Horse won't listen to me!

So I've been riding ever since I was five, but stopped when I was seven. I'm fourteen now, and have been volunteering at a wonderful horse farm. The women there lets me ride sometimes. She basically gives me a horse sometimes with sometimes without a saddle and let's me in the ring to do whatever. Now I most often am riding a pony with a bareback pad and he's great and all. I'll go to trot with him now and he'll come off the rail and sometimes he won't trot at all. Now I am aware that it's my fault, I'm the newb and everything and he's just trying to be the boss of me, but I don't no how to stop him. Then the last time I tries to trot with him, it got so bad in the end we were off the rail walking around as I pulled at the rains hopelessly trying to get back on the rail. I understand it's my fault but I don't no how to stop him. He doesn't respect me at all and I want learning to ride to be a good experience, not something I dread doing. All I want to do is be able to trot and keep control of this pony. Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

This women who so kindly lets you ride her horses needs to give you some instruction. It's possible to learn all on your own, but it is "messy" . Ask her for some lessons.

I agree with asking her to help you out. However try using more leg push him over to the rail. Ponies are stubborn but you can do it just try and get this lady to give you some instruction on how to handle him and what you should imrove on (lower/higher hands, shoulders back, heels down etc.) Don't get discouraged though you'll get it :]

It is great that you have some previous experience, but riding from five to seven and then taking a seven year break doesn't really leave you with a whole lot of riding experience to draw on right now to just jump right back on and go -- you need some refresher work from someone who can provide you instruction. If these horses are trained and the horse is not listening, it is because you are either not asking in a way they understand or in a leadership tone. All of this goes right back to you needing to have some instruction that can take what you think you remember from seven years ago and give it a good build....for your sake and that of the horse(s) you ride.

Agreed with the lessons, but I would also try getting some respect on the ground from him. If he doesn't already listen to you on the ground, I wouldn't expec a huge amount in the saddle either...Ponies are difficult sometimes so its nice to really get a soft, listening, focused animal in every way possible.

And easy ground training method to understand is Clinton Andersons Lunging for Respect. You can find it on youtube, it is a nice technique that'll take the edge off him before you ride and get some focus in him too. I don't normally take a horse through the whole "method" (Even though it has worked for me in bits and pieces and is an excellent thing to do) but this lunging for respect deal is a really good tool to have.

SorrelHorse, hope you don't tire of my likes; I just agree with you so often - LOL!

OP, the groundwork is what I was going to say, as well. Establish leadership on the ground first. I recommend Parelli 7 Games; it's all groundwork that builds the relationship & that transfers to saddle.

The BO has been negligent with you, imo. Hopefully you now see that at your savvy level, you were put into a risky situation by the invitation to "go ahead & ride", unsupervised at that. Savvy horsemen who've worked/ridden thousands of horses never just get on the horse, but rather do some groundwork to see what's up with the horse that day.

Northern - I don't tire of the likes :) I'm glad I actually say things worth reading! I like the parelli games as well, I should locate where my dvds went. Kinda fell out of parelli when I found CA, but since there are differences I think its best to know many different methods because no horse will work exactly the same, and neither will their handler.

Thank You all so much for your replies! My mom has found me an instructor to help me out. I do plan on trying the ground work. Your right, I mean he listens, but not 100 percent, I never new how to make it better but now I do. Thank you all so much again!
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