Fell off :(

Taffie

Member
May 29, 2017
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Well after my post on the other thread about our cob mare being silly and then calming down nicely, we had the back lady Tuesday this week, so with post-treatment rest she wasn’t ridden from Sunday to Friday and isn’t supposed to canter until next week. She is 5yrs 9mths old and her back had never been done as far as we know. It was out of line but in a normal way and she responded well to the treatment. I have the detailed report.
We had our club lesson Friday morning and the silly girl got too excited going into the school and did lots of bucky cantery stuff. I stayed on and had just started to circle her on left rein, but she broncoed and I went off the front offhand. Landed flat, so very sore hut not damaged. RI got the lunge and she spent 10 mins on lunge proper bucking about like a nutter, but after lunging I did get back on then and completed the lesson, with only a silly spook, which I didn’t fall off.
RI/YO thought it was a combination of January pent up energy; the post chiropractor rest and that she may have been feeling ‘yeehaa’ after having her back done. She said she would be fine after getting it out of her system.
After school the same day my daughter rode her in the school, she walked and trotted nicely and then I made myself ride Saturday morning, despite being very sore. She was okay, did keep sensible but she felt very twitchy, like she was only just keeping the lid on it. She also started messing about again trying to get behind the bit towards the end of schooling.
I’m now feeling really worried in case she does it again. Hoping it’s just a blip due to a combination of factors as RI thought. She is lovely on the ground, easy to do. We have had a handful of big spooks out on hacks, but she’s young and learning about the scary world. No problem with traffic, mainly sudden movements of other livestock. I did post on the other thread about her being silly in the school on the lead rein but we realised after that she thought we were going to turn her out as we didn’t know they used the school for turnout when the weather is really wet.
Sorry, everything seems to veer from great to awful at the mo, just wanted to vent really. As a novice rider it’s hard to know whether you are doing the right thing.
 
She's had a few more days off than is usual for her & is possibly still a little sore after treatment, if I were you I really wouldn't read too much into it & start thinking that you're going to have problems - if you do the chances are she'll pick up on your worries & you'll start worrying her. I see the yard uses the school for turnout in bad weather, that being the case maybe it isn't the best place to take her if she's a bit full of herself because she may think it's acceptable to let off steam in there. If I were you I'd be tempted to take her for a few longish but steady hacks until she's a bit calmer. And above all don't worry, your nice mare hasn't turned into a monster overnight.
 
You're not alone with the mid winter excitement, Jess is full of it (I actually had to get off yesterday to lead her past some horses as it was getting a bit hairy, I don't think I've done that since she was 4!) and several other friends have said the same. Your RI is probably right, the combo of winter silliness, almost a week off and feeling better after getting her back done is enough to do it :) Turnout in the school is great until you have one that can't yet differentiate between working in there and free time in there, it can make it challenging, but it is also a good thing for the to learn :) I hope you're not too sore now
 
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At rising 6 she's still bound to have some silly moments of over exuberance. Mine does all the time, she's the same age. The weather has been getting in the way of my riding her enough for her to mostly keep her head. If when I'm tacking up or get down to the school if she starts harrumphing about not being able to contain herself enough to stand still then I lunge her first so that she can blow off steam, buck and squeal without me on her back. If I haven't got the lunge line with me I just let her loose in the school and she tanks about on her own. Once she's calmed down and tired a little I then get on and carry on with whatever I was planning to do. Could you do the same?
 
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Thank you all for your kind words, It’s made me feel much better. I don’t think she is being nasty either, just exuberant. I will ask my RI if I should let her tank about in the school before riding. I haven’t lunged myself, and did ask to be shown how, but she just said it was very difficult.
There is a turnout paddock as well as the school, RI doesn’t like to ruin the fields as it has been extremely wet here this winter. She’s right - badly poached fields never recover properly (I work in agriculture/environment). To be fair, she probably thought she was helping me out as the school isn’t muddy and as you can see, Nancie is a muckpot.
I was worried about hacking in case Nancie does it on a harder surface than the school. She still gets a bit jumpy when out alone. There isn’t anyone on the yard to hack with as it is no longer a riding school and I’m usually the only livery, so we have to make arrangements to meet up with others.
I have a lesson this evening so will report back. I’m still hobbling though o_O but it’s just bruises and sore muscles.
Here’s the naughty mare

CF7B4D38-CD0E-420F-A6F7-C3A9735BA647.jpeg
 
Sorry you came off. Lots of good advice as always on here. Personally, I would be thinking it's winter daftness. Storm used to be the same when she was younger and to my horror and surprise one day just bucked me right off for no good reason in our sandschool:eek:it all happened so fast:p
But, I tried not to read too much into it and when spring proper came she was just fine again:D
Anyway, hope your lesson goes well - lots of healing vibes too. Love her rug btw.
 
Like everything thats new lunging needs to be learned, depending on how your mare takes to it will depend upon how long it takes you to get the knack. Ask for a lesson in it before trying it on your own. Its no more difficult than the first time trying anything else:)
 
Lesson went okay - not brilliant , but okay. It was in the floodlit school and she is very wary of one corner which overlooks the field. However, although I could feel her being jumpy she did settle and we were working on keeping a light contact, which she started to really relax and respond into, Did plenty of circles and poles with light contact; walk and trot only, and it is very clear that she is less comfortable and protests on the right rein, which backs up what the back lady reported: stiff offside shoulder, nearside haunch. Corrected by aligning the vertebrae. So that’s the side to work on for fitness.
I doubt she’s ever had her back done before: she was in Ireland until late 2016 and only broken in last year.
RI says she has foaled at some point too. We get a lot of random Irish coloured cobs arrive in West Wales as it’s so near the ferry. I must have looked at so many before we saw her.
No silliness today though. RI said her horse - a 4.5 year old huge Appaloosa - was also very silly later that day and he had been resting after having his back done too. I don’t think RI would let me let her just run around the school before riding. I’ll have to watch lunging more and get a handle on it.
@Trewsers she only has a rain rug on because she is such a filthy muck pot otherwise! It’s mud-coloured now...:D Really didn’t want much white, but went for temperament over colour. I love the Welsh cobs to look at but they are far too fresh for me...
Thankyou for all your advice, I feel much more positive now.:) Onward we go...
 
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I feel off a year ago thern next i torroted(as i was troting when it happen) took a bit of corruge but but it wasn;t long i was hapffully troting again.
 
I know if my cob is going to be silly as hes twitchy when being led so i either lunge him or let him have a bomb about in the school and after hes shown me his best hand stands hes ready to work. hes not silly if i dont let him go in the school for a five min burn off steam session, he just cant concentrate and trips over his shadow, spooky or very looky, maybe lunge before u ride or let her have a free school session in the school once a week. Different things work for different horses. If my mums cob doesnt have a free school session before a ride he wants to gallop the whole time and because he isnt allowed he just jogs! The crazy nut
 
My coming up 8yr old cob is on his toes at min and abit hyper when being ridden even after a lunge also when we hack out at min he is abit jumpy and really alert but after 5/10 mins out on road he calms a little. In the 4yrs and 5 months I have owned him he has never been as bad as this tho luckily tho he never put u in danger or anything but he has been back on the grass for a week or so now so I'm just wondering if it's the spring grass that is hyping him up as well
 
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