At last my mare is back from training and I have been told not to go out alone but to walk out with someone leading so on Saturday I set out with my partner leading and she was as good as gold - a bit worried about the cars but nothing too bad. We did the same on Sunday and she stood still while I got on and fussed around and she was a bit better with the traffic although I can still feel that she is a bit worried about it. I felt really pleased with her.
Today however, I have just been out for a ride with a friend and it was a disaster. I think I put too much pressure on her too soon. For a start the other pony walked much slower than her and then she double barrelled him! She was forced to walk out in front because she was much faster than him and his rider kept trotting to catch up so she was jogging. I think this was because of the pressure from behind and she thought there was obviously something to job about. When we met a car I tried to keep her on the inside of the pony but she ran forward and I felt like I had no control. We stopped to shorten my stirrups and met a lady walking who said the bin lorry was coming up the lane so we turned back on the way back to the stables and I could see an open backed truck coming so I asked it to stop while my mare was going sideways in the road and I am afraid I just had to get off coz I felt scared of what she might do. Admittedly she did seem happier to just walk when I was by her side hence I feel that I asked too much of her too soon by making her go out with no one at her head and she couldn't see me coz I was on top. Every time the pony came near her she put her ears back flat and threatened him and then she clonked me on the head because of her impatience in not wanting to stand while I was speaking to my friend. As soon as we were back in the yard she was great and stood still for me to unsaddle etc but I felt like a right wuss and a failure because she needs me to be not scared. I also felt that because she was jogging all the time I was hanging on to her with tight reins and she wasn't listening to me and it shouldn't be like this because if she breaks pace I have been told to correct her and then leave her alone. i.e. if she is doing the right thing, then leave her alone and don't hang on the reins. I am only riding on a dually at the moment so her mouth is not being pulled but every time before she responded to the request to stop/slow down and then I would release the reins but today she didn't so I just felt I ended up hanging on to them. I hope she is forgiving of my riding today - I just feel so crap.
I will have to go back a step to where we were before until she is happier with traffic. It is difficult to find a suitable hacking partner when she walks so fast (arab - say no more).
Today however, I have just been out for a ride with a friend and it was a disaster. I think I put too much pressure on her too soon. For a start the other pony walked much slower than her and then she double barrelled him! She was forced to walk out in front because she was much faster than him and his rider kept trotting to catch up so she was jogging. I think this was because of the pressure from behind and she thought there was obviously something to job about. When we met a car I tried to keep her on the inside of the pony but she ran forward and I felt like I had no control. We stopped to shorten my stirrups and met a lady walking who said the bin lorry was coming up the lane so we turned back on the way back to the stables and I could see an open backed truck coming so I asked it to stop while my mare was going sideways in the road and I am afraid I just had to get off coz I felt scared of what she might do. Admittedly she did seem happier to just walk when I was by her side hence I feel that I asked too much of her too soon by making her go out with no one at her head and she couldn't see me coz I was on top. Every time the pony came near her she put her ears back flat and threatened him and then she clonked me on the head because of her impatience in not wanting to stand while I was speaking to my friend. As soon as we were back in the yard she was great and stood still for me to unsaddle etc but I felt like a right wuss and a failure because she needs me to be not scared. I also felt that because she was jogging all the time I was hanging on to her with tight reins and she wasn't listening to me and it shouldn't be like this because if she breaks pace I have been told to correct her and then leave her alone. i.e. if she is doing the right thing, then leave her alone and don't hang on the reins. I am only riding on a dually at the moment so her mouth is not being pulled but every time before she responded to the request to stop/slow down and then I would release the reins but today she didn't so I just felt I ended up hanging on to them. I hope she is forgiving of my riding today - I just feel so crap.
I will have to go back a step to where we were before until she is happier with traffic. It is difficult to find a suitable hacking partner when she walks so fast (arab - say no more).
