I rode Megan for the first time today :)

[Imp]

Well, what a lazy little madam she is! :D She has an almost slow-mo walk which is hard to get going with any action :rolleyes: she got so annoyed that I used the crop to make her obey my leg aids (1 x pressure, nothing, 2 x pressure still plodding 3 x pressure + little smack) that she bucked, it was a lazy half-hearted buck too :rolleyes: We concentrated on walk/halt transitions today. By the end of the lesson some head nodding, told off, snorted a few times but not as bad as she had been when my daughter rode her before.

This is the first time I've ridden in a month due to recovering from whiplash injury; I really didn't appreciate how much your back is involved in you applying adequate pressure. I only did one small burst of rising trot then a bit of sitting trot but had to ask my RI to just keep the lesson to walk as I didn't feel I could get the impulsion in trot as I couldn't apply pressure as I rose to trot or keep my leg on because of the pain in my back and neck. She said I did really well and must have kept the leg on even so because Megan kept going and she would have stopped if I hadn't - lazy little b*gger :p

After my lesson RI got on and madam was MADE to canter, she didn't play up too much - nothing like she had for us - but did spook at a car or something backfiring in the road which frightened some birds... little bunny hop.

My daughter filmed a bit of my trot but looking at it I look TERRIBLE and don't want to post it because I look 'a la' Thelwell boinging around with what appears to be little control (ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch :eek: )... I can do better than that :p

Does anybody else's horse or pony do this; before completing half a circuit at the beginning of every lesson she poos. Not only does she poo, she has to stop dead and poo with a blissfully far away look on her face :cool: and nothing you do will budge her! I even tried the crop today and RI shouted at her before but she won't keep going, we're going to try to bully that out of her! God help her if she ever gets chased by a tiger :eek:

All in all I am glad I rode her, she does what she's asked, complains a lot but isn't dangerous or naughty, just stubborn according to RI :D

[cazrider]

Hurray, Hurray!:D :D :D You did it Lynda!!! Fantastic! I've been waiting for this.

Sounds absolutely great for a first time. Couldn't have gone much better. You wouldn't have wanted her to be tearing about all over the place!

If its any consolation, Sennie has clearly never learnt to keep moving through a poo either. Nothing will budge him.

Great to hear you've started. Now there'll be no stopping you. Pics next time I think. Thelwell or no Thelwell.:p ;)

[Sparklie]

Oh good for you Imp...I bet you're really happy despite the painful bouncing ;) You'll probably be feeling a bit sore tomorrow but atleast you finally got to have a go on YOUR pony!

Twig doesn't do the pooing thing but at the moment he seems to have a habit of weeing when we ride out. He usually does it in the first field that we get to or if he forgets it has to be the second one...it's very strange, must be the excitement!

[Crazyhorse]

Congrats! Have enjoyed reading all your posts and the weather conditions that have conspired against you! Good luck:D

[Whatanejit]

Oh great stuff Imp. :D

Cooper is a bit of a plod too.

Everyone tells me it is much easier to speed them up than it is to slow them down.

For us first timers I'd rather need more leg than to be hanging on for dear life and then not want to get on her again.:o

Has your daughter hacked her out yet?

I wonder what she will be like when she fittens up and possibly a bit of extra feed in her - Rocket Fuel:eek: :eek:

Hope you are not too sore tomorrow.

When are you back in the saddle again?

xx

[domane]

Well!! I did NOT expect, after your FIRST ride on Megan, that you would be complaining about her being TOO slow!!!

Rather that than her tanking off with you all over the place, eh? You will find your balance, the pair of you, just give it time....

And as for the Thelwell bounce, please post it - we won't laugh - HONEST!!!

(Well, not much, anyway.... I need a good cheer up - horse arrived today at the yard having put it's foot through the floor of the trailer - LOTS of blood and emergency vet just clearing the barn for an x-ray as I was leaving :( Poor little mite - a cob too!!! :( )

[Imp]

Domane said:

And as for the Thelwell bounce, please post it - we won't laugh - HONEST!!!

Hmmm, which bit of that don't I believe :cool: I'll have one more careful assessment of the vid and decide whether or not it can go public - I'm not sure whether you can hear me saying 'ow, ow, ow, ow' as I trot :o The poo was caught on camera though :p

Watch this space then ;)

I was sorry to hear of that poor horse's accident in the trailer, I hope all's well in the end :(

I found her slowness to be rather irritating, not that I was in a physical position to demand a faster trot or a canter but a nice active walk would have done it for me but would she? Would she heck as like :rolleyes: Took a whip to get anything like a good walk, then she slowed at the first opportunity and napped by the gate for the first 10 minutes.

I think she's greener than we were lead to believe when we bought her, somebody remarked tonight that she thought she was very young, she's actually between 8-10 my vet's assessment of her age. We'll have to see how she goes, I'm afraid she feels all I do is tell her off on the ground, now that's getting better and we're really bonding stable-wise I'm telling her off under saddle :(

I do love her though :D

[newnovice]

Great job!! Megan will speed up as you get more comfortable. I couldn't get my horse to go for awhile after I came off of her. I was kicking her, but inside I didn't "really" want her to go faster. As I got more comfortable and really wanted her to go, she did.

Friday during my lesson I kept thinking "why is this horse so slow today" and when I got off, my instructor said, "at least she's really going now"! Go figure!

Congrats!!

[NoviceNic]

Oh wow your first ride. Ahhh. I loved that moment. The next special moment will be the time you tack her up and get on without anyone around. You will be worried at first but once you ust walk around you should breath deep and let out deep. That way you will remember to breathe and stay deeper in your seat. :D Always a bonus. :p Domnt worry abot her being green. Our Fagan is as green as the hills but he has never once tried to dump his nervous Mum. He is a real sweetie. I look forward to seeing your video. Bounce or no bounce dont be silly about looking silly. I am no dressage queen...:eek:

[HairyCob]

Yay heyyyyy! Well done Imp!

Now don't be complaining that she's too slow, give her a bit of extra work, fitten her up and then think about upping her feed if you still think you need to.

I bet once she realises that when she goes into the school for an hours lesson THATS IT and she doesn't have to do it again and again endlessly through the day, she'll perk up and begin to enjoy it:D

And as for the Poohing thing... have you ever tried to do one whilst walking along? Would you want to, even if you could?! Nah, so give the girl a break and let her have a sh*t in peace;) ;) :D

[Gill]

Congratulations on your first ride, it will only get better.
You might find that a quiet walk out with a companion will get her feeling more enthusiastic, rather than going round in an arena. My sympathies for your back and neck, I know what that feels like.

[neen]

Congratulations, well done! Sounds like it went really well actually. And if you didn't get the active walk you wanted this time -- just remember, you've got all the time in the world to improve that, because SHE'S YOURS!

The RS horses I ride both often stop for a quick poo break at the beginning of the lesson. It doesn't bother me if it's in the first couple of minutes when we're just warming up, and as long as they get on with it (have seen others faff about for ages "deciding" -- to poo or not to poo? That would be annoying -- how hard can it be?!). On the bright side, if she poos in the school, that's one less poo in her stable!

[Kimo]

Stubborn mare, Imp? Gee... I can't relate to that :rolleyes: . I got one foot in the stirrup yesterday and that was it. (She decided we were done.)

Sounds pretty exciting for a first ride!!

[RustyMary]

Well done Imp - the first of many.. (yay! :D )

My RS horse is another one who always poos on the first circuit, and as I'm so green I've wondered every time why he's suddenly stopped :rolleyes: I must remember that when I start my lessons again!