Finally Found The First Horse Who Beat Me Down...

[Sunshine*]

Wow.. That's about all I can say....

You need to understand that this October will mark my 20th year of riding... I have finally found a horse that I can't control when she sets her mind to it..

The real kicker???? She's a 13.5hh Icelandic Pony!!!!!!!

We were out hacking tonight. I was on my 15.5hh Appy gelding and one of the kids I work with was riding the pony... he couldn't handle her so I said I'd teach her a lesson(because she'd been acting up on the trail with customers as well!) So I get on her and she's fine for a few steps.... All of a sudden she pivoted and bolted.. I'm talking FULL OUT GALLOP... I was pulling back on the reins so hard that I was almost touching her back i was leaning back so far!!!!! She bolted like that for about one minute when I finally got her stopped.. but not before she ran me through trees(I've got the scratches on my face to prove it!!)

I'm still in shock over it... :eek: I don't understand how I can handle a freaking Belgian horse and can't handle a stupid little pony!!!!

Wow I was so furious I couldn't have hit her hard enough if I'd tried!! (That's a figure of speech.. I didn't lay a hand on her!!) (Well that's not true.. when i finally got her stopped and got myself off she was still rearing at me so when she on the ground before rearing up again I got a hold of her upper-lip and put a bit of pressure on it... she finally stopped... )

It was quite the experience... just a few days ago this same pony made me hyper-extend the tendon in my left forearm.... now I can add a pulled muscle in my shoulder and calf AND a bruised ego!!! HAHAHA

Going to soak in the hot tub now HAHHA

:D :D

[shandy84]

Ponies are naturally more challenging in some aspects to the larger horses as they are smaller their movements are a lot quicker and so much easier to take us by surprise :)

[happy herman]

don't feel too badly. i got thrown for the first time in forty years a few months ago. thrown by a TWELVE HAND TWO INCH PONY!! lol she had me before i knew what was happening. the little darling stood there peering down at me as if to say "what was it again you said i wasn't going to do?" :o

[Wobblydeb]

My worst falls have all been off ponies :( ....especially one that was shaking my cousin's little children off. I rode it, and it decided I was going to take more effort, so threw the biggest rodeo fit seen this side of the Atlantic :o

Generally it seems to me that they think and react quicker than bigger horses - evil critters :p

[momofsix]

Don't feel bad. A friend of mine has 6 big Warmbloods that she trains and jumps and one little Shetland she bought for her kids. Give you one guess which one is uncontrollable? That little Shetland can barely be caught and bucks off everyone! Looks kind of funny, actually, although my daughter wasn't laughing last time she flew off while the pony disappeared around the corner.

[Sunshine*]

Thanks a TON guys for all your nice words!!! When I went to work the next day and told my boss he couldn't believe it!! He kinda stared at me in awe and said "But you ride my Belgians!!" That made me laugh... he's going to take the pony out sometime this week!!!

Let me tell you though.. my body is still feeling the effects!!! I pulled muscles in my shoulder, back and leg. And it made my stretched tendon in my arm stretch even worse.. hahha

[Trewsers]

Ouch :eek: hope you're not too sore!!! There are a couple of shetlands on our yard and they're really naughty - I've heard tales of them running off etc. Oh dear! Stick to the big ones!!!

[Rojeth]

the only time i ever wanted to get off a horse was a pony i was going to share. It was 13.2 and trained to holistic natural horsemanship. If i used my legs at all it was off like a rocket!

[toohorsemad]

Ponies are way harder to ride than horses! I have scars to prove it! :rolleyes: Its not the size of horse that matters its the temperment!

[floppy]

never underestimate an icelandic :D

Generally one should be careful when going from ''normal horse'' to icelandics. You try to handle an icelandic like a normal horse they will take you for a ride. As they are generally more finer in excepting aids. Put your legs on and they'll be off, with imported horses its generally worse than with the home bred ones.

[Sunshine*]

never underestimate an icelandic :D

Generally one should be careful when going from ''normal horse'' to icelandics. You try to handle an icelandic like a normal horse they will take you for a ride. As they are generally more finer in excepting aids. Put your legs on and they'll be off, with imported horses its generally worse than with the home bred ones.


HAHHA That's so true!!!! ...and she is an import!!

She's a lot better now... she did try to buck my boss though... I have to admit though.. I love her bucks.. they are so smooth!!!

Here's a pic of the little Devil!!! Not a good one.. just her head... she's a cutie though.... but don't let that fool you!! HAHHA
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v621/SunshineStang/HorsePics024.jpg

[Tiber]

My worst falls have all been off ponies.

1. Taking ponies out for their first xc lesson of the season. We were trotting round the field in pairs and the poy I was paired with bolted down the field towards the gate. My (usually very perfect) pony followed suit and then started bucking, then mid-buck he tripped and pitched me off the front. I can't actually remember much about the rest of the lesson except that he felt so guilty (he was that kind of pony) he meekly followed the instructor round, on the bit, and gently popped a couple of the smaller fences with me at the end. Mum took me to hospital that evening - I had concussion.

2. Evil Exmoor called Muffin. He took a dislike to canter aids and went into full-on bucking bronco impersonation across the diagonal of a 60x80m school. I stayed on about 2/3 of the way then he did a four-footed mega-buck with added twist in mid-air and dropped shoulder on landing. I came off so hard I couldn't move for about 15 minutes and cracked my hat!

3. Recent fall from my pony (14.1). She spooked and bucked so hard that I actually saw her gallop out from underneath me while I was in mid-air! Ended up going to hospital on a spine board and then fainting in the hospital car park when they discharged me!

And as for shetlands...there was a really cute pony (looked like a Shetland x ?)at my old RS called Peppermint, whose idea of a good lesson was to gallop to the rear of the ride as fast as he could as soon as he reached the front. We all had a swapping lesson once and he even tried it with me (about 15 at the time). We compromised with a fast canter...

[cvb]

....All of a sudden she pivoted and bolted.. I'm talking FULL OUT GALLOP... I was pulling back on the reins so hard that I was almost touching her back i was leaning back so far!!!!! She bolted like that for about one minute when I finally got her stopped.. but not before she ran me through trees(I've got the scratches on my face to prove it!!)

I'm still in shock over it... :eek: I don't understand how I can handle a freaking Belgian horse and can't handle a stupid little pony!!!!


Well there is no way you are going to physically move a 13.2 (assume thats what you mean by 13.5 ??!!) OR a 15.2 (again - translated from 15.5 ?!), you have to use your brain not your brawn ;) Half a tonne, or more, of horse is not going to be physically possible for a rider to stop. But if you use your superior brain power, you even the odds out a bit.

My mare is spooky. If I try and stop her direct, she just panics more and runs more, and uses my "pull" as something to lean on :eek: So the spook and run ends up being much longer than it needs to. (For context, I've been riding thirty four years). So I need a variety of responses depending on where I am and how early I catch the spook. I might ask her to turn and soften, especially if I catch it really early. I may actually just sit out the first 2-3 strides - its amazing how fast they stop then ! and so on.

[chev]

I'm still in shock over it... :eek: I don't understand how I can handle a freaking Belgian horse and can't handle a stupid little pony!!!!

There's your answer... 'cause ponies ain't stupid! Never underestimate them!

[Mossy]

I am glad you enjoyed the experience :rolleyes: . I very much doubt if the horse did. My sympathies are all with the horse. :mad: I trust you forearm teaches you a salutary lesson.

[cvb]

p.s. also just looked at the photo - would definately not advise the "lean on the reins" approach with a curb bit - which is what it looks like the pony was in ?

[chev]

I wouldn't advise a 'lean on the bit' approach with any bit... very rarely works. You lean; they pull. If you're lucky you don't damage them and teach them to ignore the bit completely.

[rusk]

I have been told that you NEVER EVER :eek: :eek: pull on their (Icelandics ) mouths so maybe that was what was upsetting her. I think there must be a good reason for her bad behaviour, maybe she is trying to tell you something?
I would work on that assumption fo a bit, as it could be dangerous to go on fighting her.

[floppy]

Some icelandics i know will actually go faster or remain in their high tempi when you try to stop them with too much than average pressure on the bit

[LindaAd]

Maybe she was offended at being called a pony ... Icelandics, as far as I know, are always called horses ...

:p Linda

[MI Horsey]

I don't think I have ever managed to stop an equine ,horse or pony, just by pulling on the reins but then I haven't been taught to rely on my reins either.
Hah, and if you are thinking it's "just a pony" they'll make sure they embaress
you anyway .Gotta love that attitude!!!!! :D
But again I really don't see how pulling on the reins would make a horse stop.Wouldn't it be more like to not stop to escape the pain ??? :confused:

[Sunshine*]

I am glad you enjoyed the experience . I very much doubt if the horse did. My sympathies are all with the horse. I trust you forearm teaches you a salutary lesson.
Actually I didn't enjoy the experience at all... and neither did my forearm... it's still not healed and won't be for a while... as for the pony, she had no damage whatsoever.... so I wouldn't feel too bad for her at all... it didn't make her avoid the bit... my boss took her out the next day for about three hours.. the first two she spent "bucking" (I say it in quotes b/c any Icelandic I've been on you can't feel their buck anyway LOL), "rearing", and bolting.... the last hour she was fine... and she's the most perfect pony we have!! There was no trouble with her back, teeth etc....

Maybe she was offended at being called a pony ... Icelandics, as far as I know, are always called horses ...

HAHHAHA That's funny!! We actually have a Mini Horse.. she actually appears to get angry when people call her a pony!! We had to move the trough closer to the ground b/c she insisted on using it like the big horses do!!!