Doing the right thing?

[Anniyah]

My first time posting, and I have a couple of questions.

I've been taking lesons for a little under a year. I take instruction once a week and just ride once a week as well. I don't have my own horse, I've been taking private lessons at a stable near my home, so I've been using the school horses available to me. My eventual goal is to learn to jump, but I have a Loooooooong way before I can even think of it. I just got through working well at a trot and am finally able to canter somewhat comfortably but it took a while (mostly an old ankle injury and misc. other medical stuff).

I have been working with the school horse Scott for most of the year up until three weeks ago. My last two lessons with Scott have not gone well. He's all OVER the arena even when I'm applying the right aids, he doesn't listen to my leg aids, and the only way I can get him to trot as of the last lesson was via a whip. When he goes into a trot it's explosive, and he invariably wants to turn it into a canter. He's all over the arena, and just today, when I applied leg decided he would buck and kick. Scott is usually used as a schooling horse for little kids, and he's fine with them on his back it just seems whenever I try to ask more of him without some tougher reinforcement he won't go.

I was really at the point of giving up riding until another school horse arrived, a lovely young paint named Star. With star I had no problem with any of the transitions, he cantered beautifully when I applied leg, turned wonderfully, didn't kick up his hind leg and his trot was easy to follow, the only thing I needed to work on was applying more outside reign.

Today after I rode scott I talked to my instructor and said I wouldn't ride Scott anymore, he kicked about 3 feet into the air when I asked for a trot and at that point I dismounted and had had it. I wanted to go with the other school horse.

My question is am I doing the right thing my giving up on one for the other? After a lesson with Star I felt wonderful, not exhaused, but with Scott it was like a battle I was exhausted after a half hour.

Are there any ideas of what I'm doing wrong? My isntructor tells me I'm not applying enough leg and not sending Scott on well enough. I just wonder honestly if I haven't failed.
Thoughts?
Also somewhere in the threads someone mentioned a way to transition from a walk to a canter any thoughts on that?

sorry for such a long post,
-Anniyah

[kiwi-rider]

without crystal ball you never know if its right to give up or if you need to persevere a bit more. Because you have such a small amount of time to ride, I say go with the horse that goes for you. When youve made some more progress you might find you can get Scott to work for you again, but in the meantime you need to be getting the most out of your once a week rides.
Good luck

[floppy]

i agree with kiwi...ask you instructor if you can take a break from scott for a month or 2..improv eyou riding with star...and then go back to riding scott...every horse is different and we all end up riding hroses we dont get along with ..its a good learning experience and riding slighty more difficult horses helps improve your riding alot! dont let it crush your confidence though...and im sur ethat oen day you will move from star onto another new horse...when you dont have a hrose of your own you have to be somewhat open minded about the hroses you are given to ride...if you really dont get a hrose going even after you riding is improved alot then your instructor probably wont make you ride that horse again unless that other horses have had it from riding lessons for the day :)

[Somethingroyal]

I would go with star. If you can improve your riding on him then he is who you should be riding. Since scott is not your own horse, you can leave him and switch to tanother. I did that many times before I got Nana, and I would improve and learn something new everytime I got on a different horse. It will also become easier to ride all horses if you switch around a bit...

[Outrider]

If Scot was your own horse, I would say don't give up on him. But it is the school's responsibility to provide a mount that YOU can learn and excel on, not one you have to fight with all the time. No, you are doing exactly what you should be doing. After all, you are paying them, they aren't paying you just to ride Scott. I think there are other problems with him, but that isn't your concern or fault. If a horse is not working for you, you have every right to demand a new mount. You wouldn't buy a car from a salesman that you didn't feel comfortable with, don't do it with a lesson horse. Too many people feel like they owe the stable something, when in fact, it is the stable that owes you. No, you did not fail at anything. The stable failed to provide you the proper mount for your lessons. Good luck and keep us informed. Happy Trails!

[Sharon H]

If Scott has been used for novice riders and children for some time, he probably has got so used to doing things slowly that he resents it if someone asks him to do a bit more than usual. You're obviously ready to ride something a bit more forward going and that's the beauty of riding at a school, they should be able to provide you with a horse that suits your level of expertise.

[Anniyah]

Thank you for your replies :)

I'll see what happens on friday when I go for a lesson but I'm going to stay with Star. If Scott had only acted up once or twice I might not have "given up" for now, but I think this might be best for a time until I'm stronger (at least a month or so). Thankfully I have an understanding instructor ^_^

Thanks,

-Anniyah