Spring has arrived and have just started bringing my horse back into more regular work. A little history on my horse - got him last december, very responsive and forward moving. Well trained and a pleasure to ride. He was a bit underweight and lacked a lot of muscle, he had spent most days stabled with hay then turned out at night on poor pasture.
I have worked at getting his weight up and building some muscle and he is now much healthier AND much more energetic!
He started bucking a little at the start of the year and I had him checked for saddle fit and any pain issues, nothing found. My confidence however continued to grow and I really enjoyed him. However I am now finding my confidence and enjoyment rapidly going downhill. My neighbour who is a much better rider than me has ridden him a couple of times recently, once he has had a few attempts at bucking he flies around and she can canter him on a loose rein with no issues. However when I get on him I am hesitant to let him go, my main fear is being bucked off at speed. He gets annoyed that I won't give him his head and it turns into a battle.
I am happy on him at a walk and trot but when it comes to cantering now, I would rather not - he is just so fast. I can see that he is goes well for my neighbour so obviously I am the root of the problem and it is really tearing me up inside. I am wondering if I am doing this horse a dis-service by keeping him and whether he would be happier with a more confident rider. I was thinking about getting some regular lessons with my trimmer who is fantastic but the combination of having a small property with no decent flat areas and not owning a trailer makes this a bit difficult.
I would be sad to sell him as I am not even sure whether I would look at buying another horse immediately. I know that the combination of a well conditioned but not particularly fit horse and spring time doesnt help either. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And thanks if you managed to get all the way through my novel
I have worked at getting his weight up and building some muscle and he is now much healthier AND much more energetic!
He started bucking a little at the start of the year and I had him checked for saddle fit and any pain issues, nothing found. My confidence however continued to grow and I really enjoyed him. However I am now finding my confidence and enjoyment rapidly going downhill. My neighbour who is a much better rider than me has ridden him a couple of times recently, once he has had a few attempts at bucking he flies around and she can canter him on a loose rein with no issues. However when I get on him I am hesitant to let him go, my main fear is being bucked off at speed. He gets annoyed that I won't give him his head and it turns into a battle.
I am happy on him at a walk and trot but when it comes to cantering now, I would rather not - he is just so fast. I can see that he is goes well for my neighbour so obviously I am the root of the problem and it is really tearing me up inside. I am wondering if I am doing this horse a dis-service by keeping him and whether he would be happier with a more confident rider. I was thinking about getting some regular lessons with my trimmer who is fantastic but the combination of having a small property with no decent flat areas and not owning a trailer makes this a bit difficult.
I would be sad to sell him as I am not even sure whether I would look at buying another horse immediately. I know that the combination of a well conditioned but not particularly fit horse and spring time doesnt help either. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. And thanks if you managed to get all the way through my novel