Lesson tomorrow on difficult horse

[Jeni_92]

Hi

I need a little help i booked a last minute lesson 2day for tomorrow and the only horse free is Betty http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...i_92/betty.jpg who i had last time and had a bad lesson i was kicking really hard and had 2 whips she just won't go in the end you just feel like giving up also she pulls her head down as she is very strong and my RI tells me 2 pull her hed bk up but as i do she thinks its a signal 2 stop.
I have my auntie watching 2moro for 1st time and also want to have a canter but i want a good lesson but i don't kno wat else 2 do the RI just ses " oh its just betty shes lazy but safe so we use her alot" but sometyms she can jus be a right moody mare!
PS it's tomorrow so plz be quike!!!
Plz help !!!!!!

[stormy's mum]

where are you using the whip ? it would be wise to use it on her side where you would kick this might help her go sorry if im not much help

[Jeni_92]

i use the whip on her sholder 1st then behind the leg if no response when ther not usually is

[horses4eva888]

I had this problem last week my best friend whose been riding for 4yrs was coming (compared to my year and a 1/2) and I wanted an easy ride but I got Clippy one of the most lazy horses ever. By the middle of the lesson I couldn't hold him back from wanting to jump he was soo fired up he even through in a couple of exited bucks yes thats right lazy clippy who plods along lol! I decided that when I got on him I was going to show him who was boss and I did. He set off plodding as usual but I wasn't going to let him even though we were only in walk I kept pushing him until he was striding forwards after I'd got him going he wouldn't stop. Just get on Betty and take charge don't let her push you about you tell her you are going to go forwards! She'll soon get the message the horse you are on doesn't determine a good lesson/ a bad one you make it into a good/bad one. Ride possitively don't just give up. Sure its a bit hard work at the beginning of the lesson but you will get the rewards.

Check out clippy the laziest pony on the yard! http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=DD4206DCA7E2C9A0

[Jeni_92]

thanks horse4eva888 ** advice is gr8 i will get on her and tell her im the boss and i want a gud lesson

[curlycal]

Good luck on Betty tomorrow, my son Jon had his second ever lesson on her, and she wouldn'y stay out on the track she kept drifting in to the middle of the school!
I'm on a hack early morning followed by a grooming lesson so I'll look out for you.

Cal x

[horses4eva888]

No problem how long have you been riding if you don't mind me asking

[chaz_the_star]

Ahhhh. I feel for you! :D I learnt how to ride on big slow cobs that no matter WHAT you do won't move. Then the instructors get on, and your amazed at what they do. And now, after 5yrs of riding, I can finally make them go fasttt ;)

I can't really explain how to make them more forward. It comes with experience of riding them really. But I have a couple of pointers that helped me when I rode that type of horse.

1) Use a schooling whip. You don't have to take the hand off the rein, meaning you don't lose the contact, which means losing any impulsion you have. Also if they don't listen to you, you can take your hands off the reins and give them a wallop. Then they listen to you :p

2) Transitions. LOTS of them. Gets them off your leg, and listening to you. When going up a transition, it has to be sharp. If the horse doesn't listen to your leg aid, flick with the schooling whip. If it still doesn't listen; take you hand off and smack like you would with a short whip.

3) Growl. Make noises. Wave the whip around in the air. Not reccomended in a dressage test ;) but to use as a last resort its usually quite effective. Or you could get the RI to throw sand at their bums! That usually works:rolleyes:

Oh, and instead of huge pony club type kicks, you'd be better off using a few short jabs with your heels. It will conserve your energy, which you need to do :P And, the horse MUST be straight. Doing all this is pointless if the horse is not straight, the impulsion you create will just run out the side door - so remember a good contact as well! Good luck with her!

[Nimbus65]

Because I'm (ahem) "biggish" and have tended to be nervous, I've tended to be put on the BIG, slow horses. However, I've also found that as I've learned how to sit properly and carry myself, the slow, lazy ones have gone better for me. The issue is that I've been doing several things (sometimes all at once!):

1) Too much or inconsistent rein contact. Too much b/c I'm either climbing up the reins (a subconsious habit which results in the horse leaning on my hands and me not having any brakes) or the inconsistent contact means the poor horse switches off. Riding w/ my hands "upside down" helped alot. That and really understanding the mechanics of contact.

2) Riding with a "driving seat." Hard not to do when you're on a slow horse but actually counterproductive . . . this is when you kind of gee the horse along w/ your bum or as you use your legs. What it does is tip you onto your fork and actually block the horse's movement through its back. As soon as I learned how to stop "rowing," sit on my seatbones and keep STILL, the horses went better for me.

3) Nagging with my legs. Worse than repeatedly asking for forward movement with my legs and not backing it up with a stick (the rule I've been taught and now apply is "ask twice and then flick"), my lower legs flapped about terribly and I was constantly nudging the horse with either my heels or calf without even knowing it. Result = switched off horse.

So. What works for me = sit still (no rowing or shuffling), secure/still lower leg, elbows by sides and soft hands (consistent contact), sit on my seat, clear leg aids ("nudge, nudge" rather than kick or "clamp") and BREATHE.

I know you want to ride well in front of your aunt, but it may be that you need some work on the lunge. Take heart, though, riding the slow, lazy horses does wonders for strengthening those leg aids. You might hear it loads of times, but if you can get good, forward work out of the lazy RS horses, you'll find you'll have no problem getting the more forward horses to work "forward" for you . . . if anything I now have to remember that I'm riding a much more sensitive horse and scale my leg aids BACK these days now that I'm riding some of the more sensitive/forward horses.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Best,

N

[~*sugarlump*~]

well if you can ride this horse then you can ride any horse, think of it as a challenge.

is she dead in the sides? if she is then she might need a tap on the bum,
think forward and dont get frustrated with her, growl and use your voice.

dont constantly niggle her sides, one big kick then squeeze her sides.

make her listen to you by doing hard work like lateral work.
shes probabaly used to novices getting on her not knowing what theyre doing, make sure all aids are clear and theres no cause for misunderstanding on her part.

make sure you are giving her enough rein contact as she could be very sensitive in the mouth too.

there is a horse very like her at my RS, very slow and dead in the sides but when shes on a hack she bucks and bolts and is very highly strung

[Jeni_92]

Cal good luck on your hack who are you riding??? What time are you ther doing the other grooming lessons???

[Jeni_92]

No problem how long have you been riding if you don't mind me asking

1 year but started off bad and hardy learnt a thing so march this year but did have a bit of expierence from the bad RS like walk and trot

[raingodz]

I had a lesson on a horse that just didn't go, it was about my 4th lesson. I recently rode this horse again and I managed to get her going quite well.

The problem (which may not be the same for you) I had was that she is needs a really light rein when riding her, and as I was using my leg to send her forward I was also moving my arms (by mistake) and she was getting confused as to weather I wanted her to go forward or to stop :o

But some horses are just harder to ride than others and harder doesn't always mean too forward going or dissobedient.

ETA: just thought I'd fix the image link so we can all see how nice Betty looks :)

http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k284/Jeni_92/betty.jpg

[Jeni_92]

thanks raingods ive learnt my lesson on tight reins so know i ride with alot slacker reins exept wen u need 2 turn betty she needs a tighter rein so i will be like loose tight loose tight etc lol