Problem

Innocence

New Member
Jun 1, 2009
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As some of you may know i have a sharer for my cob, she doesn't pay anything towards his keep just helps me out with exercise etc. My cob turned 4 in May, last year he was ridden very lightly in walk and trot, then turned away for the winter and brought back into work at the beginning of May. Now my sharer has been long reining, lunging and doing ridden work. The aim was to get him fitter and more balanced to start his canter work and maybe some small poles.

Anyway i got a text from her yesterday saying that she had gone out for a hack and had a gallop on him, i'm assuming this is the first time but needless to say this bothered me somewhat as that was not in the plan. Am i over reacting? I want to message her to say that i do not want him to be galloping anymore and that i would prefer him to be schooled to improve his balance and then progress into a more balanced canter on both reins. I am of the opinion that if he is galloped out hacking without any proper training, then he will think this is the only thing he will do when asked to go faster, instead of a nice consistant canter.

It has upset me that she has done this as i thought i could trust her with my horse.
 
Aww, hun I'm really sorry to hear that!!! I can totally empathise with you as if this had happened with one of mine I would be a bit put out, I guess she knows that the "bringing on" bit is running to a particular plan as she's been doing groundwork with him?

It sounds like she's genuinely nice and maybe this was just her going on her own feelings re what he is ready for? (which is by the by if he belongs to someone else)

Maybe if you just drop a text saying glad he was a good boy and you guys had fun, but think it would be better if he is schooled on a little more over the next few months?
 
I was a little startled to get the text yesterday, so replied with 'Oh right, glad he was good'

I want to text her today and tell her no more galloping but she may take offence, plus i know she is riding out with someone who i fell out with on my old yard (gobby teenager who thinks they know it all) which i preferred she didn't but that is not my choice.
 
First of all, what does she mean by gallop? Does she actually mean 4-beat flat out, or does she really mean a fast canter? I can completely understand why you would be upset, it's taken away an element of control over his schooling that I can't imagine anyone would be happy with. But, saying that, I don't think she's done a terrible thing - about 8 out of 10 of my breakers have their first canter in a big, uphill field. It's much easier for a young horse to canter and to balance himself out of the arena and cantering him out will improve his canter in and you won't get that nice consistent canter without the horrible inconsistent canter first. You could work on the trot for years, but canter is a different gait and a different set of muscles.
I wouldn't want to see him cantered every time, but really I don't think she's done him any harm. My main issue would be that she's done something with your young horse that you didn't want her to do and it isn't her place to move the training along, unless it is something you've discussed. I'd just try talk to her face to face and discuss how you feel and why you feel that way. Don't raise any issues by text, just causes more problems.
 
I have send her a msg, saying that i don't want anymore galloping, appreciate that they had fun but rather he was schooled on first and became balanced in the canter gait.

She has said no probs but would like to start canter work with him which i said is fine.
 
I don't think a four year old having a blast in a straight line in a huge field will do him any harm tbh, as long as she knows not to gallop/canter in the same spots and not to let him learn that hitting grass means go than I really can't see the issue?
 
I don't think you should stop her doing it, if she does it in a regulated manner that surely is better for him than not being galloped at all and it being built up into a 'big deal'.

Hens is an ex-racehorse, he spent his entire childhood on the gallops and he is an utter dream to ride on grass, even if you canter him in the same spot he never 'expects' to canter there and will wait until asked, cantering alone he'll slow up on voice commands, he's the nicest horse (well apart from Tom, who was also an ex-racehorse) to canter out ever.
 
I would just sit down and have a chat with her. Personally I think it is good for young horses to be hacked as well as schooled as it is easier for them to balance in canter out. It is also great for building their confidence and keeping them interested.

But can see why you don't want him galloping about everywhere.

Talk to her and be clear what actually happened, ie gallop or fast canter, and explain what you want him to be doing and that you both need to be singing from the same hymn sheet.

He sounds like a good boy.
 
i completely agree with you. I'd be seething. I'd also be unhappy with her riding out with a gobby teenager if i'm honest. It is so easy to ruin a young horse. The amount of effort you put in before backing can be very easily undone with a silly act. And yes, had she galloped him i think that shows a degree of ignorance. He is still growing and developing so why gallop? If it were just a fast canter, still as bad. Yes, cantering out on a hack is a good experience for a youngster. It's how my youngster learned and it's how my older horse got his canter corrected.

He is YOUR horse, she is a sharer. You should be calling the shots especially as he's a youngster.
 
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