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!
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!