me & give a look that said, "and what are you doing down there again... I mean really..."

My TB would give a look behind him as he cantered off that said, "that's weird... what's she doing on the ground? it was only a little buck..."

[Tina&Dale]

Chewitmonsters idea is the one I'd go with. I trained my horse to come to me when I call or whistle because he likes to hang at the back of the paddock and I'm too lazy to walk that far! lol

I've never tried to use it after a fall - haven't had the opportunity and thank goodness for that! (knock on wood). I'm sure it would work though!

[ucandoit]

Sometimes I jump off my horses while we are walking along, to see what they would do. Most of them stop, and if they don't I ask them too by clicking and turning them around. They think back to their ground work and stop and come back. No contact is actually made on the reins. I haven't tried it, but I guess the next step would be to 'fall' onto the ground, to actually teach them what to do in that situation. Unlike most people, I ALWAYS hurt myself when I fall off, ending up breaking a bone or in hospital or something. Some people land on their feet!!

[cvb]

I'm almost certain we've had a thread on this before - and it related to practising emergency dismounts step by step. You start simply by stepping off the horse while its moving, and asking it to stop once you are on the ground. Then it builds to you stepping off but "falling" down, and the horse is asked to stop. and so on.

i.e. you "teach" the response to the horse through safe repetition of a process.

can't remember what the thread was called - but you might try a search for emergency dismount and see if that finds it ?

[Harry Hobbes]

cvb,

It is buried in your thread:
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28909

There is a very workable training exercise to teach your horse to stop and stand still should you do an "unscheduled dismount"; it's located here, posted by "Little Mike":
http://www.johnlyons.com/vbulletin/...p;threadid=1239

Best regards,
Harry

[BallouBaby]

I think you just have to develop a really strong bond with your horse. I have had my horse for almost 2 years. I love 'playing' with him, but letting him off the halter in the barn isle and letting him sniff around and seeing if he comes and rewards him when he follows me and stuff. I give him treats, massages, and groom him every time i ride (around 3 or 4 times a week). In the beginning when I first got him, he would buck a lot, and when I got bucked off, he would just bolt away. Now, when I happen to fall off (he doesn't buck anymore) he immediately stays by my side, and even nudges me a little to see if I am okay. I think its just a bond issue, though for some horses, I could be wrong.

[PromiseMe]

I think its a lot about personality....and your bond with the horse.
Some horses are just more independent, and some more dependent. those who are dependent, will stick around even after your fall - just like how he'd follow you even on the ground if you walked around. and the independent ones would just run off having fun...
I had this one horse who when I fell he wouldnt move an inch....his legs would be right beside me. I htink its actually a lot safer as well...the chances of you getting trampeled are slightly slimmer... and even when i feel and dragged his mouth (i idnt let go of the reins...i used the reins and his mouth :( ouchie to stop myself my smashing into the wall...ey it owrked, but he wasnt pleased) and even after that huge mouth tugging..he still only walked away very slowly after i let go.

And...dont let go of the reins...but it COULD hurt the horses mouth. And realy - its not THAT hard walking there to get your horse is it? I mean its not like you fall off ten times every session eh ;)

[cvb]

PromiseMe

About 3 months after I bought Fi we were out for a hack. It was October and the sun was low in the sky. It had been raining and the fields were flooded - plus there was a brisk wind. We came over a rise and were looking into the sun - Fi spotted some movement but cos of the sun could not see what it was - so she got worried. Just after that there was some plastic in a tree - it blew - she ran away - over a ditch and through a fence !

I managed to sit the ditch, but as she ploughed through the fence I hit the deck. She freaked out and galloped off.

So there's me - worried my horse has been cheese-wired by the fence, some distance from home - wondering exactly how I'm going to track my horse and what I will find when I do ! :eek:

Luckily for me she followed our outward tracks home, was not cheese-wired. The saddle was under her tummy and needed a good clean up, I lost my saddle bags ( but someone found them a few weeks later), and apart from bruises we were both ok.

But it could have been so different as there are woods and so on she could have gone into and bled to death without me being able to find her...

So yes, I'd really like a horse that stops when I fall off....

[cvb]

Harry

Gosh - you're turning into my conscience ! ;)

I just read an article about Ken Blanchard, who wrote "the One Minute Manager". The interview writes

"As a once avid reader of self-help books, I'd often been struck by how, after reading one, you can be buoyed up for a few days then lose the will to change as the feel-good factor wears off." They then ask Ken about this and Ken says "You need to practise something consistently for it to sink into your head."...and... "If you really want to get a lot out of a book, read it six times. Nothing good happens by accident, you have to out the effort it."

It was really good to revisit that thread. Full-time working, commuting and the lousy Scottish summer which is now turning into winter - have all limited the hours I have been able to do with Fi. But we have been doing some of the things those threads laid out. I discovered I didn't need to put a "sheep on a stick" to find something to spook Fi - a plastic bag on a stick does well enough for now. I do need to do more on dismounting exercises - but we have been doing more work on our L1 Parelli, and finding unusual things to do - have a make-shift "bridge" to play with, played in a stream, and so on.

Onwards and upwards :D

[Harry Hobbes]

It was really good to revisit that thread. This is why I capture pertinent threads and save them on my computer. Then, occasionally, I review.
I discovered I didn't need to put a "sheep on a stick"...
Oh rats!

I was so looking forward to seeing a picture of this. I'll bet it would look baaaaaaaad.

Harry

[barebackqueen76]

thanks

we haved moved my horse quite a few times to new horse barns and since we have moved him our relationship is like crap now. he used to come when i would call for him at the gate and he didnt mind separatin from the herd. but he still would run to the barn. i think once he stopped when i fell off. i would try callin him the same way i did to get him to come to the barn but it never worked. it is sooo frustrating!

now when i fall off in the pasture he goes strait to the herd. he is way too attached to the herd and i hate it. he doenst come when he is called and i can never ride by myself to work with him b/c my friend always rides and she is very sensitive and im afraid it i ask her to not ride w/me her feelings will get hurt and she will hurt herself.

it is hunting season so now i cant ride in the woods so i ride on the rode. im afraid im gonna fall off and there goes the horse and me on the ground. he'll prolly get hit with my luck and then i wont ever be able to get another horse.

well ill finish this later cuz im in school and the bell is about to ring

thanks yall
~Rachel

sry for typos

[cvb]

Rachel

It takes horses quite a while to settle down in a new place. They tend to feel insecure and cling to what feels safe to them - in this case the other horses. But it will change with time.

I find that ground work - lunging and in-hand stuff, really helps with relationships. (and loose work if you have the chance). This may also help your friend feel less "left out" as its something you can help each other with - but one horse at a time ! Or suggest that you do stuff like video each other :)

You can also do stuff like get there a few minutes early and just do nice stuff for your horse (groom him, scratch his itchy places and so on).

Is there any particular reason why you think you're going to fall off ?

[barebackqueen76]

we have been at my friends place about 3 almost 4 months and he still is like this.

me and my friend dont plan to meet at a certain time and i try to aviod the barn or house so maybe she wont come but she still comes. i always groom Speckles before and after we ride. he is spoiled...while i am grooming him he gets sweet feed and he gets treats all the time...im tryin to cut down on the treats and get him to stand while i groom him w/o him any thing to eat.

we have no place to lunge the horses. they pasture is a huge hill except for the part closet to the highway. in the best part of the pasture there is a broken jump and i would have to lunge him in a small circle and avoid a fence and a post and a creek. yea...her pasture isnt the best thing or the safest....

im afraid im gonna fall off cuz i ride bareback and the last time i fell off....which was maybe a few weeks ago....me and my friend were leavin a pond and my horse was trotting. i didnt want him to trot strait downt he hilll so i turned him away from the other horse and go diagonally down the hill. well dumbo here started canterin for maybe a step or two and then started bucking. well i didnt have a good seat to start w/since i was goin down a hill. i flew off and luckily i was able to hang onto my reins ans he didnt run off.

i dont have a good seat when im ridin bareback. im just too lazy to lug the saddle and do all that stuff to get it on him and it is more comfortable ridin bareback. last time i rode in a saddle was maybe a month or more and i hurt afterwards.

we r thinkin about movinng my horse to my backyard but the thing is is that my backyard is really small. the grass is bermuda (is that similar to bermuda hay) and im afraid that there mite be mud pits/holes and stuff. since he is rite there i could work with him and be with him everyday. rite now since my mom works late and doesnt get home till 900 i am only getting to ride on sundays. i hate it b/c i dont get to see my horse as often. i could see him more if i rode home with my friend after school but i dont wanna ride w/her. i cant connect w/my horse or myself. riding ia therapy to me...i feel sooo much better when w/my horse.

well im kinda getting off subject here but does anyone know of a training method that works?

thanks,
~Rachel

[Wally]

You can start off with a saddle cloth, put it on the horse's back and when it falls off throw some nuts or carrot onto it so the horse stops and comes back to eat the grub, work on it from there, soon the horse will know once anything falls off its back if he stops and comes back he'll get a reward.

[qhlover]

When you say you have to ride on the road because it's hunting season, what kind of road do you ride on? Unless you are 100% sure of your riding abilities and your horse's training and responsiveness, NEVER ride on a paved road. I personally see this as the single most dangerous thing that exists to horse and rider. There are so many diasterous combinations and factors I won't even go into it. I have had my horse slip on a paved road and let me tell you I know of no worse pain in the world and I have had children!!!! I break out

You sound like you are in quite a predicament. You need more time with your horse, in a safer setting, with an experienced horseperson or instructor to guide you and time to just ride by yourself to work out some kinks. Perhaps if you move your horse to your backyard, you can make his enclosure a round pen and work/house him there....hey, I've seen horses with worse housing arrangements! It's not a permanent solution, as a round pen will wear out a horse and his legs, but it would be helpful to bring him there for maybe a month or so to get back on track in your relationship, and to seperate him from the herd for a bit.

Another option would be to join a horse club in your area. You would make horsey friends with trailers, experience and riding facilities. Horsey people love to help others. You sound like you just want time alone with your horse, too, but right now I think you need to accept some help from others if you want to get to that point in the future. Compromise, girl!

As for stopping when you fall off, can't help you there but I'll keep my ears open. Good luck. Keep us posted.

[notpoodle]

the few times ive fallen off the horse was so baffled it just stopped anyway :D

julia
x

ps: make sure you dont scream as you fall as this might make the horse leg it even further :D

julia

x

[cvb]

barebackqueen76 - did you read that link that Harry posted ? It really does do what you are asking about.....

[barebackqueen76]

Wally:
thats a good idea! have u tried it before?

o yea...
anyone know how to get a horse to come when called? Speckles used to do that but when we moved him he stopped coming. but the good thing is that he doesnt run when i come up to him. he looks happy to see me but he jus doesnt come when i call him. and he is usually at the bottom of the field.

notpoodle:
if i remember correctly i dont think i have ever screamed when i have fallen off. im too shocked when i do come flying off and when i know that im comin off i dont really react.

qhlover:
me and my friend ride on a little country road. my horse doesnt have shoes on so he has good footing on the pavement. it only hurts his feet if we ride on gravel which isnt very often. horses that r shod slip on the pavement but Speckles doenst cuz he isnt.
why would living in a round pen hurt a horses legs? is it cuz a round pen is so small?
there is a 4h club but they meet in a place 30mins away and my mom doesnt get off work till like 8 and they prolly meet at 5 or 6 and there would be no way to get there unless i talked my friend that rides w/me into joining. but she has a trailer but she is the one that im trying to ride w/out....problem!

well thanks yall. (ill read that article now)
~Rachel

[cvb]

im just too lazy to lug the saddle

so you'd rather worry about falling off and the walk to get your horse than saddle up :eek:

There's a thing Pat Parelli says which is something like

"they don't have the time to do it right, but they do have the time to get it wrong time and time again" !

Training your horse to (a) stop when you fall off (b) come when called will take time. Probably more time than if you saddle up every time you ride ... so do you really have time to not do these things ?

[Tootsie4U]

Originally posted by cvb
Harry

Gosh - you're turning into my conscience ! ;)

You too, huh? :D

BBQ-
Did you know riding bareback all the time is actually not good at all for your riding position?

And, I can't help but wonder how you'll make time to train your horse when you can't even be bothered to take the time to lug your saddle out of the tack room.

Please be careful.

[qhlover]

About the round pen and the horse's legs, it's not the living in the round pen that can potientially hurt them, it's working them in it for extensive periods of time. It's hard on their legs to trot/lope in such tight circles consistently for long periods of time.

I personally wouldn't be comfortable using a round pen as a permanent pen, as I am used to having my horses turned out on an acre, which to someone else may be a small area, but just about all of my neighbors with limited property do it. If it gives you more time with your horse and more happiness, I think it would work just great for the two of you.

My horses aren't shod either but I still have quite a deal of respect/fear of pavement. Anything over a walk, to me, is irresponsible and potientially harming to the horses' legs not to mention the rider's skull if things blow up. However, that is just my opinion and everyday I see horses being galloped down our paved road.

I hope you come to a solution of some kind. Riding IS therapy and sometimes we cause so much stress to ourselves TRYING to find a way to ride we need that therapy all the more!

Good luck. ;)

[qhlover]

Really, the only way I know to get a horse to come when called is to feed him personally every time and to spend time on in-hand work until you are the clear alpha and then to keep doing it consistently. The horse develops respect for the handler and the advantage of leadership in his mind and therefore the desire to be with you.

That horse has to know that something real good, such as a feeling or a taste, is going to reward him if he makes the trouble to move his lazy butt to where you are.

Even still, my mare, who is a witch in all other aspects, will come immediately to me because I worked hard and long on that but my gelding, being an old ranch work horse and a real work-shirker now, can be a real stinker despite all my in-hand work and personal feedings. I have been known to chase him for two hours before he gave in. Some habits are hard to break, I suppose.

I hope I help ya even a little bit! Just ramblin on....

[Harry Hobbes]

There's a thing Pat Parelli says which is something like

"they don't have the time to do it right, but they do have the time to get it wrong time and time again" !
Actually, it's:

"If you take the time it takes, it takes less time. The flip side to that [the correlation] is, 'I never have time to do it right, but I always have time to do it over and over and over.'" Natural-Horse-Man-Ship, by Pat Parelli. Page 196.

Best regards,
Your conscience :D

[Harry Hobbes]

o yea...
anyone know how to get a horse to come when called? Refer to Mary Marten's Problem Solving Volume 1, Chapter 4, entitled Hard To Catch.

Marten expended a lot of time and effort in this chapter to explain how to get the horse to catch you; lot's of photos and drawings to explain the "how to..." His technique works well.

Best regards,
Harry

[barebackqueen76]

Harry:
how do i get to that? do i have to buy the book or w/e it is?

qhlover:
i have always given my horse treats when i call him...too much if that. would not giving him treats when i have to go to him and giving treats when he walks up to me work? did that make sense?lol gotcha bout the round pen thing. well the back yard is more or less an acre. i would be riding him almost everyday around town or in neighbors land and stuff. would i get in trouble for horse poo in the road when i ride? could anyone say or do anything?

tootsie4u:
My riding position has never been good but im not impressing anyone...no show or anything. but that doesnt make sense...it has made me a better rider riding bareback. and wat does lugging a saddle have to do w/time?

cvb:
yea pretty much...plus im not sure if my saddle fits me and my horse correctly and my pelvis bones and ankles hurt after i ride w/a saddle. either way it is goin to take time to train my horse to stop so y not do it where both of us is comfortable? i didnt get to read the whole thing. im at home now and i com. is a hole so u cant read it. ill read it at school tomorrow.

[Harry Hobbes]

Harry:
how do i get to that? do i have to buy the book or w/e it is?
Try your public libraries, if you wish to borrow. Else, amazon.com or the publisher, Western Horseman (http://www.westernhorseman.com)

There are actually two volumes, so you'll have to specify that you want Volume 1.

As an alternative, you can search this and other forums for the same information ("catching"); however, it will not be as complete as Marten's book.

Best regards,
Harry

[cvb]

i have always given my horse treats when i call him...too much if that. would not giving him treats when i have to go to him and giving treats when he walks up to me work?

The key to training is to have a clear link between the behaviour and the reward. So you need to make sure that
- you have a clear signal/command for the behaviour. Don't use a word or signal that you will use for something else ! Make it clear, simple.
- when he does the "right" thing, reward him. Clicker training approaches use the idea that you start by rewarding something that is in the right direction but may not be the full result, but then gradually ask for more

As an example, at my first yard in Sweden the horses lived in a group of about 6 in a BIG field. When they had lunch or came in for dinner, the person doing it would stand at the gate and yell "Horses" (only in Swedish ;) ). All horses would then appear. When I first did this, it took some time to get a reaction cos they didn't associate me with the command and the result. (So they peered to see if I had hay on me !) But they "adopted" me pretty quickly. So if you wanted to get the horses up for some other reason during the day, you just used the same command. (You couldn't do this too often unless they still got some form of reward for it - but it doesn't always need to be food that is the reward).

im not sure if my saddle fits me and my horse correctly

ok - now there IS only one you. And only one of your horse. You are (both) unique. To me that makes you pretty precious ! Take the time to get your saddle checked out for fit. Falling off on a paved road KILLS :eek: Which means you don't get a second chance to learn from the experience. Wouldn't it be better to take a few minutes more every day than have no future at all ? I knew someone whose horse slipped on gravel - it destroyed her face. She was lucky she did not end up in a wheelchair too.

either way it is goin to take time to train my horse to stop so y not do it where both of us is comfortable

Yes it will take time. And yes, actually you will both learn better when you are comfy. But you also have to be safe.

My riding position has never been good but im not impressing anyone.....

Thats kind of not the point - a good riding position is one that makes it easier for the horse to balance you (and hence more likely to stay on !). Its not about impressing anyone other than your horse ;) If you ride bareback a lot and have the pressure on the wrong bit of the horse's back - you causing him pain and harm. Thats why saddles are designed to spread the pressure over the bits that can take it (on you and the horse !). Please note I am NOT anti-bareback - used to jump bareback - but it needs to be done in appropriate situations.

[barebackqueen76]

ok ill get my saddle out one day.

o i think one of the reasons y he hasnt been so good latly is b/c i only come like once a week b/c my mom doesnt get home in time to take me to ride. i used to come like everyday almost. is there anyway he could think i abandoned him?

thanks yall
~Rachel

[cvb]

I don't think horses think like that... but you will be less of a herd member and need "reminding" of your place ;) and he will have more energy cos he's doing less work.

My mare needs to run every so often - so in the winter I'll often just have a loose session with her so she can run and run and run. She goes crazy - but she knows this is "allowed" in play time, and the deal is she should behave when we work. (She still has too much energy so is a bit of a handful :rolleyes: ) But she doesn't think I "abandon" her - she still gets brought in and still gets her food, so why should she worry who is doing it ?!

(There's a line in a dog book I have which goes something like "Who is the master and who the servant ? Well they pick up my poo - I rest my case !")

[qhlover]

Barebackqueen,

About your response that your backyard is actually about an acre, that sounds great! What are you waiting for! I don't think you can get in trouble about poop in the road....I've never thought about it, really. I personally see horse poop as un-poopy as dirt or grass and don't understand all the freak out by non-horsey folks.

If it's a public road and if dogs can poop on it, why not a horse? I would just be careful about driveways and your neighbors' property. I wouldn't worry about it...if people start pitchin' fits about it, just jump off and kick it off the road quick. Tell them, what's the big deal, it's just fertilizer! YOU pay for it at Walmart!

If you brought your horse home, you could ride every day, without your friend always tagging along. You sound like me, I like to be alone without all the chitchat.

Qhlover

[qhlover]

Barebackqueen,

About him thinking you abandoned him, when I was pregnant with my daughter I was FORBIDDEN to ride or do groundwork by my husband and rest of family so usually my husband would just go out and feed and groom them, especially when I was huge, because it was such a temptation to starting working with them or riding.

Let me tell you the attitude I would get when I strolled out now and then to say hello! My mare wouldn't even look at me and my gelding would just sigh and walk away. The frustration and guilt of "abandoning" them and not getting to ride for eight months is the main reason I decided no more kids!

I bet you once you get him home and are out there loving on him, feeding him and riding him everyday, he'll come pretty quick after a few weeks. :D

[qhlover]

OKAY, one more post and then I'll rest your eyes and my hands.....I personally don't like to give treats to beckon a horse or to reward.

I just feel it encourages disrespect and kind of resembles bribing to me, which doesn't work with my daughter or my horses, just my dogs! I think that if you give treats, just do it to be a sweetie and place them on the ground so you don't inadvertantly teach the horse to crowd you.

That's just what I do, not telling YOU what to do. That's everyone's choice to make. We all get so much differing advice from everyone saying do this or don't do that, that we have to just pick out what works for ourselves alone and make our own road.

I am addicted to this darn forum! I can never seem to leave.:eek:

[barebackqueen76]

we r waiting b/c the backyard is in terrible shape...the fence needs to be fixed in like 2 or 3 places and there is a pool in the back yard...and we need to put up a fence to keep him outta tha pool and pea gravel. and then there is a lil boat in there and we have no shelter. are there any laws about keeping a horse within city limits? does there shelter have to be so far away from the closest house or what to do about their poop? what can we do about the poop? if we put it in the bottom of the trash cans will the trash ppl take it away?

guess wat happened to me today!

well i came over to ride Speckles and i go up to the barn. well i left my bridle at home and my halter in the car along w/my feed bucket. well my mom comes back and then i get my bucket and i use my friends rope halter. well i go and put my stuff down in the field and then i go and get my horse. well im callin and whistlin and he comes up and i give him a few treats. well i walk away from the other horses w/Speckles and then i fix the lead ropes so i could ride and i turn Speckles to where he is standin on the below my on the hill. well i try to get on and Speckles starts walkin up the hill and i am layin kinda sideways and then way back on his back. well he starts buckin and then i turn him and i am hangin down sideways but he does stop. well i got back on my feet and go and fix the lead ropes and then i get back on. well we walk down to where my stuff is and then i let him eat a little and then i groom him and all that. well i get back on and i ride across the creek and he was real jumpy and nervous. well i walk towards the fence and then i turn around and walk back towards the other end of the pasture (we were walking past where we turn to go across the creek. it is the only place to walk across it so when we pass it all the horses head for it and go faster) welll im tryin to keep him calm and then keep him at a walk. well i turn back around and he starts trottin and i try to slow him down. he starts bucking and bucking. im trying to pull back cuz he was still trotting and then i heard a ripping sound and one of the lead ropes was tearing! and remember im on bareback and a halter. well i then feell a sudden burst of energy and then Speckles starts buckin and goin faster. well i come off about 4 or 5 bucks adn then i was tryin to hang onto the lead ropes. well he was still running and everything and i get rope burns on most of my fingers and they hurt liek heck. luckily that is all that happened. well he runs to the rest of the herd and i walk all the way up the hill adn get him and then go walk all the way down. well i get back on and ride where we were riding when i fell. nuthing much happened after that...omg its sooo bad!

can anybody help or give me some pointers?

gotta go. thanks yall
~Rachel

sry for typos!

[qhlover]

You have to check with your county/state on laws about keeping horses in city limits. Just call your county extension agent and they will let you know. About manure, you can either make a compost pile with it, which is a massive pain in the arse, to me anyway. If the enclosure is an acre, I woudn't worry about it, it decomposes rather quickly in a bigger area. I suppose if you hid the manure in garbage bags and then put it in the trash cans they would take it. Our county STRICTLY forbids putting manure in with regular trash.

Can you fix the fence yourself? I just built a round pen all by my lonesome and it was not fun. But, I got it done in about 6 hours from start to finish. It's pretty big too. You could put up a round pen type enclosure around the pool.

[qhlover]

Well, I must say you know how to cowgirl up! As you probably know, that little outburst was probably due to not having been ridden in awhile, being in just a halter and having all his buddies about. I've found that when my horses are little more full of it from not being ridden daily that it's best I forgo using just a halter.

They seem to need the support of a bit more than they usually would in their het up and excited state. It's like the idea that they are even being ridden with no controlling device brings out the devil in them more so than usual. If I have been riding them daily, I can go anywhere with just a rope halter (Tuffy only in the pasture, though).

I personally would say you did a good job of not letting him get away with his B.S., especially seeing that he calmed down and got down to business after the worst of his outburst. Once you are riding daily and he is away from all his equine buddies, I would expect he will be much more in tune with you.

Hats off to you!

On the issue of him walking off when you are still mounting, that is BAD, BAD, BAD. It quickly leads to other things and you have to put a stop to that!

If my horse does it to me, no matter what the reason, I dismount, send him or her out around me in a small circle, holding the reins, and make him/her walk/trot in a tight circle. Then I mount again. If they move an inch, it's tight circles again. Even my good boy Hoss needs this if he hasn't been rode in a while. This gets a dead-still horse pretty darn fast. AND, they stay dead-still until I am good and ready to go. I always make my horses stand still for 10-50 seconds before walking on. Tuffy used to gas on it right into a fast canter before my leg even swung over the saddle, hence, the above solution.

I love that look on their face that says, "darn, foiled again" as it dawns on them that they're not getting away with anything and a lazy butt gets rest from tight circles if it JUST HOLDS STILL.

Keep on cowgirlin up! ;)

[pattycake]

Barebackqueen76

I think the biggest thing right now is that you only get to spend one day a week with your horse. What if you were to go home with your friend say, twice a week, and use your Sundays for 'one on one' time with your horse? Maybe do up a loose training shedule and show it to your friend explaining clearly (but kindly) that although you really enjoy the two days a week with her, Sunday is for just you and your horse. Maybe her feelings will be a little hurt, but I know I would rather have someone explain that they want to be alone, then to have them resent my company. I don't have a horse yet, but I go for long walks with my dog and it's my time when I think about the day, unwind, work out problems, or sometimes just 'veg'...:rolleyes:
Anyway, best of luck

[Greentchr]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by barebackqueen76
[we r thinkin about movinng my horse to my backyard but the thing is is that my backyard is really small. the grass is bermuda (is that similar to bermuda hay) and im afraid that there mite be mud pits/holes and stuff. ]

Let me tell you 'bout mud...! I did move our horse to our modified 'back yard' and I can tell you that there will not be a problem with mowing the grass after a day or two! Bermuda grass is mainly just a tough lawn grass. If you want to continue to have a lawn, I would not suggest putting a horse on it, as the horse's hooves will totally rip up and kill- roots and all- any vegetation. If it is a weed-patch anyway, and Mum does not mind a dirt patch instead, the back yard may be a good temporary home. I have found a well-fenced backyard a good option for us. We do not have a solid fence (just capped T-bars and field fencing), so I have an electric fence wire lining the entire fenceline for her safety. IF you have gophers, it would be a good idea to take a shovel and break up the holes, fill them in. You will find, however that after the first rain, the small pen will be uniformly ankle-deep in mud, and gophers will have moved out to safer lands. Good luck!

[barebackqueen76]

thanks qhlover.
i want to put a fence around the pool but that costs a lot of money and money is wat we r short on. mom doesnt want to cuz "Speckles is smart. hes not gonna get in the pool" im afraid he is gonna trip and fall in and it bein winter...dangerous. Speckles isnt the most coordinated thing around...neither am i. lol how do i get a hold of the county person?

ive already talked to my mom bout goin home with my friend during the week and she said no b/c i am sposed to watch my lil bros and sis. the oldest one is 12 and he cant watch the little ones b/c it is against the law..wor is it? we live in a little town and word travels fast and we would be taken away in a heatbeat! this totally sucks!

i told my mom bout my little adventure and she was like "we r gonna move him tomaro" i was like yes! but then my pessimist attitude came out and i started pointin out all the little things that were wrong and we changed our minds. we have to move a boat, clean up the metal and stuff in the pea gravel, decide wat we r gonna do about the pool (which is inground adn has ceramic around it), fix a fence post that is comin out, fix 2 holes in the fence, move a rack that goes on the back of the car, move a swing set, and a lot of other things. i cant do a lot of the heavy work cuz i have no one to help me lift the stuff and my bros wont help me. well im complaining again.
o yea the fence is welded fence. i dont kno wat it is called but it is like hog fence but the little squares are smaller. is that ok? it is like 6 feet high i think and the posts are 8 feet apart. if we put up a fence around the pool i was thinkin about putting up t-posts w/barbless wire or some kind of rope. would that work?

would Speckles drink outta the pool? it would hurt him wouldnt it since it has chlorine and all that in it...this is frustrating.
should we put fescue grass in the yard? it said that the grass "holds well under traffic" and it stays green in the winter i think.

well thanks yall.
~Rachel

[qhlover]

Yikes! That pool is a major red flag! If Speckles falls in it he won't be able to get out.....just thinking about it is terrifying! He might not go in purposefully but what if something spooks him real bad and he goes flying in? Even if you were home, you wouldn't be able to get him out yourself! What if he slips and breaks a leg or knocks himself out and slides in?

For your county person, look in the government pages of your phone book, usually in the middle before the yellow pages. It will give you your agricultural extension office number and also code enforcement. Either one of them could help you about the question if you can have your horse in city limits....we have horses right dead center in town behind our Walmart and movie theater, so I think it's just what kind of zoning you are in that matters, not if you're in city limits or not.

About all the work that needs to be done before you can bring Speckles home, just chip away at as often as you can, picking up the metal and just all the little things that need to be done. Maybe you can talk your mom into selling the boat and that solves the problem of moving it AND you all would make some extra money....always a plus! I don't know what to tell you about the heavy stuff...there's a dilemna. You're going to have be creative on that one and try to elist the help of some friends or friends of your mom's.

The welded wire is what I have in my pastures and round pen. I actually have the horse wire, no climb wire, is that what you have? Also, I wouldn't let Speckles ever get near the pool, to drink or not, but that is just me. Being a mom, my radar is finely tuned for any little thing that might go wrong and a horse is just as demanding/curious/problematic as a two-year-old child. The things that could go wrong are endless and especially if you are riding him around it......:eek:

As for the grass, I wouldn't even bother unless you are not planning on putting him in til next fall. I THINK you need to plant that in spring for the best results and it needs to be fertilized and nutured until it is horse-ready. He will just trample it down now. I have learned this the hard way as I have spent much money on grass seed trying to reseed my pastures.

Is there enough grass there for him to be sustained on? If not, can you all afford to buy hay? I buy a round bale at a time and they're $50 here for coastal and last a month, for us anyway.

Good luck and we're pulling for ya!

[barebackqueen76]

well i couldnt sell the boat cuz it is my step dads and he hasnt gotten it yet...i meant to put it out there for him to get it on sunday..o well.

i try to tell my mom that but she doesnt want to spend money on the fence and ill show her wat u told me and maybe now she will be convinced. if we put the fence up around the pool then i won t have to pick up metal and that is wat i REALLY dont wanna do.

will we need to get a shed of some kind? we have some....watchamacallum trees....the ones that look like christmas trees......we have those in 2 rows up against the back fence and they r pretty big and thick. could those be his "shelter"? we were thinkin about using one half of the shed for his "stall/shelter" but there r shelves and hooks and who nows what else in there and that is dangerous. and it gets SOOOO VERY hot in there in the summer. and then we wouldnt have a place to get the lawn mower in and out easily cuz the unused part of the shed doesnt have a ramp. but then again we wont be needing the mower anymore except for the front yard...humm. ill have to think on that some more.

like half of the yard is burmuda and then the rest is jus grass/weeds that grew. we have or mite have a little bit of Green Kyllinga, some bull thistles here and there, a few filarees, geranium, horseweed/marestail (is that bad???) , patches of clover, and some other kind of grass that grows in fields and gets real tall and thick adn is hard to cut. i dont know the name of that one. (those names r names i got off of a site. im not sure if they r the same ones in my yard but they look the same.)

we r probably gonna get hay when we move him but we were hopin to move him maybe in a few weeks. i dont know tho.

i guess it is like horse wire but horse wire is weaved isnt it? this is welded. ill look on the net for some pics next time

gotta go the bell is bout to ring.

thanks so much
~Rachel