Beginners probs i.e running off

[99gyates]

Hi I had riding lessons in the summer but very few where i learnt to trott. My step mother in the summer wanted to buy a horse as she is experienced i decided to go halves with her as i fell for the horse as soon as i saw her. Her names jasmine. She is lovely however she goes to bite anything or anyone when a blanket or saddle is placed on her. Any suggestions on how to stop this? We tell her off firmly but she does not care. We never let her get the better of us.

A more serious problem is that when i ride her she will just decide to go into canter with out my saying so. she gets faster and faster. Its not her bit, its not her saddle as we have had them checked.

I always keep schooling time to 20 minutes as i know horses get bored. I think its most likely me giving her wrong messages but she does try to tun off with otheres but thety manage to control her. Due ti lack of expereince this is damaging my confidence i have never cantered before and this has really put me off. I try to stay in control i sit back in my seat i don't put pressure ion with the leg i spunge the reins i never tug hard. I just don't know where i am going wrong. i am palnning on having lessons this january so maybe that will help but in the meantime pleae help!Its scary not having any brakes!

[horseygal90]

How old is your horse? Sometimes older horses can have a problem with biting when their saddle/rug is put on because of someone being hard on them when they were younger.

When she goes to canter, is it from trot or does she speed up from walk? If you can feel her speeding up, try and bring her back down to a slow walk, or to a halt. Make lots of downwards transitions and get her listening to you.

[pengapenga]

hi, firstly have you had your horses back checked as she may be sore which is why she is biting. or indeed as horseygal90 a bad experience involving a rug or saddle.

having more lessons will help build up your confidence and will teach you the correct way to canter. You will also understand the transitions a bit better. Perhaps you can work with her from the ground too. Anyway a really interesting website to read is galadriels. you will find many interesting articles on the site.


good luck with your horse and your riding:)

[PromiseMe]

Originally posted by 99gyates
Hi I had riding lessons in the summer but very few where i learnt to trott. My step mother in the summer wanted to buy a horse as she is experienced i decided to go halves with her as i fell for the horse as soon as i saw her. Her names jasmine. She is lovely however she goes to bite anything or anyone when a blanket or saddle is placed on her. Any suggestions on how to stop this? We tell her off firmly but she does not care. We never let her get the better of us.

A more serious problem is that when i ride her she will just decide to go into canter with out my saying so. she gets faster and faster. Its not her bit, its not her saddle as we have had them checked.

Due ti lack of expereince this is damaging my confidence i have never cantered before and this has really put me off. I try to stay in control i sit back in my seat i don't put pressure ion with the leg i spunge the reins i never tug hard. I just don't know where i am going wrong. i am palnning on having lessons this january so maybe that will help but in the meantime pleae help!Its scary not having any brakes!
.


My mare does all that stuff as well - maybe not as bad, but very similar!
And its good that you already got it checked....cause you know what we'd all be saying if you hadnt! ;)

Biting Problem:

My mare bites - but not just with the saddle, saddle pad, etc. And she doesnt have back pains or problems.
She ALSO bites when almost anyone touches her (luckily most of the time she doesnt bite when i touch her) So develop a bond. A strong one.
Ive been told that Natural Horsemanship that help such problems. Ive never tried it myself though.
And for the saddle, saddle pad, etc...when i place it on her she'll bite, try to walk around, swish her tail, etc. Ok - its a [i[really[/i] cheap way...but horses are easily bribed with treats ;) NOT that my mare can even bite me (shes on crossties, cannot reach most of the time) - i dont want her getting mad or unhappy about the saddle.....so i bribe her with treats. Right before i place the saddle/saddle pad on, i'll give her a treat. She's too busy/happy munching on it..most of the time she forgets to get mad and bite! (i told ya - its a cheap way. and definitely NOT the best way.)

But for now...look into Natural Horsemanship....or get a trainer.
DONT slap her! If she tries and bites...give her a strong word, yell at her, stomp your foot, etc.


Cantering Problem:
OK my mare isnt as terrible with that problem. But as soon as you put 'canter' into her head...thats all she'll try and do. She won't trot....if you ask her to trot (or even if i pick up the reins...she'll do it), there is not more "trot" in her language anymore...its rush into canter. NOT cool. Sometimes I let her do it...I mean, if shes SO eagar to do it(and I DO like cantering) than go for it...i mean she'll tire out soona nd stop herself. But Sometimes i get annoyed...its like were trying to do something else...stop trying to canter...HALF-HALTS. Pull and release. Pull and release. (and make sure you have contact with the reins)

And sure - it wont be super nice to hear - i mean, i wouldnt be very happy being told this... but maybe your mare is a little too much for you. Try gaining more experience and learning more on a quiet lesson horse before riding that mare. I mean if youre not ready to canter...you shouldnt have to put up with your mare trying to canter and canter, faster and faster.

And look into a trainer.
Does your step mother have this problem as well? If she doesnt...than its obvious taht the mare is just taking advantage of you.

I hope most of that made sense...and just to give you ideas! :) Good luck with yoru mare...whatever you decide :)
(sorry if its a little lenghty)

[eventerbabe]

you need to invest in some lessons, whether its on your own horse or at a local riding school. if you have only learned to trot i really don't think you are experienced enough to deal with this problem. the horse can tell when you don't know what you are doing and is probably taking advantage of this.

[vjoy23]

Some of what your mare does reminds me of the horse I have now and horses I used to ride.

I was told that my mare could be cold backed as she hated her saddle or anything being put on her back. I'm sure there are ways of helping this but its been so long you'd have to look the term up.

As far as her cantering off goes why not try and gain her respect in the school first. I know alot of schooling gets boring but there are ways of getting the horse to listen to you and I find quite fun. the more time you spend in a school with her and get to know her the safer you will be out on a hack. You'll get better at the transitions and schooling is the foundations of all riding.

[Jenks]

Sitting back tells my lesson horses to canter. When I first started, I remember wrapping my legs (which are too long) around the horse! Of course we'd then go faster! If she's sensitive, she may just be interpreting your cues incorrectly (edited to say you may unintentionally be giving her cues). My paint takes a good nudge in the side, but the arabians I take lessons on-if my leg touches them, they to the next gait.

The biting thing-I'm clueless. Haven't ever had to deal with it except once when I got between two fighting and I was bit on her blind side (lost an eye) she really freaked when my old mare realized she'd bit me and not the booger two year old Halflinger!

[horseygal90]

Originally posted by Jenks
Sitting back tells my lesson horses to canter. When I first started, I remember wrapping my legs (which are too long) around the horse! Of course we'd then go faster! If she's sensitive, she may just be interpreting your cues incorrectly. My paint takes a good nudge in the side, but the arabians I take lessons on-if my leg touches them, they to the next gait.

Yes. A little bit of it could be you might be sending the wrong signals, without realising it. We have an arab who is exactly like described above, and it really helps the 'progressing' beginners to ride her, as they learn not to pull all the time and that they don't need to kick when they want to do anything.

[Outrider]

You said, "Its scary not having any brakes! When your horse moves into the canter, are you having trouble stopping him or slowing him back down? If so, maintain a good seat and reach down to the middle of one rein or the other, depending on the terrain, pull the rein back towards your thigh or knee and turn him in a tighter and tighter circle. Some horses will continue to move forward despite this and you have to pull the rein that much further towards you, but it will stop him. Don't jerk it back to pull too quickly or you may cause him to fall. Just a gradual pull back will stop most run aways.

OutRider

[99gyates]

Originally posted by horseygal90
How old is your horse? Sometimes older horses can have a problem with biting when their saddle/rug is put on because of someone being hard on them when they were younger.

When she goes to canter, is it from trot or does she speed up from walk? If you can feel her speeding up, try and bring her back down to a slow walk, or to a halt. Make lots of downwards transitions and get her listening to you.

She usually gets faster in trott then goes into canter but the night i fell off she went straight into canter i couldn't believe it as before she was so relaxed and attentive then suddenly she was off.

[99gyates]

Originally posted by PromiseMe
.


My mare does all that stuff as well - maybe not as bad, but very similar!
And its good that you already got it checked....cause you know what we'd all be saying if you hadnt! ;)

Biting Problem:

My mare bites - but not just with the saddle, saddle pad, etc. And she doesnt have back pains or problems.
She ALSO bites when almost anyone touches her (luckily most of the time she doesnt bite when i touch her) So develop a bond. A strong one.
Ive been told that Natural Horsemanship that help such problems. Ive never tried it myself though.
And for the saddle, saddle pad, etc...when i place it on her she'll bite, try to walk around, swish her tail, etc. Ok - its a [i[really[/i] cheap way...but horses are easily bribed with treats ;) NOT that my mare can even bite me (shes on crossties, cannot reach most of the time) - i dont want her getting mad or unhappy about the saddle.....so i bribe her with treats. Right before i place the saddle/saddle pad on, i'll give her a treat. She's too busy/happy munching on it..most of the time she forgets to get mad and bite! (i told ya - its a cheap way. and definitely NOT the best way.)

But for now...look into Natural Horsemanship....or get a trainer.
DONT slap her! If she tries and bites...give her a strong word, yell at her, stomp your foot, etc.


Cantering Problem:
OK my mare isnt as terrible with that problem. But as soon as you put 'canter' into her head...thats all she'll try and do. She won't trot....if you ask her to trot (or even if i pick up the reins...she'll do it), there is not more "trot" in her language anymore...its rush into canter. NOT cool. Sometimes I let her do it...I mean, if shes SO eagar to do it(and I DO like cantering) than go for it...i mean she'll tire out soona nd stop herself. But Sometimes i get annoyed...its like were trying to do something else...stop trying to canter...HALF-HALTS. Pull and release. Pull and release. (and make sure you have contact with the reins)

And sure - it wont be super nice to hear - i mean, i wouldnt be very happy being told this... but maybe your mare is a little too much for you. Try gaining more experience and learning more on a quiet lesson horse before riding that mare. I mean if youre not ready to canter...you shouldnt have to put up with your mare trying to canter and canter, faster and faster.

And look into a trainer.
Does your step mother have this problem as well? If she doesnt...than its obvious taht the mare is just taking advantage of you.

I hope most of that made sense...and just to give you ideas! :) Good luck with yoru mare...whatever you decide :)
(sorry if its a little lenghty)


My step mother has no problems controlling her and neither does anyone else who rides her she will try it on but they control her. What has recently helped with her biting is a telling off from my dad he will tell her off firmly and she really listens. She must prefer a man! Bless her! I am going to have lessons on a mates horse at my stables (her horse is a plodder) so i can get my confidence back with trotting! Then when i have more experience ride jas as i don't want to confuse her with my messages. I think i have been over horsed! but in good time when my confidence has grown we should be ok fingers crossed!

[Dummer&Drummer]

Hi 99yates, the other lady gave you good advice re turning your horse into 20m circles to slow her down, make sure you are happy to try this though as it does require a resonable standard of balance. your horse sounds like a horse that i used to talk about frequently on this site, no brakes scary, ugh.

i can only talk about my experience on a horse that sounds similar to yours, firstly, she was reacting on my nerves, she could sense i was nervous through my nerves and through my saddle, and she was also quite a nervous inconfident horse looking for reasurrance that i could not give her, and she would react to me by going off on one whenever i got on her and i got more nervous and she got worse.

despite my nerves knowing that she was going to go off on one with me and tear down the field like a lunatic, i had to leave her reins alone, not fiddle with them, not adjust them so they were right and not hold her neck strap, all of this was telling her to go, and go fast. i now sit at the top of the field with her reins relaxed and still, talking softly to her, my reins are unprepared for if she bolts off, but by getting them ready she is off.

now if she does go off i can easily correct my reins once we are on the move

there are different situations, if we are in an arena, this darlling horse is not allowed to go until i say, if she does using my outside rein she is turned in a circle, and asked to stand, i can do this many times if required, and she knows it now, she will not go till i say and she is rewarded for staying still, i find the trickis to listen to her body movements and turn her before she is in canter and make her weight patiently, and relax tension is only going to make her worse

if we are the other end of a big field with lots of jumps etc she likes to bolt for the gate (home) now in this situation the less you try and pull her around the better, she is only going to go faster once she is off, relax, talk to her and LEAVE YOUR REINS ALONE, or she may think you are asking her to go, or she senses your nerves (scary being up one end of the field, waiting for her to bolt off as you know she will) ive learnt to enjoy this part more, she offers a fanastic ride down the field, and now i enjoy it and dont worry, she does not do it often :rolleyes: typical! a big open space, being new to horse riding, depending on your horse, it is sometimes better to not tweack the reins or apply any pressure, if it is like the one i ride you are only going to make her go faster, and a horse of any size will win if it wants to over your strength, relax, stay on give her the reins and talk to her, that is what i have had to do,

if my horse that i ride now decides to take off with me, she has to do all of the cross country jumps going down the field, i make full use of her when she is off :) she is not just going to bolt off and do nothing and she is most certainly not allowed back to the gate (home)

lessons would be great for you, build up your confidence, i expect you are riding a sensitive horse and you are both going round in circles bouncing off each others nerves.

dont give up, it will come together, this horse above used to terrify me, reduce me to shaking and crying profoundly, i am now pretty much the only one who can jump her 3ft6 and it is a nice smooth easy jump for both her and me now, (has been a little tricky and uncomfortable at times, she can pull out all sorts of tricks to not jump :) )

good luck and persevere i promise you with hard work and determination it will come, and you will feel a great sense of accomplishment xx

[Dummer&Drummer]

sorry, this is very important, i also had to learn NOT to react to her, what ever she did, and to keep all movements slow and soft if i had to do anything and to remain calm, soft and slow

once again you will get there, i now ride have the confidence to ride this horse on a tighter shorter rein to pick up some speed, the opposite to how i was enitially taught on her - you will get there, i do feel for you though, nerves are a terrible thing to overcome, but stick at it THEY WILL PASS

get yourself some decent lessons

[99gyates]

WOW! We have changed her bit to a pelham (some might say thats harsh for an old horse but trust me she has alot of spark!) The difference is unbelieveavble i can not believe the difference it has made. Tonight i went on her and I had no problems i have come home on an absolute high!!! Thanks for all the advice. I would also like to say to anyone who was like me and struggled badly with nerves not to give up i came very close. Some of us just take longer to learn I definately do! Don't be put off hang on in there! Its the best feeling when you get over something!

My next challenge is cantering purposely!

[PromiseMe]

There is nothing wrong with using a Pelham for a horse that needs it. And evidently, it made the world of difference...so good choice. And its not that harsh when used properly.
Glad to hear your ride went so well! Everything will fall in place over time!
:) To many more happy rides!