oooh I spotted this one for sale too. She sounds lovely. Good luck
EDIT: Wow, this is longer than I expected!!
Sounds lovely...seems to be a bucker who got me off! Though I decided to bail after she bucked and she spun round quickly and got me off so was half bail, half fall.
I'm fine, and actually glad it happened. Should have read the warning signs though. He wouldn't ride her first for me and she was a coiled spring as soon as I got on her. I asked her to walk on, she rushed forward and bucked.
She seemed very scared and unsure. I'm sure she'll be someone's horse but she needs work and I would say her back looked at as she certainly wasn't being malicious and was pretty upset. I felt incredibly sad leaving her there
On the plus side, it's shown me I can ride a pony as I wasn't too big for her at all.
So after leaving there we remembered another Highland we'd seen advertised ages ago, but thought it must have gone by now. Rang, and he had been sold but it had fallen though so as of this weekend he was back up for sale again.
He's a 14.1hh grey highland gelding, 20 years old as used in a trekking centre and as a stalking pony to bring shot deer off the hills. Brodies_Girl was happy to take me to have a look and told me she felt positive about him (after a long chat with his owner).
We got there and it was howling a gale! Never felt wind like it, and he was in the stables. I spent some time on the ground with him while she chatted, I groomed him, tacked him up and took him into the school. His neck went up and his ears went forward and he looked quite chuffed to be doing something which was good as I worried he would be too laid back after seeing him in the stable! Her 10 year old daughter jumped on and rode him round very happily and also dropped her reins and rode him with no hands :giggle:
I jumped on and
instantly felt safe. He was very light in the mouth and responsive to my seat (but still kick along) and actually offered me an outline a few times on very little contact. His voice commands were super too and he always had one ear on me.
The only BUT is because he's riding school/trekking centre he plays follow the leader....literally that's all he knows but he seems very willing to listen to his rider but is just unsure of not following whoever is in front. (I think most know the riding school type, he's just more responsive and not a dead to the leg) I think he thinks he's being naughty by not following.
His owner said he's a huge people horse and needs to go to a home where he is going to have a proper bond with someone as he's a 'loves cuddles and kisses' type and will follow a person anywhere. This will be very hard for me as I haven't allowed myself to bond with a horse properly since my 'forever horse' died suddenly and very unexpectedly in 2007. I have a constant fear that if I love a horse again I'll lose it. However Brodies_Girl thinks it will be good for me to have a horse who looks to bond with it's rider and I tend to agree.
So I am currently 'going away and thinking about it' and sat biting my nails on my sofa :giggle: