Another RS to add to my 'avoid like the plague' list

[Laura_107]

I made the mistake of trying a different RS again. I have made this mistake before and really should have learnt from it, if you hear bad things about them, then one should really take note :frown:

It was a good deal, and my friends were all going, it was just a one off two hour hack, so I thought whats the harm? (Don't worry HappyHacker101, I'm not jumping ship!)

I thought I was going to die :cry: I am pretty positive I said on my registration form that I couldn't jump (not that they read it!)...the first canter what do we have? Two logs to pop. The first one was fine, it was just little, the second was a tree trunk, my horse was hesitant (probably because I was) and I ended up clinging round her neck having lost both my stirrups...somehow I managed to get upright again and just had to make it to the top without my stirrups.

Second 'canter' was a flat out gallop along a gravel path...utterly petrified. The remaining 6 canters were mostly uneventful, though I didn't feel safe for one moment.

The lead horse was a green nutcase (hence why the 'steady' canters turned into something a little more than 'steady'!). Second horse was also a nutter, throwing in a good few big bucks (luckily the girl riding it was experienced enough to handle it). When asked what type of horses we wanted a girl asked for quiet and she was given an uncontrollable youngster who was jogging before we even left the stables. I asked for brakes...I didn't get them, but luckily the horse in front would not let my mare past for love nor money.

At least four of the horses had loose shoes, my friends horse lost a shoe on one of our canters and was most definately lame. We told the leader and he said not to worry they were being shod tomorrow...and continued to trot and canter.

There was so much more wrong, but I wont bore you.

I still feel sick and shakey and the ride finished at half 1. :unsure:

I understand that some people want nothing more to bomb about the countryside...but not me. I hated every second of that ride and it's now made me dread when my (lovely, safe and sensible) RS starts cantering on hacks (the ground has been too wet to do it safely for a while now).

Am I being an unreasonable, nervous nelly? I never thought I had confidence issues, but that hack, combined with the other bad experience has made me wonder if I am...:help:

 

[pepsimaxrock]

I would NEVER expect to jump on a hack from a RS unless I had been told about it beforehand.

 

[eml]

I think I would have just said 'no thanks I am not riding out with you' when someone requesting a 'quiet' ride was given a joggy youngster. An uncontrolled lead horse and a bucking one would have me convinced that this was not a 'safe hack' Did they do any sort of pre-ride assessments?

 

[happyhacker101]

Laura, that sounds awful - I have a feeling that I know where you went but please can you pm me the school just incase i am wrong?

Please do not worry about cantering at your normal RS - you know how badly I can be affected by nerves and i will happily canter on hacks on their horses.

 

[Laura_107]

I think I would have just said 'no thanks I am not riding out with you' when someone requesting a 'quiet' ride was given a joggy youngster. An uncontrolled lead horse and a bucking one would have me convinced that this was not a 'safe hack' Did they do any sort of pre-ride assessments?

I didn't actually notice the joggy youngster, there were literally 20 horses and riders all waiting in the yard about to go on various hacks/lessons (bit like organised chaos) it was my friend that told me after we got off when I asked how the girl had got on.

Nope, absolutely no pre-ride assessment, no asking of ability level, no telling us about the horse we were riding (I asked and was told she was an absolute sweetheart with a sensitive mouth), no warning of which horses might kick out. Also no hi viz and plenty roadwork.

 

[happyhacker101]

If it's the yard that i've just pm'd you about then years ago one of their horses took off with me on board down a main road on a Sunday afternoon - you can imagine the chaos that could have caused - never went back again.

 

[Laura_107]

It was a different yard HH, though I am not surprised, sounds awful. But at least that yard gives you an order to ride in, tells you who can be grumpy and wont take you on certain rides unless you are able.

Plus the horses there look looked after, here they were scrawny and in need of a good groom!

 

[MistyGal]

By carumba!!! Dont know if thats even a word... I hope they have some serious insurance in place! Awful!

 

[Wally]

You poor thing any hack is at the speed of the most nervous rider, regardless of what anyone else wants to do...FULL STOP!

 

[happyhacker101]

It was a different yard HH, though I am not surprised, sounds awful. But at least that yard gives you an order to ride in, tells you who can be grumpy and wont take you on certain rides unless you are able.

Plus the horses there look looked after, here they were scrawny and in need of a good groom!

I often drive past some of their ponies in a field if im collecting meds from the vets - they do look rather poor but they are coming out of winter and have hay in their fields so I didnt think too much of it - by the sounds of things, they look worse close up.

 

[Skib]

I too used to go hacking at different schools - for the happiness of riding in new places.
I never had anything happen as bad as this - but I did once go on a ride where I personally was put at risk by the route taken. My view was that it was the girl who took us out, and she did things for a laugh. We too went over a fallen tree in trot. She liked the excitement of having a fun ride herself and the YO probably didnt have any idea what was going on.

I encountered her years later and she remembered me and that ride but clearly had no idea of having done anything wrong.

So did you say anything to the YO?

 

[ladywiththebaby]

Wow - that sounds horrible!! I would have hated it and would have probably been in tears or have jumped off so I think you were incredibly brave!! But it's funny isn't - you deal with whatever is thrown at you and its actualky afterwards when you think back over it that you feel even worse with what MIGHT have happened. Well it is for me anyway!!

Don't label yourself with having confidence issues - it may become a self fulfilling prophecy. It was an isolated horrible hack - which many people wouldn't have enjoyed.

Look at it this way - you rode new horses with minimal information about them, you cantered and even galloped, you jumped, even though you don't do it much, and you STAYED ON - and you handled it all. WELL DONE!!! You're a very brave rider!

 

[minkersmum]

OMG sounds like a complete nightmare. Come soothe yourself with a nice calm ride on Rufus with Melinda leading when she returns. She is the most calming influence on horse and human.

Good for you for staying on. Have had a few mad rides like that myself year ago and i think if it happened now i'd probably wet myself or some other completely undignified reaction:redface:

 

[Russet]

What a nightmare. Poor you. That would be enough to put someone off riding for life. Thank goodness that neither you or anyone else got hurt.

I hope that this awful experience doesn't dent your confidence too much, and I'm sure you will be sticking to your usual RS after this. The one you've just been to shouldn't be in business - I wonder if they've been sued yet - if they haven't been, they probably will be one day when someone gets badly hurt.

I hope you manage to enjoy future rides; at least you know your usual RS is a good one so something like this wont happen there.

 

[Ruskii]

Christ, that would have me pooping my pants !

I don't jump - far to scared but if I was on a hack and in the circumstances you were in and I probably would have shrieked

The only RS hack I have been out on was last year and we had a rider assessment before we went out on the hack, it was only a walk and trot anyway, upon speaking to the lead ride when we were out if they ever cantered, I was told 'Only with people who we have given regular lessons to and we know them pretty well for a few months' This to me is what should really be done for any advanced type of hack to include canters, or at least a rider assessment !

I got nervous out on our hack as we had one lead rider, but someone else from the school who was tagging along to remember some of the routes, she recognised someone in the distance and went to go say hello, our lead rider knew the girl and said the horse was crazy, 15 mins later second rider comes back with her pal saying they could ride with us - I got vocal and said 'No thanks' not if one of the lead girls had said the horse was a nutter. Personally I thought it was a bit rude as well.

At least you were back in one peice, I hope you enjoy any future rides though with another RS and are not to badly put off x

 

[Laura_107]

Thank you for all your responses, they are very much appreciated. At least I don't feel completely unreasonable now, and I know it wasn't me just being a spoil sport!

HH - To be fair on them, although my horse looked pretty scrawny and in need of some TLC, she was fit as a fiddle. It was a hard hack and there was no heavy breathing, nor had she even broken a sweat! Other horses werent so lucky though, the one behind me had cronic dhaiorrea (sp?), and my friends horse who was lame was absolutely dripping with sweat. My friend said she could feel the heat coming off her through the saddle.

Skib - no I didn't speak to the YO unfortunately. Looking back there were many many things I 'should' have done...but I didn't. I was going to try and find her to let he know that one of the horses was lame and that the leader hadn't taken note of it at all, but our horses were all taken off us so bloomin' quickly I dont think I ever would have found her!

LWTB - you have totally hit the nail on the head. I am now cursing myself for allowing myself to be put through that. I should have got off straight after those jumps. But by the time I had realised how dangerous this hack really was we were already about an hour out...so I switched to self preservation mode. Oh, and as for jumping...never mind not doing it much...I think the last time I jumped was when I was 15 and it was over a teeny weeny cross pole. It's not that I 'don't' jump, it's that I 'cant'! I am nervous enough about my RI teaching me how to jump, never mind realising I have 4 strides of canter until I am forced to jump. :frown:

MM - That sounds fabulous. I will now be sticking to the two RS's I know and love. :biggrin: And, I don't think I screamed, but my friend in front of me did! :giggle:

Russet - Thank you. I will be sticking to my RS in future. And I have every faith in my RI's ability to get me over any 'blip' that might come out of this. I do hope nobody gets injured there, but I really would not be suprised. The tack they were using was awful too, unfortunately I didn't realise this until I got off and went to take my girth down a few holes :furious:

Ruskii - I don't think I screamed, but my friend in front of me did! :giggle: I wish I had been a bit more vocal like you. I did speak up and told him my friends horse was lame, but he took no notice.