Having problems with horse not listening to my aids and being nappy in general.

[zerika]

First off I apologise in advance if there are unclear points/grammatical errors in my post as english is not my first language.

So I have been riding in a riding centre for a year now, and the pony that I'm currently riding has been with me for four months (mainly because he is suitable to help me train my canter), he is around 14hh and does quite some bit of jumping from what I know of. He is very smooth to ride when he wants to be, but he also has a lot of behaviours that I find hard to deal with. He is quite nappy, he absolutely hates going on the right rein, if I would let him walk on a long rein he would change the direction by himself if you do not stop him, it is especially worse when I'm starting out the lesson. He is reluctant to go forward in the first 15 minutes or so, though it can just be him warming up(?) I'm not quite certain since some days he would be very happy to forward, some days he'd be walking and trotting as if he is deep in a swamp and would have me try to get him forwards to the canter for at least 5 minutes straight. When I try to back up my aids with the whip on his hindquarters he would either kick out at the whip or try bucking, and if I use it on his shoulder he pulls on the trains to try jerking them out of my hands. I am told to deal with these with harder leg aids and a firm grip on the reins, and if he doesn't comply and keeps misbehaving, to have a slight jerk on the reins. After he's warmed up it is as if a switch has been flipped in him, he almost goes out of control sometimes by the end of the lesson and just flies off with me on him (especially if we have been doing some polework/small jumps) where I cannot get him to slow down or stop as pressure on the reins would make him go off even more so usually I just let him go off and I stay on him as relaxed as I can be (I don't know if that is right from a schooling standpoint, but it is what I opted to do because he will calm down on his own if I let him be and stop agitating him? I have no idea to be honest) I personally dislike punishing the horse as it is probably just my incompetence that caused them to be confused and frustrated (and from what I have read, it is not effective) but it has become something that I am very desperate to fix as I'm being told to do polework and small jumps, where I have fallen off him because of his antics. So I would like to know what I should be/shouldn't be doing with him.

Sidenote: When my instructor rides him he does not do this, at least nowhere near the extent he does with me, so that's why I think it's my incompetence that has led him to only do this when I'm the one on the saddle.

I appreciate any sort of help and I'll be happy to give more information that will help in diagnosing(?) the problem with me. Have a nice day!

 

[Jessey]

Welcome, and your English is great

So is he just yours to ride? or a horse at a riding school? I got the feeling it was the latter so I'll answer to that, it sounds like he is taking some time to warm up and is possibly struggling a bit physically as he is particularly reluctant to go in one direction, is this a UK riding school? (I only ask as if it is the horses have vet assessments very regularly and this should be addressed by them), the fact that your instructor can reduce the unwanted behavior doesn't mean it isn't physical, horses are very stoic beings and will often push though discomfort to do what they are asked. If it's a riding school horse it would be very difficult for you to address a physical problem.

Obviously not being able to manage the behavior is a challenge, but it's also a great learning opportunity If it is indeed behavioral then you can definitely keep working on improving the way you are dealing with it. For the stiffness you could try doing lots of circles, serpentines and some light lateral work during your warm up to really get him bending as much as possible and using those stiff muscles. Lots of transitions is likely to help too.

Waiting out a horse that is running away with you isn't ideal, it could reinforce the behavior as being acceptable. Getting into a pulling match with them is rarely effective, they are way stronger than us but learning to pre-empt the issue and act before he gets going can really help, containing the energy and maintaining a soft contact before the pole/jump can help with control after it, you can also use turns, one rein stops (if they are trained to do those) and your body position/weight to slow them down, but ideally it needs to come from your instructor who can see you riding and advise exactly what you need to do to correct the problem.

 

[carthorse]

I hate to say this since there's nothing you can do about it, but to me it sounds as though he's hurting somewhere or at the very least is extremely stiff and sore until he's warmed up. It may show less with your instructor because she's a more balanced rider who is less in his way and can also help him sort himself out, but I'd bet he's still sore. His behaviour when he's warmed up sounds unsuitable and unsafe for you to learn on, I wouldn't expect a good school to be allowing this to continue and instead they should find you something more suitable for your level.

I'm sorry I can't come up with something more constructive, I just feel your best bet would be to ask for a different pony so you can learn properly.

 

[Skib]

I agree with carthorse - however just one important point.
New riders need to be taught exactly how to use the whip. When you use the whip behind your leg, that is where you should be touching the horse, just behind where your calf is, not further back on his rump or hind leg. I was not taught and did that and the horse bucked me off - so that is why your horse may have bucked.

 

[Skib]

I would like to add something about the reins and him trying to take them. I realise that when the horse is in canter you need some rein control. But to do the transition to canter your hands need to be soft, in order to allow the forward movement. Imagine the horse flowing forward between your thighs and your hands.
Sometimes the first canter step feels wild and too strong, especialy if the horse is stiff like yours sounds to be. But as you have observed, you can calm him once that first step has beern taken. Dont try to use your hands to block him sooner.
In fact a longer rein might be helpful most of the time.

If you are stuck with this horse because you are having trouble learning to canter, may be ask you RI to let you set a goal. How far are you going to canter? Like one long side and one short died of the school. Mark Rashid the trainer from whom I learned a great deal says that the rider must know the speed, direction and destination. Destination is often overlooked. We go to riding lessons and it is like being on a treadmill for both student and horse. You go on endlessly. You both need to know your target.

I would also suggest that you find out whether you can hack or trail ride for a lesson at some point. Many of us found it easier to learn to canter out in the open where there are fewer corners than in the school.

My own method for getting a RS hiorse quick off the leg. Is to start from halt. If the walk is not instant and the quality you want, reject it and ask again. Since you need to warm up this horse (it sounds that way) ride lots of halt walk transitions and small circles in walk to warm up. And then ask for trot, using the same method. Alternating 4 paces walk 4 paces trot then usually works wonders.

 

[zerika]

Thanks for the advices! I will integrate these into my sections and see what happens! And about the whip I got the terms wrong I actually meant to say the haunches, and that stayed consistent across the other riding school that I've been to as well, it's always the haunches for some reason, I'm rarely told to use the whip behind my leg. And yes it is an english riding school and it's the only type of discipline practised here since Hong Kong is a small place, I don't get much choices sadly.

 

[Skib]

If you are learning in Hong Kong, I should say that one of the best riding school escorts I ever rode with learned to ride in Hong Kong.
I began riding in my 60s and hacked out once a week with an escort.Usually a young woman. Like on this forum, I would always talk with my escorts about different ways of doing things.
I have not forgotten that excellent impression of tuition in Hong Kong.