Riding lesson

domane

Retired cob mum
Jul 31, 2005
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Had my first lesson today following Gracie's month of schooling. RI rode her as well and was really impressed with how she's improved in walk and trot and was teaching her/us basic travers and pirouette.... the latter Gracie picked up straight away and RI said she's the 3rd horse she's taught it to today and by far the best. She then asked G to canter and oh boy....did she pronck!! I was so embarrassed!!! G has never done that for anyone else so I hadn't warned RI who was nearly unseated!!! After G had done it 3 times :)eek:) and got a proper telling off from RI she settled and produced some lovely canter work. At one point RI actually yelled out gleefully "oh WOW!! She feels FAB!" with a massive grin. So although G didn't do much cantering with Abby (I asked her to work on walk and trot only as I didn't feel there would be enough time to crack canter as well) it seems that Gracie's improved walk and trot have had a natural knock on effect. I didn't canter her myself today.

However, this proncking has clearly got worse! I have the super-duper physio coming again on Sunday (she came in May) as I'm hoping that G is a bit sore in her back from using it more. I know that sounds odd, to hope your horse is in pain, but I really want that to be the reason that G is behaving like this and it's not because she's matured into a mare with attitude.

If this turns out to be a new behaviour pattern....well..... I'm already nervous to canter her, so its already started. Fingers crossed that it is a pain reaction or I might be a bit stuffed, tbh.
 
Sounds like a fab lesson, apart from the pronking.
It was a lovely reaction from you RI when Gracie started cantering correctly.
 
Have you taught her walk to canter? Does she still do it? I found that helped mine a lot.
She didn't pronk but she did the head down almost on the floor with a yank or two and you just prayed. I believe called pigrooting.
 
If she's had a course of intensive schooling, she's probably A. a little bit tight & B. just figuring out how to use her body and legs as a result :)

Think positively, you'll be fine I'm sure! X
 
You know it’s a funny thing but I’d be so happy if Raf pronked because he was feeling good. He used to do it every time we had a canter, just at the beginning, but he rarely does it now and I miss him feeling so well ...

Fingers crossed you get Grace sorted (or that you find more confidence in yourself to sit out her antics :p )
 
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Is pronking bronking?! Hope it's something that can be sorted. I was well and truly put off cantering on a riding school horse that always did it going into canter - took me ages to get over the worry of it happening on other horses.
 
Is pronking bronking?
I misread that completely. :p
I think a pronk is a pigroot and bronc is a head down full on buck two or three times?
Both different to a cow kick that mine used to do if annoyed.
Dunno expect others will disagree with me.
 
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Proncking is a cross between prancing and broncing. So she doesn't get her head down (coz I daren't let her :p) but I suppose the best description is cantering/half-bucking on the spot.
 
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Well I had a buck on my lesson on Friday. We were trying to get Billy going off the correct leg and was told to get after him with the whip as he wasn't listening to my leg. So I did tap with the whip and got back legs flying with objection. That was a first so took me completely by surprise. After that I was told to wave it behind when asking for canter to back up my leg.
 
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