First time on a no-brakes horse!

[Wobblydeb]

Wow. That was an experience at the weekend! It's the first time I've ridden a horse that completely chose to ignore the brakes when it felt like it! :rolleyes:

Another week, another college horse, and I get a cob with a mouth of steel. Honestly, when you go to the tackroom and the spare bit is a pelham, you do start to wonder.... :p

Nothing dangerous happened, just everytime we got a pace, it got faster and faster and faster and I couldn't slow the darn creature down and stop it running up the backside of the horse in front :o

Body brake? NOPE, NOTHING.
Pull on the outside rein? NOTHING.
Pull harder on the outside rein, until muscles bulge like popeyes? NOTHING.
Lean back with head touching horses bum, an almighty sharp tug on the outside rein - FINALLY I get a slower trot .....for one miserly !"&^&%!" stride. I relax the reins as a reward, and the !"&*(&" creature shoots forward at a zippy old trot again.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh :p

[pedantic]

Got to admire your bottle, dont think I would fancy that much at all :(

[Wobblydeb]

He seemed quite safe - for the simple fact that whenever we were in front, he was controllable and actually quite confident :rolleyes: The horse in front spooked at one point and he didn't follow it at all.

Not a pleasant ride though - I'm learning all the time about what I do, and more importantly don't, enjoy riding. It's only now that my hands and arms have stopped aching :(

[Arabesque]

Hi Deb, Jenny and Anne were complaining about Folly on Sat about the same sort of thing! They say she just leans on your hands and that they could hardly move the next day from the pains in their shoulders. She's meant to be very strong- imagine having that huge head and neck tugging on you all lesson- not looking forward to riding her!

[ajhainey]

Been there - not unsafe per se but SO STRONG! He just didn't seem to know I was there, and it's not like I'm some itty bitty thing....

Take some ibuprofen for the shoulders you'll have tommorrow!

aj xx

[vince42]

I sympathise one of the nicest horses I ride occasionally is quite forward and also likes to lean on the reins, slowing her isn't easy as pulling on the reins encourages her faster :eek:

I first discovered this on my first time on her on a hack, when at the first canter she shot off into the front :rolleyes: slightly unnerving as I'd only started cantering about 3 weeks earlier...

RI was there and explained that playing the reins back and forth applying pressure and releasing would encourage her to pay attention and moderate her pace. After a few failures we managed to maintain our place in the ride.

I've ridden her since a few times and she is a lovely horse, really responsive to the leg and she loves to go - I'm looking forward to some long hacks out next year when the weathers nice :) I'd still rather ride a horse that wants to go than one that flat refuses to move ( been there! ) but it is nice to have some brakes!

In retrospect she's not as strong as some I've ridden since, but gives the impression from the leaning, as you don't feel that you're in control. But she's a super horse to ride out on and worth a little effort.

Vince

[Ross]

When your horse tends to get strong, try tightening and releasing alternate hands - generally works :)

Ross

[sweuzo]

the horse mighthave been 'running away' from the pulling, i.e, little tugs on the reains might have helped or to pull then release?

[Wobblydeb]

I probably described what I was doing quite badly. I know about squeeze and release - it got completely ignored :rolleyes: So I had to escalate to pull and release, which got a temporary response. Unfortunately at every release he sprung forwards again :p

[ajhainey]

I understood you deb :) Makes me think of that quote someone has as their sig "I'm whispering but he's just not £($^%$ listening!" :p

I tried EVERYTHING I could think of with the horse at my stables like this, once we'd worked through squeeze, pull, tug, lean with entire body weight and even alternate sides (:eek:), leg on, leg off, knee squeeze, thigh squeeze, voice... we tried some other approaches...

"How would you like to be in lead?" Ohh thats great mum, but only as long as I can't see any other horses - because then I will attempt the land speed trot record (he never changed pace from the one requested, which was nice) trying to catch them up.

"Ok, would you like to work on your own down here and do some transitions?" Erm no thanks, I think we'll go see the other horses again now if you don't mind...It's ok I can can trot with my head at this angle..it's not difficult at all once you get the knack...look I can even canter like it....

"Ok...hmm...how about circles within the ride when you get too close" Hey look at me - how small a circle can I do! Why do you keep kicking me with that leg - it's not nice you know :( And there is no need for all that swearing, honestly, what is the world coming too...

"Ok, look, I give in, how about you just rest your head on the horse in front's bum then, I'm ignoring you and don't want the reins anymore anyway, I'm too tired to care" Ooohh thats great, see I told you it would be ok, Bobby doesn't mind at all....I wonder if this guy has anything in his pockets...

I just thank the lord he (and the ever patient horse in front) was an otherwise sensible creatures - as I really didn't have much control at all, especially after about 30mins when my strength started to go....never had anything like it since, usually there is something that works! He wasn't even forward going - just LLLLEEEEAAAANNNING....

Take it you have recovered then? No permanent ligament damage?

aj xx

[Wobblydeb]

I understood you deb :) Makes me think of that quote someone has as their sig "I'm whispering but he's just not £($^%$ listening!" :p

I tried EVERYTHING I could think of with the horse at my stables like this, once we'd worked through squeeze, pull, tug, lean with entire body weight and even alternate sides (:eek:), leg on, leg off, knee squeeze, thigh squeeze, voice... we tried some other approaches...
Take it you have recovered then? No permanent ligament damage?

aj xxI've just laughed my socks off at your entire post. I think they must be horsey relatives - all the same stuff :D ....except that he was good in front.

Unfortunately the instructor put me into 3rd position at the start and said right at the outset "We'll see how you get on, he pulls like a train, and if he gets too bad we'll pop you at the front"
That was it! There was no way I was going to give in and prove the instructor right! :rolleyes: ....even if Harley did think a group lesson meant rest your head on the bum in front.... ;)

I reckon he was a trotter in a former life - We could have WAY outpaced the 18.2hh at the front of the ride that I rode last week :D

I have recovered though thank you :) Last session at college (with all these "interesting" horses) on Saturday for our mock exam. I'm expecting to be given either the nappy mare who refuses to leave the others for an individual canter, or the reliable type who turns into a lunatic at the sight of poles and cleared 3 in one 12 foot leap last week.... :eek:

[ajhainey]

:D Glad you liked it :p I was actually rather sad to see him leave as like you I was determined it was possible to make it work (I'm a competitive sort under my nervous nellie disguise) but I only got to ride him twice before he left again.

Good Luck with the mock - looking forward to hearing how it goes!

aj xx