Horse Riding Help ;-;

[Luckeh_Is_Random]

So, I ride this pony named Nikki most of the time, and he's really stubborn. He tries to graze, he loves to jump the arena fence, and he throws a heck of a lot of bucking fits. The bucking doesn't bother me, but the grazing and jumping the fence makes me nervous and uncomfortable. I recently had another fall off of him (7 falls in total, ALL off of him), which has made me even more nervous about riding him. Should I tell my instructor how I feel about this pony, or should I leave it alone and do what I can when he gets wild?[img][/img]

[bumblebee]

i'd tell the instrutor, if he's making you more and more nervous then you should tell him you dont feel comfortable with him

[Almir]

Definitely tell your instructor.

[Bezzella]

You should tell your instructor about this- if she/he doesn't know, then he/she can't help you. If you get too scared of the horse, it could end up injuring your riding a lot. Hard horses are necessary for all riding careers, but it is about learning NOT to be afraid of them. If it isn't teaching you that, then you need to try a new horse.

[Dusty]

yes, Bezz basically said everything I was going to say.

Your trainer cant help you if she/he doesnt know. Plus, you dont want to become scared of riding, just because you never told your trainer. It cant hurt to tell her/him. I know with my trainer [for dogs] if I get nervous with a dog, she helps me, because when I am nervous, even if i act normal it goes right down the lead to the dog, and then the dog gets worse. I had to show a 6 month old puppy, whos head was almost at my shoulder. I was nervous at first, but my trainer helped me realized I am in control, and the dog didnt even pull once, and I was never mean to him at all. But, the whole thing could have been a mess, if I didnt tell my trainer.

[Ada Russel]

Tell her. I had a problem with a horse, and it got worse and worse. Finally I told my instructor, and she helped me fix it, by telling me how to stop things and such. All I am saying, is it could get worse, and if you are unconfident, the horse will never listen to you.

[^Marissa^]

I agree you should speak to your instructor(that's what they're there for! ). Because, of course, once you get nervous when riding, the horse will be able to feel it and the behaviors will probably be worse(as Im sure you know, horses get jumpy when their riders get startled or tense)..And helping stop the problem will only improve your safety. As it's been said before, things can get much worse, and the problems should probably be corrected now (well, ASAP!) before things start spiraling downward and it gets even harder to make the horse stop what it's doing.

Anyways, hope everything goes well!

[Bessie]

Always let the instructor know what is happening with an animal, it could be the animal is uncomfortable with you too. Sometimes it may be a physical problem for the animal and they cannot tell the instructor either. Also, ponies love to "Try" and if they get by with getting you off or nervous....then they "Try" you again and again. Also, it may be something that you are doing and you are not even aware of it. My daughter had shown her same pony for many years in Flag Races and all of a "sudden" her pony started cutting in before the 2nd barrel....for no obvious reason. My daughter came and told me. I proceded to the arena and watched her go around 3 times....AHA!!! My daughter was shifting the flag and her weight just before the second barrel.....thus, her pony was citting in. I asked her about it, She said someone told her to get ready earlier than she had always done before. I told her, "Well, you have always set for the flag just past the 2nd barrel and your pony has always lined to the barrel then, if you change it now, you are confusing her. Maybe you need to watch and correct before the pony gets to the point of bucking or jumping or raging and let it know, You are in control.

[Bessie]

I also had a Quarter horse mare that always wanted to RUN down a hil and jump the creek at the bottom. Sometimes it was fun, but when I had taken a tumble off of a stall gate and had a sore back, I decided the stream jump would be too much for ME. So, before we got to her "Take off" point, I stopped her dead still and sat and soothed her, then we WALKED down the hill and through the stream. She jiggled her ears a few times and got a little bit nervous....but every time I saw her give off any sign of vamping, I gave her a little draw back with the reins (just enough to let her know I was still in CONTROL). After that she would always stop at the top of the hill as if to ask me which way we were gonna take it that day. I loved that mare!

[Æ Red Sunset]

ok with out going into my life history or story ill try and help you out. I train sico loco horses like that as a job and i no how scary it can be. i was on a young mare and i had cut long story short the mare ended up bolting and bucking down a hill and ended up falling in a hole. i couldn't get on a young horse for over a year because of what she did (not blamimg the horse at all im used to that it was when she fell that made me scared). and the stupid mistake i made was not telling anyone that i was feeling like that. What ended up hapining was that i was so nervouse that i forgot how to ride the loco horses propably and in turn it just made me more nervouse. a year later and im back doing what i love. but please do not only yourself a favour but also your horses. tell someone and if you really don't want to switch horses try and work out a way in which someone can help you and Nikki through this.

[_Dragonwood_]

well, this depends on the situation...

1. how good of a rider are you? if you are just starting to ride, or haven't had much experience I would say that you need another horse, however if you are a more advanced rider then stick with it, as my instructor once told me as I was riding a very difficult horse, "Once you learn to ride the hard ones, the easy ones just seem that much eaiser"

2. falling off is a good thing. The only way you can learn is by making mistakes...so if you fall off then it's apperent that you've made a mistake, so you need to learn what mistake you made and how to fix it. The first horse I ever rode was a 10 year old racking horse mare...that mare bucked me off atlest 5 times every time I rode her (which was about 4-5 days a week)...but you know what? I can now stick to a horse better than anyone I know, which sets me up to get paid VERY well to fix problem horses/break & start horses

3. now, when this pony acts up does you instructor help you with it? if she does then stick with this pony, but if it gets to where all you are doing is getting really mad, and she won't help you, then ask for another horse

4. now, you say the pony bucks...but it's never the horse's fault, it (99.99999% of the time anyways) is the riders fault. Make sure the saddle fits right, and make sure you are riding correctly. This means that you are sitting in the saddle correctly, you are not moving your hands as you post (which is something a LOT of riders do now a days) and make sure you aren't pulling on him all the time...I tell you, if I were a pony and someone took a tight hold on my mouth you had better believe that I would buck the rider off as many times as it took to get them to quit pulling on my mouth...also, make sure you aren't doing anything to annoy him such as using a crop, using spurs, or letting your legs swing back & forth while posting (another bad habbit that 80% or horse riders do now a days)

if the end, if the pony isn't in pain, and you are riding correctly, and the instructor isn't helping you at all I would say forget choosing another horse ride, try to find another barn to ride at

[ccb123]

i think u should cuz u might get hurt one of these times and if u keep falling u lose confindence. that makes u more nervous when u r on him!!! a horse is a smart animal and knows if u r nervous and will pick up on it!! just tell him/her and i dont think he/she will be mad!!

[Fiona Hopkins]

I think you should cause if you fall off, cause your shaky and nervous your instructor will be confused...

[tidbit]

You should tell your teacher because if you ever got hurt on that horse, you may lose your confidence. Plus that horse maybe a danger to you and other riders. Ponies tend to be be stubborn and only willing to do what they want to do. This maybe a problem that he has that needs to be fixed. Tell your teacher before it is to late.

[Jessie123456]

it's a good idea to tell the instructor-you can totally lose your confidence if you keep on riding a horse like that-I fell off my horse jumping a long time ago and I'm still freaked out about jumps